AFTER THE STRESS OF PLANNING A WEDDING, Who wants to deal with layovers and connecting flights for honeymoon trips? In recent years, Mitchell International Airport has upped its game with more nonstop destinations, many in sunny climates or just in fascinating locations. This is not limited to domestic locations – direct flights to Canada and Mexico also depart from Milwaukee. Now all you have to do is sit back, relax, and prepare to be pampered upon landing. From tranquil sunset sails to adrenaline-pumping mountain hikes, from massages to wine tastings, here are six destinations to help you properly enjoy your togetherness.
Miami Beach and Florida Keys
3 HOURS, 16 MINUTES IN AMERICAN AIRLINES
Do you and your partner like the tropics but don’t like crowds? The Florida Keys are a good option for a road trip from Miami, but you can still spend a night in Miami Beach to experience its lively nightlife and Art Deco buildings turned into fun hotels. Take as much time as you like to drive up the coast from Miami to Key West on US Highway 1, also known as the Overseas Highway, suspended over the Atlantic Ocean in parts. Non-stop, the trip lasts about 3.5 hours. Check in for the full-blown resort experience in Key Largo at Largo Beach (Bubbles and Bliss package offers a 50-minute spa treatment and champagne daily) or, in Islamorada, Cheeca Lodge & Spa (private balconies and a bathtub are two highlights, with the bathtub on the balcony in some suites) and again in Key West in Casa Marina Key West. Hiking in the state park, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkeling, and sunset sailing can easily be included in your itinerary, with any of the resorts as a base camp. Don’t forget to order key lime pie while you’re there. And if you are a fan of literature, or you just love felines, travel Ernest Hemingway’s Old Hideout It is a must.
Nashville, Tennessee
1 HOUR, 35 MINUTES ON SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Forget the honky-tonk music city you used to know. A farm-to-table scene is quietly emerging here, along with a host of boutique hotel openings. Stay downtown in the dazzling and glamorous The jose (presumes pink, a spa on the 21st floor; a rooftop lounge; an Italian restaurant called Yolan former Kenosha chef and James Beard award winner Tony Mantuano; and a world-class art collection), or choose an original and original option like The Russell, a 23-room hotel inside a 115-year-old East Nashville church (stained glass intact). One of the best local food menus in the city is in People, where items change with the seasons, like a calzone with pumpkin seed pesto kale and pumpkin delicata in fall. Start at the bar with a glass of wine or whimsical cocktail (such as Herb Alpert: Tequila with Ginger, Cilantro, Passion Fruit, and Lime), then move on to the high-ceilinged dining room or plant-adorned patio for an extended dinner. Do you want to listen to live music but not in a noisy bar? Choose an intimate place, like the legendary Bluebird Coffee, where emerging composers perform. You might recognize the lyrics to those songs a year later on a Top 40 hit. Stretch your legs and hold hands on 55 Acres Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Historic Georgian Estate, featuring an art sculpture trail.
Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona
4 HOURS IN AMERICAN AIRLINES OR SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
If all you want to do is bask in the sun and experience resort life, including Las Vegas-sized pools and high-end spas, this destination is your utopia. Mountain shadows resort At Scottsdale’s Tony Paradise Valley, he picks you up in a Tesla Model X courtesy car and takes you into his revamped 1960s decor. A golf course, spa, outdoor pool, and various dining venues are so delicious (the menu and layout) that you may never want to leave. Arizona biltmore is another destination where you will be treated like royalty, whether in Tierra Luna Spa or The Wright Bar (a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous Wisconsin architect who inspired the Biltmore design). Stop by the late architect’s winter estate on a Taliesin west tour and if you have enough energy go up to Scottsdale’s Camelback mountain, a popular weekend activity for the locals. Enjoy dinner at TripAdvisor’s most romantic restaurant in Phoenix: Different point of view, at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, with walls of windows that overlook the mountainous landscape 1,800 feet above the valley. Another option for dinner is Karl Kopp’s (of Milwaukee’s frozen custard fame) AZ88, located in Scottsdale’s cultural district and famous for its cocktails and burgers.
Cape Code and Nantucket, Massachusetts
2 HOURS, 27 MINUTES FROM BOSTON IN DELTA AIRLINES
If Door County feels like your second home, try the popular Massachusetts Peninsula, located 70 miles south of Boston. Summer is perfect to enjoy the six beaches along Cape Cod National Coast, or the 6 mile inland beach at Long Pond. But if you both love wild and rugged nature and don’t mind showing off a few layers of clothing, you can even visit it in spring or fall. Consider making Chatham, a charming upscale town on the southeastern tip of the Cape, your home base. Chatham Bars Inn It flaunts a vintage beach resort vibe, but on a grand scale, with a spa and farm-to-table events on its own farm. Wherever you are on Cape Cod, it is not difficult to find a memorable dinner (as in Spinnaker in Brewster, serving Chatham clams) and you can enjoy an after-dinner show (at Cape cinema at Dennis, an independent movie theater from the 1930s). A kayak trip, go to art galleries, or visit local wineries (Truro Vineyards, First Crush Winery or Cape Cod Winery) are just a few of the many ways you can choose to spend your time. For a variation on the Cape experience, consider heading to one of its neighboring islands. House of life On Nantucket, a 30-mile ferry ride from Hyannis, is an elegant 17-room inn that blends the waterfront with elegance in a federal-style mansion. It is on the street of Sister ship, known for its cocktails and snacks.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1 HOUR, 28 MINUTES BY UNITED AIRLINES / AIR CANADA
It takes less time to fly to Toronto than to New York City, but the atmosphere is similar: culture, culture, culture. The distinct neighborhoods of Canada’s most populous city, many with ethnic roots, mean you can jump from China to Greece through your taste buds. In recent years, new luxury hotel openings include nature-inspired eco-mindedness 1 Hotel Toronto in the center of King West Village, fusing driftwood and local limestone in a combination of rooftop pool time, yoga classes, and sustainably sourced farm-to-table cooking at 1 kitchen. Next opening are Ace Y Nobu properties. Without leaving Toronto, you can also tour a 65,000-square-foot castle (the Gothic Revival style Casa Loma) and cruise to the surrounding Toronto Islands on a ferry from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. Once you’ve filled up with the city, rent a car to experience the wine country of the Niagara Peninsula, about a two-hour drive from Toronto, near idyllic and artsy Niagara-on-the-Lake (and, yes, 30 minutes from Niagara Falls). Some of these wineries are so micro that you won’t find their wines in the United States or even on Toronto restaurant menus. What is in fashion here are organic wineries like Frogpond Farm, the first in the region, where you can have a drink of four of their wines (Chardonnay is one), and Jackson-Triggs, an architectural marvel with fun pairings in their Entourage Room as Pop with Jackson-Triggs, which combines three sparkling wines with specialty popcorn.
Los Cabos, Mexico
RENTAL THROUGH FUNJET HOLIDAYS
While Mexico’s Riviera Maya is jungle, with tropical foliage, Cabo San Lucas is in the desert of the Baja California peninsula, rich in succulents, cacti, and happy days of nonstop sunshine (and drier heat). For a night out, skip the party town of Cabo San Lucas for the artsy enclave of San Jose del Cabo, where on Thursday nights a walkable art tour through cobbled streets brings out the best of this destination thanks to the artisans who work in sculpture, painting and photography. Food that rivals any big city, but also includes Mexican ingredients and culture, is served at 12 indoor eating and drinking venues. Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos (Trust us, the layout is nothing like an all-inclusive, and there are even cooking and dance classes.) SOMMA Wine SpaTreatments conclude with a glass of wine, and some even incorporate wine grapes. A sweet day or night trip to All Saints reveals what Mexico’s tourist areas used to be: quiet, slow and sweet, with the new 32-suite Paradoro Todos Santos as the highlight. Flora Farms It’s a great brunch spot where you can linger – almost everything you eat is grown on the property, and neighboring shops sell artisan souvenirs (such as regionally made soaps, handicrafts, embroidery, and fine jewelry) that you can purchase for later. A famous monument here – The arc (El Arco) – Easily accessible via a sunset sail, traversing where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean at the tip of Baja California.
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