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January is the easiest month of the year to pick an island. The Caribbean is in its dry season, Hawaii has whales and calm leeward beaches, and Thailand's Andaman coast is at its best. The hard part is that everyone else knows it, so this is also the most expensive month in many places.
Our ranking blends each island's January weather with its overall scores for beaches, things to do, access, value and crowds. Curaçao comes first because its January weather scores a perfect 10 and its hotel prices barely move in peak season. Jamaica and Puerto Rico are within a tenth of a point behind it.
Score = 55% this month's weather + 45% the island's other five factors. How we score
| # | Island | Score | High °F | Sea °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curaçao | 9.1 | 84 | 81 | 1.6 |
| 2 | Jamaica | 9.0 | 82 | 82 | 2.5 |
| 3 | Puerto Rico | 9.0 | 82 | 81 | 2.8 |
| 4 | Maui | 8.6 | 79 | 78 | 2.0 |
| 5 | Zanzibar | 8.4 | 89 | 85 | 2.5 |
| 6 | Oahu | 8.3 | 78 | 78 | 1.8 |
| 7 | Phuket | 8.3 | 87 | 84 | 2.9 |
| 8 | Big Island (Hawaii Island) | 8.1 | 78 | 78 | 3.6 |
| 9 | Koh Lanta | 7.8 | 88 | 84 | 3.5 |
| 10 | Palawan | 7.6 | 83 | 83 | 6.8 |
1Curaçao's January weather scores a perfect 10: highs of 84°F (29°C), an 81°F (27°C) sea and 1.6 inches (40 mm) of rain. It is also the cheapest well-rated stay in the top three, at $62 a night in Willemstad on January 13, 2027, so peak season costs little extra. The beaches are small coves rather than long strands, so rent a car. You need a passport and the free online Dicard. Nonstops come from 6 US airports.
2Jamaica sits second on cheap rooms and easy flights: $53 a night in Montego Bay and nonstops from 24 US airports. January brings highs of 82°F (28°C), an 82°F sea and a weather score of 9.7. It loses ground for its conditional verdict after Hurricane Melissa. Seven big Montego Bay resorts reopen only in 2027, so base yourself in Negril or Ocho Rios, or confirm your resort on the Tourist Board's list.
3Puerto Rico is the no-passport pick for January, a hair behind Jamaica. Highs reach 82°F (28°C) with an 81°F sea and 2.8 inches of rain, a 9.6 weather score. San Juan has nonstops from 41 US airports, and the cheapest 3-star room was $120 with tax on January 13, 2027. Winter brings north swells to Rincon's surf breaks; Luquillo and Isla Verde stay calmer for swimming. You will want a car for El Yunque.
4Maui is the best Hawaiian island in January, when humpback whales fill the channel off Kihei and Lahaina. Highs are 79°F (26°C), the sea 78°F (25°C) and rain 2.0 inches, a 9.3 weather score. It ranks below the Caribbean trio on price: $296 a night in Kihei on January 13, 2027, against $120 or less for each of them. Nonstops come from 18 US airports. Haleakala costs $30 a car.
5Zanzibar is hot in January: highs of 89°F (32°C) and an 85°F (30°C) sea, the warmest water on this list. Value lifts it to #5, with a Nungwi room at $36 on January 13, 2027. Access is the catch: no US nonstop, so you connect via Doha, Dubai or Istanbul, then pay $100 for the Tanzania visa and $44 for mandatory insurance each. Tanzania's weather agency expects the short rains to run into January 2027, so pack for showers.
6Oahu is the cheapest way to do Hawaii in January: $139 a night in Waikiki and nonstops from 28 US airports. Highs are 78°F (26°C), the sea 78°F, and 1.8 inches of rain, a 9.1 weather score. The North Shore is a seasonal coast, calm enough to swim mainly in summer. Crowds keep it below Maui. Pearl Harbor is free, and you can skip the rental car.
7Phuket is in its peak dry season: highs of 87°F (31°C), an 84°F (29°C) sea and a 9.5 weather score, with calm west-coast water for boat trips. A 4-star room in Patong was $76 on January 13, 2027. It ranks #7 because it is far from the US, with no nonstops, and Patong is crowded. US citizens get 30 days visa-free since September 15, 2026. Families do better at Kata and Karon than in Patong.
8The Big Island's January weather scores 8.5: highs of 78°F (25°C), a 78°F sea and 3.6 inches of rain, wetter than Maui or Oahu. It ranks for things to do: Kilauea has erupted in episodes since December 2024, and humpback whales are seen from November through April. Kona rooms were $261 on January 13, 2027, with nonstops from 14 US airports. Hurricane Lala hit in August 2026, and some state parks were still closed in October.
9Koh Lanta is at its best from November to April, and January's weather scores 9.2: highs of 88°F (31°C) and an 84°F (29°C) sea on quiet west-coast beaches. A 4-star room was $84 on January 13, 2027. Its page is conditional, good only in this half of the year, and it has no airport, so you fly to Krabi and take a road and car ferry. It is the calm, family alternative to Phuket.
10Palawan makes the list at the start of its December-to-May window, though January's weather score is only 7.6, with 6.8 inches of rain on average. Highs are 83°F (28°C) and the sea 83°F. The El Nido lagoons and Coron wrecks are the reason to go, and a room in El Nido was $40 on January 13, 2027. Expect effort: no US nonstops, a flight via Manila and a drive of 5 to 7 hours.
In this guide
Each island's score is 55% its January weather and 45% everything else we score, from beaches to hotel prices. The January weather score combines the daytime high, sea temperature, rainfall and sunshine from ten years of data, minus a penalty in storm season. An island needs a January weather score of at least 7 to qualify, and no region takes more than three places. The full method is in how we score islands.
The top three are separated by less than a tenth of a point, so small things decide it. Curaçao's January weather is a 10.0 against 9.7 for Jamaica and 9.6 for Puerto Rico: it is drier, with 1.6 inches (40 mm) of rain in an average January, and it sits outside the main hurricane track the rest of the year. It also prices well, at $62 a night in Willemstad.
Pick Jamaica if price matters most: its $53 room is the cheapest here, and it has four times as many US nonstops. Pick Puerto Rico if you do not have a passport or want the widest choice of flights, from 41 US airports.
Because no region takes more than three places, several Caribbean islands that outscore our #10 are not on this list. Martinique, Barbados and Antigua all score above 8.8 for January, higher than everything from #4 down. Barbados is the pick over Curaçao if you want calm beaches you can walk to and buses instead of a rental car. Our Caribbean ranking for January ranks them all.
Hawaii's January is whale season, and the leeward south and west shores are the calm side; north shores get big winter surf. Kauai is not on this list. Hurricane Lowell hit it on September 7 and 8, 2026, and on October 19 Koke'e Road and most Kauai state parks were still closed. See the best Hawaiian island in January.
In Thailand, January favors the Andaman side, Phuket and Koh Lanta, over the Gulf. US citizens now get 30 days visa-free, down from 60, since September 15, 2026. Our Thai ranking for January covers the rest.
Our hotel prices are for Wednesday, January 13, 2027, one night, two adults, taxes in. Weekends and the first week of the year cost more. For Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico you need no passport, only a REAL ID or other TSA-accepted ID. Everywhere else on this list needs a passport, and Zanzibar adds a $100 Tanzania visa and $44 of mandatory insurance per person.
It is short for the price and has no hotel pickup. A good option for non-swimmers who want to see the reef.
Rating as shown on Viator
Admission to both sites is included; meals, water shoes and tips are not. Pickup is free around Ocho Rios but costs extra from Montego Bay, about 90 minutes away.
Rating as shown on Viator
Lunch, drinks and snorkel gear are included; transport from San Juan to the Fajardo marina is not.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
The southern Caribbean, Hawaii, Thailand's Andaman coast and Zanzibar. On our data, January highs are 84°F in Curaçao, 82°F in Jamaica and Puerto Rico, 79°F (26°C) on Maui and 87°F on Phuket.
Yes. It is the dry season and outside hurricane season, which runs June 1 to November 30. The catch is price: it is peak season, so book early, and compare Curaçao or Jamaica with the pricier islands.
Puerto Rico, #3 here, with nonstops from 41 US airports and a $120 San Juan room on January 13, 2027. Maui is #4 but cost $296 a night in Kihei. See all islands without a passport.
Yes, especially for whales. Maui, Oahu and the Big Island all make the top ten. Expect winter swells on north shores and more rain than in summer, and stay on the south or west side for calm water.
The Andaman coast is at its best: Phuket and Koh Lanta both rank. US citizens get 30 days visa-free since September 15, 2026, so plan longer trips around that limit.
Further reading
