Holiday travel · December 24 – January 1, 2027
Top 20 Hotel Destinations for Christmas to New Year's Week
The week between Christmas and New Year's is the year's best window for a long trip. These picks span ski resorts, dry-season islands and Southern Hemisphere summer.
Jump to hotels ↓Toiny, Saint Barthélemy
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
St. Barts' holiday season peaks with New Year's Eve fireworks over Gustavia.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~82°F (28°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
Where we'd stay: Hotel Le Toiny. Hillside villas with private pools on the island's quiet east coast.
Hotels in Toiny →
West End, Anguilla
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Dry-season calm on Maundays Bay.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~82°F (28°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
Where we'd stay: Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel. Moorish-style villas along Maundays Bay.
Explore Anguilla →
Baa Atoll, Maldives
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
The Maldives' dry season, with calm water and clear skies.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~86°F (30°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
Where we'd stay: Soneva Fushi. Barefoot-luxury villas on a private island inside a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Explore Maldives →
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Warm winter days and New Year's Eve fireworks at the Burj Khalifa.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~79°F (26°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- beach
- family
Where we'd stay: Atlantis The Royal. Architectural landmark on the Palm Jumeirah with celebrity-chef restaurants.
Explore Dubai →
New South Wales, Australia
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Summer holidays and the famous harbor fireworks.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~77°F (25°C); warm
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- beach
Where we'd stay: Shangri-La Sydney. The Rocks hotel with harbor views from upper floors.
Explore Sydney →
Krabi, Thailand
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Andaman dry season for island-hopping.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~88°F (31°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
Where we'd stay: Rayavadee. Pavilions on the Phra Nang peninsula, reachable only by boat.
Explore Krabi →
Vietnam
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Dry-season beaches on Vietnam's southern island.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~86°F (30°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- beach
- family
Where we'd stay: JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa. Whimsical Bill Bensley-designed resort styled as a French university.
Explore Phu Quoc →Waikato, New Zealand
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
New Zealand's summer holidays, with fly fishing and lake days.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); mild
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- nature
- adventure
Where we'd stay: Huka Lodge. Riverside fishing lodge on the Waikato River.
Hotels in Taupō →Santa Cruz, Argentina
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Long summer days at Perito Moreno Glacier.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~66°F (19°C); windy
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- adventure
- nature
Where we'd stay: EOLO Patagonia's Spirit. Estancia-style lodge on the steppe with glacier excursions.
Hotels in El Calafate →
Western Cape, South Africa
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Cape Town's peak summer festive season.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~77°F (25°C); dry, windy
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- beach
- adventure
Where we'd stay: Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. Historic pink landmark set in gardens below Table Mountain.
Explore Cape Town →- 11
Arenal
La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Volcano views and hot springs as the dry season begins.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~82°F (28°C); some showers
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- adventure
- nature
Where we'd stay: Nayara Springs. Adults-only villas with private hot-spring plunge pools.
Hotels in La Fortuna → - 12
Aspen
Colorado, United States
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Aspen's holiday week of skiing and festive events.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~32°F (0°C); snow
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- ski
- adventure
- romance
Where we'd stay: The Little Nell. Aspen's only ski-in/ski-out hotel, at the base of the Silver Queen Gondola.
Hotels in Aspen → Park City, Utah, United States
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Holiday ski week in Utah's light powder.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~32°F (0°C); snow
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- ski
- family
Where we'd stay: Montage Deer Valley. Ski-in/ski-out resort at Empire Pass.
Hotels in Park City →- 14
Gstaad
Bern, Switzerland
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
A Swiss holiday ski week in Gstaad.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~34°F (1°C); snow
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- ski
- romance
Where we'd stay: The Alpina Gstaad. Chalet-style hotel above the village with a Six Senses Spa.
Hotels in Gstaad → - 15
Lapland
Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Northern Lights and snowy activities in Lapland.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~21°F (-6°C); snow
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- family
- adventure
Where we'd stay: Arctic TreeHouse Hotel. Glass-fronted suites in the forest near the Santa Claus Village.
Hotels in Rovaniemi → 
16Maui
Wailea, Hawaii, United States
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Maui's holiday week, with whale season beginning.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~80°F (27°C); passing showers
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
- family
Where we'd stay: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Oceanfront Wailea resort with an adults-only pool and whale-watching views from many rooms.
Explore Maui →
San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Dry season and whale season begin in Los Cabos.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~79°F (26°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
- adventure
Where we'd stay: Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort. Secluded corridor resort known for its personal butlers and Sea of Cortez views.
Explore Los Cabos →
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Turks and Caicos' dry, sunny holiday season.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~82°F (28°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
- family
Where we'd stay: Grace Bay Club. Beachfront resort on Grace Bay with adults-only and family wings.
Explore Turks and Caicos →
Otago, New Zealand
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Midsummer adventures in Queenstown.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); mostly dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- adventure
- nature
- romance
Where we'd stay: Eichardt's Private Hotel. Intimate lakefront hotel in a restored 1860s building in central Queenstown.
Explore Queenstown →
Florida, United States
Why Christmas to New Year's Week
Miami Beach's warm, dry holiday season.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~77°F (25°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- culture
Where we'd stay: The Setai, Miami Beach. Art Deco-meets-Asian oceanfront hotel with three temperature-controlled pools.
Explore Miami Beach →