8 Last-Minute New Year's Eve Getaways For Less Than $500 (Slideshow)
Napa, Calif.: The Westin Verasa Napa
The Westin Verasa Napa is hosting a dance party complete with small bites and bubbly to celebrate the end of 2013. The RED Party begins at 9 p.m. at BANK Café and Bar, which opens into The Westin Verasa Napa's lobby. The space will be transformed into a dance floor with tunes supplied by a live DJ. Guests also can enjoy a buffet of sweet and savory bites while they dance the night away. Just before the stroke of midnight, The Westin Verasa Napa will celebrate the new year with a champagne toast. Rates for accommodations start at $169. Tickets are $75 per person for the RED Party at Bank Café and Bar.
Santa Fe, N.M.: La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa
If you'd rather enjoy a quality meal instead of partying into the wee hours, consider going to La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa. Its on-site restaurant Fuego is offering a five-course meal to usher in 2014, Southwestern-style. The menu, which combines local ingredients with global Latin flavors, includes standout plates like tortilla soup with fiery chile corn hay, serrano ham and lobster salad with red chile raspberry vinaigrette, filet Oscar chile verde, filet mignon topped with crab and green chile Bearnaise with potato gratin and asparagus; and rosemary and orange goat cheese flan. Rates start at $249 per night.
Baltimore: Hyatt Regency Baltimore
Travelers who stay with the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore on Dec. 31 can enjoy a $50 food credit at on-site restaurant Bistro 300 or through room service. For an extra $39, they can feast on three-course prix fixe menu at Bistro 300. Highlights here include the crab bisque and house-made Twinkie. Guests should head to Pisces lounge at midnight to drink a complimentary champagne toast and watch fireworks over Baltimore's Inner Harbor. As an added bonus, champagne and party favors will be delivered to your guest room, too. Rates start at $249.
Baltimore: Hyatt Regency Baltimore
Travelers who stay with the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore on Dec. 31 can enjoy a $50 food credit at on-site restaurant Bistro 300 or through room service. For an extra $39, they can feast on three-course prix fixe menu at Bistro 300. Highlights here include the crab bisque and house-made Twinkie. Guests should head to Pisces lounge at midnight to drink a complimentary champagne toast and watch fireworks over Baltimore's Inner Harbor. As an added bonus, champagne and party favors will be delivered to your guest room, too. Rates start at $249.
St. Louis: Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch
Music lovers will appreciate the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch's New Year's Eve party. Four of the city's local radio stations have teamed up to bring revelers three different live bands. DRZHIVEGAS will be playing dance music and use technology — like video backdrops, lighting, and pyro effects — to help guests get down. Smash Band covers everything from rock 'n' roll to disco, country, pop, or big band, and The Dave Glover Band will showcase classic rock hits. An open bar, food stations, party favors, a champagne toast, and balloon drop at midnight round out the offerings here. Package rates start at $349.
Bretton Woods, N.H.: Omni Mount Washington Resort
New Hampshire's Omni Mount Washington Resort offers a slew of fun ways to spend the last day of the year. Kick off the night with champagne tastings. After you've found a bottle you like, head to the resort's Grand Hall for a party. The hall will be decked out to look like Times Square, complete with street cart vendors and entertainers. And finally, ring in 2014 as you watch fireworks light up the sky. Guests can also enjoy sleigh rides, snow tubing, skiing, and dog sledding here. Rates start at $359 per night.
Indianapolis: Hyatt Regency Downtown
The Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis is pulling out all the stops for its New
Year's Eve shindig. This night includes several live musical performances on
three stages, a fantasy casino "player's lounge," and a massive
midnight balloon drop in the center of the hotel's magnificent 21-story atrium
lobby. The package includes two tickets to the hotel's New Year's Eve party and
a four-course, prix fixe menu at on-site restaurant Eagle's Nest. Enjoy sweeping
views of Indianapolis when you dine at this upscale
rotating eatery. Rates start at $375.
Denver: Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
If you prefer to party while supporting a worthwhile cause, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel may be where you want to spend the end of 2013. Some of the proceeds from the hotel's New Year's Party with a Purpose will be donated to Colorado Flood Relief. In addition to feeling good about partying, guests also can enjoy a seated, four-course dinner and an open bar featuring premium brand cocktails and wines, as well as live music and dancing. A Latin jazz band will kick off the party during dinner and will be followed by funk band Funkiphino. Rates start at $399.
Hot Springs, Va.: The Omni Homestead Resort
One of the nation's oldest resorts, The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., is hosting not one, but two different New Year's Eve celebrations featuring live bands. Guests at The Grand Ballroom Gala can enjoy an up-tempo party with music from the band Mo'Sol that plays Motown and classic rock. The Main Dining Room will transform from a diner to a revved-up party with The Adrian Duke Project, who cover everything from Motown to swing. Guests also are greeted with a glass of champagne on their arrival and are escorted to their tables for dinner. Party favors are included, too. Each ballroom will also feature a balloon drop at midnight. Rates start at $410 per night.