Best Places to Travel in January
December 7, 2020

Condé Nast Traveler

BY MARK ELLWOOD

After the festive season is over, the best way to keep your spirits high is with the prospect of future travel. There are plenty of options for January, whether you want to get outdoorsy and have a bracing, snow-powered getaway in the mountains, or simply need an oceanfront escape with some midwinter sunshine. Remember, for all domestic trips you must check entry requirements of each state you’re visiting (and your own when you return). The CDC provides guidelines for international destinations. It’s always been important to arrange travel insurance, but make sure that it’s up to date and will cover you during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re not ready to travel yet, use these ideas to dream from your couch.

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Washington, D.C.

On January 20, America’s 46th president, Joe Biden, will be sworn in on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, with his history-making vice president, Kamala Harris, at his side. The inauguration might be more muted than past ceremonies, but there’s no reason not to mark the occasion in your own way. Visit the new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, which opened in September—a Frank Gehry–designed, four-acre park that pays homage to the nation’s 34th president—followed by a trip to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, which just reopened after a $211 million renovation. Make time for the new National Native American Veterans Memorial, too, which welcomed visitors for the first time this past Veterans Day. Overnight at the 231-room Ven at Embassy Row when it opens in Dupont Circle, or settle in for longer at one of The Rosewood’s new townhouses in Georgetown. Note that Washington, D.C. requires a mandatory 14-day quarantine for some visitors making non-essential trips—the full list of states which fall under this edict is here.

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The Bahamas

The Bahamas is one of a handful of countries leaning into the digital nomad boom, launching a new, extended-stay visa to lure visitors to take up temporary residence. The new BEATS program, or Bahamas Extended Access Travel Stay, allows remote workers to linger on the beaches and enjoy the balmy Bahamian weather for up to a year. Even if you’re just there for vacation, take up temporary residence at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, right on the white sands of Cable Beach, which began its phased reopening in December. Sister properties on the same complex, including Rosewood and SLS, will also reboot in early 2021, all of them operating at socially distanced capacity. The new Baha Mar Explorers Club, which opened in 2020, is ideal to park kids at, where they’ll be schooled in marine and wildlife conservation across the 6,000-square-foot facility. The Bahamas has introduced a rigorous COVID-19 protocol for visitors, combining requirements for a PCR test before travel with an additional one taken in the country on day five of any visit—check full details here.

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Park City, Utah

Sundance might have migrated online this year—seven days of virtual premiers and screenings begin on January 28—but Park City in January still holds plenty of appeal. Book one of the 12 rooms at the Washington School House Hotel, a short walk from Main Street, and use this as your base to explore. The mountain is operating on a reservation system this season to better manage crowds, and expect impressive powder all month (last winter season, the total snowfall hit 200 inches). To ease any strained muscles, make a reservation at Homestead Resort, a 30-minute drive south of Park City and home to a 10,000-year old geothermal spring—it’s the only place in the country where you can scuba dive in warm water. If you do have to fly there, you’ll arrive at the sparkling new Salt Lake City airport; phase one opened in the fall, and the hub will be complete by 2024. For details on Utah’s COVID-19 tourism protocols, check here.Image may contain City Town Urban Building High Rise Downtown Outdoors Nature Landscape Water and Architecture

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Miami

Though Art Basel might have been waylaid in 2020, the city is determined to celebrate its own arts and culture in January, designating the month as a time to focus on the creatives who live and work here year-round. Art of Black Miami, for example, champions visual art produced by the Black diaspora; Artechouse on Collins Avenue, meanwhile, is a new experiential and immersive site, aimed at showcasing work by artists who deploy technology in creative ways. And, of course, there’s The Bass, which recently underwent a $12 million reboot to expand its exhibition space by 50 percent. Stay at Pharrell Williams’ artsy new hotel, The Goodtime, a seven-story, 266-room property on Washington Avenue that feels straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, or snag a room at the soon-to-open Esmé Miami Beach, part of the historic Española Way, a quirky Mediterranean Revival complex built in the 1920s as an artists’ colony by hotelier Newton Roney. Although Florida currently has no statewide COVID-19 mandates, Miami’s local guidelines are regularly updated here.

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Cancun, Mexico

If you want to extend your festive season for a few extra days, head down to Cancun, as January 6—or Twelfth Night—is the traditional gift-giving day here. (Make sure to try a piece of Rosca de Reyes, the wreath-shaped sweet bread eaten on that day, similar to King Cake.) Stay at the brand new SLS Cancun, the first Mexico property for the hotel chain. Expect plenty of privacy: The hotel lies in the gated community of Puerto Cancun, with its own 6750-foot private beachfront, 175-boat slip marina, and Tom Weiskopf–designed 18-hole golf course. Enjoy the greens during the near-perfect January weather, with little rain or humidity—note that the ocean waters are cooler than in summer, so expect a more refreshing dip. Mexico’s COVID-19 regulations are somewhat complex, although in essence, the country is open to American visitors; to understand what you can and can’t do, the U.S. Embassy there has the most helpful information.

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Sonoma, California

Come hungry to Sonoma Valley this January, as it’s staging Sonoma Valley Delicious all month (pandemic protocols permitting), a celebration of food and drink across the low-key, high-quality winemaking region. Try to snag one of the nine rooms, all newly refurbished, at the Cottage Inn & Spa—the whitewashed, vine-covered building has more than a whiff of the Greek Islands about it, especially in the interior courtyard centered around a fire pit and fountain. Expect restaurants to offer special prix fixe menus, wine tastings, and new signature dishes, all intended to spotlight the superb produce of the valley; one exciting new opening is Folktable, from Top Chef alum Casey Thompson. Winter Wineland should also return if safety regulations permit (check the website for updates), a two-day celebration of local production where storied Sonoma winemakers allow guests to taste rare vintages and limited editions from their vineyards. Out-of-state visitors should monitor the pandemic protocols for the area as they’re tweaked and adjusted here.

The pandemic has made outdoorsy destinations more in demand than ever and Dominica is at the forefronta rare Caribbean...
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Dominica

The pandemic has made outdoorsy destinations more in demand than ever, and Dominica is at the forefront—a rare Caribbean island that’s as attractive to adventurous adrenaline junkies as it is to those looking for a white sand beach. Nicknamed the Nature Island thanks to its lush forests, it’s welcoming international travelers again, after reopening in August under a new Safe in Nature program that details quarantine requirements. For a distinctly Dominican experience, head to the natural hot springs around the village of Wotten Waven, heated by underground volcanoes, or snorkel the aptly named Champagne Reef, with its tiny bubbles pushed up from geothermal vents in the ocean floor. You can even tackle the Caribbean’s longest hiking trail, the 115-mile Waitukubuli National Trail that weaves in and out of the island’s mountainous uplands. You don’t have to break a sweat to enjoy a visit to Dominica, though: unwind at one of the new eco-villas at the wellness-focused Jungle Bay resort, or one of the four new Ti-Fèy cottages at Secret Bay hotel, each of them almost 1,400 square feet in size and perched on a hillside overlooking the Caribbean ocean.

Jackson Hole Wyoming

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Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Soak up the atmosphere of this glitzy winter hideaway at one of the six suites at the 58-room Hotel Jackson in the heart of downtown, complete with views across the Snow King and Jackson Valley Mountains. Zip down the runs on the slopes nearby, or take a trip by snowmobile into Grand Teton National Park. Grab dinner at the trattoria Glorietta and stop by for a few beers at the Roadhouse Tap Room. If you can, time your trip to catch the annual Pedigree Stage Stop Race: On January 29, sled dog teams will compete for $165,000 in prize money, racing through the local Bridger-Teton, Shoshone and Caribou-Targhee National Forests. Wyoming has no state-wide COVID-19 protocols at time of publication; any updates will be available here.

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