You can try and convince yourself for a while that you like wearing winter jackets and polo neck jumpers, and that you don’t mind a cosy night in while the wind howls outside. But, let’s be honest, after a couple of weeks of this, you’ll come to the conclusion that January was, is, and always will be, the UK’s gloomiest month. The fairy lights have been packed away, the credit card bills have arrived, and the days still end in darkness before most of us have left the office.
Of course, this makes January the perfect month to get away. While Britain huddles under its duvet of drizzle and self-denial, vast swathes of the world are basking in exactly the kind of climate we crave: crisp skies, gentle breezes, or full-blown tropical warmth. Here are 18 destinations where January means anything but misery…
Barbados
The Fairmont Royal Pavilion Hotel showcases old-school Caribbean elegance at its best
Average January temperature: 26C
Trade winds make Barbados blissfully balmy in January, with little of the summer humidity. Days are custom made for lounging on the platinum sands of Carlisle Bay before heading inland to Hunte’s Gardens riot of orchids and palms. The island’s fishing villages are lively but not overrun in January, and the piscine pleasures at Oistins fish market are served up deep into the evening.
Budget hotel: Up a quiet lane on the island’s west coast, Bayfield House is a plantation style house with a garden festooned with mango, fig and palm trees. You get a complimentary rum punch on arrival before checking into the charming, and surprisingly large for the price, rooms which are decorated with soft cottons and wicker chairs (doubles from £112, bayfieldbarbados.com).
Blow the budget: The Fairmont Royal Pavilion showcases old-school Caribbean elegance at its best. Regally positioned on Alleynes Beach (one of the island’s prettiest stretches of sand), rose-gold sunsets are a nightly spectacle here. There’s a discreet glamour to the pink-tinged, colonial style lobby and soothing creams and greys that adorn the walls of the bedrooms. Breakfasts are outstanding too; featuring coconut, banana bread and delectably rich scrambled eggs (doubles from £885, fairmont.com).
Garden Route, South Africa
Average temperature: 24C
Few road trips on the continent can match South Africa’s Garden Route; a sweep of winding asphalt that threads past lagoons, forests and cliffs. Along the way are whale-watching bays, ostrich farms, world-class golf courses and endless white-sand beaches. It’s a region that manages to feel both adventurous and easy going, while the vineyards offer often superb wines at prices undemanding on the wallet.
Budget hotel: An easy half day’s drive from Cape Town, Wilderness is a laid-back town that’s long been popular with weekending city dwellers. Moontide is a thatched guesthouse on the languid banks of the River Touws, which is ideal for a morning swim. The rooms and cottages have a low-key country chic vibe with some containing clawfoot baths but all possessing verandas to sit on with a glass of wine while watching the Cape sugarbirds and Knysna turaco birds flit and frolic around the lush garden (doubles from £153, moontide.co.za).
Blow the budget: There’s something profoundly Eden-like about the indigenous forest canopy view from the stilted huts at Tsala Treetop Lodge, located in the lively coastal town of Plettenberg Bay. Remarkably, each room has its own private infinity pool cantilevered out from the decking over the treetops while the restaurant serves up a creative European meets Africa menu with many of the ingredients coming from the lodge’s own gardens (doubles from £913, tsala.hunterhotels.com).
Dubai
Atlantis, The Palm captures the essence of everything you might love or hate about Dubai in hotel form
Average temperature: 24C
Punishingly hot in summer, Dubai is at its most tolerable in January, with even a mid-afternoon spent out of doors not being too brutal on the skin. Spend the morning strolling around the old Al Fahidi district before heading out on a desert safari across the ochre dunes. The warm evenings are best spent at a rooftop bar watching the Burj Khalifa’s lights flicker against cloudless skies.
Budget hotel: The Rove Downtown has a lot more creative flair than most Dubai accommodation options. The lobby is full of odd artworks made out of everything from burqas to old bicycles while all the rooms come with rain forest showers and some have floor-to-ceiling views of Burj Khalifa. Though, come breakfast time, your best option is to walk down to the City Walk area, as the in-house option is a typically awful branch of TGI Friday’s (doubles from £150, rovehotels.com).
Blow the budget: Atlantis, The Palm captures the essence of everything you might love or hate about Dubai in hotel form. It’s utterly enormous, completely over-the-top and, in many ways, floridly dazzling. The aquarium, waterpark, 34 restaurants and spectacular suites make this behemoth one of the emirate’s most famous addresses. Aim for a room as high up as possible for better views of the quite surreal palm shaped island – man-made of course – that the resort is built on (doubles from £1,522, atlantis.com).
La Palma, Canary Islands
La Palma is still all winding mountain roads, banana plantations and skies so clear it has its own world-class observatory
Average temperature: 19C
The greenest and sleepiest of the Canary Islands, La Palma is still all winding mountain roads, banana plantations and skies so clear it has its own world-class observatory. Hikers and stargazers come for the volcanic craters and wild forests, while the beaches are quieter and with darker-sand than its brasher neighbours.
Budget hotel: Perched on a remote headland in the volcanic south-west, backed by rugged mountains and overlooking the ocean, La Palma Princess mixes a dramatic setting with multiple swimming pools (11, in fact), subtropical gardens, waterfalls, lush carp-filled ponds, and a spa to soothe away any fatigue from a morning hike. Rooms are traditional in style, bedecked in peach-coloured walls while breakfast is an indulgent carb-crawl, rich in pastries, churros and pancakes (doubles from £85, princess-hotels.com).
Blow the budget: In the craggy and dramatic north of La Palma, Faro Punta Cumplida, is an 18th-century lighthouse which, almost uniquely, is still functioning in its original purpose as well as being open for guests. Swim some lengths in the infinity pool before (if you have the energy) pounding up the 158 steps of the lighthouse to the Sky High bar for a glass of vino. The three suites (sleeping a total of up to eight people) flank the ocean and come with silk sheets and rainforest showers (doubles from £340, floatel.de).
Sri Lanka
Average temperature: 27C
January falls right into Sri Lanka’s dry season along the west and south coasts. That means lazy afternoons on Unawatuna Beach or taking a safari through Yala National Park, where leopards and elephants roam. Inland, tea country is cool and misty, perfect for sipping a fresh brew straight from the plantation.
Budget hotel: With its views down the Galle Face Green or towards the ocean and the port, the Kingsbury makes for a smart and demure introduction to the Sri Lankan capital. It’s an easy walk from here to the Dutch Hospital – home of numerous food and drink outlets – while the breakfasts here make for a superb introduction as to how Sri Lankan’s start the day; load up on dhal, spicy sambols and coconut roti (doubles from £63, thekingsburyhotel.com).
Blow the budget: Colombo’s Galle Face Hotel is the grande dame of Sri Lankan hospitality; all teak floors, pith helmets and ocean breezes. Yet the prices for British travellers are barely more than a Premier Inn in the UK. Sitting proudly on Colombo’s seafront, it mixes heritage with indulgence: there’s a saltwater pool right beside the Indian Ocean, wrap-around verandas for evening gin-and-tonics, and a sense of occasion in every hallway. There’s even an in-house museum, featuring the first car ever bought by the late Duke of Edinburgh; a 1935 Standard Nine, which cost £12, purchased when he was stationed here with the British Navy (doubles from £112, gallefacehotel.com).
Sydney
Average temperature: 26C
Sydney in January is high summer which means this always ebullient city gets even more vibrant, beachy and buzzy. Grab a surfboard at Bondi Beach, then hike the spectacular Bondi to Coogee coastal walk. Evenings are made for open-air dining around Circular Quay, with that famous Opera House shimmering across the water.
Budget hotel: You don’t need to be on the harbour to feel part of Sydney’s buzz. 57 Hotel’s boutique feel and budget-friendly prices (superbly competitive for such an expensive city) beguile with pared-back but stylish rooms, bold decor and a location in the Surrey Hills area that means cafes, bars and nightlife are all on your doorstep. The hotel’s name, as well as the cowhide tables, brass lamps and seductive beats in the lobby all serve to emphasise the owners’ adoration of New York’s disco mecca, Studio 54 (doubles from £88, 57hotel.com.au).
Blow the budget: Right in Circular Quay, this InterContinental has benefited from a recent, very glossy refresh while retaining its combination of heritage grandeur and modern polish. Marble-clad interiors, sweeping harbour views, including the Opera House itself, and impeccable service are razzle dazzle without ever being too showy, and there’s probably no finer way to spend sunset on your first evening in Australia than by sipping a cocktail in the Astor rooftop bar (doubles from £210, ihg.com).
Phuket, Thailand
Average temperature: 28C
By January, the monsoon rains are long gone and the seas are at their calmest. Take a long-tail boat to the Phi Phi Islands, snorkelling among coral reefs, or explore the Big Buddha viewpoint for breezy panoramas. Street markets are at their liveliest in January evenings too, when spicy satay smoke fills the warm night air.
Budget hotel: In the centre of Phuket Old Town, the Casa Blanca Boutique Hotel occupies a gorgeously atmospheric 19th-century Sino-Portuguese mansion house. The lobby is scattered with rattan chairs and floral tiled floors while rooms are simple but modishly furnished in blue and white hues. There’s even a ‘secret’ swimming pool; tucked away at the back of the hotel (doubles from £57, casablancaphuket.com).
Blow the budget: The Rosewood Phuket excels at unbuttoned luxury. A near-private beach, huge villas with plunge pools and a constant sense of discreet indulgence are the key ingredients at this south east coast hideaway. Built from indigenous timber and stone, the villas blend in surprisingly well with the verdant jungle backdrop while there are complimentary kayaks for you to use for a journey along the coastline (doubles from £1,282 , rosewoodhotels.com).
Costa Rica
Average temperature: 27C
January is prime dry season in Costa Rica making it perfect for wildlife spotting. Walk the hanging bridges of Monteverde Cloud Forest or watch green turtles basking in Tortuguero National Park. The Pacific surf is at its most inviting too, with sunset waves rolling in at Tamarindo.
Budget hotel: On a stretch of fudge-coloured sands on the Caribbean coast, Banana Azul is a romantic refuge speckled with koi ponds and bromeliads galore in the tropical gardens. There’s an aptly jungle-centric theme to the rooms, some of which contain outdoor baths and ocean view terraces. Breakfasts are a highlight, including the typical local ‘gallo pinto’ dish of eggs, beans, rice and fruit (doubles from £111, bananaazul.com).
Blow the budget: Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa is a hot springs hotel par excellence, sitting in the shadow of the Arenal Volcano, Tabacon’s natural thermal pools flow through the lush gardens – with a full spa, fine dining and sleek rooms with private terraces to complete the indulgence. The acreage is huge, meaning that, while you stroll the lush grounds, your company is more likely to be lizards and tree frogs than fellow guests (doubles from £482, tabacon.com).
Miami
Average temperature: 23C
Miami’s sticky summers give way to balmier, cooler days in January. Stroll the pastel-coloured streets of South Beach’s Art Deco District before taking a boat ride across Biscayne Bay to spot manatees and dolphins. The city buzzes with cultural events too – with the South Beach Jazz Festival running from January 8 to the 11.
Budget hotel: It’s a hybrid of a hostel and a hotel, but don’t let the threat of sharing bunk beds with strangers put you off. The Freehand Miami also has excellent private doubles and its location is outstanding – right in the centre of the beach strip. Rooms are appropriately bright and beachy in hue while the courtyard pool is a buzzy, friendly spot where you can sip a Shoreline Spritz made by the ebullient team behind the Broken Shaker cocktail bar counter (doubles from £120, freehandhotels.com).
Blow the budget: The mid-beach area of Miami is the cynosure for the city’s Art Deco era buildings, and the Faena Hotel Miami Beach fits right in with its crimson-and-gold colour scheme and a strong sense of theatre wherever you go. The extravagant design was partly created by Baz Luhrmann and you should spot Damien Hirst’s golden mammoth sculpture, while you receive the kind of service suitable for the most demanding A-Lister. The suites offer outstanding ocean views, while the spa comes with a marble hammam, steam room and ice room (doubles from £1,234, faena.com).
Antigua
Average temperature: 27C
The locals have long claimed that Antigua has one beach for every day of the year. But you might find you only need one, such is the island’s tailor-made suitability for January sun seekers. Spend the day at Dickenson Bay, where the water is warm enough to float in for hours, before climbing Shirley Heights for sunset views over English Harbour.
Budget hotel: Jolly Beach is a very keenly priced all inclusive affair set beside a fabulous stretch of sandy beach called Lignum Vitae Bay. The rooms are pretty basic but what you do get here are fantastic views of the islands of Montserrat and St Kitts and Nevis, a huge pool with swim-up bar and an abundant breakfast buffet heaving with local dishes such as saltfish and tropical fruit platters (doubles from £183, jollybeachantigua.com).
Blow the budget: The prices are absolutely eye-watering, but a stay at Jumby Bay’s all-inclusive private island hideaway buys you perhaps the closest thing you can find to pure Caribbean fantasy. Two miles off the north-east coastline, you can stroll from your elegant villa to breakfast then straight on to the sand without even thinking about footwear. Gourmet dining, water sports and a spa complete the picture. As for the service, you’ll have a banquet thrown for you at 3am if you ask for it (doubles from £2,968, oetkerhotels.com).
Oman
Average temperature: 24C
Muscat’s corniche gleams under dappled sapphire skies in January. Explore the Mutrah Souq in the morning before heading out to the Wahiba Sands, where camel rides and star-filled skies await. The beaches near Bandar Jissah are warm enough for swimming but are still blissfully quiet.
Budget hotel: Nowhere is particularly cheap on the accommodation front in exclusive-accented Oman, but the Sahab Resort And Spa in Jebel Akhdar, two hours from Muscat and 6,000ft above sea level, offers one of the best value desert stays in the country. Compact in size and boutique in tone, the views of the mountain ranges are sublime from every angle here, while the welcome is intimate – expect dates and Arabian coffee when you check in. The mountainside pool is a must-visit for a sunset dip, too (doubles from £121, sahabresort.com).
Blow the budget: The Al Bustan Palace is a serious competitor in the rankings of opulent hotels in Muscat, delivering Arabian luxury that goes the extra mile. The turrets, gold central dome, landscaped gardens, private beach and a spa tucked into the cliffs all beguile, but the real highlight is simply knowing that this was built as a palace for the Sultan himself. There are more expensive places to stay in Muscat, but few that purr with this level of sleek and discreet service (doubles from £276, ritzcarlton.com).
Vietnam
Zannier Hotels Bãi San Hô is a veritable private world of thatched villas speckled on the mountainside
Average temperature: 20C–24C
January is dry and bright across much of Vietnam, making it an ideal month to cruise the limestone peaks of Ha Long Bay, or hike around Hoi An where at sundown, lanterns sway lazily in the soft breeze. With the sweltering heat muted during January, it’s a great time to explore the Mekong Delta with its buzzy floating markets and rice paddies.
Budget hotel: It’s possible to get a hotel room for £25 in Hanoi, but what would barely get you an average B&B in the UK can get you bedded into somewhere truly sumptuous here. So it’s worth forking out a little extra for a stay at the Hotel de l’Opera; a boutique bolthole in Hanoi’s French Quarter. The design touchstone is pure Belle Epoque with mirrored ceilings and even French black and white movies playing in the courtyard. The rooms would please Alain Delon himself with their marble print walls, clawfoot baths and Hollywood-style vanity mirrors (doubles from £132, hoteldelopera.com).
Blow the budget: Perched on Vietnam’s central coast, Zannier Hotels Bãi San Hô is a veritable private world of thatched villas speckled on the mountainside. The beaches here are soft, secluded and quiet while the hotel’s design aesthetic expertly straddles the fine line betwee rustic and ravishing. Days here pass in a blissful blur of infinity pools, seafood feasts and lazy bike rides through the jungle hinterland, while evenings are for cocktails beneath palms strung with lanterns (doubles from £325, zannierhotels.com).
Jamaica
Average temperature: 26C
Jamaica basks in glorious January sunshine. Make the most of the balmy climes by floating down the Martha Brae River on a bamboo raft or hiking into the Blue Mountains for sublime coffee at source. Evenings bring forth the aroma of jerk chicken smoke curling through Kingston’s streets, soundtracked by live reggae at the bars surrounding lively Hellshire Beach.
Budget hotel: You know you have a special hotel on your hands when the likes of Bob Marley and the Rolling Stones have chosen to stay, despite there being so many other infinitely more pricey options. Rockhouse, set into limestone cliffs in Negril, is just about the most westerly location in Jamaica and the hotel has an outpost vibe with its thatched roof cottages and winding paths lined with almond and palm trees. Best of all are the ladders, scattered around the property on platforms overlooking the sea, from which you (very safely) dive straight into the blue (doubles from £182, rockhouse.com).
Blow the budget: Ian Fleming’s island estate, Goldeneye, remains one of the world’s most storied boltholes. Guests stay in seafront villas or even in the modestly sized original cottage where the Bond author dreamt up 007. Rip off the tuxedo to spend your days scuba diving, turtle watching and paddle boarding before sipping rum cocktails at sunset. Neither too polished nor too rustic, the vibe (not a word Bond would ever use) is glamorous, raffish, discreet and still authentically Jamaican (doubles from £592, goldeneye.com).
Yucatan, Mexico
Average temperature: 27C
The Caribbean coast of Mexico is at its finest while it’s freezing cold back at home. The key to Yucatan is to take the days slowly. Start with a swim in the crystal-clear cenotes near Tulum, then explore the dramatic clifftop Mayan ruins overlooking the sea. The town of Playa del Carmen really buzzes at evenings and weekends, but quieter fishing towns nearby offer a gentler escape.
Budget hotel: Right next door to the ancient Mayan site of Chichen Itza, Hacienda Chichen has more than just a fine location in its armoury of attractions. Cocooned in enormous gardens, this is a resort with a genuinely low-density, unobtrusive feel, with the rooms (just 28 of them) located in cottages scattered across the grounds. The al fresco breakfasts are outstanding; don’t miss their huevos rancheros, a hearty plate of beans, nachos, chilli sauce and eggs (doubles from £141, haciendachichen.com).
Blow the budget: Chablé Yucatan is a showstopper: a former hacienda-turned-luxury retreat where deer amble through the forested grounds, private casitas come with their own plunge pools, and the spa is built around a natural cenote. Dinner is a feast of Mayan-inspired dishes, served in a leafy courtyard, while the setting, deep in the Yucatan jungle, makes the hotel feel like its own lost city, complete with a soundtrack of songbirds in the morning and fireflies at night (doubles from £696, chablehotels.com).
Maldives
There’s nowhere that’s truly budget-friendly on the Maldivian atolls, but Kandima comes closer to a bargain than most
Average temperature: 28C
January is peak season in the Maldives, which, of course, means turquoise, clear skies and dazzling waters to match. The key attraction to the islands is the (highly encouraged) idea of not doing very much at all, but if you can rouse yourself from your sun lounger then snorkeling with reef sharks and manta rays on Ari Atoll, before taking a sunset cruise to watch pods of dolphins dancing across the horizon, goes some way to enhancing the whole castaway fantasy.
Budget hotel: There’s nowhere that’s truly budget-friendly on the Maldivian atolls, but Kandima comes closer to a bargain than most. Located near a large lagoon on Dhaalu Atoll, there’s a more relaxed, casual vibe here than in higher-priced competitors, though the sand is as milky white as you’ll find anywhere in the Maldives and even the lower-priced studio rooms here are of a decent size and comfortable, albeit not luxurious. The resort is very proud of the fact that they also have the longest swimming pool in the whole country (doubles from £198, kandima.com).
Blow the budget: The W Maldives is for those who like their paradise to come with something approaching a pulse. The over-water villas come with private plunge pools, the beach bar throbs with seductive beats after dark, and there’s even an underwater nightclub. But amid the party vibe, the service is impeccable and the Indian Ocean still wins out as the star of the show, constantly looking impossibly blue from every angle (doubles from £1,021, marriott.com).
Patagonia, Chile
Average temperature: 15C–18C
January is high summer in Patagonia, making the long days ideal for some fairly strenuous hiking. Trek the iconic Torres del Paine peaks or, if your boots can’t stand that kind of workout, take a boat trip to the Grey Glacier which shimmers in the cobalt light. The winds can be fierce but they’re worth enduring in order to soak up the scenery, from myriad turquoise lakes to jagged towers of granite.
Budget hotel: Hotel Nómades, in the town of Coyhaique, makes a homely base for exploring Patagonia. It’s part mountain lodge, part boutique guesthouse, with log-burning stoves, timber interiors and friendly staff who’ll happily point you to the best day hikes and horse-riding trails. Rooms have huge picture windows, woollen bed covers and a genuine frontier woodsman feel without any skimping on creature comforts (doubles from £140, hotelnomades.cl).
Blow the budget: There’s a three-night minimum stay rule at the Explora Torres del Paine, overlooking the glacier-draped Paine massif. But it’s well worth an extended stay here due to its location that’s as dramatic as Patagonia gets… and that’s pretty dramatic. There’s a real emphasis on getting the best of the outdoors here, with staff able to organise guided treks and horseback rides before you come back to spend the sunset soaking in your outdoor hot tub beneath skies glittering with stars (doubles from £1,402, explora.com).
Andorra
The Grandvalira ski area offers more than 200km of runs, with everything from gentle beginner slopes to challenging black runs
Average January temperature: 3C
Tiny Andorra comes into its own in January, when the Pyrenean snows blanket the peaks and the pistes are in prime condition. The Grandvalira ski area offers more than 200km of runs, with everything from gentle beginner slopes to challenging black runs. Off the slopes, the thermal waters of Caldea Spa in the capital, Andorra la Vella, are a blissful way to soothe tired muscles. Quaint stone villages such as Ordino and Pal, with their Romanesque churches and cosy taverns, make perfect day-trip diversions if you tire of the slopes.
Budget hotel: Hotel de l’Isard in Andorra la Vella is a charming stone-built inn with wood-beamed ceilings that’s perfect for a night’s stay in the bijou capital either before or after your stint on the slopes. It’s well placed for exploring the capital city (more of a village really) and there are gorgeous mountain views from the upper floors (doubles from £63, hotelisard.com).
Blow the budget: For slope-side luxury, Sport Hotel Hermitage & Spa in Soldeu is the best in Andorra. The five-star retreat offers ski-in, ski-out access, lavish suites with floor-to-ceiling views of snow-covered peaks, and a superb spa complete with outdoor hot tubs, Finnish saunas and Turkish baths. The location is incredibly convenient too, right beside Soldeu’s gondola station (doubles from £585, hermitagehotel.sporthotelsandorra.co.uk).
Maui, Hawaii
Average temperature: 24C–26C
January brings big surf to Maui’s north shore and it’s genuinely thrilling to watch the pros in action at Ho’okipa Beach. For something less frenetic, drive the road to Hana, where you’ll find waterfalls tumbling through jungle. Whales migrate past the coast at this time of year, too, breaching dramatically against the Pacific backdrop.
Budget hotel: Once you get above hostel levels of accommodation there are few genuine bargains to be had on Maui. But the The Old Wailuku Inn does offer exceptional value for the price, with its location right by the turn off to the sacred Iao Valley. This is a plantation house built a century ago and the original hardwood floors are still extant. Rooms come with traditional Hawaiian bed quilts while the breakfast offerings are plentiful and creative, including macadamia nut-topped banana pancakes (doubles from £198, mauiinn.com).
Blow the budget: Hotel Wailea is Maui at its most refined; an adults-only escape with all-suite accommodation that comes with verdant gardens and panoramic views across to the neighbouring islands. It’s hilltop location won’t mean you’re isolated as the hotel has a complimentary car service that will whisk you to any of the half-dozen beaches nearby. The bungalow suites are awash with Hawaiian art carvings and private lanais with chaise loungers while there are private cabanas to lounge in around the sizable (and child-free) pool area (doubles from £741, hotelwailea.com).
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