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Whether you crave the hustle-and-bustle of city chic or the peace of a remote adventure, these hotels will put a pep in your step for 2026.
Between polishing off the last mince pie and that first sip of bubbles on New Year's Eve, there's a pocket of time many people protect to recover from festive antics, and the perfect time to use up remnants of annual leave before calendars fill again. Whether you're seeking peace after an extended family onslaught or aiming for a preemptive detox ahead of your New Year's resolutions, these hotels offer a restorative idyll to put you on track for the year ahead.
The Peninsula Hong Kong
@peninsulahongkong
Best for... urban chic
The Peninsula Hong Kong's beach-themed collaboration with Chanel lights up Tsim Sha Tsui's Salisbury Road
Swap cheesy holiday jingles and haphazardly strewn tinsel for a taste of refined luxury at the grande dame of Asia. For more than 95 years, The Peninsula has set the bar for festive decor in Hong Kong: a city in which the tradition of elaborate holiday light displays first took off in the city in the 1950s. This year marks the hotel's fifth collaboration with Chanel, featuring a striking light installation alongside elegant design notes and staff uniforms. For a truly lavish entrance, book one of the hotel's fleet of Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended cars for your airport transfer, each painted in the hotel's iconic Peninsula Green. Once unpacked, acclimatise beside the Roman-style pool overlooking Victoria Harbour before a busy day of tax-free shopping on your doorstep.
Eleven Deplar Farm, Ólafsfjörður
@elevendeplarfarm
Best for... gazing at the Northern lights
Eleven Deplar Farm's outdoor pool is heated to a balmy 37°C
End your year with a proper showstopper: watching the Northern Lights, all without having to trek into the tundra in freezing darkness. At Eleven Deplar Farm, you can drink in the celestial show from the geothermally heated outdoor pool with a cocktail in hand, courtesy of the swim-up bar. Or cosy up and watch the aurora appear through the lounge's floor-to-ceiling windows. Come morning, hop between mountain peaks and the ocean's edge on a heli-skiing run, or take things gentler on horseback. This is the home turf of the Icelandic horse, famously friendly, sturdy and gifted with a smooth tölt gait that no other breed can muster.
The Witchery, Edinburgh
@thewitcheryedin
Best for... a romantic escape
Fresh flowers, hanging tapestries and carved oak panels enliven The Witchery's Secret Garden dining room (Image: The Witchery)
After making it through another holiday with the in-laws, you've more than earned a romantic escape. The Witchery delivers this with theatrical flourish in its guise as a converted 16th-century residence perched at the gates of Edinburgh Castle. Enjoy the multi-day Hogmanay festivities leading up to New Year's Eve culminating with unparalleled views of the finale fireworks and a glass of The Witchery's exclusive 10-year-old scotch, which is edged with notes of liquorice and toasted pumpernickel. Whether you enjoy a wee dram neat or mixed is a debate you and your partner can continue into the night, but there's no arguing with the magic of the hotel's Secret Garden dining room, with its hand-carved wall panels, flickering candlelight and towering floral arrangements.
Shinta Mani Wild, Kampong Seila
@shintamaniwild
Best for... off-grid adventures
Suites come with jungle-side views, complete with custom-made furnishings and handcrafted Khmer textiles
Designed by architect Bill Bensley, Shinta Mani Wild was created from his mission to protect the site from poaching and logging, doubling as a research and conservation centre. Complete with a waterfall-side outdoor spa, a fleet of kayaks and a kitchen that makes use of foraged ingredients, the hotel's facilities more than hold their own. For an unforgettable arrival, guests can zipline 400 metres over the forest canopy into camp, taking in bird's-eye views of the Cardamom Mountains. As one of Southeast Asia's most biodiverse regions, the valleys in December welcome the season's first rare orchids and a wave of butterfly migrations. Settle in with the help of a butler to unpack your bags and craft your itinerary. Activities range from joining forest rangers on anti-poaching patrols to kayaking along mangrove-lined inlets and motorbiking out to a picnic lunch on the remote beaches of Srey Ambel.
Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus
@fsbosphorus
Best for... cultural immersion
The Four Seasons Istanbul is in the buzzy neighbourhood of Beşiktaş, along the Bosphorus' European shore
For all the holiday killjoys out there, leave the bah humbug attitude behind and experience the peak of Turkish hospitality in a restored 19th-century Ottoman palace. Perched on the Bosphorus, this hotel overlooks a historic conduit of trade and culture that still links Europe and Asia. Watch passenger ferries cross the strait as you lounge in the heated outdoor pool or explore the Bosphorus aboard the hotel's own sea shuttle service, complete with biscuits and tea. Back at the hotel, relieve taught limbs with a traditional hammam, where private steam and exfoliation are taken in a Marmara marble-encased chamber enlivened with tile and artwork by local artist Ergin Atlihan.
Nomade Holbox, Quintana Roo
@nomadeholbox
Best for... a spiritual reset
Nomade Holbox''s palm-fringed garden opens onto a private beach
Release the stress of the holidays at this bohemian adults-only resort on Holbox, a small island off the northern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The activities available cater to every wellness goal under the sun, from weight management to better sleep. Relieve muscular tension with a movement-based healing massage while floating in the outdoor pool, before venturing for a night-guided kayaking trip to witness bioluminescent organisms setting the ocean aglow. If you find calm in nature, you'll be delighted by the surrounding Edenic Yum Balam Nature Reserve, where pelicans, herons and flamingoes roam freely.
Six Senses Southern Dunes, Umluj
@sixsensessoutherndunes
Best for... digital detox
Framed by the Hijaz mountainscape, shaded canopies invite guests to soak up the views
After a full digital decathlon of online gift shopping, last-minute emails and endless TV specials, knock screen-time on the head at the Six Senses Southern Dunes, the group's new Red Sea site in Saudi Arabia. Gaze at the stars while camping on the Alnesai desert dunes and learn about the region's nomadic traditions on a dune walk led by Bedouin guides. Balance exploration with some personal fine-tuning via the resort's knowledgeable wellness experts: they'll craft a line-up of treatments and exercises aimed at whatever you're chasing, from menopause management to stress relief and weight management. Most guests start with a diagnostic wellness screening to pinpoint their body's exact needs and ensure they leave in better shape than they arrived.
Discover more fantastic restaurants, bars and hotels with 50 Best Discovery, and start planning your next adventure.
