Drew Allison of Westlake Village asks: “Where...

Drew Allison of Westlake Village asks: “Where would you go for the holidays if you could choose any destination in the U.S.?” Several places come to mind. First, I would be tempted to spend a white Christmas in Telluride, Colo., a little Rocky Mountain mining town nestled in the magnificent San Juan Mountains--yes, even though I am not a skier (and Telluride is an excellent ski destination). A white Christmas in Telluride would bring back childhood memories, for I was born near there. Or perhaps I would choose the village of Leavenworth, Wash. Awakening in Leavenworth is like gazing out at a fresh dawn in Innsbruck. Leavenworth is styled after an Austrian village and sparkles during the holidays. But of course there is New England, which is where my heart is during the holidays. Particularly the picture-postcard village of Jackson, N.H. Puffs of smoke pour from chimneys in an old-fashioned scene that evokes memories of Christmases past.

One inn in particular is filled with warmth and good cheer. Appropriately, it is called Christmas Farm Inn. The owner, U.S. Rep. Bill Zeliff, returns during the holidays to read to guests gathered in the barn on Christmas Eve. Christmas Farm Inn is the wedding together of a 200-year-old farmhouse and the town’s oldest church. Behind the farmhouse, other accommodations are provided in a charming saltbox (circa 1771) as well as a log cabin, a sugar house and four suites over the barn. Several of the inn’s 25 rooms are named after St. Nick’s reindeer. I spent the night in Dasher, which is across the hall from Vixen, which is a few doors from Prancer, Comet and Blitzen. On Christmas Eve, Santa arrives by sleigh, and the next day, dinner is served in the Sugar Plum dining room and drinks are poured in the Mistletoe Pub. Written on a parlor wall in the farmhouse are the words: “There are no strangers here--only friends we haven’t met.”

For our readers who are undecided about where to spend Christmas, this could be a happy choice. Besides Zeliff and his wife Synda, your hosts will be son Will and assistant innkeeper Barbara Theriault.

Christmas Farm Inn, Box CC, Route 16-B, Jackson, N.H. 03846, (800) 443-5837. Rates: $68/$75 per person, double occupancy, including breakfast/dinner. In addition, Christmas Farm Inn accommodates guests in 52 bedroom cottages ($90 per person) named Sleigh House, North Pole, Smoke House, Livery Stable and Black Smith Shop.

The Inn is a 90-minute drive from Portland, Me., or three hours by car from Logan Airport in Boston.

Home for Christmas: One needn’t travel to Britain to enjoy an Old English Christmas this year. Barnabey’s Hotel & Gardens in Manhattan Beach will be celebrating the holidays with a package that includes accommodations, dinner and an English buffet breakfast for $59.50 per guest (double occupancy). Barnabey’s offers loads of Old World charm. Antiques from Europe. Canopy beds. Brass lamps and lace curtains. Beveled windows from a 16th-Century chateau. Shelves lined with books. Christmas stockings will be hung from fireplaces in each guest room. Cocktails/dancing in the hotel’s London Pub. For those with a desire to get away for Christmas without traveling out of town, this could be the answer. The package offer is good Dec. 23-27.

Barnabey’s Hotel & Gardens, 3501 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach 90266, (213) 545-8466.

Christmas in New Mexico: Southern California gadabout Marlene Gordon is lining up a Christmas trip to New Mexico. The group leaves Los Angeles’ Union Station aboard the Southwest Chief on Dec. 19. They fly home Dec. 26. Dinner/breakfast on the train. Four nights at the Sheraton Hotel in Albuquerque. Visits to a nearby pueblo, the Church of San Felipe, a tour of Old Town, a tram ride up Sandia Peak and admission to a Christmas play. From Albuquerque, the group will be bused to Santa Fe to spend Christmas at the La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza. Santa Fe is pure magic on Christmas Eve. Bonfires on street corners, candles burning in paper bags filled with sand line the streets. Wreaths strung with chile peppers hang from doorways. Other highlights: caroling, a barbecue, champagne brunch, wine tasting, visits to the ex-coal-mining town of Madrid, where artists have set up shop. Before flying home, the group will spend Christmas night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Albuquerque.

Contact Marlene Gordon c/o The Next Stage, P.O. Box 35269, Los Angeles 90035, (213) 939-2688. Rates: $935/$980.

Jamaica Holiday: Katharine Pett of San Marino requests information on a “quiet resort” in Jamaica’s Port Antonio area--”something on the water.” I like The Trident. The Trident rises on jagged lava with the sea flushing into grottoes just outside the door. Lulls guests to sleep at night.

This is a sybarite’s retreat. White-gloved waiters deliver dinner by candlelight. Accommodations are roomy, comfortable. Rates from $210 per night. (Meals are extra.)

This is one of the prettiest settings in the Caribbean. Clouds hang on the horizon. The jungle sweeps from volcanic peaks to the sea. Coconut palms and breadfruit trees line the road. Close by, islanders swim and water ski in the island’s famous Blue Lagoon, which is fed by underwater streams. Poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox called Port Antonio “the most exquisite spot on earth.” Actor Errol Flynn had his only lasting love affair here--with Port Antonio itself. Flynn sailed down in the ‘50s, bought an islet within sight of Port Antonio. Besides Flynn, billionaire J.P. Morgan arrived regularly aboard his yacht. The first tourists came in 1871. Passengers put ashore with steamer trunks to spend the winter at the Bonnie View, a small hotel overlooking the harbor. While a trifle Spartan by today’s standards, the Bonnie View still welcomes guests. Fifty bucks a night gets you a double during the winter season. That’s cheap for Port Antonio. Or anywhere else on the island.

For details on The Trident, the Bonnie View and other resorts, contact the Jamaica Tourist Board, 3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1207, Los Angeles 90010, (213) 384-1123. Inquire about the $399 round-trip air fare, LAX-Jamaica, operated by Jamaica Express.

Potpourri: For details on country-house hotels and coaching inns featuring holiday packages in Britain (plus carol concerts, parades, tree lighting in London), contact the British Tourist Authority, 350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 628-3525 . . . Staff members will appear in period costume at a dinner ($35) marking the end of a six-month Mozart Festival next Saturday at Big Bear Inn, P.O. Box 1814, Big Bear Lake 92315, (800) 232-7466 . . . Brochures/reservations at 27 inns belonging to The Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Southern California are available by calling (800) 424-0053. Calls are transferred directly to inns requested by the caller . . . In the back country of the French Riviera (24 miles from Nice), Henrik Winther is mailing details about his popular Hostellerie de L’Ancienne Gendarmerie, Le Rivet-06050, Lantosque, France. Elegant rooms, gourmet meals, a stunning view.

Reader Recommendations

California--Carol and Lee Agon, Anaheim Hills: “The Old Yacht Club Inn, 431 Corona del Mar, Santa Barbara. This is the B&B; you will return to again and again! Rates: $85/$95.”

Kentucky--Frank Alexander, Rancho Palos Verdes: “Had an absolutely delightful stay at beautiful Lake Barkley State Resort Lodge, Box 790, Cadiz, Ky. 42211. All 120 rooms have an unobstructed view of the lake. Excellent food. Fishing, tennis, golf, racquetball, trap shooting, riding, steam room. Rates: $42/$63.”

Vermont--Bob and Fern Butler, Quebec, Canada: “The Old Mill Inn, Stone Mill Dam Road, No. 2, Box 2207, Brandon, Vt. 05733. Double occupancy: $75.”

England--John Graves, Thousand Oaks: “A small bed and breakfast operated by Mrs. Gibbs, 4 Broadlands Ave., South Boune, Bournemouth, England BH6 4HQ. Rates: $25 per person per night.”

Denmark--Annelise Scott, Alhambra: “Hotel Fnger Hulsig Skagen. Wonderful hospitality. Finest food ever. The hotel is at the tip of the Jutland Peninsula. Price for room, dinner (including wine) and a great breakfast: less than $100 per person.”