Seven all-inclusives for escaping the January blues
Cold, spent and back at your desk? January is the perfect time to take off – and these all-inclusive escapes make it blissfully easy. One booking, no stress and everything sorted: just turn up and tune out
07/01/2026
Words: Alicia Miller
The festive season has been a strain on your bank balance, the forecast outside is grey and you’re back to the daily grind. But don’t let January get you down – jet off to sun-kissed climes on an easy-breezy all-inclusive escape. With just one booking and a set price tag, these breaks let you recharge in blissful sunshine with food, drink and even some activities thrown in. Set in glorious tropical climes, these enticing beachfront getaways bring whole new meaning to the term ‘January blues’. We’re thinking turquoise, cerulean, teal and azure…
RIU Palace Mauritius on the dramatic Le Morne Brabant peninsula
1. RIU Palace Mauritius
With its ray-blessed shores, lush rainforest interior and rainbow-bright cuisine bursting with juicy tropical fruits, Mauritius is a no-brainer escape in January, and all the more so when you needn’t worry about the resort bill racking up. With 24-hour dining and drinks included in your stay, this adults-only hotel on the dramatic, south-westerly Le Morne peninsula lets you turn all focus towards relaxation. Many rooms overlook the palm-studded beachfront, so from the moment you wake you can make the most of the paradisiacal scene. The hardest decision you’ll have to make: do you spend the day basking on the surf-frilled sands or at one of the three outdoor pools?
Terrace of grand luxury oceanfront room at BodyHoliday, St Lucia
2. BodyHoliday, St Lucia
It’s not the all-inclusive food and drink that attracts the repeat guests to this long-running resort on the northern tip of St Lucia, though it’s perfectly delicious. Rather, it’s the unique range of expert-led, all-inclusive wellness activities – and the free daily spa treatment – that has them rebooking year after year. Choose from dozens of classes per day, ranging from tai chi and tennis to box-fit, spinning to Zumba, then kick back on the idyllic crescent of golden beach with a well-earned piña colada. For a supplementary fee you can take part in some truly one-of-a-kind experiences: for example, a quadrathlon that includes running and biking in St Lucian greenery.
ELE | NA The Spa at OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi, Maldives
3. OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi, Maldives
Robinson Crusoe-style castaway isles, glittering seas and rich marine life: the Maldives has to been seen to be believed. And all the better at an all-inclusive, where you can zoom in on the relaxation and not worry about the mounting daily price tag. A breezy 15-minute speedboat ride from Malé airport, OBLU XPERIENCE is a prime pick for families who want paradise without the complication (or added expense) of long seaplane transfers. Little ones can eat what and when they like, grown-ups can catch nightly DJ or band performances and everyone can enjoy the 1,000sqm swimming pool and frolics in the balmy Indian Ocean.
Rixos Radamis Sharm el Sheikh on Egypt’s Red Sea
4. Rixos Radamis Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
Whether you tie in a visit to the recently opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a bucket-list Nile cruise – or just want to stick with relaxing in the sunshine – Egypt is one of 2026’s must-visit hotspots. From an R&R perspective, the all-inclusive Rixos Radamis in Red Sea resort Sharm el Sheikh is a decadent place to unwind, with 15 restaurants and eight bars and pubs and a host of activities that range from personal training sessions to evening dance performances. And did we mention the Egyptian weather in January? Dry, sunny and a comfortable 22°C…
A suite at Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya (also opening image)
5. Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, Cancún, Mexico
Rejuvenation is on the agenda at this adults-only all-inclusive set on the world-famous Riviera Maya, in the sleepier – and nature-rich – enclave of Akumal, outside gateway Cancún. One of the world’s largest coral reefs lies offshore from the sands and there’s a plethora of activities if you want some time away from lounging poolside, including tennis, cocktail-making classes and yoga. Thatched beach bars, toes-in-sand private beach dinners and rooms with Mayan gold accents all set the tone for a romantic twosome escape.
Luxury Almond pool suite at Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada
6. Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada
Perched on the bleached two-mile sands of Grand Anse, a storied beach on Grenada’s west coast, family-run Spice Island has the warmth and intimacy of a boutique resort, despite its all-inclusive ethos. Named for the island’s ties to nutmeg and mace, it celebrates tradition without being fusty. Dark wood four-posters are lifted with crisp white linens and walls and some suites have private pools. Listen to calypso bands play under starry skies at the seafront Oliver Restaurant, munching pan-seared barracuda and Grenadian dark chocolate fondant with – what else? – nutmeg-spiced crumble.
7. Hawksbill Resort, Antigua
Famously home to 365 beaches – quite literally one for every day of the year – Antigua is an ideal place for a lazy sunshine escape. This resort on the west coast has four paradisical stretches of sand to choose from – plus three restaurants, and bars open until midnight that keep the icy tropical drinks flowing. Hawksbill prides itself on value, meaning prices are friendly when you have tightened January purse-strings. Rooms are frill-free but comfy, with many boasting sea views, and you can take to the endless blue waters via complementary kayaks, sail boats and paddle boats.
