10 Beach Holiday Destinations To Escape To This Winter
The weather at home may be soon to turn colder. So what better way to stave off the chill this winter than with a luxury beach break. Pack your bikini, get your sunglasses at the ready and prepare to soak up the rays on some seriously stunning stretches of sand. Here are our 10 beach holiday destinations to escape to this winter.
1. The Beach Holiday Destination: Phuket, Thailand
With towering limestone cliffs, plunging into tranquil emerald waters, beach escapes don’t get much more dreamy than Phuket. If you’re after a party vibe, head to Patong beach. You’ll find a lively stretch of sand, backing onto restaurants and nightclubs. For more castaway-style experience, take the two-hour ferry ride to nearby Koh Phi Phi island. Snorkel in the crystalline waters and watch the brightly coloured fish darting around, before kicking back on the sand.
The hotel: Stay at the Keemala, a fairy-tale resort with thatched treehouses, built into a hillside. Soak in the sensational spa or wander down to Kamala Beach below.
2. The Beach Holiday Destination: Tulum, Mexico
Tulum’s zen atmosphere, pristine beaches and world class restaurants have made it one of Mexico’s hippest sun spots. Head to the Beach Road South area and get bendy with an oceanfront yoga session at Sanara. Then head to Zamas for huevos rancheros. When it comes to hitting the beach, you’re spoilt for choice in Tulum. But no trip would be complete without a visit to Playa Ruinas, with its 13th century Mayan ruins perched over the turquoise Caribbean waters.
The hotel: Stay at La Valise Tulum, where you can tuck into icy margaritas, swing lazily in hammocks and lounge on the pristine private beach.
3. The Beach Holiday Destination: Venice Beach, California
California weather may not be at its sunniest in winter, but Venice Beach still packs a punch. Grab a board and catch some rollers, before soaking up the atmosphere on the Ocean Front Walk, a concrete boardwalk. Here you’ll find psychics eager to tell you your fortunes, sand artists creating magical sculptures and vibrant performers. At the weekend, tap your feet at the Drum Circle, where hordes of musicians come together to jam.
The hotel: Stay at The Hotel Erwin, which overlooks the boardwalk. Kick off your evening with drinks at the rooftop bar, which has panoramic views over the ocean.
4. The Beach Holiday Destination: Kauai, Hawaii
With its dramatic beaches, azure sea, verdant peaks and cascading waterfalls, it’s not hard to see why Kauai is dubbed the Garden Isle. To truly appreciate the island, admire it from above with a helicopter tour, which will skim you over jaw-dropping canyons and towering peaks, carpeted with lush rainforest. When you’ve had your fill of adventure, sunbathe at Hanalei Bay, a glorious stretch of squishy soft sand, flanked by mountains.
The hotel: Stay at Ko’a Kea Hotel and Resort, which has a sleek sushi bar and spa. It’s situated on Poipu Beach, one of the island’s most popular crescents of golden sand.
5. The Beach Holiday Destination: Mauritius
Blessed with crystalline waters and miles of white sandy beaches fringed with palm trees, Mauritius is a sun worshipper’s paradise. On the island’s glamorous east side, high-end resorts hug the coastline and dominate some of the most striking stretches of sand. Saunter along Belle Mar Plage, a 10km beach that’s one of the most picture-perfect the island has to offer or take a boat trip to Ile aux Cerfs, an unspoiled sand bar, gently lapped by the Indian Ocean.
The hotel: Stay at the Constance Prince Maurice, which has al fresco bathrooms, a glorious slate-lined pool and a dreamy floating bar.
6. The Beach Holiday Destination: The Bahamas
This stunning archipelago offers beaches, coral reefs, fascinating towns and even the chance to swim with a colony of wild pigs. Over 20 of the animals have set up home in uninhabited Pig Island, and can be regularly spotted gliding through the tranquil waters in the hope that boaters will throw them food. You can visit them on a guided tour from Great Exuma, but aim for a morning trip, before they’ve filled their hungry tummies.
The hotel: Stay at Bahama House on Harbour Island, where you can tuck into breakfast on the open-air terrace. After a busy day snorkelling, relax at the bar with expertly made, rum-laced mojitos.
7. The Beach Holiday Destination: Costa Rica
Granted, Costa Rica’s shoreline is pretty spectacular, but it also offers lush jungle, epic wildlife and adrenalin-fuelled adventures. Animal lovers should add a trip to Tortuguero National Park to their bucket list – here you can spot howler monkeys, otters and even sloths. Beach bums with a taste for surfing will enjoy the coastline around Guiones, where the long breaks ideal for both novices and the more experienced. From here it’s a short hop to some of the country’s legendary canopy zip lines, at Guanacaste. Is this the dream beach holiday or what?
The hotel: Stay at the Harmony Hotel, which has a freshwater pool, daily yoga classes and facials using local plants.
8. The Beach Holiday Destination: Bentota, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka offers adventure, incredible wildlife, Buddhist shrines and awesome beaches, all on an island the smaller than Ireland. Bentota beach on Sri Lanka’s west coast is an idyllic stretch of sand, with clear waters and water-sports, like jet skiing, windsailing and scuba diving on offer. It’s best visited between November and April, when the waters are calmer For romance, the sight of the sun setting over the glittering water is hard to beat.
The hotel: Stay at Paradise Road Bentota, a boutique hotel with a glistening pool and gorgeous bar serving passion fruit margaritas.
9. The Beach Holiday Destination: Palawan Island, The Philippines
The Philippines is made up of some 7,000 islands, fringed with immaculate white sand and lapped by turquoise waters. For an incredible mix of heady adventure and beautiful beaches, head to Palawan. It has twice been voted the best island on earth. Here, you’ll find some of the best scuba diving in the world, in waters that play host to dolphins, turtles and over 50 species of coral. Above the water, you’ll find sugar sand beaches and mountains clad in rainforest, which seemingly spring up from the emerald waters.
The hotel: It’s a massive splurge, but for high-end luxury you can’t get much better than the Amanpulo, where villas have private pools, butlers and chefs.
10. The Beach Holiday Destination: Cape Town, South Africa
It’s not hard to see why Cape Town is often voted the best city to visit in the world. It offers incredible food, enticing art galleries and powder soft beaches, scattered with boulders. The icy Atlantic temperatures mean the beaches here aren’t ideal for swimming but the sheer beauty of the area makes the bracing waters easily forgivable. Take the cable car up to Table Mountain. Admire the panorama over the glittering sea, then head to Camps Bay or Clifton Beach for seafood and sundowners.
The hotel: Stay at the Silo hotel, in the V&A Waterfront. It offers spectacular views, through pillowed glass windows, and sumptuous décor.
Whether you head to cosmopolitan Cape Town or remote Palawan Island for your winter beach holiday, the Invisibra is the ultimate holiday essential. Heading for pre dinner margaritas? Then team it with a stunning off the shoulder dress from Revolve. For beach chic, wear the Invisibra with a cute mini from For Love and Lemons. Then add a zinging pop of colour with a pair of floral earrings from Mercedes Salazar. When it comes to bags, Cult Gaia’s Lilleth tote will have you Instagram-ready. The statement, sculptural designs fold flat, making them the perfect packing partner.
