America's Best Cities for New Years

But it wasn’t what she’d hoped. “On the last day of the year, Las Vegas turns into a disrupted anthill—too chaotic and wild for me,” says Blair, now a travel blogger based in Minneapolis. “I was surprised Las Vegas could get any more amped up. It just brings out the wildest of the wild.”

Of course, that anthill level of excitement doesn’t scare everyone away. In the latest Travel + Leisuresurvey, Sin City ranked No. 5 out of 35 as the best American city for New Year’s Eve.

The best place to spend New Year’s Eve was just one part of the America’s Favorite Cities survey, where Travel + Leisure readers ranked 35 U.S. cities in 54 categories, such as the best luxury shopping, the best live music, and even the best coffee bars.

Finding a great place to celebrate New Year’s Eve is important. While many of us keep a standing New Year’s date with the TV and a pair of fuzzy slippers, more than 1 in 4 Americans plan to travel this year to welcome in 2011.

Like Blair, not everyone who travels for New Year’s wants a raucous time. When we looked at the Top 25 for New Year’s in the AFC survey, a mix of great live music, good bars, and wild weekend potential helped bolster many cities’ rankings. But warm weather also seemed to play a huge role. Two of the Top 10 cities are on islands, two are in the desert, and one—San Diego—is the AFC voters’ winner in the climate category.

Many people also just have different definitions of what constitutes a good party. Memphis, for all its great music and good food, still came in at No. 25 for New Year’s Eve—perhaps because AFC voters found other things about staying in Memphis that dampened their spirits. Meanwhile, southern city Savannah—new to the AFC survey—shot to No. 4, even besting Vegas, proving that some folks would rather err on the side of charming for December 31.

And what about New York City, arguably the epicenter of New Year’s Eve? It made a mediocre No. 13 showing, perhaps due to cold temps, big crowds, and high prices. Shari Lynn Rothstein-Kramer, a native New Yorker, admits that she has spent more New Year’s Eves than she can count in Times Square. “Every year I swore I wouldn’t do it again,” she said, “but then a friend would come into town, or it wouldn’t seem so cold—but it was never really fun.”

Best Resorts in the Caribbean

Toes in the sand, a frosty tropical cocktail in hand, and a bit of soulful reggae playing as the sun slowly sets—that’s the very essence of a Caribbean resort, right? Indeed, but just like the two dozen unique islands they call home, Caribbean resorts defy easy generalization. A few are luxurious enclaves, some are lively all-inclusives, and others are one-of-a-kind properties with a look and vibe all their own. Which are considered the best?

Based on the results of our ninth annual T+L 500, where we ask readers to choose their favorite hotels and resorts around the world, 29 Caribbean properties on 12 islands made the cut. Read on for a few tantalizing highlights, followed by a slideshow of the top 20 vote-getters.

Jamaica, one of the Caribbean’s most popular destinations, claims six of the top 20 resorts, including the genteel and romantic Jamaica Inn. This 60-year-old Ocho Rios property features 47 suites awash in whimsical periwinkle blue, plus an alfresco dining terrace where guests are invited to slow dance to live music.

Chic St. Bart’s and lush St. Lucia are each home to three top 20 properties, including Le Toiny, an intimate hilltop resort of 15 villas with private plunge pools and panoramic views of the island’s picturesque bays, and St. Lucia neighbors Anse Chastanet Resort and Ladera, both of which feature rustic-chic architecture with open walls offering clear vistas of the Piton peaks.

Turks and Caicos’ 72-suite Regent Palms makes the list for the first time. Set on scenic Grace Bay, the resort is known for its airy, kitchen-equipped suites and award-winning spa.

As a former flight attendant, Beth Blair had been to Las Vegas countless times. A few years ago, she decided it would be a great place to spend New Year’s Eve: bright lights, cocktails, and an all-night party.

World's Most Romantic All-Inclusive Resorts

Hard-partying Cancún, Mexico, isn’t the first place you’d think to take a secluded romantic getaway. But couples-only Le Blanc Spa Resort will make you think again. This all-inclusive sets the mood with a private beach, butler service, and infinity pools—and has even attracted romcom sweetheart Julia Roberts.

That’s no surprise to André Leavitt of Time Travels Inc., who wholeheartedly recommends the couples-only, all-inclusive experience to clients. “These resorts are simply more conducive to romance,” says the travel pro and mom. As Leavitt knows, sometimes you want a table just for two, without any kids in shouting distance. And the best romantic all-inclusive resorts have evolved to appeal to more sophisticated tastes, improving menus, diversifying amenities, and raising the bar on 24/7 service.

With all your meals and activities at the ready, you can tune out distractions and tune in to each other. This kind of coveted alone time comes easily on the island of Maui at Travaasa Hana, a serene group of plantation-style cottages that purposely don’t have TVs, radios, or clocks. Instead, you’ll wake up to the sound of the Pacific waves outside your window, soak in a private hot tub, and learn to stand-up paddleboard or even hula. Trying out something new together is bound to get that adrenaline pumping.

While endless water views are undeniably romantic, cuddling by the fire at a mountain hideaway has its own dreamy appeal. The Adirondacks are the site of one such retreat, The Point Resort on the edge of Saranac Lake, which draws big-city couples looking for a quick escape, whatever the season.

Of course, all this gourmet eating, pampering, and bliss comes at a price, anywhere from about $120 per person per night to upwards of $600. But once you find the resort that’s right for you two, the bucks stop there. “Not having to think about paying for a drink by the pool or lunch—it’s a completely carefree experience,” says Ernesto Coppel, founder and CEO of Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas.

Guide to Lille

STAY

Historically, one of Lille’s only drawbacks was a dearth of stylish places to lay one’s head. The recent arrival of L’Hermitage Gantois (224 Rue de Paris; 33-3/20-85-30-30 doubles from $250), housed in a 15th-century hospice, has changed all that. Admire the hotel’s artful use of original architectural details in the double-height brick atrium, the glass-and-steel bar area, and the modest but perfectly manicured rose gardens in the cloisters. The 67 rooms are spacious, many with lofty beamed ceilings and heavy linen curtains, and all with Carrara-marble or Flemish- tile baths. A seven-minute stroll up the Rue de Paris brings you to the city center. Opera luminaries stay at the Carlton (3 Rue de Paris; 33-3/20-13-33-13; doubles from $215) for its proximity to Lille’s venerated opera house. The 60 rooms, done alternately in standard Louis XIV and XVI, won’t be making the style news anytime soon, but they’re comfortable and come with all the necessary conveniences. And the hotel’s ultra-central location—bordering the Grande Place and within a stone’s throw of some of Lille’s best dining—can’t be beat.

EAT

Although artisanal bread and pastry maker Paul (8–12 Rue de Paris; 33-3/20-44-72-56; breakfast for two $20), which was founded in Lille in 1889, has expanded its empire as far as Surrey, Dubai, and Palm Beach, the cozy, Delft-tiled bakery on the Rue de Paris still serves up creamy, thick hot chocolate, along with an artery-busting array of viennoiserie and crêpes. Méert (27 Rue Esquermoise; 33-3/20-57-07-44; breakfast for two $20), opened in 1761, is one of France’s oldest confectioners and is the place to stop for afternoon bonbons in the spun-sugar Rococo tearoom. Don’t leave without buying some of the exquisitely packaged chocolates—you won’t find them outside the city. Locals of the BCBG (bon chic, bon genre) variety congregate in the warren of 18th-century rooms and alcoves at La Petite Cour (17 Rue du Curé St.-Etienne; 33-3/20-51-52-81; dinner for two $65) for straightforward home-country fare (sole meunière, filet mignon de porc au Bleu d’Auvergne), more international dishes (a green salad with prosciutto di San Daniele, tandoori chicken, chopped egg, and parmesan), and a DJ who spins everything from Grace Jones to Desmond Dekker to Dr. Dre. A more patrician setting, and first-class seafood, can be found at the Lillois landmark A l’Huitrière (3 Rue des Chats Bossus; 33-3/20-55-43-41; dinner for two $210), whose unassuming fishmonger’s storefront leads to an oak-paneled dining room filled with monied businessmen and manned by a squadron of ancient, unassailably correct waiters in matching silk Hermès-style cravats. The 16th-century Le Compostelle (4 Rue St.-Etienne; 33-3/28-38-08-30; dinner for two $80), hidden on a Lilliputian side street off the Grande Place, has a beautifully updated, multilevel dining room. Angle for a table in the glass-ceilinged conservatory up front. The menu covers all the Flemish and French bases—sweetbreads in mustard sauce and duck breast émincé in raspberry-vinegar reduction were turned out with equal aplomb.

SHOP

It would be imprudent to visit Flanders without perusing the weighty linens, austere oak and beech furniture, and faïence and porcelain at Flamant (61 Rue Esquermoise; 33-3/28-52-48-92), Lille’s outpost of the surpassingly tasteful Belgian home-furnishings shops. A carefully edited library of photography and architecture tomes are also for sale. (The store will ship almost anything in its inventory, including furniture, to the United States for a fee.) The shop of local interior designer Jean Maniglier (89–95 Rue de la Monnaie; 33-3/20-13-05-05) is a bazaar of global exotica and Northern European austerity. Besides rugs, fabrics, and furniture, there are Asian and African wooden bowls and masks, a collection of naturalisés (huge taxidermied insects suspended in glass and framed in teak), and wool and cashmere throws in somber neutrals. Série Noire (14 Rue Lepelletier; 33-3/28-36-00-03) is a three-story carnival of ready-to-wear collections and accessories reminiscent of Paris’s Colette and Kirna Zabête in New York. Proprietor Olivier Axer stocks the racks with Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Barbara Bui, Dior, and DSquared. On the main floor are bags by Chloé, sterling cuff links and money clips by Paul Smith, and skin-care products from coveted boutique line Louhann. A few doors down, Antidote (42 Rue Lepelletier; 33-3/20-40-26-30) fills a tiny storefront with independent European labels that share an aesthetic of understated cool: Italy’s Kristina Ti, Danish line Day Birger & Mikkelsen, the French Stella Cadente, Bash, and more.Collection 17 (17 Rue de la Monnaie; 33-3/20- 31-01-32)—known to locals as "C 17"—is a sleek gray-and-white space (with 19th-century frescoes) lined with slingbacks, stilettos, and boots from the latest collections. The usual suspects (Prada, Miu Miu, Yves Saint Laurent) are punctuated by designs from lesser-known names, such as Luciano Padovan and Sartore.