Where to find winter sun in January

Few months spark a yearning for somewhere brighter and hotter than the first of the year. Christmas has faded into the past, the long gloomy slog through to spring looms, and with the UK’s weather at its coldest and darkest, it is once again time to start dreaming of swaying palm trees and whooshing waves. Enter the Caribbean , clad in its best high-season apparel, and offering great hotels, sugary beaches and cloudless skies.

Elsewhere, the Maldives offers classic fly-and-flop escapism, while Los Angeles and Buenos Aires are on hand to provide sunny city breaks. Dust off those passports and prepare for warmer climes. Here is our round-up of where to go for January sun.

For temperatures 19C–24C Los Angeles While America’s biggest city (New York) battles winter at its fiercest, its second largest is soaking up temperatures in the low 20s Celsius. In truth, it should be no shock that Los Angeles is so sun-kissed in January – this, after all, is a metropolis of year-round golden climate. But this lack of mystery does nothing to diminish the possibilities for relaxation on LA’s shore – on Venice Beach, in Santa Monica, or further afield in Malibu.

How to do it: A seven-night escape to the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, flying directly from Heathrow on January 11, costs from £3,507 per person, with Virgin Holidays (0344 472 9646; virginholidays.co.uk ).

Find more places to stay in our guide to the best hotels in Los Angeles . Lanzarote “Lanza-grotty” was the dismi.