Why go looking for an ice rink when you can have one just outside your hotel room?
From Chicago to Boston to some surprising warm-weather spots like Las Vegas, here are hotels that have their own ice rinks, eliminating one more excuse for not lacing up your skates. All are now open for the season, with most running through early January.
1. J.W. Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live, Los Angeles
(J.W. Marriott Los Angeles)
Because the hotel is adjacent to L.A. Live— a downtown entertainment that includes a movie theater, Staples Center (home to the NBA Clippers and Lakers and the NHL Kings) and an outdoor rink in Microsoft Square — you don’t have to go far to spin on the ice. On Dec. 19 the J.W. Marriott has exclusive access to the rink for Holly Jolly Day, featuring characters from Kung Fu Panda 3, a sweet-treats station and a “hot-chocolate laboratory.”
2. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas
(The Cosmopolitan)
Sin City is the last place you’d expect to bundle up in outerwear and put on your skates, yet this over-the-top city is precisely the spot. Overlooking The Strip, the 4,200-square-foot Ice Rink at The Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool is open (until Jan. 3) for the fourth year, with fun activities like s’mores by the fire, cocktails, grilled-cheese sandwiches, faux snow showers (every half hour between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday), “Throwback Thursdays” (whirl to tunes from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s) and the popular “Date Skate” (Monday nights, with holiday films like It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone).
3. The Edgewater, Madison, Wis.
(The Edgewater)
Life at this recently revamped hotel a few blocks from Capitol Square and the University of Wisconsin-Madison got sweeter in late November when the 4,000-square-foot lakefront ice-skating rink opened for its second season. It’s open Wednesdays through Sundays and offers views of the state Capitol and Lake Mendota. Bonus: noshing and imbibing options (including hot chocolate, beer and pizza) are at the Icehouse, the hotel’s bustling food hall.
4. Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado, Calif.
(Hotel Del Coronado)
Sunny SoCal dips into freezing temps with Hotel del Coronado’s ice-skating rink, overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Coronado — 10 minutes from downtown San Diego. DELights is a new holiday experience with snowflakes, polar bears and a video-mapping light show and more, and you can skate under the glow of twinkling white lights via Skating by the Sea (through Jan. 3), now in its 11th year.
5. The Peninsula, Chicago
(The Peninsula)
See Chi-Town’s Loop and Lake Michigan from a new vantage point: the rooftop, four stories above Michigan Avenue. That’s where The Peninsula’s 2,100-square-foot “Sky Rink” sets up shop each winter under a canopy of twinkling lights and pine trees, decked out with snowflake lighting and holiday tunes. Warm up at The Chalet (heated: score!) with a mug of glühwein. The rink is open to hotel, restaurant and spa guests only, which only means there is more elbow room to practice your Johnny Weir moves.
6. The Miami Beach Edition, Miami Beach
(Miami Beach Edition)
Forget the beach and the pool — all the fun at The Miami Beach Edition happens in a multidimensional entertainment hub in the hotel’s basement. A 2,000-square-foot ice-skating rink, decked out with music and dramatic lighting (at the hands of designer Patrick Woodroffe, who has worked on Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson shows), bumps elbows with a bowling alley and a nightclub. The rink is open from 5 p.m. to midnight daily this winter.
7. Boston Harbor Hotel, Boston
(Boston Harbor Hotel)
Open to the public and hotel guests through the end of February, Boston Harbor Hotel’s 2,500-square-foot Rotunda Rink boasts views of not only the Boston Harbor, but the Rose Kennedy Greenway, too. Rest your ankles with Frost Tea served inside the hotel (hot cocoa and sweet treats for the kids; and bubbly for adults). As part of “Winter on the Wharf” seasonal programming, the rink also offers season passes for locals.
8. The St. Regis Atlanta, Atlanta
(The St. Regis Atlanta)
This luxe property in Atlanta’s tony Buckhead neighborhood inaugurated another season at its 4,000-square-foot Astor Holiday Ice rink on the day after Thanksgiving. The rink at the St. Regis lies beneath a sheer tent and is all aglow with white lights. Enjoy afternoon tea at Astor Court in the hotel; or cozy up at the rink’s outdoor fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa and s’mores. Bonus: To celebrate the season, pastry chef Michael Craig is building Atlanta’s largest gingerbread house in the hotel’s grand lobby entrance.
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