If your precious week of winter sun is too valuable to risk on a new boutique in Benghazi or that cutting-edge spa in Sumatra, we’re here to help.

We took 10 top winter-sun destinations – places where the beaches go on for days, the oceans are as pure as Plymouth gin and winter heat is guaranteed by God himself – found the classic places to stay in each, then added a fresh, modern twist.

Because you’re worth it.

Unless stated otherwise, all prices are per person for a week, B&B, in January, and include flights from London.
Temperatures are the seasonal average from December to March

ANGUILLA
How far? 9hr
How hot? 80F

Diversions are few – no rainforests, no waterfalls and no craft markets – and temptations many on Anguilla. It packs 33 Bounty-ad beaches and more than 70 restaurants into its 16 slender miles. Two of the finest wine cellars in the Caribbean are here – 25,000 bottles at the Malliouhana and 35,000 bottles beneath the Koal Keel restaurant – which perhaps explains why Anguilla is a firm favourite with Robert De Niro and Keith Richards. But it’s not cheap. Island cabbie Albert sums up the place with a new slogan that probably won’t be adopted by the tourist board: “Come thin and rich,” he says, “leave fat and broke.”

The classic High on a headland above Meads Bay, Malliouhana gets everything right. The art is breathtaking, the barman is psychic, the spa is the best in the Caribbean and the view from Michel Rostang’s sensational restaurant would make you cry if you weren’t grinning so hard. Best rooms are the one-bedroom suites, with direct access to their own beach. The price is £1,740, with Harlequin (0845 450 6433, www.harlequinholidays.com). The twist The alternative is Ku, on Shoal Bay East, one of the finest beaches on earth. Once a run-down seaside flophouse, Ku was taken on by the team behind the top-of-the-range Cap Juluca, and their flair has created a bijou bargain on the island of excess – huge rooms, a fabulous bar and Uncle Ernie’s beach shack next door, for cold Carib beer and ribs. The price is £1,141, with Kuoni (01306 747008, www.kuoni.co.uk).

BARBADOS
How far? 8hr
How hot? 80F

If winter sun were literature, then Barbados would be Dickens: popular, easily accessible and a bona fide classic. And, despite the complaints of grumpy elderly Bajans that “the weather ain’t what it used to be”, winter here is idyllic. The showers that sweep Barbados during the summer months are gone, and the island enjoys up to 10 hours of warm sunshine per day – think of a perfect English summer with added coconut.

The classic The best hotels and beaches are on Barbados’s posh west side – known as the Platinum Coast – in the parish of St James, north of the capital, Bridgetown. While you could flash the cash and check in to Sandy Lane, you’ll find the nearby Colony Club is an altogether more refined experience. With four pools meandering through the flower-filled grounds, and a perfect little beach at the end of the garden, it offers discreet, elegant sophistication in a quiet, colonial-style setting. The price is £1,625, with ITC Classics (01244 355550, www.itcclassics.co.uk).

The twist If you’re looking for WiFi, thalassotherapy or flat screens, you’d better skip this bit, because the House isn’t that kind of hotel. It doesn’t even have an infinity pool, although we suggest that the Caribbean horizon is an acceptable substitute. What it does offer is 34 simple suites with gorgeous views, linen sheets, champagne breakfasts, polished floors, and Daphne’s restaurant just next door. The price is £1,739, with Caribtours (020 7751 0660, www.caribtours.co.uk).

CYPRUS
How far? 5hr
How hot? 66F

Times recommends

• Oasis of the Seas: the Times review
• The 20 best new year party places to stay
• Green Spaces 2009: are you the winning writer?