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With the loonie hovering around par with the U.S. dollar, there hasn't been such a good excuse to splurge on a quick luxury getaway to the States in years. Happily, our neighbours to the south are more than ready to oblige, with a host of options, from quiet retreats for those who desperately need to recharge their batteries to cranking party towns for those who would rather spend it playing craps and tossing back cocktails.Parity aside, the surefire way to get the most out of your money on a trip to the U.S. is to start thinking like an American – that is, a little outside the box. To that end, here are seven sensational splurges south of the border.

Find yourself in the desert

Sedona, Ariz., just an hour-and-a-half drive north of Phoenix, is in the heart of Red Rock country. An ancient site revered by the Apache tribe, the landscape is so magical that Walt Disney, a former resident, designed his mountain logo after the town's view of Cathedral Rock. Beyond the Old West town, with its turquoise shops and vegan cafés (it's a big hippie draw for its “magnetic energy”), there are so many scenic hiking and biking trails here that you could try a different one every day and not repeat your route for a year.

The best place to stay is a resort called Enchantment (800-826-4180; www.enchantmentresort.com; a one-bedroom hacienda suite with a king bed starts from $850), which is smack dab in the midst of beautiful Boynton Canyon. Along with the requisite golf and tennis, its exquisite Mii Amo spa offers Ayurvedic and native treatments – last year, it was voted the No.1 destination spa in the U.S. by Travel & Leisure.

Stuff yourself in Sonoma

As any oenophile knows, California's Napa Valley can be a tourist's nightmare – that is, unless busloads of pretentious boomers getting drunk in faux chateaux is your kind of thing. Nearby Sonoma, however, is less celebrated and its treats are many.

This includes shopping the old Spanish-style square in downtown Sonoma or touring artisanal wineries along the Russian River. Or follow that river to its end at the town of Jenner, where one can dine overlooking the Pacific at the low-key yet surprisingly serious River's End (707-865-2484; www.ilovesunsets.com).

Committed foodies should base themselves in the lovely old town of Healdsburg – the region's ground zero of fine food and wine appreciation – where the best place to stay is the tiny Hotel Duchamp, essentially six small modern villas overlooking a pretty pool (707-431-1300; www.duchamphotel.com; from $350). The best thing about the Duchamp, however, is that it's only a short, stuffed stroll away from the region's top dining experience, Cyrus (707-433-3311; www.cyrusrestaurant.com) where gastronauts flock to sample chef Douglas Keane's bold inventive magic. The menu features Keane signatures such as foie gras “torchon” with peanut butter and jelly, and cold thai lobster with avocado and melon. And for those who know their way around a fine menu, guests design their own repast around a three-course or five-course prix fixe (from $75), with or without the sommelier's excellent and local pairing suggestions.

Sun salutations

on a former military base

Because the tiny island of Vieques, off Puerto Rico, until recently did duty for the U.S. Marines, it has not yet seen the mega-development all too common to other Caribbean destinations. What this means for its few intrepid visitors is that they might find themselves blissfully alone on a stretch of one of the island's sandy white beaches, or by moonlight, skinny-dipping in its famously bio-luminescent bay. (And while not the 51st state, Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth where its citizens are American and the greenback is the official currency.) The self-sufficient will be similarly thrilled by Hix Island House (787-741-2302; www.hixislandhouse.com; from $295), an elegantly minimal and modern eco-friendly resort in the midst of a 13-acre natural refuge, where many of its “loft” apartments open onto a lush jungle view. The small hotel, which is owned and operated by a Canadian named John Hix, has no restaurant: Each unit is stocked for your arrival with homemade bread, coffee and all the essentials. And every morning, guests gather together to greet the tropical sun with a yoga class before setting off in their jeeps to explore the undiscovered island on their own.

Never leave your hotel

in Manhattan

The Mandarin Oriental New York (866-801-8880; www.mandarinoriental.com; from $1,100 a night) is remarkable in many ways, besides its breathtaking room rates. Set majestically overlooking the western edge of Central Park atop the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, its chic lobby bar, which is on the building's 35th floor, attracts a pretty, buzzy crowd for its magnificent city view. The rooms, which also look over the park or the nearby Hudson River, are gorgeous – the height of Zen-inspired elegance, with absurdly fine bed linens and exquisitely appointed bathrooms. And the spa, which offers such over-the-top indulgences as the “time ritual”($430), which begins with carefully washing the guest's feet and can involve everything from vigorous Thai body brushing to Ayurvedic head massage, is the most in-demand in the city. The other reason to stay here and never venture onto the street? The Mandarin's lobby connects directly to the Time Warner Center, which boasts all the great American retail we don't have here (think J.Crew), as well as some of the city's best restaurants, from the expensive and exquisite Per Se to the glittering Cafe Gray and, if you just want a little light something, the fantastic Bouchon Bakery.

Mellow out in Miami

If what you want is a little R and R, forget the crazy South Beach scene and head straight from Miami International over the Biscayne bridge to the Standard (305-673-1717; www.standardhotel.com; from $270 a night). The newest star in hotelier André Balazs's quirky-chic collection, it's also the most laid-back, with the feeling of a funky Montauk motel plopped down somewhere in the Caribbean.

Everything about the place is marvellously offbeat and relaxing, from the small-scale set-up around the pool, which overlooks the boats crossing Biscayne Bay (it used to be a fifties fat farm and still features the motel-style layout, as well as the original Lido spa sign out front), to the hotel's incredible hammam spa, where its mellow, model-pretty guests flop out on slabs of heated marble every afternoon. It is not unusual to see guests slathered in brightly coloured mud baking in the sun by the pool, or blissed-out couples wandering in their robes through the lobby.

A full range of yoga, fitness classes and beauty treatments is also available – the most difficult decision of the day is often whether you want lunch by the bay or at your lounge by the pool. Party hearty in Vegas

What's happening now in America's Sin City is that the old bad behaviour – first gambling, and then dropping a wad of cash on bling at Caesars Galleria and the shops at the Bellagio – has recently been superseded by a club scene so hot and happening that Miami's South Beach is starting to look like it's for retirees. The comparison to South Beach is apt: The latest Vegas mega-clubs, including the 15,000-square-foot Jet at the Mirage and the 10,000-square-foot Tao at the Venetian, have taken a good look at the beach scene started by the boutique hoteliers in Miami and taken the party poolside. What this means is that the formerly subdued morning-after scene by the pool at even old-school Vegas hotels, such as Mandalay Bay and Caesars, is now seeing round-the-clock action – a parrr-tay for buffed and bronzed bods that starts after breakfast and keeps on going, literally, as long as you do. The trick is getting in: Sites such as www.vegas.com offer “VIP” passes that promise entry to hot clubs such as Tao, the all-VIP Blush and Rain. If you really want in, though, you'd better be prepared to ante up for bottle service – or you'll never make it past the velvet rope.

Charge it in Chicago

When it comes to a shopping spree, everyone's first thought is New York, but to my mind, Chicago is almost a better choice. What makes it such a great shopping destination is the city's truly Magnificent Mile, that stretch of high-end retail that runs along Michigan Avenue. Every big name in fashion is represented here, from Coach to Chanel, and because everything is so centralized, checking them off your list is a breeze. Which is not to say all of the shopping is in chain stores: Perhaps the city's best-kept fashion secret is a gallery-like store called Ikram (312-587-1000; www.ikram.com), where owner Ikram Goldman acts as curator. The best of the best are here, from Alexander McQueen to Zero/Maria Cornejo, displayed alongside Goldman's accessories of the moment. Stay at the nearby Drake Hotel, a Chicago classic (312-787-2200; www.thedrakehotel.com) and splurge on a gorgeous martini and a luscious rib-eye at the famed Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse (312-266-8999; www.gibsonssteakhouse.com) – also conveniently within walking distance – and this will be one shopping trip well worth the flop sweat later at customs.

Special to The Globe and Mail