15 Warm Destinations in December for Winter Sun

Updated October 2026

The warmest, most dependable places for a December villa stay are the Caribbean islands, Mexico’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts, Costa Rica’s Guanacaste coast and Miami, and, for a longer flight, Cape Town, Dubai and Phuket. December is when the Atlantic hurricane season has ended, on November 30, and when most of these coasts enter their dry season. Below are fifteen places where December works, what each one does best, and houses from our Christmas and New Year villa rentals and our wider collection of Caribbean villa rentals.

The villas our guests want for Christmas and New Year are usually reserved nine to twelve months ahead, often by families who come back to the same house every year. If one particular house matters to you, the conversation starts a year out.

Sabrina Piccinin, Founder and CEO, Haute Retreats

Two things shape a December trip more than the thermometer: the length of the flight and the week you choose. The islands and coasts closest to the US make a long weekend possible; Christmas week and New Year’s week are two different holidays, each with its own rhythm and its own demand.

Fifteen warm destinations for December, at a glance

We quote rates for your dates: festive weeks sit above the rest of the season, and each house sets its own terms.

Which Caribbean islands are warm in December?

All of them, and December is when the season properly begins. The hurricane season is over, the trade winds keep the evenings comfortable, and the dry months run through spring. What separates the islands is the kind of stay they suit.

For couples and New Year’s EveSt Barts

St Barts is at its most sociable in December: the restaurants of Gustavia and St Jean are open, and on New Year’s Eve the harbor fills with yachts. Villas sit on the hillsides above the bays, many within a few minutes of a beach. See our St Barts villa rentals, and Christmas week against New Year’s week on St Barts.

For families and three generationsTurks and Caicos

Grace Bay’s water is calm and clear enough for young children, and Providenciales has nonstop flights from several US cities. Long Bay and Thompson Cove add larger estates away from the resorts. See our Turks and Caicos villa rentals.

For privacy and long lunchesAnguilla

Anguilla is flat, quiet and ringed by long beaches: Meads Bay for dining, Long Bay for space, Shoal Bay for the water. Many guests arrive through St Maarten and cross by boat; our guide to getting to Anguilla sets out the options. See our Anguilla villa rentals.

For golf and longer staysBarbados

The west coast, from Paynes Bay to Speightstown, has the calm water, the beach clubs and the golf at Sandy Lane and Royal Westmoreland. Barbados suits a two-week stay better than a long weekend. See our Barbados villa rentals.

For groups who like to dine outSt Martin

One island, two nations: the French side for Grand Case and its restaurants, the Dutch side for the airport and the nightlife, and the villas of Terres Basses in between. See our St Martin villa rentals.

For an easy first villa tripPunta Cana

Punta Cana’s airport is a short drive from the villas of Cap Cana and Puntacana Resort, which makes it one of the simplest December trips from the East Coast. See our Punta Cana villa rentals.

For golf and familiesCasa de Campo

On the Dominican Republic’s south coast, Casa de Campo is a gated resort with its own marina, beach club and the Teeth of the Dog golf course, so a family can spend a week without needing a car. See our villas in Casa de Campo.

Caribbean villas for December

A few of the houses in our festive collection. Whether a given week is open is confirmed house by house when you send your dates.

Long Bay · Turks and CaicosVilla Paradisa8 bedrooms · sleeps 16 · fully staffedAbove the calm, shallow water of Long Bay: eight king suites across a main house and a pavilion, two heated pools, a tennis court and a cinema. The chef, butler, housekeeping and airport transfers are included.View Villa Paradisa ›Grace Bay · Turks and CaicosCoral House7 bedrooms · sleeps 14 · fully staffedOn Grace Bay Beach, with a heated pool and a pool house a few steps from the sand. The butler, chef and housekeeper are included; the chef plans the menus around the party.View Coral House ›Long Bay · AnguillaVilla Nevaeh9 bedrooms · sleeps 18 · fully staffedA gated estate on nearly half a mile of Long Bay beachfront. Breakfast every day, a personal chef for every meal, watersports and transfers are included.View Villa Nevaeh ›Corossol · St BartsVilla Nanne4 bedrooms · sleeps 8 · heated poolOn a hillside above Corossol Bay, a two-minute walk from the village, with a heated pool facing the bay and a covered dining terrace for ten. A private chef can be arranged.View Villa Nanne ›

For more ideas, see Caribbean villas for Christmas.

Where is it warm in December in Mexico and Costa Rica?

Mexico’s Pacific coast and Costa Rica’s Guanacaste are in their dry season, and the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán settles into its calmest months.

For golf, design and groupsLos Cabos

Desert sun, dramatic architecture and the start of the whale season, when gray and humpback whales arrive off the coast. See our Los Cabos villa rentals.

For families and celebrationsPunta Mita

Humpback whales winter in Banderas Bay, the beaches are gentle and the peninsula has two Jack Nicklaus courses, Pacifico and Bahia. See our Punta Mita villa rentals.

For couples and wellnessTulum

Beach houses and jungle villas near the cenotes and the Maya ruins, as the dry season begins on the Caribbean coast. See our Tulum villas with a private chef.

For nature with a beachCosta Rica

December opens the dry season in Guanacaste, on the Pacific coast, where the Papagayo Peninsula combines beach clubs, golf and quiet bays. See our Costa Rica villa rentals.

Punta Mita · MexicoCasa Maka7 bedrooms · sleeps 16 · fully staffedAbove a secluded cove, with a path down to the sand and an infinity-edge pool facing the sunset. The chef, butler and concierge are on hand from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.View Casa Maka ›Peninsula Papagayo · Costa RicaThe Hive6 bedrooms · sleeps 16 · fully staffedHigh above the Pacific, with an infinity pool and a cinema. A chef and a butler, all meals and access to the Prieta Beach Club are included.View The Hive ›

Where is it warm in December in the United States?

Miami. December brings mild, sunny days, Art Basel Miami Beach in the first week of the month and a New Year’s Eve that can be watched from the water. See our Miami villa rentals.

Venetian Islands · MiamiVilla Libelle6 bedrooms · sleeps 12 · private dockA hundred feet of bayfront, a heated pool and a rooftop terrace that looks over downtown Miami and Miami Beach: New Year’s Eve over the skyline.View Villa Libelle ›

Where is warm in December further afield?

For a longer tripCape Town

December is high summer in the Western Cape: long, dry days, the Atlantic beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, and the Winelands an hour away. See our Cape Town villa rentals.

For a city with a beachDubai

Dubai’s mild, sunny season runs through the winter months, the time of year when a beach day and a city evening fit in the same trip. See our villas in Dubai.

For long-haul beach daysPhuket

The Andaman coast enters its dry season as the year ends, with calmer seas on the west-facing beaches. See our Phuket villa rentals.

When should you book a villa for Christmas and New Year?

Nine to twelve months ahead. Festive weeks often carry a seven-night minimum and a fixed changeover day, usually Saturday, set house by house; the larger villas and the most requested islands go first. Christmas week and New Year’s week also draw different crowds, and the choice between them decides more than the dates.

What to check before you book a December villa

• The minimum stay and the changeover day for your dates.
• What is included: a chef, groceries, daily housekeeping, and who is on duty on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
• Whether the beach in front of the house is calm enough for children and older guests.
• The transfer time from the airport, and any boat or domestic flight on the way.
• Where the party will eat on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, reserved before you arrive.

Frequently asked questions