Give winter the cold shoulder with a sojourn of sun, sand and shopping in South Beach.

stay
We’re not sure what we love most about The Betsy: the colonial, beach-style rooms (stocked with Frette linens, Dylan’s Candy and Malin + Goetz products), the location (slap bang on Ocean Drive), the restaurant (Laurent Tourondel's fabulous BLT), or simply the overall vibe (heightened by some great music styling). From $300/night, www.thebetsyhotel.com

eat
If you’re lusting after sushi try Bond St, where the fish is fabulously fresh and inventively prepared. You’ll find a wonderful plate of melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi at DeNiro’s Ago and for fantastic steak try Prime One Twelve.

drink
From the Setai to the Delano to the Shore Club, every SoBe hotel boasts a great people-gazing bar. We settled comfortably into the sofas at the W South Beach and sipped cocktails, flicked through fashion tomes and counted collagen implants.

shop
South Beach has The Webster, Barneys and Intermix – but savvy shoppers know to cab it to the design district. En Avance is worth a visit for a smattering of big name and on-the-up designers  and if you’re shopping with your guy, be sure to check out the bespoke suits at Duncan Quinn. The Louboutin store is a real thrill and for mega splurge furnishings pop into Fendi Casa or Kartell.

With its boho vibe and colourful baroque architecture, Mexico's San Miguel Allende is a tropical hotspot for artists, writers and expats.

stay
It was a last minute booking, but thank goodness we found a room at Casa Luna Quebrada. Cooking classes, communal breakfasts, a lush open courtyard and hippie-chic bedrooms, make this colonial villa the perfect place to stay. www.casaluna.com

shop
Ceramics, antiques and folk art are sold in abundance in this charming town. Artists' studios and galleries are mostly open to the public and the many flea markets sell anything from fresh food and flowers to woven rugs and traditional Talavera pottery.

eat
Street tacos are tasty, but if it’s haute Mexican you’re after, look no further than La Capilla. The setting (a renovated chapel) and view (Gothic-style church) are breathtaking. 10 Cuna de Allende, 52 415 152 0698.

do
Spend a day splashing in the hot springs at La Gruta, a private park on the road to Dolores Hidalgo (daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; US$5). If you get peckish, the lawns are covered in banana trees.

The idea of monogrammed steamer trunks is so luxe, but not without a personal butler in tow.

Until our life turns into an Agatha Christie novel, we’re sticking to lightweight luggage that we can hoist on and off a belt without chipping a nail.

At the sleek new Rimowa store on Bloor Street there are plenty of jet-setting options. The signature grooved surface (in a range of gorgeous colours) and ultra light weight (the new Salsa Air series starts at 1.2 kg) makes it a favourite among high-flyers like Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon – and us.

With or without Butler Beddoes.

Rimowa, 101 Bloor St. W (and St. Thomas), Toronto, 416-922-2644, www.rimowa.com

In our dreams we’re in a hot pink leotard doing a perfect triple Lutz-triple toe loop to Laura Branigan’s Gloria.

Reality is gripping hold of the handle bar as we awkwardly skate around the rink at the Shops at Don Mills. With 7,134 sqare feet of ice, there’s plenty of room to tumble from grace (several times). But it’s still fun, even if with a bruised bottom.

Now all we need is an Olympian hottie like Evan Lysacek to catch our fall.

Shops at Don Mills, 1090 Don Mills Rd., Toronto, 416-447-0618, www.shopsatdonmills.ca

Why bother with an ashram in India when a good old map will do?

Find yourself on any one of Ork’s eye-grabbing city maps (from $22). Start with a walk around Central Park followed by a lazy lunch in the Haight. End the day with a top-notch supper in Lincoln Park followed by a late-night dip in Lake Huron.

Other city maps include Portland, Seattle and Boston. Toronto is in the works.

Om-tastic.

www.orkposters.com

With the humble postcard making a comeback after years of being stamped out, we’ve discovered an original way to send one.

A London company, Postcard Teas, will send your postcard affixed to a lovely bag of loose teas.

Simply choose your tea from the wide selection, fill out the virtual postcard, and they will print it out and post your tea anywhere around the world.

It’s such a charming way to say ‘Thank you,’ ‘I miss you’ or ‘Let’s meet for a cuppa’ – and far more personal than a speedy tweet or text could ever be.

www.postcardteas.com

Snow capped mountains, glorious lakes and fresh alpine air – forget the spa, come to Switzerland and invigorate the mind, body and soul.

Ten things we love about Europe’s undervalued gem.

• The sound of cowbells in the Alps

• Swiss precision

• Sprüngli chocolate boutique, Zurich

• Raclette (Le Fromagerie at the Palace Hotel, Gstaad is the ultimate)

• Filet de perches at the Restaurant du Port in Rolle (1180 Rolle, 021-825-1520)

• Ballooning in Chateau d’oex

• Antiquing in Basel and Vevey

• Watches and jewellery shopping on Geneva's Rue du Rhôn

• The flea market in Geneva’s Plaine de Plainpalais where locals sell their wares

• Mountain sport – skiing, trekking, rafting and kayaking

Sometimes charm trumps square footage. Herewith, our favourite boutique hotels.

With gold-leaf mahogany beds, French tapestries and Louis XV-glam, it’s impossible not to get the lovey doveys at Auberge Pierre du Calvet. Built in 1725, celeb fans include Aidan Quinn and Benjamin Franklin. From $295, www.pierreducalvet.ca
Marianne Wisenthal, Montreal editor

The perfect hotel for party people and culture vultures, Toronto’s Drake Hotel hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s hipper than ever with ‘What’s in the Box,’ a Boxing Week music festival that celebrates the best of 2009. Five bands, five nights, five bucks. From $189, www.thedrakehotel.ca
Athena Tsavliris, Toronto editor

The 15-room Hotel Deseo in Playa Del Carmen is beachy minimalism at its best. And it’s the little touches that make it magical, like classic Mexican movies projected on the exterior wall and the phrase ‘away from you’ that reflects up from the bottom of the pool. From US$178, www.hoteldeseo.com
Joy Pecknold, Vancouver editor

For understated luxury check into the Hotel Raya on Italy’s Aeolian Islands. Playing briscola and sipping Campari on a whitewashed terrace at sunset is pure bliss. From $450, www.hotelraya.it
Athena Tsavliris, Toronto editor

For its warm ambiance and fine design, Le Petite Hotel is an ideal spot to hide away and forget about the world with your man. From $140, www.petithotelmontreal.com
Elsa Vecchi, Montreal editor

When your pooch needs a break—or you need a break from pooch—send him to Dogs at Camp.

Spread across acres of beautiful rolling farmland, dogs will bark, fetch, chase squirrels and frolic with their canine buds all day.

A staff of 13 takes care of the pooches and every dog is pre-screened to ensure a healthy, happy visit.

Sparky will return pooped and smelling like wood chips (they sleep in a heated barn).

A dog’s life, indeed.

From $40 a night, www.dogsatcamp.com

Trade winter’s chills for sunny thrills with our luxe (for less bucks) itinerary.

stay
With up to 1,900 square feet, a new private villa at The Hyatt Grand Champions may be bigger than your apartment—only it's got butler service, an outdoor Jaccuzzi, and mountain views. Two bedroom villa from $409, www.grandchampions.hyatt.com

eat
Explore the romantic grounds of La Quinta, a 1920s health ranch turned hotel (note the casita where Frank Capra wrote You Can’t Take It With You). Sit outside at the authentic Mexican Adobe Grill and sip one of their famous organic margaritas. It’s good for you, really. www.laquintaresort.com

spa
Plan to spend the whole day at the Spa at Desert Springs, with its own outdoor saltwater lap pool and loungers overlooking the golf course and mountains. Listen to classical music and order a light lunch from the spa restaurant between trips to the two steam rooms and spa treatments using local dates and cacti. www.spa.desertspringsresort.com

do
Grab the girls and attend one of the daily $20 golf clinics at the soothing and scenic Westin Mission Hills. The strapping pros have the patience of Job as you hit dead air or divot their green, but it’s amazing how quickly you can improve with their simple pointers. www.westinmissionhillsgolf.com

Looking for more luxe for less bucks? Check out our recent Palm Springs itinerary.