The best winter vacations for people who want to do nothing

There are plenty of options for those who don't like active delights such as skiing

It's a request travel experts get more often than you think: What if a person wants to go somewhere wintry, and do ... nothing?
 
Sure, the snow and cold weather offer plenty of active delights: skiing, sledding, trekking, ice fishing. But let the masses head to ski resorts and the hardcore head off into the backcountry. For a certain set, it’s other things they’re after: dog sled rides, solving puzzles, going to concert performances, racking up some serious hot tub time, and just parking one’s self in front of the fire. Thanks to the destinations below, you can do all that and less while wrapped in the lap of luxury.
 
Go storm chasing in Vancouver
 
From November through February, 30-foot swells and gale-force winds lash the western shores of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, putting on an awesome show for guests at the Wickaninnish Inn. The Wick, as regulars call it, was designed for storm watching, a favourite childhood pastime of the owner. Each of the 75 rooms has unobstructed Pacific views, a gas fireplace, and a soaking tub. Intrepid guests can don ponchos and wellies and experience a “west coast facial,” which occurs when the rain goes sideways in the wind and massages your face as you walk along Chesterman Beach. Too intense? Book a Pacific Sea Salt Glow facial at the Ancient Cedars Spa and Zen out to the sound of crashing waves.
 
Live your most cultured life in Bavaria
 
Schloss Elmau brings the best of New York or Berlin to a tranquil valley in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The unique resort—composed of a 162-room, family-friendly hotel, a 47-suite retreat, and six spas — is the ultimate digital detox. Its world-class concert hall hosts 200 performances a year (with tickets included in the room rate), including a popular Chamber Music Festival each January and literary talks from authors such as Ian McEwan and T C Boyle. Though the hotel offers Apple TV and high speed Wi-Fi, why not unplug your devices and chill out in the three libraries and on-site bookstore instead?
 
Mush with Huskies in Alaska
 
There’s nothing cozy about the Alaskan wilderness, unless you’re staying in one of the five knotty pine guest cabins at Winterlake Lodge. Operated by the Dixon family, this remote retreat is set on 15 acres overlooking a frozen lake and primarily accessible by seaplane. The lodge has its own team of huskies, and Carl Dixon gives mushing tutorials, but he’ll happily take the reins while guests enjoy views from the sleigh. Head into the wild on a helicopter safari in search of elk, moose, caribou, and badgers, then return to pre-dinner wine and cheese by the fire. Carl’s wife, Kirsten, is an award-winning chef, so save room for her multi-course dinners of reindeer tenderloin with duck fat potatoes and mushroom-and-truffle gnocchi.
 
Master  woodworking in the Italian Alps
 
Fashion-industry veterans Giorgia and Stefano Barbini reimagined a 16th century hunting lodge in Italy’s Dolomites as a luxurious mountain escape for friends. Now San Lorenzo Lodge, their exclusive, four-room chalet, mixes classic alpine decor  with updated touches such as underfloor heating and a spruce sauna. In the winter, Stefano hosts woodcarving workshops and leads moonlit snowshoe tours. This being Italy, though, food is at the heart of the experience. Each evening, Giorgia prepares a feast of regional recipes, which Stefano pairs with wine from the stable-turned-1,500-bottle cellar.
 
Wax poetic on whiskey in Tennessee
 
Set on a 4,200-acre estate at the foothills of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm is the perfect place to hibernate for a winter weekend. With a working farm, craft brewery, and one of the deepest wine collections in America (160,000-plus bottles) this is foodie nirvana. Leisurely days start with digging into fluffy egg-topped cheese grits and crispy bacon while watching the fog roll across the mountains.  Read in a rocking chair, get pampered at the Wellhouse Spa, or sign up for a winter-enrichment weekend focused on such obsessions as puzzling or photography. Evenings revolve around fancy farm-to-table meals in a restored barn and often end with a nightcap of Pappy van Winkle by the fire in the Hickory Room.

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