DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
That Labor Day tan needs to last as long as possible, and the DR’s snow white beaches are ready to help. Casa de Campo sprawls over 7,000 acres—enough to house 14 bars and restaurants, 3 Pete Dye golf courses, an equestrian center, a shooting center, and a giant spa. But it’s no mega-resort: There are fewer than 200 rooms and the m.o. is all privacy, peace and quiet. Best part? Great end-of-summer specials can save up to 45% off.
LOS ANGELES
The City of Angels toasts the end of summer with a ton of celebrations. The LA Times and Food & Wine throw a four-day foodie fest at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, there’s an all things Greek Festival, a Polynesian celebration and a blues festival in Long Beach, Knott’s Berry Farm hosts a giant barbecue complete with fireworks in Calico Square and Laguna Beach wraps up its three summer-long art festivals. Where to stay? Montage Beverly Hills is smack in the middle of everything—so, sip your morning coffee on your private balcony and take in the view of Beverly Hills while you decide which festival to hit.
MEXICO
Skip the Hamptons traffic and jet off for a long beach weekend on the Riviera Maya. A quick 3 1/2–hour flight from New York and a 10-minute drive from the Cancún airport and you’ll be on Nizuc’s gorgeous stretch of sand. The resort is one of those rare spots with a dozen things to do if you bore easily, but it’s ingeniously designed so you can do nothing and not notice the activity buzzing around you.
PARIS
Take advantage of the last long weekend of l’été and stroll down the boulevards while sundresses and sidewalk cafés are still out in full force. Stay at the just-reopened Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel and make use of the lovely weather with a feast en plein air in the Tuileries Gardens: Paris PicNic sources all the bread, wine, cheese, charcuterie you’ll need from local artisans and delivers it right to you—blanket included.
DENVER
Listen up, hipst...creative types! You’ve already stomped around Williamsburg and checked out Wynwood. So for summer’s last long weekend, try something different. Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) is on its way to becoming the new It Neighborhood. Check into The Maven and savor the hotel’s careful curation: large scale murals, scratch and sniff wallpaper and the and full spectrum of industrial chic (reclaimed wood, stone, concrete, raw rolled steel). Your Insta will be way ahead of the curve. Last reason to go? Four nights at the hotel plus the cost of your flights comes out to less than $1,500 for two.
CANADIAN ROCKIES
The end of summer is a fine time to get some nature in. Up in Banff, the mountain lakes have thawed into turquoise pools and the trails are teeming with wildlife. Check into the castle-esque Fairmont Banff Springs and ready yourself for a long weekend of hiking, prairie dog and elk spotting, canoeing, golfing (on their 9- or 18-hole course), bowling and savoring the local, sustainably raised beef and bison at 1888 Chop House.