For many in the UK, January is a month to endure. The festive glow has faded, the days remain short, and the chill feels particularly biting. If the prospect of another grey month in London fills you with dread, it might be time to plan a spectacular winter escape.
Beyond the Usual Ski Resorts: A New Wave of Winter Travel
Traditional Alpine destinations like Verbier and Courchevel continue to attract the elite with their eye-watering prices. However, a shift is occurring. Today's discerning traveller is seeking more than just gimmicks and snowcapped frivolity. The demand is for authentic adventure and profound wellness, drawing crowds to more isolated and unique alternatives that offer genuine respite.
Iceland: Remote Luxury at Deplar Farm
While mass tourism to Iceland has stabilised, its appeal for one-of-a-kind luxury experiences remains stronger than ever. Tucked away on the remote Troll Peninsula, Deplar Farm is a sanctuary for the elite and adventurous. The landscape is its greatest asset: virgin forests, crystalline streams, and vast, untouched expanses that echo the Scottish Highlands, but far icier and more secluded.
This former sheep farm has been transformed into a flagship property for the American operator Eleven Experience, founded by private equity figure Chad Pike. A legend in Iceland's heli-ski scene, the 13-suite lodge blends textured linens, volcanic slate, and Scandi noir design with glass-box rooms filled with comfort.
The true magic lies in the experiences. Guests can watch the Northern Lights from a geothermal outdoor pool, spot humpback whales in the nearby fjords, or relax in the on-site recording studio, Floki, famously used by Justin Bieber. Adventures include trekking on Icelandic horses across rivers, waterfalls, and endless snowscapes.
The Italian Dolomites: Isolated Wellness at Forestis
For a truly minimalist mountain escape, Forestis in the Italian Dolomites is unparalleled. This ski-in, ski-out hotel champions the luxury of isolation. Its Panoramic Tower Suites offer uninterrupted views of the UNESCO-listed Dolomiti range, where the morning soundtrack is pure silence.
The design is starkly beautiful, using only four materials: linen, pine, glass, and Dolomite stone, sealed with beeswax. With no reading material provided, the focus is on meditation and disconnection. The glass-encased wellness crypt offers immunity boosters and massages based on pagan and Celtic Druid traditions, featuring a notably liberating nude sauna.
Culinary heights are reached at Yera, the hotel's new concept restaurant. Spearheaded by South Tyrolean hoteliers Stefan Hinteregger and Teresa Unterthiner, with executive chef Roland Lamprecht, it offers a phone-free, multi-hour Celtic-inspired feast inside a nearby cave. The menu, focused on foraged local produce and ancient Tyrolean traditions, is an exquisite homage to primal feasting around a fire pit.
St. Moritz: Alpine Glamour Reimagined at Suvretta House
In the heart of Europe's most glamorous corner, St. Moritz, the historic Suvretta House is upping the ante this season with a spectacular new spa. Perched at 1,800 metres, this three-level, 4,000-square-metre wellness sanctuary boasts breathtaking views of the Engadin Valley.
The new facilities include a 25-metre pool, a yoga studio, a wellness garden, and a Kneipp circuit. The hotel has also partnered with The Beat, Europe's most exclusive Pilates studio. A standout treatment is the Swiss Cell Spa Experience, using premium Cellcosmet and Cellmen products.
Away from the spa, the hotel retains its classic pin-up charm with Disney-esque architecture and traditional Alpine décor. Fine dining at the jacket-and-tie Grand Restaurant is a rite of passage, while the outdoor ice rink offers a unique spectacle with champagne served by waiters on skates.
This January, escape the London gloom and redefine the winter break. Whether you seek remote Icelandic adventure, silent Dolomite wellness, or refined Swiss glamour, these three destinations offer the perfect antidote to the season's dreariness.
