Winter Escape Tips: The Five Best Beach Destinations for December
Tired of snow, mud, cold and Christmas hustle and bustle? Then off to the distance, where the sun shines from the sky all day long and bikini temperatures are the order of the day. We present five destinations that promise a wonderful beach holiday in December.
The one with one
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Daylight is damn short in December. Of the theoretically possible eight hours of sunshine between late sunrise and early sunset, usually only a few remain. Because clouds and fog keep the sun’s rays away – in the German lowlands the sun only shines for one to two hours a day on average. This affects many people’s minds. Daylight not only sets the pace for our sleep-wake rhythm, but is also important for the release of the happiness hormone serotonin. But there is a simple remedy for the winter blues: a long-distance trip to the sun. At these bathing destinations you are guaranteed to get enough sunshine and happiness hormones.
1. Saint Lucia: Caribbean de luxe
Admittedly, the correct pronunciation of the 43 kilometer long and 23 kilometer wide Caribbean island is not that easy at first. No wonder, because the tropical island has a turbulent colonial history behind it: Dutch, French and several times British before it was released into the Commonwealth as an independent state in 1979 – the national language is Creole as well as English. Tucked between Martinique, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia remains an insider tip in the Lesser Antilles. Lush jungle covers the many steep hills and mountains as well as the two twin volcanoes.
Petit and Gros Piton (798 meters) are the island’s landmarks and the national beer brand is named after them. Along with Rumpunch, Piton is the most popular drink on the beaches, which are spread across many small bays – both on the Atlantic and on the Caribbean coast. Marigot Bay is considered the most beautiful, where the comedy film Dr. Doolittle was filmed. But many beach vacationers are also drawn to Rodney Bay in the north on the Pigeon Island peninsula, where exciting activities such as Sea Trek, a kind of underwater walk with an astronaut’s helmet at a depth of seven meters, are offered. If you prefer to float through higher spheres, take the aerial tram and then jump from jungle tree to jungle giant while ziplining like Tarzan. Breathtaking – this also applies to the temperatures in December: 28 degrees during the day, 22 degrees at night and the sea at 28 degrees also promises perfect bathing conditions.
- More info: www.stlucia.org/de
- Price example: 7 nights all-inclusive at the Hotel Sandals Grande St. Lucian from 2186 euros per person
2. Maldives: Barefoot Islands in the Indian Ocean
Dream? Travel brochure? Photomontage? Cheesy film? Neither – welcome to the Maldives. The approximately 150 hotel islands off the southern tip of India are the symbol of snow-white coral beaches, palm trees, turquoise blue lagoons, atolls to fall in love with and pure luxury. The perfect travel time for the mini-islands with the Robinson Crusoe flair is between December and March. During this period, the northeast monsoon brings relatively dry and calm weather. That means: around 30 degrees with eight hours of sunshine a day, smooth sea with a water temperature of 28 degrees, optimal snorkeling and diving conditions.
What’s special, in addition to the accommodation in the form of over-water bungalows, is the sand on the beaches as soft as flour, which has been ground and washed out of reefs and corals by the sea over an incredible number of years. It shines from powder sugar white to soft pink and is cleaned and treated daily on the tourist atolls. There are no better conditions for walking barefoot. The coral sand is often found on paths and serves as the floor in lobbies, bars and restaurants of most luxury hotels. Being out and about with bare feet from morning to night and digging your toes into the warm sand with every step feels like freedom, lightness, experiencing nature and relaxation.
- More info: visitmaldives.com/de
- Price example: 6 nights all-inclusive with flight from Frankfurt and hotel transfer to the newly opened Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa from 4667 euros per person
3. Oman: Unknown beach paradise
Oriental mix with rarity value: Take sandy beaches and turquoise sea, surround them with deserts, wildly rugged mountains and green oases and because it’s not beautiful enough, add historical forts and old maritime trading towns. One of the most underrated beach destinations is ready – the Sultanate of Oman. It lies on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula between the United Arab Emirates to the north, Saudi Arabia and Yemen to the south.
Its coastline measures 3,165 kilometers and stretches along the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The winter months are the most pleasant time to travel, with an average of 25 degrees, and the sea is ideal for swimming all year round. In December the water temperatures are 25 degrees. The seaside resort of Salalah is located in the south of Oman. The coast is also ideal for kiting and sailing, and snorkelers and divers will find a colorful world of fish and coral in the sea. The holiday island of Masira in the southeast of the Gulf of Oman is also a popular beach destination – with constant temperatures of at least 25 degrees.
- More info: visitoman.om
- Price example: 6 nights with breakfast at the Hotel The Chedi Muscat with a flight from Munich from 1485 euros per person
4. Cape Verde: Fast forward to eternal summer
Temperatures between 20 and 26 degrees, not a single day of rain and water temperatures of 24 degrees: the 15 Cape Verde islands, nine of which are inhabited, are located in the middle of the Atlantic. To be more precise: south of the Canary Islands and around 500 kilometers off the west coast of Africa at the level of Senegal. With a flight time of just over six hours, they are one of the quickest December beach destinations to reach. Cape Verde can also score points with superlatives in other ways: the sun shines 350 days a year, and not a single drop of rain falls from January to June.
The optimal travel time begins in November and lasts until March. The temperature of the Atlantic is then well over 20 degrees. Sal, the smallest of the inhabited islands, is flat and has long, wide sandy beaches in the south. The desert island of Boa Vista is characterized by light sand and shifting dunes as well as lonely beaches with turquoise water. The most European island in the archipelago, Sao Vicente, became famous thanks to the singer Cesaria Evora, who was at home in the bars of the port city of Mindelo.
- More info: visitoman.om
- Price example: 7 nights with breakfast at the Hotel Dunas De Sal with a flight from Munich from 1010 euros per person
5. Cuba: Caribbean is also cheap
Guaranteed not dark and guaranteed not cold: 180 kilometers south of Florida lies the largest island in the Caribbean – Spanish-speaking Cuba. On the main island of the Greater Antilles, the tropical climate is at its most pleasant and best in December: in the driest month of the year, the thermometer settles at 25 degrees during the day. At night it cools down to 20 degrees.
The hurricane season is over and dream beaches like those in Varadero enchant with 20 kilometers of fine, white sand and a sea at 27 degrees that shines in shades of turquoise. If you don’t just want to hang out on the beach and drink Cubalibre, you can visit the capital Havana, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or Santiago de Cuba in the east of the island – now is the perfect time for that.