We are on day 19 of a 21 day trip to Hawaii. Most of the time was spent with my brother who lives in Honolulu, plus 6 nights in Maui (Kihei.) The weather has been glorious - no rain during our entire stay, all sunny days with highs averaging 78 degrees. And the whales are in Maui right now!! Returning to the east coast will be tough.
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I was just looking at Little Palm for a getaway. In years past we’ve gone to St Kitts/Nevis, which is wonderful; our last warm vacation was in Surfside (Miami Beach). Goal is simply relaxation. Thank you for sharing the photos - looks lovely and perfect!
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Places we’ve gone the last several years in Jan or Feb:
Scottsdale
Siesta Key or Marco Island FL
Puerto Rico
Sayulita Mexico
St. Thomas
Thinking of heading to Palm Springs next year. And I’d love to go to Hawaii again, did a family spring break there several years ago to Maui but would love to visit other places there- need to convince my DH!
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The Phoenician is fabulous. Highly recommend!
And Arizona is heaven October-June, no reason to leave during “winter.” We live in a resort community with a PGA golf course, high-end amenities, and fantastic views. No need for us to travel, but you all are welcome to visit us. 
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Staycation!!
Rent a portable sauna, order in food, fire in the fireplace.
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Yes, the area of Kihei, Maui - once there, it’s quite walkable - shops, groceries, beaches, cafes galore, even some culture at South Maui Gardens. Bear in mind that there’s a lot you’d miss seeing but there’s always another trip for that!
“Downtown” Kailua-Kona too (Island of Hawaii - aka Big Island) - there’s even a museum.
I’ve done both without a car.
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We are headed to Puerto Rico in two weeks.
Have been to Cabo and found it completely safe, clean and lovely. We rented a house in Pedregal.
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I am in southern CA. Highs are expected to be in 70s F this week, peaking in upper 70s on Thursday. I am enjoying the warm weather, including spending hours outside each day and going to dog beach. I am planning to take a trip to the mountains later this weekend. Normally it would be chilly at the high elevation this time of year, but with mountain highs in the 60s, I expect to feel comfortable.
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As mentioned, we are in SE Asia at the moment. Next winter we will be in Australia/New Zealand. Here was part of last night’s entertainment.
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I live in Colorado. Lots of sunshine, and I still have some ski tickets to use. Staycation could work for me. But my husband is keen on a warm weather trip again this year, and I’ll admit that beach vibe does sound appealing. The fact that circumstances have made it no longer possible for some of our older friends to travel does make me eager to travel during our “go go” years.
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This is our second year traveling south to escape the cold and snow. H likes to take roadtrips rather than stay in one place, so last year it was St. Augustine, Savannah and Asheville. This year, we spent a few days in Sarasota to spend time with D, SIL and 19-mo GS who were visiting SIL’s parents who have a condo there (we don’t get to see them often since they live on the East coast). We’re currently in Fort Myers where we went to a spring training game for the first time, and tomorrow we’re heading to the Florida Keys for a few days. I could definitely see making something like this an annual event!
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Come to Arizona. High’s right now are in the 70s and soon to be low 80s.
If you’re a baseball fan, come to a bunch of spring training games. They’re all over the Phoenix metro area.
Or you could spend several days in & around Tucson. There’s a lot of cool things to explore around Tucson.
If visiting the Phoenix area, you could also tag on a couple of days in Sedona. There’s some cool archeological sites near Prescott to explore.
Or go spend a week in Hawaii if you want a beach vacation.
Or I’d spend 5 days at Disneyland.
Or go visit New Orleans. There are some historical plantations you can tour plus New Orleans has what’s supposed to be a pretty amazing WW2 museum.
Or spend a week on the beach somewhere in Florida.
I’d probably end up going to WDW for a week because every January, Epcot has an art & food festival. And then after that, there’s the Epcot spring flower & garden festival (both of which have a boatload of food booths with different foods all over the park during each festival). And I’d spend a day or 2 at Universal Studios to check out the Harry Potter rides. Plus go to Cape Canaveral again.
OR you could spend a few days in New Mexico. Especially Santa Fe…the art work in Santa Fe is amazing. New Mexico is very very different from almost everywhere else in the US. It’s kind of hard to describe. The food is really good…green chile stew and posole. Mmmm. My mouth waters just thinking of it! 
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We love Santa Fe, but check the weather if you plan to travel there in the winter. DH worked there for over four years, traveling from cold New England twice a month. The temps there were just about the same as here…until May when it did get significantly warmer during the day.
It’s a GREAT place, but not if you are sure you want to escape the cold during the winter months.
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Thanks for all the great ideas. They will be helpful to me (possibly not til next winter) and other people too. Vacation dreaming is half of the fun.
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I am also going to Scottsdale, Tucson, Pheonix in March.
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Dominica is a great option for a hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, diving (but not beach) vacation. Super nice people and still a bit off the beaten track.
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Back when we lived in Chicagoland, my favorite winter destination was Sanibel Island. But I’m not sure how their hurricane recovery would change that experience. I know my favorite hotel, West Wind Inn, was totally destroyed and has been demolished. But overall, I liked the Gulf coast - had also visited Marco Island, Naples, and Siesta Key. Husband had relatives over on the Atlantic side and MIL couldn’t understand why I liked the Gulf.
We once spent spring break in Scottsdale instead of Florida and hit rains and chilly weather. The cacti in the Desert Botanical Garden were so waterlogged they were oozing! But we still were able to have a good time, especially when the clouds cleared and the temperatures climbed into the 60’s. We stayed at two resorts. Pretty sure the first has been rebranded - it had a great lazy river and an Old West town.
Now the impetus for such vacations is gone since we have a pool, beaches are minutes away, and it’s never really cold. Yesterday was sunny with cool breezes - I hit the hot tub for an hour then dried off in the sun. I would love to go back to Hawaii since it’s been decades since our third trip there. And it would be easy to get there - but the cost vs what we do here for free?
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I think it’s very iffy to have a warm vacations in the States, other than HI, because the weather could hit or miss. I was in Orlando one winter when it was in the 30s. I have also been to Key West or Bahamas and hit cold weather. I would go further south to get certainty of warm weather, especially between Dec to February.
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Don’t forget Puerto Rico and the USVI. And while we never think of it - Guam.
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The Army sent our son on an all-expenses-paid trip to Guam. Except for the snakes, he enjoyed “poor man’s Hawaii.” 
“In the right context, snakes are a big part of the ecosystem. They’re wonderful in the right place, but in Guam, unfortunately, they’re invasive so that’s important to keep in mind,” said Kastner. “We need to get rid of them if we want hope of bringing back native birds and restoring the overall ecosystem.”
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