Escape winter's ice and snow at these close-to-home hot spots

Right about now we all need a post-holiday, mid-winter escape to the tropics, but we can't all afford the time or money to get there.

So what's the next best thing? How about a coconut massage or a little sand volleyball while sipping on a piña colada?

We've gathered a dozen ways to transport you to the South Seas without venturing far from home.

We supply the data, you add a little imagination and let the fun begin.

Coco Key Water Resort

In the Sheraton Chicago Northwest, 3400 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, (847) 394-2000, www.cocokeywaterresort.com

No matter what the temperature outside is, it's always a tropical 84 degrees at this year-old indoor water park.

Inspired by Key West, Fla., Coco Key offers 65,000 square feet of fun including whirlpools, a wave beach, a lazy river, and body and raft water slides. The youngest tykes can play at Parrot's Perch Play Structure with scaled-down slides, water cannons and a huge bucket that dumps hundreds of gallons of water every few minutes.

Refreshments are supplied by A&W and Pizza Hut; at the West Rooster Bar adults can find tropical cocktails and nonalcoholic beverages for the kids.

Noreen Gould of Barrington takes her two children, Brendan, 8, and Grace, 4, often enough that they recognize it from Route 53.

"I feel like I'm on vacation in a tropical setting, and you can get Starbucks," Gould says.

What else could you need in the dead of winter?

Cost: Daily passes: $19 Monday through Friday; $39 Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Children younger than 2 admitted free.

"Mommy and Me" sessions, $14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Overnight stays beginning on Friday start at $179, which includes four passes to the water park.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

KeyLime Cove Water Resort

1700 Nations Drive, Gurnee, (877) 360-0403, www.KeyLimeCove.com

Developed by David Anderson, creator of the intensely themed Rainforest Cafe concept, KeyLime Cove Water Resort opens on Leap Day (Feb. 29).

The resort adds another 65,000 square feet of tropical-themed, indoor water park to the suburban landscape.

But this one is just for overnight guests of the resort, no day passes.

Located across from Six Flags Great America, KeyLime will offer body and raft water slides, hot tubs, a lazy river, a wave pool and a 10-foot-tall tipping bucket in the shape of a pineapple.

Air temperature is 86 degrees; water temperature is 84. Internal temperature: pure bliss.

Cost: Only open to resort guests. Special opening packages start at $129.

Hours: Open daily. Tentative hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends (hours subject to change).

North Beach Club

1211 Butterfield Drive, Downers Grove, (630) 434-1290, www.northbeachclub.com

Rob St. Clair and his girlfriend, Janet Wischnowski, enjoy wriggling their toes in the sand at this beach-themed bar with indoor sand volleyball courts.

"You're just wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. All you need is a margarita or a Corona and you're good to go," says Rob, a West Chicago resident.

Fake palm trees, beach-themed murals and artwork, a tiki bar and bright colors help create the scene. Live entertainment on weekends cranks up the heat.

Aside from tropical drinks, North Beach also serves salads, sandwiches, wraps and homemade pizza.

Even kids can get into the act. Daytime parties with hula dancing, limbo and other activities are available.

Cost: $40 per hour per court Sunday through Thursday; $60 per hour per court Friday and Saturday. Reserve up to one week in advance.

Hours: 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday; 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Saturday; 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Chicago Botanic Garden

1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe, (847) 835-5440, www.chicagobotanic.org

Longing for heat and humidity? The greenhouses at the Chicago Botanic Garden have it year-round.

Temperatures range from 75 degrees to 90 degrees in the three separate environments: tropical, semitropical and arid.

"You walk in there feeling kind of blah and get the smell of the plants, the heat and humidity. It's just a great escape from a Chicagoland winter," says Tim Johnson, director of horticulture.

Look for orchids in the tropical greenhouse, whimsical topiaries such as penguins and a dinosaur in the semitropical, and cactuses and succulents in the arid space.

"The Kangaroo Paws are flowering right now; so is the Crown of Thorns," Johnson says.

This weekend: Join the Lily Lecture Series from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Learn about expeditions to search for new species and see pictures of rare lilies.

Cost: Free admission; $15 parking.

Hours: Garden grounds: 8 a.m. to sunset. Gatehouse closes at 4 p.m. in January and February and at 5 p.m. in March.

Brookfield Zoo

8400 31st St., Brookfield, (708) 485-2200, www.brookfieldzoo.org

A thundering waterfall. Chattering spider monkeys, cotton-top tamarins swinging on vines, white-cheeked gibbons and orangutans. Temperatures in the mid-70s.

Tropic World at Brookfield Zoo is almost the real thing. Ride the free, heated shuttle bus to this indoor exhibit and you won't have to bear the cold very long.

Add the Living Coast (Chile and Peru), the Swamp (Southeastern United States) and the daily dolphin shows to your tour for even more warmth.

For children ages 3 to 10, the indoor Hammill Family Play Zoo offers hours of fun. Let the kids dress up as animals, visit the rabbits, parakeets and hamsters, make crafts and pretend to be a veterinarian.

Cost: $11 ages 12 to 64; $7 children ages 3 to 11 and seniors 65 and older. Children 2 and younger admitted free.

Free admission days through Feb. 28: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Parking is $8.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. now until April 1.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

1608 S. Randall Road, Algonquin, (847) 658-9627; 1472 Market St., Des Plaines, (847) 299-3657; 2970 Finley Road, Downers Grove, (630) 953-7095

Island decor and nautical sports paraphernalia will carry you away. Look for weathered woods, tin roofs, thatch, eucalyptus trees and bamboo.

On the menu you'll find tilapia topped with fresh pineapple salsa, fish tacos with cabbage and pineapple and tropical chicken satay. Exotic cocktails are trimmed with "garnimals," the chain's signature animal garnishes made from fruit and vegetables.

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner at all locations; call for times.

Hala Kahiki

2834 River Road, River Grove, (708) 456-3222, www.hala-kahiki.com

This retro tiki bar and lounge is wall-to-wall, island-inspired decor. Every available inch is decked out with faux fish, birds, shells, plants, tikis and miles of bamboo.

Sip a Passionate Rummie (Kahlua, brandy and rum) in your Hawaiian shirt. You can buy one at the shop where they sell kitsch of all kinds, from party goods to jewelry and hula dolls.

Hours: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday and Tuesday; 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Friday; 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday.

Bahama Breeze

406 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg, (847) 884-7060, www.bahamabreeze.com

Vibrant colors and Caribbean style give Bahama Breeze a bright, open-air feel, even when your car is buried under snow and ice.

Tropical drinks and island-inspired food make up the menu. For starters, try fire-roasted jerk shrimp or Jamaican grilled chicken wings. Entrees include margarita chicken, jerk chicken pasta and baby back ribs with guava barbecue sauce.

Or create your own seafood entree from a choice of tilapia or salmon prepared by wood grilling or sauteing, with options such as orange balsamic drizzle or spicy barbecue sauce.

Signature drinks include the Bahama Mama (dark rum and banana liqueur with fresh orange and pineapple juice).

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Spa Martinique

530 E. Golf Road, Schaumburg, (847) 843-9901, www.spamartinique.com

Owner Deborah Martin wanted to create a tropical escape for people who can't fly off to the islands, but who still need a place to relax.

Potted faux palms, bright colors and island scenes set the mood at this 5,000-square-foot day spa and salon.

Let your mind run away with you during a massage ($45 to $130) scented with coconut, Key lime or strawberry daiquiri lotion. Prepare for swimsuit season with the "sea salt glow," a full-body exfoliation using sea salt and sand ($90).

Another option: the tropical mud wrap using -- you guessed it -- Hawaiian mud.

"It gets a little messy, but it leaves you smooth and silky," says Natalie Bonnan, a spa manager.

On the playlist, island music mixed with contemporary pop.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

Scuba

Chicagoland Scuba, 732 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, (847) 540-7211, www.chicagolandscuba.com; or Illinois Institute of Diving, 438 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn, (866) 552-3371, www.iidscuba.com

If you've always wanted to scuba in the Bahamas or Cozumel, sign up for lessons now so you can book a trip over spring break.

Both of these diving centers offer instruction that will prepare you for your check-out dives.

Not sure if this is for you? Either place offers a one-day option with classroom instruction and in-pool experience to give you a feel for breathing underwater.

Cost: The one-day introductory class at Chicagoland Scuba costs $29; the three-day open dive class costs $276. At the Illinois Institute of Diving, the one-day class costs $79, but if you decide to take the two-day open water dive class, that fee will be applied to the $225 fee.

Our World Underwater

Feb. 15-17 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 9301 Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, www.ourworldunderwater.com

Get pumped with exhibits, film festivals and workshops on technical diving, underwater photography, marine life identification and locating Great Lakes shipwrecks.

Cost: $80 for a three-day pass; $60 ages 9 to 12. Workshops individually priced from $55 to $175.

Rainforest Cafe

Woodfield Mall near Sears, Schaumburg, (847) 619-1900; Gurnee Mills, Gurnee, (847) 855-7800; www.rainforestcafe.com

This themed restaurant goes all out on ambience.

Jungle roars, simulated thunderstorms, huge aquariums and assorted faux rainforest wildlife provide floor-to-ceiling scenery intertwined with greenery and vines.

The wide-ranging menu cuts a broad swath: pasta, pizza, hot and cold sandwiches, wraps, beef, pork, chicken and seafood.

Kids can choose from items such as cheesy tomato pasta, spaghetti and meatballs and barbecue ribs.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.