Spring Flings

The very doable, last-minute getaways we are dreaming of right now

The filthy mounds of snow have finally vanished and the crocuses are popping up in Central Park—it may still be a bit soon to declare that winter is behind us, but spring is definitely in the air this week in NYC. Naturally, we’ve been daydreaming about the kind of easy trips that feel especially good this time of year—cozy farmstays outside Paris, empty stretches of pink-hued sandy beaches, and manicured English gardens just before they start to bloom—so if the snow in this weekend’s forecast has you in search of an escape route, consider one of these.

Bermuda
In early spring, Bermuda’s pink-sand beaches are nearly empty, and it’s warm but not hot—the perfect weather to reach for a fish chowder or rum swizzle to warm you in an unexpected gale. And it’s less than a 2-hour flight from NYC!

Amsterdam
It’s hard to believe this heritage-listed fisherman’s inn, reborn as a lakeside bolthole, is just 15 minutes from the center of Amsterdam. We’d try to score a room in April or May to head to Keukenhof, the Disneyland of tulip destinations, when it’s in peak bloom.

The Bahamas
This island nation has over 700 islands and cays, but our list from friends who know it best can help you find your beach, whether you’re after the best fishing lodge on Abaco, the otherworldly barrier reefs Cousteau explored off Andros, or one of Slim Aarons’ former hangouts on Eleuthera.

The Cotswolds
Postcard-perfect year round, there’s something especially enchanting about this corner of England in spring, when the organic farms and historic gardens are blooming with new life, and if you’re lucky to catch an unseasonably warm day, there’s always a cold swimming hole to jump in or farm-to-table creamery around the next well-manicured hedge.

Napa
Spring might be our favorite time to visit Napa, when the valley is bright green and the weather is perfect, but the tasting rooms are a bit quieter and reservations are easier to come by.

Munich
We’d be up for a weekend of walks through Munich’s English Garden with stops to watch the river surfers on the Eisbach, popping into old-world shops selling traditional Tracht (loden jackets and lederhosen), and visiting art-filled museums and leafy biergartens.

Savannah
With visions of Spanish moss and sipping tea on gracious porches, Savannah is at its best in early spring, when bursting azaleas reclaim entire lanes of some streets, and it’s the ideal weather to stroll through Olmstead-designed Forsyth Park with an open cup of bourbon (hey, it’s legal there!).

Stockholm
Scandinavia is always a good idea, and you don’t go for the weather! Maybe this will be the year we finally get to Ett Hem…

UK
Leave it to the former chief creative officer of Martha Stewart Living to know how to string together an epic road trip around England’s most storied gardens full of blooming, climbing, and espaliering roses.

Hudson Valley
With its storybook B&Bs, dozens of special towns, and, of course, the mighty Hudson River that runs through them, the Hudson Valley is a landscape like no other, plus it’s possible to do a weekend here rental car-free if you’re arriving by train. Less obvious of a choice (but equally easy to get to) is Litchfield County, where designer Charlie Dumais lived for nine years in a Nancy Meyers fantasy of a town. He shared his list of gorgeously edited homeware stores, quintessentially New England inns, and the dim tap rooms where you might run into Candice Bergen eating dinner with her dog at her feet.

France
We’re dreaming of a few nights in Paris, then tacking on a weekend of long lazy lunches at Le Doyenné…

Barbados
Or maybe a few nights at this 2nd-gen, family-owned splurgy hotel in the Caribbean, where traditions like afternoon tea, rum punch, and dressing for dinner are a big part of the culture.