Some like their Santa in boardshorts, presents placed under a palm tree and turkey thrown on the barbecue. If your feelings towards winter wonderlands are as cold as ice, then go the long-haul with our pick of the best winter-sun Christmas getaways. These hotels, from the Maldives to Mexico, have sun pretty much guaranteed, plus so much seasonal sparkle you’re gonna need those shades.
MALDIVES
For a tropical take on the traditional
We’d bet a sack of presents that your family will be more enthralled by gliding through bioluminescence-speckled waters on a night snorkel, than they will be by the idea of flying reindeer. Bringing joy is Maldivian island stay Joali’s motto, and at Christmas it goes into overdrive: barefoot tree-lighting soirées, global-street-food markets popping up, and a lightly perspiring Santa dropping in on his sleigh.
December here is a festive fray of football or Twister tournaments on the beach plus more restive pursuits like meditating under the moon or painting the Indian Ocean’s starlit canopy. Joali’s little elves have left a trail of mini nutcrackers, bells and bijou gifts on a scavenger hunt, and you’ll feel gifted indeed by the many crafting sessions on offer, from gingerbread decorating to celestial ceramics and tie-dying T-shirts.
Gold-star work Float to the top of that nice list by joining hotel staff for ‘Christmas corals’, where guests help to plant a coral nursery on a wooden frame shaped like a Christmas tree.
INDONESIA
For picking up new Christmas customs
At ultra-luxe Balinese stay Amankila, that inner glow comes courtesy of arak cocktails laced with warming spices; and chestnuts roasting over open fires are swapped for fresh fish flopped from sea to flame-licked grill. The hotel group’s signature sense of place offers you festivities rich in folklore as Cekepung dancers convey native myths to the strains of a bamboo gamelan, and Christmas feasting is accompanied by resonant Penting music.
Artisans share their intricate crafts for making take-home decorations, and a local priest gives you a headstart on a blessed New Year with sacred rituals on the sand. Meanwhile, little ones can put their present-opening adrenalin rush towards relay races on the beach and sandcastle-building contests.
Gold-star work There’s ample opportunity to give to Amankila’s Soul Bali Charity (an NGO that supports the local community’s children and elderly) during your stay, whether you buy some of the recipients’ handmade gifts or get involved face to face during an outreach crafting workshop.
MEXICO
For not-so-guilty pleasures and peace of mind
Excess and equilibrium are meted out in equal measure over the Riviera Maya’s festive season at Etéreo, as Caribbean blues remain untroubled by a single snowflake. Sweet spots are found between tequila tastings and temazcal sessions, sacred cacao rituals and golden-hour gatherings, and healthful ceviche buffets and local abuelas’ feasts that’ll fatten you up.
Christmas day starts in a civilised manner — meeting Santa for coffee and cakes (after all, he’s had a busy night), before a breakfast of tamales, a lunch of seafood served to your cabana, and a roast dinner quite unlike one your parents slaved away over back home, which draws from Mexican fire cooking.
Gold-star work Show your support for native arts by booking a private, multi-course meal at a table dressed by Mexico City-based ceramicist Perla Valtierra, as part of an exclusive collaboration with the hotel. Her frill-edged plates and vases in earthy hues make an excellent present, too, especially if you’re the one on the receiving end.
MAURITIUS
For zestier festivities
Mauritian Christmases aren’t like other Christmases — no, this island’s Christmases are cool, while being gloriously warm. For one, at Lux Grand Baie, Santa eschews subtlety to zoom in on water-skis, clearly unconcerned about a soggy sack. And you needn’t write a list to him — here, jot down your desires on a ribbon and tie it to the Tree of Wishes. Surprise gifts might also be found in messages hidden in bottles around the resort.
Rewatch classic Christmas movies from a sunlounger on the sand, count down the days in shots of rum, and enjoy a passionfruit-, mango- and coconut-filled Yule log as energetic Sega performers make carollers look lazy. Teens can do their own thing at pool parties and barbecue nights, while little ones get an on-theme makeover, with a glam squad of elves on hand to paint faces and magic up a rack of glittery costumes.
Gold-star work Celebrate the resort’s hardworking team during the daily Seremoni Lalimyer (Ceremony of Light) — a time of warm wishes and inner reflection.
THAILAND
For indulgent dining
The ombré blues of Phang Nga Bay mean sleigh rides are out of the question, but instead, at chic Phuket wellness retreat Como Point Yamu, there are private motorboat jaunts, rainforest expeditions and a live-cooking noodle station to thrill you instead, so rejoice anyways.
The hotel’s offering feels as recklessly decadent as the cumulative gifts given across the 12 Days of Christmas — if, that is, your true love gave to you slabs of perfectly pink steak, a near-bottomless barbecue, the pick of the local fishermen’s nets, a four-course Thai menu, a booze-fuelled brunch and a poolside street-food market in the style of a Phuket night market. And a partridge in a palm tree, too, maybe.
Gold-star work Kids will be kept in a state of constant wonderment — even after Santa’s been and gone. The Play by Como kids’ club has daily distractions, from cutting out snowflakes to Christmas discos, to making Thai sweets and learning how to care for island plant life.
VIETNAM
For sun, sea and St Nick
Go far-la-la-la-la to Vietnam’s spectacular hideaway Amanoi, which sits swathed in tropical greenery and overlooks the soaring rocky outcrops and neon waters of Vinh Hy Bay. Your typical Christmas treats — movie nights, mulled-wine and spiced-cider tastings, and Santa Claus landing on the beach — are interspersed with more immersive pastimes: Vietnamese coffee and cake, treks to Goga Peak and Vinh Hy fishing village, tarot-card reading and weaving classes with local Cham artisans.
Surprise gifts and jazz-enlivened dinners bring the warm and fuzzies, while wild-cat safaris, blessing ceremonies and feasts of seafood straight from the local fishermen spice up twixmas.
Gold-star work Learn more about the customs of the indigenous Raglai people over an intimate talk in the library on 23 December.
CARIBBEAN
For some global togetherness
The Loren at Pink Beach in Bermuda’s build up to Christmas throughout December is more delicious than tiny chocolates shaped like holly and bells. Its series of global dinners travels through India, China and Korea before the big day, which you’ll kickstart with an indulgent brunch of chestnut bisque, thick slices of honey-glazed ham and more at brunch, then top off with an elegant evening meal, both paired with top picks from Two Rock Wines.
And when you haven’t got a fork in your hand, you might be grabbing fistfuls of popcorn and nursing a custom cocktail as you watch Home Alone, The Grinch and other festive classics on the pool deck.
Gold-star work Giving is a two-way street here — leave the island a little greener by donating some of that Christmas-card cash to Roots, the hotel’s non-profit conservation organisation that’s already reforested 1,000 acres of land.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The all-rounder
There’s wish-fulfilment for all ages at One&Only the Palm in Dubai — parents can spend their days glowing up in the Guerlain spa or see what a Christmas dinner with two Michelin stars on top looks like (courtesy of chef Yannick Alléno). And couples can take their festive feasts under a candlelit cabana for two.
Kids can cook pizzas and bedazzle gingerbread houses, make keepsake ornaments and cards, and meet a rather suave Santa who rocks up James Bond style, aboard a Riva yacht. Or enjoy some quality time in the spa, with mother-and-daughter and father-and-son rituals to share. With Christmas trees reaching up to ogee arches and dwarfing slender palms, plus just-right temperatures, it’s exactly what you — and everyone else — wished for.
Gold-star work Time together is spent well here — staff can arrange for families to fly kites and gently practise yoga as a group or set up a cosy bonfire gathering on the beach.
Feel as toasty as a turkey with our collection of winter-sun hotels, or don some mittens and go old-school with our round-up of Europe’s best Christmas markets