Raise your hand if you need a weekend away! I know I sure did by the end of 2020. Given the global pandemic we’re in, weekend getaways look a lot different nowadays. I have the perfect place for a quick, safe, and fun weekend to relax. My girlfriends and I spent the first few days in the New Year up in the White Mountains. Being from New Hampshire, I am biased on my opinion of getting up to the White Mountains every winter for at least a weekend. The entire area is absolutely gorgeous, and it is so nice to unwind and get away from the city for a few days. I have made a weekend trip up to that part of New Hampshire every year since I moved to Boston.
My friends and I planned as much of a low-risk trip as we could given the different travel restrictions. This trip went off without a hitch and we felt super safe during everything we did. We made our way up to Jackson, NH on New Year’s Day after spending the night before together (there’s just something so great about a low-key New Year’s Eve with girlfriends). On the way to our final destination, we stopped at Cranmore Mountain to do some tubing. I highly recommend this as not only a winter activity, but definitely a great thing to do while trying to be creative during the pandemic. Everyone working the mountain was super cautious of masks, ensured all guests followed the rules, and most importantly made sure you were having fun. We tubed for two hours straight and felt like little kids again—such an underrated activity!
Once we tired ourselves out from tubing, we made our way to where we were staying. We booked two nights at the Christmas Farm Inn and Spa—let me tell you, this place does not disappoint! I had been here before in the summer with my mom and Alison and we had a great experience. I was really excited to see what it would look like during Christmas time and it was everything I expected and then some. We stayed in one of the lofts that is called the barn. There were two floors and it slept all of us extremely comfortably. The rooms are really quaint, nothing fancy but it fits the perfect quintessential, winter wonderland vibes—which is everything you could ever want, right? All of the employees at the Inn from the front desk, spa technicians, to the wait staff at the restaurant, it certainly made the experience that much better.
On our first night we ventured off the grounds of the Inn and went to dinner about ten minutes away in Intervale, NH. We went to Tuckerman’s Tavern and were extremely impressed with the food. Again, nothing fancy but they had everything you could ever want and I’m all for that! Once we got back to our room, we played games, listened to music, drank, gave each other facials, and just talked all night. I absolutely love that our sleepovers at 25 don’t look much different than our sleepovers did when we were 15.
Perfectly enough, we got a huge snowstorm our first night into the entire next day, so we woke up to a winter wonderland! We woke up for our breakfast reservation at the Inn’s restaurant and the food was absolutely incredible. They have a menu you can pick from for different types of meals, and it’s included in your stay—it’s certainly no where near a continental breakfast. After breakfast we made our way to the spa on site. Three of us got massages and two got body scrubs. I felt totally safe in the spa, they did an amazing job with COVID-19 precautions. I could truly relax, which was much needed! After our treatments we went upstairs where there was a nice fireplace and champagne waiting for us—the entire experience was amazing! This would be the perfect thing to do with your significant other too!
Overall, this was such a wonderful way to start the New Year— the lord knows we needed it after 2020. The North Conway/Jackson/Lincoln area is so beautiful. There is a ton to do from, exploring Dianna’s Baths, to skiing at one of the many mountains nearby, snowmobiling tours, tubing, spas, shopping, the list goes on and on. I highly recommend taking the time to get away and slow down from your everyday life. I will absolutely be returning to the Christmas Farm Inn and Spa, I truly can’t recommend it enough!