21 best holiday destinations in January 2024 - Condé Nast Traveller
The best holiday destinations in January
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Christmas is over, the New Year's hangover is lingering and workdays and school hours are back on. From 1 January, reality kicks in, so why not book a new year getaway and escape the January blues? Post-Christmas and pre-Valentines, it's cheap – snap up an off-peak season deal across the globe, from one of the best Caribbean islands to the sunny neighbourhoods of Sydney and LA. Here, we round up the best places to go on holiday in January 2023.
Getty ImagesBarbados, Caribbean
Temperature in January: 29°C high; 23°C low
Season: dry
Travel time from UK: 8 hours 45 minutes
Time difference: GMT -4It's the Caribbean island's good-time vibes that keep regulars coming. Well, that and the pirate's bounty of bleached-white, powdery beaches. The glam west coast might be all five-star luxury, but travel slightly south and the scene quickly skews more local. Lively town Oistins' Friday Night Fish Fry brings the community out for an open-air party, with fresh-caught fish on the barbecue and booming reggae. Or, closer still, hit St Lawrence Gap, a strip of rambunctious rum bars. On the quieter east coast, pounding Atlantic waves draw surfers: Bathsheba is the closest Barbados gets to boho, with pro boarders and tattooed artists. In January, the dawn of dry season, it's all appealing – drenched only in a daily average nine hours of sunshine.
Sustainable travel tip: The best way to benefit the Barbados community is to leave your hotel. Give back to the community by spending tourist dollars at Oistins Fish Fry, which benefits local businesses.
Where to stay: Cobblers Cove prides itself on being quietly elegant – an intimate, stylish country-house hotel situated on a white sand beach, with 40 spacious rooms which all open on to the luscious gardens. For more, see our picks of the best hotels in Barbados.
Getty ImagesThailand, Asia
Temperature in January: 32°C high; 22°C low
Season: dry
Travel time from UK: 12 hours
Time difference: GMT +7Thailand is heavenly in January. Yes, it's peak season, but the mayhem of the Christmas and New Year parties are over; Bangkok is just about as pleasant as it's ever going to get, and the islands on the south-western, Andaman Coast are just lovely: Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Koh Lanta. Over on the east side, the islands of Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao are wetter - if you're heading here, best to wait a couple of months til March; but still, those monsoon-like rains blow in, pour themselves out, then an hour later everyone's back on the beach.
Sustainable travel tip: Thai sleeper trains are modern and comfortable, so consider an overnight rail adventure between destinations rather than internal flights. Similarly, when visiting islands, more often than not there's a ferry option, so don't head for the airport as a matter of course.
Where to stay: The Standard offers a peppy, high-energy experience in Bangkok's tallest skyscraper. Families and those seeking the more serene should book into the whimsical railway-themed InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, with its charming suites all set up in vintage railway carriages, and an old-timey ticketing booth serving as a lobby. See our guide to the best hotels in Thailand for more.
Getty ImagesVal d'Isere
Temperature in January: -1°C high; -10°C low
Season: winter
Travel time from UK: 1 hour 40 minutes
Time difference: GMT +1With New Year crowds gone and no school holidays on the horizon, January is a fine time to hit up the best ski resorts in Europe. And not only does French ski resort Val present the most reliable powder on the continent, but this St-Tropez-on-snow is only getting splashier. The spot is home to some of the best ski hotels and chalets in the region. And if Olympic downhills and Michelin-starred restaurants aren't doing it, there are plenty more inventive ways to get your kicks. Who's up for a circuit of BMW's ice track?
Sustainable travel tip: Looking to offset all that Val d'Isère excess? Eurostar runs direct trains from London St Pancras to Bourg St Maurice during ski season; local buses then make the 45-minute trip from the station to Val.
Where to stay: Le Refuge de Solaise, once a cable-car station, is now a fun-loving ski hotel with ski-in/ski-out access, marking one of France's highest places to bed down. We also love Le Yule, located right on the edge of the front de neige and the nursery slope. The rooms are decorated in minimalist Scandinavian style with natural colours, and have balconies overlooking the piste. For a private stay, seven-room Chalet Husky has a climbing wall, infinity waterfall and space for rifle shooting and archery – perhaps not so wise after a night at Dick's Tea Bar.
Getty ImagesPorto, Portugal
Temperature in January: 14°C high; 6°C low
Season: winter
Travel time from UK: 2 hours 20 minutes
Time difference: GMT +0No doubt about it, Portugal is booming. While the country's mild winters might not be scorching, they are quieter – and prices lower than usual, in a destination already beloved for being very affordable. Porto, Lisbon's little sister, has undergone its own creative renewal. Once-decaying medieval streets buzz with kerbside cafés and retooled townhouses, transformed into stylish hotels by local designers. The food scene is fizzing, there's more to Porto than sandwich shops and port wine tastings, from Michelin-starred menus to relaxed, wine-focused dining. And then there's the terraced port vineyards of the Douro Valley, 100km inland.
Sustainable travel tip: Taking the train to Portugal is a much better idea than it might sound – and it only takes 24 hours. First, catch the Eurostar from London to Paris, then the high-speed TGV to Irun in Spain's Basque Country, followed by the overnight Sud Express to Lisbon, which has sleeper cabins with private showers, and a cafe/bar. After a sophisticated night on the rails, there's no shortage of direct trains to Porto. Felicidades!
Where to stay: Bijou design hotel Gran Cruz House pairs sorbet-toned rooms with a couldn't-be-better location and a standout restaurant helmed by one of Portugal's top chefs. On Rua das Flores, the 16th century Casa da Companhia building blends modern luxury with traditional touches, and hosts regular Port bottle 'fire openings' where you can learn about the city's Port culture. See our guide to the best hotels in Porto for more.
Jon AttenboroughMexico
Temperature in January: 23°C high; 8°C low
Season: dry
Travel time from UK: 11 hours 10 minutes
Time difference: GMT -6The coast of Mexico is everything the British winter is not: light, colour, exoticism; warm and spicy and exuberant. Parties on the beach, yoga under the trees, a dip in dappled-light cenotes. We fell for the cosmic vibes of Tulum, and the little barefoot island of Isla Holbox, off the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. For the haciendas and smart resorts on the Riviera Maya; for colonial Mérida. And over on the west coast, sunny, surfy Sayulita. The weather on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts is wonderful in January: hot but not-too-hot, with barely any rain at all. Required holiday reading: The Lacuna, by Poisonwood Bible author Barbara Kingsolver.
Sustainable travel tip: Where Tulum's not-so-green practices have made headlines, and the Riviera Maya's resorts are all about opulence, Isla Holbox's modus operandi is small-scale and local. The lack of paved roads all but mandates getting around by bicycle; the most convenient way to arrive is by 30-minute ferry from the mainland; restaurants, bars and stores are owned by islanders; and single-use plastics have been banned since 2018.
Where to stay: Near the powdery white sands of Xpu-Ha, the secluded jungle hideaway of Hotel Esencia is a reprieve from bustling resorts and hedonistic eco-hotels. Five minutes from Huanacaxtle Beach, Susurros del Corazón offers an all-inclusive experience with a boutique hotel feel. The newly-revamped Rancho Pescadero is a great choice for the eco-conscious, with an on-site solar farm and a clean-air waste incinerator for both the resort and the local area. See our guide to the best hotels in Mexico for more.
Getty Images Rwanda, Africa
Temperature in January: 24°C high; 9°C low
Season: First dry period
Travel time from UK: 10 hours 40 minutes (indirect with Rwandair or Egyptair)
Time difference: GMT +2There are many reasons to go to Rwanda. Its vibrant Kigali exudes an air of positivity from its extraordinarily resilient people. In Akagera National Park, still off-radar on the safari scene, lion and black rhino have been reintroduced, and you'll spot elephants, giraffes and zebras roaming the savannah – but no other safari tourists. Trek through ancient rainforests, babble with monkeys – colobus, baboon, chimpanzee. But it's Rwanda's mountain gorillas that are the blockbuster draw. Not even 100 people a day are permitted to trek, accompanied by trackers, into the Virunga cloud forest of Volcanoes National Park, for a close encounter with the critically endangered creatures – a moving, once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's possible any time of year – whenever you can get a coveted permit – but as the first dry period, January is one of the best months for trekking.
Sustainable travel tip: The income from carefully monitored responsible tourism funds the conservation of Rwanda's mountain gorillas.
Where to stay: Two of Africa's most sensational lodges are found not far from Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park and the gorillas: Bisate, Wilderness Safaris' thatched, curvaceous and exquisitely designed eco-lodge and One&Only Gorilla's Nest.
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