by A few months sparks a desire for somewhere brighter and warmer than Christmas. With the UK in the middle of winter, it’s time again to start dreaming of swaying palm trees and lapping waves in the new year.
Enter the Caribbean Sea, dressed in its best high season clothes, and offering great hotels, sugary beaches and cloudless skies. Elsewhere, the Maldives offer classic fly-and-flop escapes, while Los Angeles and Buenos Aires provide sunny city breaks.
Clear those passes and prepare for warmer weather. Here’s our round up of where to go for January sun.
For temperatures between 19ºC and 24ºC
City of Angels
While America’s largest city (New York) has winter, the second largest city is experiencing temperatures in the low 20s Celsius. In truth, it should come as no surprise that Los Angeles is so sun-kissed in January – this is, after all, a city of golden climate all year round. But this lack of mystery does nothing to diminish the relaxation possibilities on LA’s shores – in Venice Beach, in Santa Monica, or further afield in Malibu.
How to do it: A seven-night escape to the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (not surprisingly, a five-star retreat), flying direct from Heathrow on January 13, costs from £3,629 per person, with Virgin Holidays (0344 472 9646; virginholidays. co.uk). Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Los Angeles.
Lanzarote
“Lanza-grotty” was the disdainful moniker who, in the eighties, was associated with the fourth largest of the Canary Islands. It has always been an unreasonable slogan – because, even if this sun logger deals with unfavorable breaks in resort areas such as Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise, it can also lay claim to an increasing range of luxury properties, attracting the culture of Spain in the capital Arrecife, and a volcano. MAJORITY in Timanfaya National Park.
How to do it: A seven-night all-inclusive to the five-star Paradisus Salinas Lanzarote, flying from Birmingham on January 20, costs from £1,395 per person, via Jet2Holidays (0800 408 0778; jet2holidays.com). Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Lanzarote.
Dubai
It can be easy to sneer at Dubai – to claim that its skyscrapers are ridiculously large, to suggest that its malls are huge instead of any aspect of culture, to say that its artificial island construction projects are overreaching and silly. But the greenest of the United Arab Emirates doesn’t care about the dawn – and the thousands of UK tourists who flock to its beaches knowing that their hat will be in the sun don’t.
How to do it: From £1,611 per person, via Destinology (01204 208 891; destinology.co.uk). Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Dubai.
Costa Rica
A country with warm weather and soft beaches will always be very pleasant. One of the jigsaw puzzles that make up Central America, Costa Rica is lapped by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. You can view both bodies of water at the same time from the top of the Irazú volcano – but also enjoy a cosmopolitan evening in the national capital of San José.
How to do it: Last Frontiers (01296 653 000; lastfrontiers.com) offers a 13-day “Costa Rica” itinerary that tracks the country in detail. From £4,770 per person, including flights. Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Costa Rica.
For temperatures between 25ºC and 29ºC
Grenada
With its mountainous center and lush interior, Grenada is perfect for those who want to offset a dose of adventure with sitting by the sea. It is also on the southern borders of the Atlantic hurricane belt, making it less likely to experience stormy weather than some other Caribbean islands.
How to do it: Audley Travel (01993 460 174; audleytravel.com) offers a 15-day “Highlights of Grenada and St Lucia” itinerary which, as the name suggests, splits its time between the two Caribbean countries. He spends his first week on Grenada, flying to the less-seen north of the island at Petite Anse – and sailing across to the nearby, less-seen island of Carriacou. From £6,100 per person, including (all) flights. Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Grenada.
Barbados
So connected to the United Kingdom in terms of history and flight connections that, sometimes, a holiday there can feel like a trip to the British beach – although temperatures that occupy the upper 20s Celsius throughout the year – Barbados is stalwant 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.
How to do it: A seven-night all-inclusive getaway to The House, a five-star boutique on Bajan’s west coast at Durants, costs from £2,399 per person, including flights, through Tropical Sky (01342 395 315; tropicalsky.co.uk). Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Barbados.
The Dominican Republic
The country that contains two thirds of the second largest island in the Caribbean (Hispaniola) is sometimes seen as a holiday destination. But it is coming into focus thanks to the luxury resorts located on its southeast corner, around the settlement of Punta Cana. Temperatures generally hover in the high 20s Celsius at all times. European winters largely avoid the hurricane season (June-November).
How to do it: A seven-night all-inclusive break to the four-star Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Resort, flying from Gatwick on January 20, costs from £1,777 per person, via First Choice (020 3451 2688; firstchoice.co.uk). Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in the Dominican Republic.
For temperatures of 30ºC+
Maldives
The most famous cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean has a nominal rainy season of May-November, so it’s full of sunshine by January. In truth, this time of year makes little difference to the experience of a vast archipelago located in the equatorial zone. Visitors can bank on 30C temperatures every time they travel.
How to do it: Why choose one luxurious option when you can offer two? Scott Dunn (020 3733 9378; scottdunn.com) offers a 10-night twin-resort Maldivian holiday that splits its time between a pair of properties, Gili Lankanfushi and Six Senses Laamu. From £6,400 per person (from £9,400 each in January), including flights. Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in the Maldives.
Tanzania
This part of East Africa is an essential destination for those who love safari breaks, whether for the incredible spectacle of the Great Wildebeest Migration into the Serengeti – or the lesser-known wildlife experiences Ruaha National Park. Then there is the scenery – the volcanic caldera of the Ngorongoro Crater, the possible snow on Mount Kilimanjaro, the soft beaches of Zanzibar.
How to do it: Expert Africa (020 3405 6666; expertafrica.com) offers a 12-night “Dik Dik Safari” that sees big game in Tangarire National Park and the Serengeti, peers into the Ngorongoro Crater, and ends on a beach in Zanzibar. From £9,620 per person in January, including international flights.
Buenos Aires
Argentina is rarely thought of in terms of pure sunshine. After all, this is a country that stretches (almost) to the bottom of glacier-laden South America (Chile owns the tip of the continent). But Buenos Aires basks in the glow of the upper 20s Celsius during January – making La Boca’s evocative streets, San Telmo’s steakhouses, the bright resurrection of Puerto Madero’s docks and Palermo’s hip bars a treat.
How to do it: Journey Latin America (020 3131 2661; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) offers an “Old Star Argentina” holiday which, over 12 days, calls in Buenos Aires, Salta, Mendoza (and surrounding vineyards) and Iguacu Falls. From £3,484 per person (additional flights). Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Argentina.
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