Short Flights from Dc

Nine places to go before your DC friends have lunch.

Flying time: Located four and a half miles from Reagan National and BWI. December peak average: 83. Schedule: As soon as your airplane has landed, you can expect arts and good dining at the Puerto Rico Museum of Arts (299 Ave. de Diego; 787-977-6277), a short jump westwards of the Aiport. Walking directly from your luncheon to a Old San Juan resort, you can get the energy out of the maze of paved roads as you take a leisurely promenade through the city.

You can also discover the Condado Beach neighborhood, which is enjoying a revival. Flying time: 2 ½ from Reagan National and BWI. December peak of 78th: It is home to some of the finest restaurants in the Latin Americas; before you reach the sandy beaches, take an emphanada or arenpa from the pint-size Venezuelan Moises Bakery (7310 Collins Ave.; 305-868-0548).

The North Beach's bustling shopping and architectural centres are located on Collins Avenue, one blocks from the beach. The promenade in the middle of the sand dune is a great attraction for dogs, children and bikers; hire your own bikes at one of Citi Bike's bicycle sharing facilities. As you drive, you'll see rides such as the North Beach Bandshell, a mid-century amphitheatre that has been renovated to house concert and film performances.

Flying time: Located four an hour from BWI and Dulles. December high: 82nd. Schedule: Sample jellyfish on the Bávaro shore (Carretera Bávaro km 0; 809-840-7684) for locally produced sea food eaten by the sea. Cana Punta is a 100 mile section with various beaches. Accommodation ranges from all-inclusive offers for grown-ups like the Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro (Playa Bávaro; 888-774-0040) to family-friendly spas like the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana (Bávaro; 888-774-0040).

C. Flying time: Located five to Reagan National and BWI. December peak average: 67. Schedule: In view of the three-hour gap in winters, an early breakfast plane will take you from the Washington area to Phoenix, with ample opportunity to whet your appetite even further for noon. We continue to Papago Park, just east of the international airports, where carmine red bucks stand out of the Sonoran Desert.

A walk through the magnificent Botanical Garden of the Desert (1201 N. Galvin Pkwy. ; 480-941-1225) is much simpler, where you will discover how to tell a Saguaro from a cactus fig. A short ride to Arizona Biltmore (2400 E. Missouri Ave ; 855-689-2878) shows the best of the old Phoenix.

When the Biltmore architectonic family tree awakens your interest, head to Taliesin West in near Scottsdale (12345 N. Taliesin Dr.; 480-627-5340), Wrights Winterheim and Schule from 1937 until his demise in 1959. It is a short excursion from here to one of the newer Phoenix sights, the Musical Instrument Museum (4725 E. Mayo Blvd. ; 480-478-6000).

Away from a stale harpsichord compilation, this confusion of the Rock & Roll Hall of folk art in family stile and Smith Sonian fellowship styles is never ending. 2 hrs from Reagan National. December peak average: 73. Schedule: From Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, after a 12-mile ride, take a Prozciutto Pino from the Bonjour Frenchcafe (5214 Ocean Blvd. ; 941-346-0600) or get a terrace dinner at the Cottage (153 Ave. Messina; 941-312-9300), a favorite restaurant with a global meal, from Korea (short ribs) to Peru (ceviche).

Siesta Beach, the most beloved of the four strings of the keys, with its family-friendly ambience and the drumming circuits on Sunday and evening. When it' s up to you to wash off the sands, take Siesta key Bike & Kayak (941-346-0891) and discover the local mangroves with a tens of giant owls and one of 21 beer at the Siesta Key Oyster Bar (5238 Ocean Blvd. ; 941-346-5443), known to the local people as SKOB.

Stay at the Capri Shop in Siesta (6782 SaraSea Cir., Sarasota; 941-684-3244), within easy walk of Siesta Key stores and dining facilities and with direct acces to a secluded part of Crescent Beach. December peak average: 80. Schedule: Arawak Cay is close to Nassau city centre and only 20 min from the international airports for a real experience in genuine Mahaman cuisine.

It is a short coach or taxi drive from there to Cable Beach and its mixture of accommodations on a smooth strip of sandy beach. Choose from Melia Nassau Beach (W. Bay St.; 242-327-6000) with 700 rooms and archaeological sites for families incl. Blue Water Resort (W. Bay St.; 877-962-7728) with its triple rooms.

C. Flying time: ~3½ Lessons from BWI. December averages 84. Schedule: Drive into the friendlier, softer MoBay area of Rose Hall, also known as the Elegant Corridor thanks to its superior accommodation. One of them is the Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall (Rose Hall Rd.; 888-763-3901), an all-inclusive adult spa.

Close by is Rose Hall (Rose Hall Hauptstraße; 888-767-3425), Jamaica's most famous Great House, thanks to the legendary Annie Palmer, a "white witch" who may or may not have murdered her three men. C: Flight time: At 3¾ from BWI or Dulles. December averages 81st high. Schedule: When you agree to a belated luncheon - the first flights from the Washington area come to Cancún around midday, and Tulum is about 90 minutes by car from there - think of this Maya River encrlave.

Take a bus to Ahau Tulum (beach 7.5 km; +52 984 108 2127), a plain place where you can take off your boots and go to the seaside restaurants and dip in prawn ceviches. It is omnipresent, as is massages - from 45 hours of massages on the beaches to 90 minutes of relaxing sound massages at the Ayurveda Sound Spa (km 8.5; +52 984 807 9376).

There is still the drama of the Tulum ruins of the Maya on the cliff; make an early breakfast trip before the arrival of Cancún coaches. Flying time: Located two inches from Reagan National. December peak average: 65. Schedule: From Jacksonville International Airport, a 30-minute ride takes you to the historical Fernandina Beach fisherman's resort on the northeastern side of the Isle.

During most of the conflict, the historical military base, a Union basis, is part of a state parc offering kilometres of beaches, natural paths and a half-month fishermen's dock.

Playing or not, consider a visit to the Omni Amelia Island Plantation (39 Beach Lagoon Rd.; 904-261-6161), which has three golf course types, among them the classical Pete Dye-designed Oak Marsh Course and the Ocean Links Course with five golf course directly by the ocean. Ms. Hawk is the responsible journalist for issues such as travelling, physical education, healthcare, finance issues and aesthetics, as well as the journalist for Great Places to Work, Best of Washington, Day Trips, Hidden Gems, Bikes and Hikes, Fairs and Festivals, Great Small Times and the Washington Bucket List.