For many of us, January is one of the best months for travel: after December's festivities, the desire to be somewhere different, far-flung, or exotic and sunny is strong, and hotels after the New Year are often at their best rates after their high season. Here are five cities across four continents that make a compelling case for a January visit.

Wellington, New Zealand

January is midsummer in Wellington, and the New Zealand capital is at its most lively: warm days, long evenings, and the city's remarkable concentration of cafes, restaurants, and bars in full swing. Wellington has long been considered New Zealand's cultural capital; it is home to the national museum Te Papa, the national ballet, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and a density of independent arts organisations that belies the city's modest size. The waterfront, the Cuba Street neighbourhood, and the hills above the city with their wooden villas and extraordinary harbour views are all best enjoyed in the summer light. Wellington is also the gateway to the Wairarapa wine region, an hour over the Remutaka hills.

• Sofitel Wellington is the city's most polished luxury address, a five-star hotel in the CBD, a short walk from the waterfront and the parliament buildings. The hotel's French-influenced design aesthetic, warm tones, quality materials, and attentive service fit well in a city with a strong cafe and restaurant culture, and the rooftop bar offers great views over the harbour.
• QT Wellington is a waterfront design hotel that reflects the QT brand's characteristic approach: a strong aesthetic personality, a collection of art and design objects, rooms that feel individual rather than corporate, and a dining programme that takes itself seriously. The Hippopotamus restaurant has developed a strong reputation in the city, and the waterfront location is excellent.
• Wharekauhau Country Estate is an entirely different experience: a working sheep farm on the Palliser Bay coast, south of Wellington, where an Edwardian lodge and a collection of cottage suites provide one of the most dramatic settings of any hotel in the southern hemisphere. The lodge sits on a cliff above the bay with the Tararua Ranges behind and the South Island visible on clear days. Meals use produce from the farm's gardens; activities include horseback riding, clay shooting, and farm tours; and the atmosphere is that of a very great country house hotel on the edge of the world.
• InterContinental Wellington is the city's largest luxury hotel and the most practical choice for those combining business and leisure, with a strong events and meetings infrastructure and rooms with harbour views that are among the best in the city.

Bangkok, Thailand

January is peak season in Bangkok: it's cool and dry, with temperatures in the high twenties, no rain, and the city at its most comfortable for exploration. Bangkok rewards serious exploration across many days — the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, the floating markets at Damnoen Saduak and Amphawa, the Jim Thompson House, the extraordinary density of Buddhist temples, the Chatuchak weekend market, the Chao Phraya riverside, and the rooftop bars of Silom and Sukhumvit are all individually compelling. The food culture of Bangkok is one of the world's great cuisines made accessible at every price level, from the best street food in Asia to restaurants of international renown.

• The Sukhothai Bangkok is a legendary hotel on South Sathorn Road, set in tropical gardens with lotus ponds that give it the atmosphere of a private estate in the heart of the city. The low-rise, villa-style architecture, Thai silk, teak, and the celadon-influenced design create a calm that the surrounding city conspicuously lacks. The Celadon restaurant, serving royal Thai cuisine in a pavilion beside the lotus pond, is one of Bangkok's finest. The spa and the 25-metre pool are both exceptional.
• Riva Arun is a small boutique hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya opposite Wat Arun, Bangkok's most photographed temple. From many of the 26 rooms and from the rooftop terrace, the view of the temple across the water, particularly at dusk, when it is illuminated, is extraordinary. The hotel is intimate and thoughtfully run, and the location gives immediate access to the old city by river ferry.
• The Mustang Blu is a design hotel in Bangkok's Chinatown, one of the city's most historically rich and gastronomically excellent neighbourhoods. The rooms are well conceived, the design draws on Chinatown's particular aesthetic character, and the restaurant's focus on local Chinatown produce and cooking methods is both interesting and very good.
• Bangkok Publishing Residence occupies a carefully restored early 20th-century building in the Bang Rak neighbourhood on the Chao Phraya riverfront. It's a former publishing house converted into a boutique hotel with 35 individually decorated rooms, a riverside terrace, and a strong commitment to preserving the area's architectural heritage. The neighbourhood is one of Bangkok's most interesting older areas, with colonial shophouses, the Portuguese Church of Santa Cruz, and some of the city's best neighbourhood restaurants.

Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech in January sits at around 18°C, with cool evenings, warm days, and big blue skies, and the Medina is at its most atmospheric with the peak season crowds long gone. The souks are navigable, making shopping easy, the major monuments uncluttered, and the riads and palace hotels have their fires lit in the evenings and their orange blossom gardens fragrant in the day. January in Marrakech offers the Djemaa el-Fna at its most elemental — the square's storytellers, tooth pullers, snake charmers, acrobats, and food stalls running in the cool night air — alongside the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Madrasa Ben Youssef, and the dazzling Yves Saint Laurent Museum. Day trips to the Atlas Mountains, where snow is possible on the higher passes, add another dimension and a great day out from the city.

• Dar Zemora is one of Marrakech's most distinguished small hotels, owned by Paul and Lindsay Kentish; a 19th-century Andalusian villa on the edge of the old city in the Palmeraie with a large garden, a pool, and six colourful suites. A French architect carefully restored the house, which feels like a private home filled with books, art, and antique furniture rather than a conventional hotel. The garden, with its roses and citrus trees, is exceptional in January. One of our gurus' favourite places to stay in the Palmeraie.
• Dar Kawa is an intimate riad in the medina with just five rooms, a rooftop terrace with city views, and a hammam. The owner is designer Valerie Barkowski, who also has a shop in the medina. She combines traditional Moroccan craftsmanship with contemporary art, and the service is very personal. It is one of the smaller and more beautifully executed options in the city. It's also the oldest house in Marrakech with some of the best vegetarian food in the city. A favourite of ours.
• Les Deux Tours is a hotel of genuine originality on the edge of the Palmeraie, a few kilometres from the medina. Architect Charles Boccara designed a series of mud-brick towers and pavilions set in a garden of palms, olive trees, and rose bushes, creating something that looks and feels unlike any other hotel in Marrakech. The two pools, the hammam, and the kitchen garden are all excellent, and the atmosphere is deeply peaceful.
• IZZA is a riad in the medina that combines Moroccan architectural tradition with a contemporary art collection and a design sensibility that draws on international influences without losing its Moroccan soul. The rooms are beautifully appointed, the rooftop is strong, and the hotel's position in the medina gives easy access to the main souks and monuments.

Diani Beach, Kenya

Diani Beach in January is at the heart of the long dry season, with consistently warm temperatures, low humidity, excellent snorkelling and diving conditions, and one of the most beautiful beaches in Africa at its best. The Indian Ocean water is warm and clear, the reef is in good condition, and the bush and forests behind the beach host colobus monkeys, butterflies, and vivid birdlife. Diani is a genuinely beautiful destination, not just a beach resort, and the mix of marine activities, Kenyan coastal culture, and proximity to the Tsavo and Amboseli safari circuits makes it a rewarding base.

• Nomad Beach Resort is a long-established boutique resort that has grown from a collection of bandas into a substantial property with private villas, beach cottages, suites, four restaurants and bars, a spa, and a PADI dive centre. The approach is relaxed and genuinely personal; the beach — a stretch of white powder sand on the Indian Ocean — is exceptional, and the locally sourced seafood is very good. The resort is a pioneer of sustainable tourism on the Kenyan coast, supporting the Diani Turtle Project and a range of conservation initiatives.
• The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel is a smaller, more intimate property with 24 rooms directly on the beach, a poolside bar, and a strong reputation for personal service. Its Swahili-influenced design uses local materials and crafts that fit the coastal setting, and the hotel's cooking draws on the fish and spices of the Kenyan coast.
• Chale Island is a private island resort a short boat ride from the mainland, with overwater cottages, a beach, and the particular atmosphere of a place that is genuinely removed from the rest of the world. The snorkelling directly off the island is excellent, and the combination of island seclusion with warm Kenyan hospitality makes it one of the more distinctive options on the coast.
• Kinondo Kwetu is an eco-lodge set in a private forest above the beach, with just 14 rooms in a series of treehouses and cottages under a canopy of trees. The Swahili aesthetic, the attentive service, and the horse-riding, sailing, and cultural activities make it one of the most complete experiences on the Kenyan coast.

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau in January is warm, dry, and beautiful: the water is turquoise, the beaches are white, and the city combines a fascinating colonial history — the pastel-painted colonial buildings, the Queen's Staircase cut from solid rock, Fort Charlotte — with one of the finest concentrations of luxury hotels in the Caribbean, let alone the Bahamas. Cable Beach and Paradise Island are the main resort areas, but in Nassau town itself, Graycliff's historic neighbourhood, and the Arawak Cay fish fry are equally worth exploring. The diving and snorkelling off Nassau, and day trips to the Exumas and the swimming pigs, are among the Caribbean's best excursions.

• The Ocean Club is the most storied hotel on Paradise Island, a former private estate turned luxury resort with a renowned Versailles-inspired formal garden, a beach on the island's northern coast, and a long history of welcoming those who prefer a very quiet, very well-served Bahamas experience. The rooms and cottages are spread through manicured grounds, and the overall impression is of a private club with exceptional standards.
• Rosewood Baha Mar is a more contemporary proposition within the Baha Mar resort complex on Cable Beach: 221 rooms, suites, and beachfront villas with the full Rosewood palette of warm service, excellent design, and the signature Sense spa. The location within Baha Mar provides access to the casino, multiple restaurants, and beach facilities, while Rosewood's quieter areas offer a genuine sense of retreat.
• The Island House is a design hotel on New Providence with a contemporary Bahamian aesthetic — think local art, natural materials, a strong sense of the islands — and a personality distinct from the larger resort properties. The pool, the restaurant, and the intimate scale make it an attractive option for those who want Nassau without the scale of the Cable Beach mega-resorts.
• Graycliff Hotel is Nassau's most historic small hotel, a Georgian mansion in the town centre that has operated as a hotel since 1844. The cigar factory on the premises is one of the Bahamas' most visited attractions, the wine cellar is among the largest in the Caribbean, and the restaurant has one of Nassau's most reliable kitchens. It is a hotel with a genuine story and a genuinely personal atmosphere.

Still not sure? 

• Browse through our full list of accommodation options in Mauritius,
• Refine your search to include our recommendations for the best hotels in Sydney or luxury riads in the Marrakech Medina
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.