The 15 best destinations for January sun
Few months spark a yearning for somewhere brighter and hotter than the European take on January.
With the decorations down, the Christmas tree shedding its last needles in the street and drizzle streaking the windows, the mental image of swaying palm trees and whooshing waves is never more potent.
Happily, the Caribbean is waiting to help, clad in its best high-season apparel.
Of course, high season can mean high prices, and a squeeze on availability. But if Jamaica is sold out, there are less obvious and more cost-effective places for a break in the sun – from the shores of Africa to the tropical edge of Thailand.
To find more great destinations for December, or for other months of the year, try The Heatseeker, our interactive online tool
Or browse our collection of the best last minute holidays and winter sun getaways.
You want: 19C-24C
Hong Kong
Arguably the most fascinating city in the Far East, Hong Kong burns brightly on the map of the region – half Chinese metropolis, half global icon. It calls to every camera amid the skyscrapers which dot the Central district on its core island. But take the famous ferry across Victoria Harbour and you can try the delights of the mainland in Kowloon – not least the Mong Kok area, with its markets and street food.
Los Angeles
While America’s biggest city (New York) battles winter at its fiercest, its second largest is soaking up temperatures in the low 20s Celsius. In truth, it should be no shock that Los Angeles is so sun-kissed in January – this, after all, is a metropolis of year-round golden climate. But this lack of mystery does nothing to diminish the possibilities for relaxation on LA’s shore – on Venice Beach, in Santa Monica, or further afield in Malibu.
The best hotels in Los Angeles
Lanzarote
“Lanza-grotty” was the dismissive moniker that was attached, in the Eighties, to the fourth biggest of the Canary Islands. It was always an unreasonable slur – because, even if this sunny outcrop deals in unfussy breaks in resort areas such as Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise, it can also claim a growing range of luxury properties, alluring Spanish culture in the capital Arrecife, and volcanic majesty in Timanfaya National Park.
View our best luxury holidays in the Canary Islands
Dubai
It can be easy to sneer at Dubai – to claim that its skyscrapers are ridiculously big, to suggest that its enormous malls are a substitute for any element of culture, to say that its artificial-island construction projects are over-reaching and silly. But the glitziest of the United Arab Emirates does not care a jot – and nor do the thousands of UK tourists who flock to its beaches knowing that the sun will have its hat on.
View our best luxury holidays in Dubai
Costa Rica
A country that boasts warm weather and soft beaches will always be alluring. One of the jigsaw pieces that make up Central America, Costa Rica is lapped by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. You can gaze at both bodies of water simultaneously from the top of the Irazú volcano – but also enjoy cosmopolitan afternoons in the national capital San José.
You want: 25C-29C
Sydney
Australia’s most iconic city needs little introduction as an option for escapes from the European winter. True, the journey to reach the capital of New South Wales is not short, but a day on Bondi Beach – the temperature gauge nestled effortlessly in the upper 20s Celsius – is one of the best possible cures for jet lag. And even if the sands are crowded, those twin icons the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House are essential sights.
View our best cruises in Australasia
Grenada
Trouble in paradise? No more. It seems remarkable now to think that Grenada was the scene of a US invasion in 1983, America flexing its muscle in its (then) ongoing tussle with Cuba over influence in the Caribbean. Fast forward three decades and Grenada is as far removed from a war zone as can be imagined; a fair-weather friend on the southern limits of the Atlantic hurricane belt – it has experienced only three such gusts in 50 years.
Barbados
So tied to the UK in terms of history and flight connections that, at times, a holiday here can feel like a trip to the British seaside – albeit with temperatures that occupy the upper 20s Celsius throughout the year – Barbados is a stalwart of Caribbean tourism. For many, it revolves around the luxury resorts on the west coast, but venture to the capital Bridgetown for heritage and excellent food.
Dominican Republic
The country which makes up two thirds of the second biggest island in the Caribbean (Hispaniola) has sometimes been overlooked as a holiday option. But it is coming into focus thanks to the luxury resorts that dot its south-east corner, around the settlement of Punta Cana. The temperature generally clips the high 20s Celsius at all times. The European winter also largely avoids the hurricane season (June-November).
The best hotels in the Dominican Republic
You want: 30C+
Maldives
The Indian Ocean’s most celebrated cluster of islands has its nominal rainy season in May-November, so is in full sunny fettle by January. In truth, the time of year makes little difference to the experience in a vast archipelago that sits in the equatorial zone. Visitors can bank on temperatures of 30C whenever they travel.
The best hotels in the Maldives
Goa
Goa is India’s smallest state, with just 63 miles of coast on the Arabian Sea is longer. But what a coastline it is: a haven for those keen to relax on warm sands – particularly in the resort areas Calangute and Candolim.
Tanzania
This piece of East Africa is an essential destination for those who love safari breaks, whether for the incredible spectacle of the Great Migration of wildebeest into the Serengeti – or the lesser known wildlife experiences to be had in Ruaha National Park. Then there is the scenery – the volcanic caldera of the Ngorongoro Crater, the snowy might of Mount Kilimanjaro, the soft beaches of Zanzibar.
Phuket
With a dry season from December- April, there are few more reliable destinations for a sunny escape from the European winter than Phuket. Thailand’s biggest island is a holiday icon, grown from backpacker bolt-hole to mainstream favourite. For the most part, it faces west into the Andaman Sea, in resort areas like Patong, Karon and Kata – while the sunsets from Phromthep Cape at the southern tip are the stuff of legend.
Vietnam
Once a byword for war, Vietnam has shrugged off its ghosts to become a coveted corner of the Far East. Traces of the conflict linger but are now historic sites (such as the Cu Chi Tunnels). Elsewhere, the country looks forward in the busy streets of Hanoi, and amid the new buildings of Ho Chi Minh City, while Halong Bay is a wonder of limestone scenery.
Sponsored: A three-week Inside Vietnam + Cambodia highlights tour, flying from the UK on January 12, 2019 from £2,299pp. The tour includes flights, most meals, accommodation and all transport throughout Vietnam and Cambodia, with a tour leader and local guide with explore.co.uk.
Buenos Aires
It is rare to think of Argentina in terms of pure sunshine. This, after all, is a country which stretches (almost) to the glacier-laden foot of South America (Chile owns the tip of the continent). But Buenos Aires basks in the glow of the upper 20s Celsius during January – casting the evocative streets of La Boca, the steak eateries of San Telmo, the bright resurrection of the Puerto Madero docks and the hip bars of Palermo in a fine light.
