St. Bart’s is lovely. Aspen is divine. Seeking less obvious places to ring in the New Year? Redefine the festive season at these four spots.
Read more about top travel destinations from our experts in The Agency Magazine.
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Hawaii’s beloved 1960s hideaway has recently been refreshed and rebranded as a Rosewood property, and it’s a stunner. The completely solar-powered Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, sprawls over 81 beachfront acres on the Big Island’s dramatic Kohala Coast and is home to 150 stand-alone villas and suites. It’s chill in Kona even on New Year’s Eve, but make sure to still book a table at the resort’s Moana restaurant, and don’t miss out on a mai tai at the OG (but updated) Shipwreck Bar. Start 2024 right with a morning paddle excursion on the Pacific followed by a SturmGlow facial and a lomilomi massage. From $2,500, rosewoodresorts.com
Harbour Island, Bahamas
Even Harbour Island regulars now have a new reason to visit, as The Dunmore—originally a private beach club in the 1960s—emerges from a masterful makeover, thanks to its new owners. The 10-acre throwback has all the fixings you’d expect of a Bahamian getaway: those shutters, those thatched roofs, those crooked palms, that pool. But you’ll also value your time gazing on the clear turquoise water and pink sands from your perch under a candy-striped umbrella, or buzzing around town in a golf cart (there are no cars). The resort hosts a lively dinner followed by dancing and fireworks to ring in the New Year, and don’t miss the island’s celebratory Junkanoo Carnival as it fills the streets with vivacious costumes and sounds on December 26 and January 1. From $585, dunmorebeach.com
José Ignacio, Uruguay
For decades, this bohemian-chic town on the Uruguayan coast has held its own with the neighboring Ibiza of South America (here’s looking at you, Punta del Este), yet it remains under the radar for most North Americans. But those to the north have been catching on and slowly joining the global chic set since a pair of nomadic hoteliers opened Bahia Vik about 10 years ago. After dinner, expect sparklers, live music, party hopping from one open-plan suite to the next—but without the incessant intensity for which Uruguay is sometimes known. You’ll be grateful to wake up in 2024 with a view of the Atlantic. From $1,640, bahiavik.com
Lech, Austria
Lech has a low-key vibe, with city-funded fireworks, not the party hopping of, say, Switzerland’s Gstaad. Nevertheless, the 87 ski lifts and cable cars are open to grant access to 200 km of deep powder runs. Schuss down the slopes, but save time to doll up for dinner, since the 29-room Kristiania Lech offers a Carte Blanche surprise holiday tasting menu in the refined Kristiania Das restaurant. Or start your own New Year’s tradition with a hotel-prepared picnic, set on Moroccan rugs placed on the snow, with views of the Vorarlberg Mountains. Kiss at midnight, then snuggle into your suite. From $700, kristiania.at — By Heidi Mitchell
