Have soulmate, will travel.
Whether it’s your first year or you’re kicking off another decade, celebrating an anniversary is no small thing, and taking a special trip together is hands-down one of the best ways to mark the occasion. Alone time with your favourite sweetheart is paramount, but where in the world should you go? Luckily for you, we’ve got a few ideas. Here are our favourite cities to celebrate your anniversary in January.
Cartagena
This island “Jewel of the Indies” is not only a photographer’s dream (bright, candy-coloured buildings, dramatic street art and stunning architecture), but it has a much-welcomed Caribbean climate, oodles of historical sites to see, beaches, a unique local culture and a banging food scene.
Book Your Anniversary Photographer
Bali
It’s a beloved hotspot by couples for good reason. Rainy season has technically started by January, but there’s still plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures to facilitate your arm-in-arm walks in and around Bali’s unique Hindu temples (we love the Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Beratan Bedugul), beaches and the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Plus, Insta-worthy luxury resorts with infinity pools and private patios for morning coffee with your No. 1 make this a stay you won’t soon forget.
Marrakesh
It’s ancient, busy and chaotic, but what a thrilling destination to take on with your favourite person. You’ll love exploring new foods, rifling through the medina shops for bargains on Moroccan rugs and brasswares, but this colourful city is also replete with beautiful artisan tilework and dusty pink walls.
Whistler
This small ski and board town in British Columbia, Canada, has the best of both worlds. You can do wintery things like snowmobiling through the forest and tuck into a group chalet fondue, or hit the powder on two mountains before retiring in front of your lodge’s warm fireplace with hot cocoa, but you can also have dinner at gourmet restaurants, treat yourself to a couple’s massage at a local spa or take in the Rocky Mountain view from the comfort of your chateaux hot tub.
Maui
Maui is Hawaii’s answer to January’s snow and freezing rain, where you can put thoughts of mittens and frozen feet far out of your mind as you sip cocktails on the golden sand beaches, snorkel off a luxury catamaran or hike to a waterfall in the middle of nowhere.
Paris
Paris is a dream in any season; winter is no exception. You’ll need those buttery melt-in-your-mouth pastries for fuel as you tour one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, from the Eiffel Tower to the charming cafes of Montmartre, there’s so much to see (and eat) with your sweetie.
Sayulita
Mexico is a popular destination for sun seekers come January, but if you’re looking to visit an area slightly off the beaten track, Sayulita is a bit more small-time surf-town than resort-ville. There’s the ocean and all its aquatic delights of course, like surfing and snorkelling, but you can also explore the city’s rich history, release turtles or go whale watching (the humpback whale season kicks off in December).
Portland and Cannon Beach
Two words: road trip. Driving from Portland—where you get the craft beer, the vintage shopping, the cool hipster pubs—to Cannon Beach—which is all majestic and remote with the beach that spreads out forever and the towering Haystack Rock—is an unforgettable adventure for a couple in love at any time of year. Unwinding in front of a fire, going for beach walks, having beach fires and quaint meals in a small town where the backdrop is perpetually the misty-beautiful Oregon coast is just pure heaven
New York City
Temps have been known to be on the brisk side in January, but what’s more romantic than bundling up and holding mitten hands skating in the open air at Rockefeller Center? New York City never sleeps, and it doesn’t take breaks during the winter either, so all the Broadway shows, celebrity-endorsed restaurants, sneaky speakeasies, museums and galleries will be here to entertain you.
Montreal
You don’t need to fly to Paris to experience a taste of old world French charm. Montreal is a historic eastern Canadian city bursting with traditions, French Canadian cuisine (hello, poutine!), maple syrup on sticks, cosmopolitan shopping, nightlife and embrace-the-winter activities like snowshoeing, sledding and lake skating—there’s even an ice hotel should you be looking for a stay like no other. And the city’s Old Montreal is especially beautiful in January when it remains decorated with miles of twinkle lights after the holidays.
