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As massive winter storms cover everything from Texas to New England under mounds of snow, I'm thinking about pools and beaches. A vacation in the sun would be wonderful about now. Completely disconnected from reality, in a good way.

How could I write about amazing warm weather vacation spots without starting off with Honolulu or just about anywhere else in Hawaii?

Sam went to Hawaii almost every year for a number of years on business. Every year he asked me to go. Every year I declined. Not because I didn't want to be with my man, but because I thought it would be a waste of frequent flier miles to go from subtropical Florida to tropical Hawaii. Finally, years later, we took the family…and I learned the error of my ways.

Now Hawaii is one of my favorite warm vacation spots. No, it's my number one favorite. “Paradise” just barely scratches the surface. My favorite spot it staying on the North Shore in Oahu. We get away from the tourists and pretend like we're natives. And love every minute.

Having lived for 10 years in Boca Raton, Florida, I'm not too keen on going back to the Gold Coast—in the summer. Hurricane season and it's torrential downpours, humidity near the top of the scale, bugs that will eat you alive if you let them. Not my idea of fun. But February? Yes. South Florida is a great place to be in the middle of the winter.

I just left a convention reception where a colleague described the beauties of St. Tropez. The closest I've ever been is the Nice airport. Seriously, the coolest airports I've had the pleasure of being delayed in. (You simply must put the automated toilet stalls on your vacation itinerary.) But the paradise he described sounds very inviting. According to the gentleman, the scenery it luscious, the food divine, and a villa on the beach is incredibly reasonable.

Put St. Tropez on my list of places to go.

Where's your favorite sun vacation spot?

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.