Summer was a washout. And now we have those cold, dark, car-won’t-start December mornings to look forward to. Anyone fancy some winter sun?

The good news this season is that there’s a raft of destinations that are hot in every sense. Mozambique gets its first super-luxurious boutique next month; Australia is raising camping to a new level in luxury; the Maldives continue to unveil ever more dazzling resorts; Tenerife is becoming – wait for it – trendy; and Grenada is ever more gorgeous. Here is our choice of the highlights.

— Double room rates are per night, B&B; a package is often much better value, and the prices we quote there are per person for a week, B&B, based on two sharing, including flights from London

THE MALDIVES

It’s already a travel fantasia of underwater spas, beds that revolve to follow the sunset and suites with water slides into private pools. The stakes have just risen again, with Banyan Tree Madivaru (00 960-666 0760, www.banyantree.com) introducing the African safari to the Indian Ocean, in the shape of vast handcrafted tents, each with its own spa. Already sizzling is the 19-room Naladhu (664 1888, www.naladhu.com), which teams antique writing desks with flower-strewn terrazzo bathtubs, and minibars full of foie gras with VGCs (very good chaps) – a butler by any other name. Sounds expensive, and it is – £1,190 a night. If you’ve not yet won the lottery, the Beach House at Manafaru (www.beachhousecollection.com), which opens in November, looks set to be this winter’s five-star bargain. Its 50 villas have Frette sheets and flatscreen TVs, and cost about £100 a night. The package: Abercrombie & Kent (0845 618 2212, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk) has Madivaru from £4,965, all-inclusive; Naladhu from £3,549; and the Beach House from £1,065. Flights are with Emirates via Dubai.

AUSTRALIA

Camping down under has been given a real kick in the shorts by an outback safari camp that’s as decadent as most hotels. Bamurru Plains (00 61-2 9571 6677, www.bamurruplains.com; doubles from £700, all-inclusive), on the edge of Kakadu National Park, promises wild-bush luxury, with stylish suites built into the savanna so you can spot kookaburras while nibbling on crocodile canapés.

Combine it with the Great Barrier Reef’s hot new resort, Qualia (2 9433 3349, www.qualia.com.au; doubles from £550, full-board), on Hamilton Island. The Aussie billionaire Bob Oatley bought Hamilton in 2004, and Qualia is his all-singing new flagship property. The 60 contemporary pavilions are plunge-pool plush, while the spa’s signature treatment is a hot-stone massage that uses 300m-year-old stones harvested from New South Wales. Strewth! The package: Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555, www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk) has 10 nights at Bamurru and Qualia from £4,412, full-board, flying with Qantas to Darwin and back from Sydney. The price includes domestic flights to Hamilton Island.

THAILAND

No country does the chic boutique quite as well as Thailand. The hot tickets are the Library (00 800 3746 8357, www.designhotels.com; doubles from £175), an architectural oasis in Ko Samui’s good-time resort, Chaweng Beach, with stark designer interiors and a darkly dramatic red-tiled pool; and the Paradee (00 66-38 644283, www.samedresorts.com; doubles from £225), on sleepy Ko Samed, two hours from Bangkok, which has 40 traditional teak and Thai-silk, muslin-draped havens.

Finally, Evason Hideaway at Yao Noi (76 418500, www.sixsenses.com; doubles from £460) opens in November on an eco-island just off Phuket. All 56 villas have sensational views to the limestone karsts of the Ao Phang-Nga National Marine Park (as seen in The Man with the Golden Gun) and are loaded with Bond-girl glamour. The package: Tropical Locations (0845 277 3310, www.tropical-locations.com) has the Library from £1,305, Paradee from £1,555 and Yao Noi from £2,325, room-only, flying with Thai Airways to Bangkok, then Bangkok Airways onwards.

TENERIFE

Are you sitting down? Tenerife is becoming trendy – or, more particularly, the Abama (00 34 922 126 000, www.abamahotelresort.com; doubles from £240) is. It’s a huge, glitzy resort on the less touristy west coast, with a spa from the team behind Thailand’s Chiva-Som and 10 restaurants presided over by a chef with three Michelin stars. Despite glowing reports, some sceptics still sneered. Now, Abama is about to receive the hospitality industry’s equivalent of a course of steroids – Ritz-Carlton, a luxury chain famed for its exacting standards, has taken over the management. As R-C’s methods have no harmful side effects, and the Canaries are just a four-hour flight away, we’re already getting pumped up. The package: ITC Classics (01244 355550, www.itcclassics.co.uk) has Abama from £1,049, flying with British Airways.

SEYCHELLES

Prince William’s recent trip to Desroches Island (00 230 698 2222, www.naiaderesorts.com; doubles from £500, full-board) with Kate Middleton has boosted this archipelago’s profile. Desroches is a coralline cutie – just 20 villas, 8½ miles of white beaches and excellent food – but it’s more Swallows and Amazons than Swarovski and Anne Sémonin. If you’re after trendy, the “six-star”, £1,000anight Maia, on the main island, Mahe, is attracting attention – but, to be honest, we think it’s pretentious and overpriced. Instead, take a chopper to the recently revamped Frégate Island (00 49 6102 501321, www.fregate.com). It’s where Liz Hurley honeymooned, and its 16 colonially cool villas are the last word in romance . . . which they should be for £1,600 a night, full-board. The package: Seychelles Travel (01202 877330, www.seychelles-travel.co.uk) has Desroches from £1,990 and Frégate from £6,306, both full-board, flying with Air Seychelles.

OMAN

This is Dubai without the Disney staging: pristine beaches, preserved forts and a proud culture. Muscat has been a must-visit since the opening of the six-star, 180-room Al Husn at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort (00 968 2477 6666, www.shangri-la.com; doubles from £220) last year. Its location is magical – surrounded by jagged mountains and deep blue sea.

Even so, in December, it may well be levered from the limelight by the Evason Hideaway at Zighy Bay (00 971 9 244 3060, www.sixsenses.com; doubles from £305, room-only), two hours down the coast. Its 82 villas will be Omani-meets-Armani cocoons, with some novel approaches; you can arrive by paraglider, strapped to the hotel’s professional Mr Safehands. It’s a full-on, Alist adrenaline hit; to prove it, even the bar is called Drinks on the Edge. The package: The Private Travel Company (020 7751 0880, www.theprivatetravelcompany.co.uk) has Al Husn from £1,641 and Zighy Bay from £1,976, flying with British Airways.

ST LUCIA

The twin peaks of the Pitons make this one of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean; a host of classy new hotels means it’s now also one of the coolest. For low-key luxe, opt for Discovery at Marigot Bay (00 1 758 458 5300, www.discoverystlucia.com; doubles from £142). Carved into a hillside near Castries, and overlooking a palm-fringed beach, it has Philippe Starck furniture in the bar, espresso machines in the 124 dark-wood, whitewalled rooms, and life-changing courses on everything from fitness to flirting. Seriously.

Up in the hills of Morne Chastanet, the 24 suites at Jade Mountain (0800 894057, www.jademountainstlucia.com; doubles from £500, room-only) are an almost ridiculous redefinition of the hotel experience. Forget impersonal corridors, think suspended private bridges. Forget four walls – each “personal sanctuary” has one side open to the elements. And the real clincher? Light controls allow you to change your bathwater to your favourite colour. Because that’s important, right? The package: Caribtours (020 7751 0660, www.caribtours.co.uk) has Discovery at Marigot Bay from £1,381 and Jade Mountain from £2,811, flying with Virgin Atlantic.

VIETNAM

The destination address right now is the Nam Hai (00 84 510 940000, www.thenamhai.com; doubles from £275), on a pristine stretch of China beach, near the Unesco World Heritage Site of Hoi An. The attention to detail in its 100 sleek villas is awesome: intricate hand-carved screens, eggshell-lacquered baths, temperature-controlled private pools. No less than expected, given that its owner is Adrian Zecha, whose fans range from Nelson Mandela to Kate Moss. The package: Western & Oriental Travel (0845 277 3355, www.westernoriental.com) has the Nam Hai from £1,679, flying with Thai Airways via Bangkok (and Vietnam Airlines to Danang).

MOZAMBIQUE

We’ve raved about the private islands of the far-north Quirimbas archipelago – the rustic chic of Quilalea (00 258 272 21808, www.quilalea.com; doubles from £420, full-board) and the blue-sky Swahili styling of Vamizi (00 27 11 884 8869, www.maluane.com; doubles from £590, all-inclusive).

This year, Azura (00 27 11 258 0180, www.azura-retreats.com; doubles from £475, full-board), on Benguerra, in the more accessible Bazaruto archipelago, looks set to outdo both by combining their Out of Africa escapism with air con, butlers and a decent spa. Yes, this is the place for new Africa hands (ie, Hollywood types) who like their Robinson Crusoe with hair by John Frieda. The 15 villas are huge, the decor is contemporary, the wine is flown in from the owner’s chateau in the Loire Valley – and, before November 14, it’s almost a bargain, with opening rates of £315, full-board. The package: Audley Travel (01869 276250, www.audleytravel.com) has Quilalea from £3,095, Vamizi from £4,495 and Azura from £3,011 until November 14. Flights are with South African Airways via Johannesburg.

DUBAI

The arrival of the oil-rich emirate’s first boutique property may persuade sniffier sorts to risk a visit. Desert Palm (00 971 4323 8888, www.desertpalm.ae; doubles from £185), from the outfit behind the ever-so-trendy Huvafen Fushi, in the Maldives, is set on a private polo estate, well away from the Wagmagnet strip. It has just 24 muted modern suites – with not a tassel or gold tap in sight. The package: Seasons in Style (01244 202000, www.seasonsinstyle.com) has the Desert Palm from £1,565, flying with Emirates.

GRENADA

Spice Island Beach Resort (00 1 473 444 4258, www.spicebeachresort.com; doubles from £350) is the Six Million Dollar Man of the Caribbean. It was barely alive after the devastation of Hurricane Ivan in 2004, but the owner rebuilt it better and stronger than before – so much so that it’s wooing the more discerning from Sandy Lane, on Barbados, and Carlisle Bay, on Antigua.

How? For starters, Grenada is most aficionados’ pick for the perfect island: great beaches, thriving rainforest and limited tourism. Location helps, too. Spice Island sits snugly among the sea grape and palm trees on two-mile Grand Anse, one of the world’s best beaches. The new, improved hotel sports tastefully tropical decor, souped-up dining options and none of the Tango tans that plague Barbados. The package: Azure (01244 322770, www.azurecollection.com) has Spice Island from £1,895, all-inclusive, flying with BA.

EGYPT

The producer of Holidays from Hell has a job only because of travel experiences such as the average Nile cruise. Next month, however, you’ll be able to sail in the vessel that 5,000 years of cultural riches deserve, when the elite hotelier Oberoi floats its new boat, the Zahra (00 20 2 377 3222, www.oberoizahra.com; one week from £1,625pp, full-board). Its 27 elegant suites are the last word in luxe; there’s even an on-board spa. The package: Bales Worldwide (0845 057 0600, www.balesworldwide.com) has an 11-night itinerary, including seven, full-board, on the Zahra, from £3,075, flying with BA.

MAURITIUS

It has been the Indian Ocean’s Cinderella of late, but two new big hitters should ensure that visitors have a ball here this winter. Shanti Ananda (00 91 11 2656 8888, www.shantiananda.com; doubles from £325)opened recently on the unspoilt south coast. It’s a sister property to one of the world’s best spas, Ananda, in the Himalayas. The Mauritian incarnation offers similarly excellent practitioners, but here ayurvedic beauty comes with a beach.

On the fashionable east coast, the first phase of the Anahita complex (www.anahitamauritius.com) will open in January. The 70 waterfront L’Adamante Residences will, apparently, be more luxurious than anything yet seen in this millionaires’ playground, with top-notch contemporary furnishings, Michelin-starred chefs and an Ernie Els golf course. The package:Carrier (0161 491 7630, www.carrier.co.uk) has Shanti Ananda from £1,815pp and L’Adamante Residences from £1,675, flying with BA.

What about the weather?

THIS WINTER will see the continued development of La Niña, the big, stroppy sister of El Niño. It causes lower than normal sea temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific, but warmer waters on the western side. These changes can interact with the atmosphere and influence weather patterns across the world. The result is usually an increase in thunderstorms and heavy rain pretty much everywhere we go looking for winter sun.

But this season could be different. A similar phenomenon, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), occurs further west. In its present phase, the IOD has the same effect as La Niña – warmer waters in the west, cooler in the east – and, where they overlap, the two effectively cancel each other out.

What does this mean for your tan? In short, if the IOD remains influential, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives should be fine, but expect more rain and cloud in the Caribbean, South Africa, the Seychelles and Mauritius. As for Egypt, Oman and the Canaries: scorchio.