January: Antigua
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With 365 palm-studded beaches, 83-degree average temperatures, and direct flights from the east coast, the sister islands of Antigua and Barbuda are an off-the-grid duo worth checking out in January. With one beach for each day of the year, sand and surf lovers will have their pick of places to swim, kayak, or paddleboard. Catch the free ferry to Prickly Pear Island for “I can’t believe I just saw that” snorkeling. No matter how beachgoers choose to spend their January in Antigua, they can guarantee that it will be spent in style if they stay at the island’s newest luxury hotel, Hodges Bay Resort & Spa. The first new resort built in three years (since the 2017 hurricanes), the $100 million property, which opened December 1, is already making its mark as a flagship development for Antigua with multiple pools, rooms and villas, and a perfect oceanside location. Plan your year of bucket-list travel with the 15 best places to go in 2019.
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February: Florida Keys
Courtesy Florida Keys News Bureau
For a no-passport-required Caribbean vacation, the Florida Keys is the ultimate February travel destination featuring charming small towns, live music and entertainment, great shopping, and plenty of ocean and beach adventures. Because the island chain is bordered on the ocean side by a living coral reef, you get a natural barrier that prevents the development of traditional beaches. But the ones that are here offer warm water (think 70 degrees and up in February), plush sand, and plenty of fabulous swimming and snorkeling, especially at Florida State Parks such as Bahia Honda State Park in the lower keys and Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West.
Islamorada, about midway down the chain of the Florida Keys, offers amazing waterside lodging options including Cheeca Lodge & Spa, one of the island’s most iconic properties geared especially towards families. The waterside 214-room property has waterfront suites, public spaces, pools, and lush outdoor landscaping that perfectly capture the charm of the Florida Keys while showcasing the property’s rich history. These are the Florida beaches locals want to keep secret.
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March: Maui
Tor Johnson/Courtesy Hawaii Tourism Authority
Realistically, the weather in Maui is good almost year-round, and the beaches here—ranging from jewel-like golden sands of Kaanapali to the black sands off the Hana Highway—offer a beach for every interest and mood. But March, the sweet spot between winter holidays and Easter break, offers better prices for the same sand. Plus, December through March is peak whale-watching season, when you can spy mighty humpbacks breaching from your lounge chair. Stay in the heart of the island’s exciting West Coast at the new Westin Nanea, an all-suites hotel right with an extensive cultural program and authentic Hawaiian design right on the sand of north Kaanapali. Here are all the reasons Maui is the best island in Hawaii.
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