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Warm Places to Visit in December

December splits the world in two: grey drizzle at home, and a belt of places sitting at a perfect 28°C with the year's best weather just beginning. The catch is that everyone knows it - Christmas week is the most expensive travel of the year - so winning December is about picking the right place AND the right two weeks. Here are the ten best warm escapes, ranked, with honest prices.

Top pick: Cancún & Riviera Maya

See hotels in Cancún & Riviera MayaLive prices for your dates
By Alice7 min readPublished
Table of contents
Aerial view of Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres near Cancun, with turquoise Caribbean water, white sand and palm trees
Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0

In Brief

Where is warm to visit in December?

The warmest reliable December destinations are Cancun and the Riviera Maya (28°C, dry season), Aruba (29°C, outside the hurricane belt), Los Cabos (26°C and rain-free), Hawaii (26°C), Puerto Rico and the wider Caribbean, and Thailand (31°C, its best month). Early December - roughly the 1st to the 15th - delivers the same weather as Christmas week at close to half the price, making it the single smartest window of winter.

Key takeaways

  • Early December (1st-15th) is the money hack: peak-season weather at shoulder-season prices everywhere.
  • Aruba, Curaçao and Barbados sit outside the hurricane belt - the Caribbean's most weather-proof bets.
  • December is Thailand's best month of the entire year: dry, 'cool' and clear across Bangkok and the islands.
  • Christmas-to-New-Year is the priciest travel week on the calendar - book it months ahead or skip it.

All 10 picks at a glance

Every destination compared - jump to the one that fits your group, budget and dates.

DestinationWhy it winsDecember weatherPrice
Cancún & Riviera MayaThe winter-sun default, at full strength27-29°C, dry and sunny - high season begins.$$
ArubaThe most weather-proof island in the Caribbean28-30°C, dry, breezy - near-zero weather risk.$$$
Los CabosDesert-dry sun and whale season's start24-27°C, bone dry - whale season starts mid-month.$$
Oahu, HawaiiWarm ocean, big-wave season, no passport (for Americans)24-27°C, occasional passing showers - North Shore waves peak.$$$
Puerto RicoCaribbean ease, US logistics27-29°C, drying out - showers get shorter and rarer each week.$$
Bangkok & the Thai islandsThe best month of Thailand's whole year30-32°C, dry and clear - the cool season begins.$
Costa Rica (Pacific coast)Green season ends, everything opens29-32°C on the Pacific - dry season begins, landscapes still green.$$
Punta CanaThe all-inclusive value play27-29°C, mostly dry - high season with the region's best rates.$$
MarrakechWinter sun a short hop from Europe18-21°C sunny days, cold nights - pack layers.$$
Miami BeachWarm city-beach weekend, Art Basel energy24-27°C, low humidity - Miami's most pleasant stretch.$$$

The picks, ranked

Price band is a typical nightly hotel rate: $ budget · $$ mid-range · $$$ high-end. Booking links open Trip.com.

  1. Cancún & Riviera Maya, Mexico

    Cancún & Riviera MayaMexico

    $$ · Mid-range

    The winter-sun default, at full strength

    December opens the Yucatan's dry season: 28°C days, low humidity, a 27°C sea, and every beach club, cenote and Mayan site in full swing. It's the easiest warm December from most of North America - direct flights everywhere, huge hotel choice, and infrastructure built exactly for this.

    December weather
    27-29°C, dry and sunny - high season begins.
    See Cancún & Riviera Maya hotelsLive mid-range prices for your dates
    Cancún & Riviera Maya tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itCancun airport transfersBest time to visit Cancun
  2. Aruba, Caribbean

    ArubaCaribbean

    $$$ · High-end

    The most weather-proof island in the Caribbean

    Aruba sits south of the hurricane belt with under 20 rainy days a year, constant trade winds and a December that's simply guaranteed: 29°C, sunny, done. Eagle Beach's white sand and calm water do the rest. If your one winter week cannot fail, this is the island built for it.

    December weather
    28-30°C, dry, breezy - near-zero weather risk.
    See Aruba hotelsLive high-end prices for your dates
    Aruba tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itBest time to visit Aruba
  3. Los Cabos, Mexico

    Los CabosMexico

    $$ · Mid-range

    Desert-dry sun and whale season's start

    Cabo's December is rain-proof in a way the Caribbean can't quite promise - it's a desert coastline, so the 26°C days come with essentially zero rain risk. Mid-December adds the arrival of humpback and gray whales, and the marina, beaches and Todos Santos day trips are all in season.

    December weather
    24-27°C, bone dry - whale season starts mid-month.
    See Los Cabos hotelsLive mid-range prices for your dates
    Los Cabos tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itThings to do in CaboCabo airport transfers
  4. Oahu, Hawaii, USA

    Oahu, HawaiiUSA

    $$$ · High-end

    Warm ocean, big-wave season, no passport (for Americans)

    Hawaii's December runs 26°C with a swimmable 24-25°C ocean, and the North Shore's big-wave surf season is in full roar - watching pros drop into Pipeline is free December theatre. Waikiki stays calm and family-friendly on the island's other coast. Book early; Christmas in Hawaii is beloved.

    December weather
    24-27°C, occasional passing showers - North Shore waves peak.
    See Oahu, Hawaii hotelsLive high-end prices for your dates
    Oahu, Hawaii tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itThings to do on Oahu

  5. Puerto RicoCaribbean

    $$ · Mid-range

    Caribbean ease, US logistics

    San Juan's December sits at 28°C with the wet season fading, and for US travelers it's the friction-free Caribbean: no passport, no currency exchange, direct flights everywhere. Old San Juan's blue cobblestones, El Yunque rainforest and the bio bays fill a week without a resort ever feeling required.

    December weather
    27-29°C, drying out - showers get shorter and rarer each week.
    See Puerto Rico hotelsLive mid-range prices for your dates
    Puerto Rico tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itBest time to visit Puerto Rico
  6. Bangkok & the Thai islands, Thailand

    Bangkok & the Thai islandsThailand

    $ · Budget

    The best month of Thailand's whole year

    December is the month Thailand is famous for: the monsoon is gone, humidity is at its annual low, and Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the Andaman islands (Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi) all hit 31°C and clear. It's the longest flight on this list and still often the cheapest week-for-week once you land.

    December weather
    30-32°C, dry and clear - the cool season begins.
    See Bangkok & the Thai islands hotelsLive budget prices for your dates
    Bangkok & the Thai islands tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itBest time to visit Thailand
  7. Costa Rica (Pacific coast), Costa Rica

    Costa Rica (Pacific coast)Costa Rica

    $$ · Mid-range

    Green season ends, everything opens

    December flips Costa Rica to its dry season: the Guanacaste beaches dry out at 31°C, the cloud forests clear, and the whole adventure circuit - volcanoes, zip lines, surf breaks - runs at full tilt. Early December catches the country still green from the rains but with the sun switched on.

    December weather
    29-32°C on the Pacific - dry season begins, landscapes still green.
    See Costa Rica (Pacific coast) hotelsLive mid-range prices for your dates
    Costa Rica (Pacific coast) tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itCosta Rica car rental guideBest time to visit Costa Rica
  8. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

    Punta CanaDominican Republic

    $$ · Mid-range

    The all-inclusive value play

    Punta Cana delivers the Caribbean's best price-per-palm-tree: 28°C December days, 30 km of coconut-lined beach, and the region's deepest all-inclusive inventory, which keeps rates competitive even in high season. It's the pick when the brief is maximum warm beach for minimum spend.

    December weather
    27-29°C, mostly dry - high season with the region's best rates.
    See Punta Cana hotelsLive mid-range prices for your dates
    Punta Cana tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  9. Marrakech, Morocco

    MarrakechMorocco

    $$ · Mid-range

    Winter sun a short hop from Europe

    For Europeans who want warmth without a long-haul flight, Marrakech in December runs 18-21°C and sunny - t-shirt afternoons in the souks and gardens, with the snow-capped Atlas as a backdrop. Nights drop near 5°C, which riad fireplaces turn into a feature. Prices outside Christmas week are excellent.

    December weather
    18-21°C sunny days, cold nights - pack layers.
    See Marrakech hotelsLive mid-range prices for your dates
    Marrakech tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itThings to do in MarrakechWhere to stay in Marrakech
  10. Miami Beach, USA

    Miami BeachUSA

    $$$ · High-end

    Warm city-beach weekend, Art Basel energy

    Miami's December sits at a dependable 25-27°C - warm enough for the beach, cool enough for Ocean Drive walking - and early December brings Art Basel, when the whole city turns into a gallery. It's the best warm long-weekend on this list: no time zone shock, endless flights, instant beach.

    December weather
    24-27°C, low humidity - Miami's most pleasant stretch.
    See Miami Beach hotelsLive high-end prices for your dates
    Miami Beach tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips

How to choose

The two-week trick that beats Christmas pricing

December 1-15 has the same weather as December 22-31 at 40-60% lower hotel rates in most of this list. If your dates are flexible, go early, come home for the holidays, and let someone else pay the peak. If you must travel Christmas week, book flights and rooms months out - it's the year's most demanded week.

Rank by weather certainty, not just temperature

Aruba and Los Cabos are the near-zero-risk picks (outside the hurricane belt, desert-dry). Cancun, Punta Cana and Puerto Rico are excellent but carry a small chance of a passing front early in the month. Thailand is superb but a long flight; Hawaii trades a little shower risk for epic surf. Match your tolerance to the pick.

Short trip or long haul?

Under 5 nights: Miami, Cancun or Puerto Rico (short flights, no jet lag). A full week: Cabo, Aruba, Costa Rica or Hawaii. Ten nights or more: Thailand rewards the flight like nowhere else, with the lowest on-the-ground costs on this list.

Traveling with kids at Christmas?

Punta Cana and Cancun's all-inclusive zones are engineered for exactly this - kids' clubs, calm beaches, one price. Hawaii and Costa Rica trade a little convenience for genuinely memorable nature (whales, volcanoes, turtles). Book family rooms first; they're the inventory that sells out earliest in December.

Warm in December: FAQ

The questions travelers ask most while picking.

Of the mainstream winter-sun picks, Thailand is the hottest reliable choice - Bangkok and the southern islands run 31-32°C with dry, clear days in what is the country's best month. In the Americas, Costa Rica's Pacific coast hits 31°C, with Cancun, Punta Cana and Aruba close behind at 28-30°C. If you measure by sea temperature, the Caribbean's 27-28°C water beats the Pacific picks.

Thailand is the value king - once you've paid the flight, on-the-ground costs are a fraction of the Caribbean's. In the Americas, Punta Cana's all-inclusive depth keeps package prices the lowest in the region, and early-December Cancun (before the 15th) costs close to half of Christmas week. Egypt is the wildcard: 22-24°C, ruins-perfect weather and low prices, if 'warm' rather than 'hot' works for you.

It's one of the best: hurricane season ends November 30, humidity drops, and December opens the dry high season across the region. The trade-off is price - mid-December through New Year is the Caribbean's most expensive stretch of the year. Aruba, Curaçao and Barbados add extra certainty by sitting outside the hurricane belt entirely, and early December brings high-season weather before the full high-season rates.

The December A-list circuit is famously St. Barts (superyachts at Gustavia for New Year), Aspen for the ski scene, and Miami during Art Basel in early December. The attainable versions of the same trips: Aruba or Turks and Caicos for the polished Caribbean beach, and Miami Beach itself - Art Basel week is open to anyone and the people-watching is the point.

For Christmas-to-New-Year, yes - it's the most in-demand travel week of the year, and both flights and the best hotels sell out months ahead, with prices only rising as it approaches. For the first half of December the opposite applies: it's a quiet shoulder window where deals appear, and booking a few weeks out is usually fine. The rule: fixed holiday dates, book by early autumn; flexible early-December dates, watch for fare drops.

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