Travel calendar No. 12
December
Two options: a city with light, or an island with quiet.
December falls into two halves. Until around the twentieth, European cities are calm, well booked and agreeable — after that the festive season begins with its own rules, rates and minimum stays.
Those looking for warmth will find it in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia, where the dry season has just begun.
Why this month
Why this month is special
The festive weeks are the only period of the year when availability matters more than choice. If you want to travel over Christmas and the new year, decide in spring rather than in autumn.
The first two weeks of December, by contrast, are among the quietest of the year. Paris, Vienna or London are festive without being full.
How do you plan December?
Early, and in two halves. The first three weeks are among the calmest and most pleasant of the year — European cities, Morocco, the Far East. From 20 December different rules apply: minimum stays of seven to ten nights, fixed festive programmes, rates at their annual peak. If you want to travel over the holidays, decide twelve months ahead.
Noted by Pure Voyage
Pure Voyage Atlas
Where this leads
The Atlas connects what belongs together: the region, the collections, the right season and the houses that sit within the same story.
Related Houses
Within These Collections
Rooms and Suites
Where to go now
Recommended destinations
Warmth for the festive weeks, and a European city for the ones before.
Indian Ocean
Maldives
One atoll, one house, one week — no more structure is needed.
- Best time to visit:
- January to April
- Suggested length:
- Seven nights
Indian Ocean
Seychelles
Islands with mountains, forest and granite — the opposite of an atoll.
- Best time to visit:
- April, May, October and November
- Suggested length:
- Seven to ten nights
Bangkok, the Andaman Sea and the north
Thailand
A city on a river, a sea full of limestone.
- Best time to visit:
- November to early April
- Suggested length:
- Ten to fourteen nights
Where we stay
Addresses that suit it
Houses that take Christmas seriously without staging it.
Cheval Blanc — 1. Arrondissement, Paris
Cheval Blanc Paris
Seventy-two rooms inside the Samaritaine, nearly all facing the Seine, with a pool beneath the house.
- Suits:
- Paris regulars who want the city and a retreat under one roof
- Suggested length:
- Three nights
One&Only — Nord-Malé-Atoll, Malediven
One&Only Reethi Rah
An unusually large island with twelve separate beaches — enough space to lose your bearings.
- Suits:
- Families and couples who want the Maldives without confinement
- Suggested length:
- Seven nights
Einzelhäuser — Langkawi, Malaysia
The Datai Langkawi
A ten-million-year-old rainforest at the door, a quiet Andaman beach in front of it.
- Suits:
- Nature-minded families and couples combining beach and forest
- Suggested length:
- Five nights
On the move
Journeys this month
One slow stage between two stays by the sea.
Through the month
Seasonal highlights
01
Early December in Europe
Festive light, empty museums, restaurants with tables free.
02
The dry season begins
The Maldives and Seychelles enter their most dependable phase.
03
Festive minimum stays
Seven to ten nights are the rule over the holidays — plan early.
An Invitation
Once a month: hotels, new openings and travel ideas
One hotel that convinced us, with our advice on suite and season. The openings that actually matter. And a destination at its best right now. No offers, no advertising.