The best islands to visit in December

Curaçao is #1. December weather scores 9.8: an 85°F (29°C) average high, an 83°F (28°C) sea and 2.4 inches of rain, as the short rainy season ends. Its other scores are balanced: beaches and things to do 8 each, access 8.6, with nonstops from six US airports, and value 9.9, with the cheapest 3-star-plus room in Willemstad at $62 on January 13, 2027. The crowd score, 4.6, is its weak point near the cruise piers. Rent a car for Grote Knip and Playa Lagun, and complete the free Dicard online before you fly.

Antigua is #2, with the best December weather on this list at 9.9: an 83°F (28°C) high, an 82°F (28°C) sea and 1.9 inches of rain. Its beaches score 9: Dickenson Bay, Darkwood and Pigeon Point face away from the trade winds and are usually calm. Things to do scores 7, for Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. Five US airports fly nonstop, though JetBlue's JFK flight is listed as ending October 31, 2026. Price is the catch: $99 in St. John's in January, but $222 on the beach.

Jamaica is #3 and would be higher without its conditional verdict, which costs 0.4 points. December weather scores 9.5: an 83°F (28°C) high, an 83°F (29°C) sea and 2.6 inches of rain. Access and value are near perfect, with 24 US nonstop airports and $53 rooms in Montego Bay. December is a reopening month after Hurricane Melissa: Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica is due back on December 1, 2026, and two Montego Bay Sandals on December 18. Seven big Montego Bay resorts stay closed until 2027.

Maui is #4 and the top island without a passport. December weather scores 9.3: an 80°F (27°C) high, a 79°F (26°C) sea and 2.6 inches of rain, a little cooler and wetter than fall. Whale season is under way, and beaches and things to do both score 9. Price is the weak point: December to April is Maui's most expensive season, and the cheapest Kihei room was $296 for January 13, 2027. Hawaii's lodging tax is 11% from 2026, and Kayak totals include it.

Oahu is #5. December weather scores 9.2: a 79°F (26°C) high, a 78°F (26°C) sea and 2.4 inches of rain. Winter is surf season on the North Shore, where you go to watch the Banzai Pipeline, not to swim. Waikiki, Ala Moana and Kailua are the calm choices. Oahu has the most nonstops in Hawaii, and more this winter: Boston resumes on December 19, 2026, and Alaska adds Boise and Spokane. Waikiki rooms were $139 on January 13, 2027, less than half of Kihei.

Zanzibar is #6. December is hot, an 87°F (31°C) high and an 85°F (30°C) sea, with 4.1 inches of rain in our data. Its page names the December holidays as one of the two busy, drier periods, but for 2026 the Tanzania Meteorological Authority expects the short rains to last into January 2027. Value scores 10, with $36 rooms in Nungwi for January 13, 2027. Budget a $100 visa and $44 compulsory insurance per person, and one connection via the Gulf or Istanbul.

The Big Island is #7. On the Kona side, December brings a 79°F (26°C) high, a 79°F (26°C) sea and 4.6 inches of rain, for a weather score of 8.2. Things to do scores 9, with Kilauea's eruptive episodes, whale watching and the manta night snorkel. Its crowd score, 9.1, is the best of the four big Hawaiian islands. Beaches score 7 and hotels are dear, $261 in Kailua-Kona in January. After the 2026 storms, check closures in the Kau district and at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Phuket is #8 and the best December island in Asia. The Andaman dry season is starting: an 85°F (30°C) high, an 84°F (29°C) sea and 4.3 inches of rain, with the west-coast beaches flattening out after the monsoon. Value scores 10 and things to do 8.5, for Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi day trips. The crowd score is 1.0, the lowest possible: 13.0 million overnight tourists in 2025. Since September 15, 2026, US citizens get 30 days visa-free, down from 60, and need the free Digital Arrival Card.

Mauritius is #9. December is the start of its warm, wet summer and of the southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season, so our score takes a storm deduction. Our data show an 81°F (27°C) high, an 81°F (27°C) sea and 6.7 inches of rain, for a weather score of 7.3. The rest is strong: beaches and things to do score 8, and value 9.4, with $60 rooms in Grand Baie in January. The reef keeps the lagoons at Trou aux Biches and Flic en Flac calm. There is no US nonstop.

Koh Phi Phi is #10. December is the start of its good season, with the same airport data as Phuket: an 85°F (30°C) high, an 84°F (29°C) sea and 4.3 inches of rain. Maya Bay reopened for the season on October 1, 2026, with a $12 (400 baht) park fee. Phi Phi ranks last here because things to do scores 5 and its verdict is conditional: worth one or two nights, not a week. Rooms are the dearest in Thailand, $187 for a 4-star in January. Families with small children should stay in Phuket.