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Indian
Ocean:
- India: Palolem, Goa. A tourist magnet but still cool and fun.
- Banyan Tree, Cocoa Island, Nika, Soneva Fushi etc, Maldives [islands].
Excellent for costly escapism.
- Ngapali, Chaung Tha and Ngwe Saung beaches, Myanmar.
Little developed, low prices, good local people,
bad military junta.
- Oman: Muscat beaches. A massive coastline with
infinite unspoilt sand, a sensible government, guaranteed sun and very few tourists.
- Seychelles: Anse Lazio, Praslin island, Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue Island,
Ile Souris, east coast of Mahé island. Costly but stunning
islands hosting some of the world's best
beaches.
- Unawatuna, Sri Lanka. An superb destination for a beach and culture holiday.
- South Africa's east coast is a great value, no jet-lag, sea-food and wine nirvana, with lively city beaches such as Durban and totally tranquil, natural beaches like Nature's Valley. January is the height of summer but not so busy as main holidays have finished.
Thailand:
January is a great time for all Thailand's beaches. Low prices, lovely people, fascinating culture, exquisite food and of course magnificent beaches to suit all budgets; see Thai beaches map and beach pictures.
The Caribbean is embraces hundreds of dazzling white beaches and comfortable beach
resorts; the weather should be superb in January and there is more space now that the Christmas/New Year rush has subsided.
Australia
[South-East Coast]:
- Bondi or Manly,
near Sydney
for convenience, style and surf.
- Byron Bay, between Sydney and Brisbane, for a neo-hippie 'alternative'
beach scene.
- North Stradbroke Island, near Brisbane,
for wildlife walks, quiet beaches and good surf.
- Noosa
Heads, Sunshine Coast, a tranquil, dispersed town with great, soft
beaches, parks and surf.
- Fraser Island's Lake
McKenzie, with clear freshwater surrounded
by tropical rainforest and the purest white sand.
See also Beach
Hazards.
Mexico:
- Fine beaches on both Pacific and Caribbean coasts and fairly quiet in January; also fascinating sights and sites nearby, delicious cuisine, potent drinks and all at rock-bottom prices.
Atlantic
Ocean:
- South
Africa: Camps Bay has great views and is conveniently located near attractive, cheap Cape Town but the water is always cool.
- Spain's Canary Islands, enjoy a climate of perpetual summer with sunshine as standard and temperatures between 18C [64F] and the upper 30Cs; there are beaches of all types available, activities, nudist, family, surfing, wild town sand, back-to-nature coves.
The southern sections of islands tend to be the warmest and Fuerteventura and Lanzarote the sunniest. La Palma is the wettest island. Water temperatures are not very high, ranging from 18C in winter to 22ºC in summer.
Malaysia:
- Datai Beach, Langkawi Island. One of the world's most secluded
and picture-perfect hideaways.
- Pantai Teluk Belanga [Emerald Bay], Pangkor Laut. A luxury resort
on a perfect crescent bay of a tiny private island.
Philippines:
- Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines. An area of outstanding natural
beauty.
- Muelle Bay, Puerto Galera, Mindoro Island. An ideal place to do
island-hopping on to pristine beaches.
- White Beach, Boracay Island. The sand is exceptionally white,
soft and never gets hot, with a huge variety of small, friendly
accommodation.
Vietnam:
- Mui
Ne, Mui Ne, near Phan Thiet. A resort area in south Vietnam known for its
spectacular sand dunes and reasonable costs.
- Hon Chong Beach, Ha Tien; a seductive beach near the Cambodian
border.
- Bai Tam [Long Beach], Phu Quoc Island. The secret jewel of Southeast
Asia.
Red Sea beaches: Egypt's Red Sea beach resorts as well as Israel's rather tired Eilat are low priced, the sun is ever-present, the coral is brilliant, the sea's tepid and brief trips to Luxor or Abu Simbel are an option.
The Red Sea's air temperature is down to a still pleasant 18°C in January [15°C at night] and water temperature is an acceptable 21°C with low humidity and little chance of rain.
Beach holiday destinations that are probably not a good idea in January:
Pacific
Ocean:
The worst time for some of the Pacific but not all. e.g. SE Australia,
Mexico [see above] and Rock Islands, Palau are good in January but
the Samoas are going through a wet patch.
Mediterranean:
No way! The weather's cold and the sea is colder.
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