The Safest Beach Vacations For Winter Sun (According To Research)

For many, the delightful destinations of the Caribbean are top of mind when planning a sunny escape from the blustery cold of winter. With gorgeous beaches, sunny weather, and dreamy islands with top-tier safety ratings, a beach getaway to this popular region is a no-brainer for many. Still, you don't necessarily need to head to those famous islands in search of winter sun. Those looking further afield will find that scattered around our planet are equally safe beach destinations where the sun shines warmly in winter.

Many of these places are islands that ooze tropical vibes, yet some are larger countries with gorgeous shorelines and marvelous interiors begging to be discovered. If your idea of perfection is days doing nothing but staring out at a turquoise ocean with an umbrella drink in hand, some of these sunny havens deliver just that. If your ideal vacation involves hopping from the beach to city adventures, there is no shortage of places with diverse attractions you can enjoy between hours of lounging on the beach.

Of course, the most important feature they all share is their top-of-the-class safety ratings. We searched through the destinations on World Population Review's Safest Countries collections and triple-checked the U.S. Department of State to ensure only the most secure destinations in the world made the cut. We also made sure these places see plenty of sun during winter, so they'll deliver bright skies along with the quintessential sand-between-your-toes beach holiday experience when the cold weather strikes back home.

You don't have to head to the Caribbean, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Aruba consistently ranks as one of the Caribbean's safest islands for low crime and its welcoming people. The U.S. Department of State agrees. With a Level 1 travel advisory recommending that visitors take only normal precautions, travelers can have complete confidence on the island during their stay. In addition, Aruba is located outside the hurricane zone, further adding to its top-tier safety profile.

Those planning a vacation to the island will find that Aruba has gorgeous beaches with different characteristics. Eagle Beach has 4 miles of turquoise-kissed white sands, green palm trees, and brown thatched palapas that are free for the taking (if you arrive early enough). You'll find food trucks and a few activities, but Eagle Beach is relatively peaceful and a constant winner of best beach awards for its beauty and laid-back atmosphere (according to Visit Aruba). Next door is Palm Beach, also white-sanded with turquoise waters, but louder and more active with its high-rise hotels, beach bars, and nightlife spots covering every inch.

Beach bums who like experiencing variety will find many other beaches scattered around Aruba. The aptly-named Baby Beach is a shallow, U-shaped lagoon on the southern tip of the island with calm waters that are perfect for families with young kids. Also aptly named, Blackstone Beach is a black sand beauty that stands out among the other white sands around the island. Boca Catalina's reef is within walking distance from shore for snorkelers looking for an easy expedition, and Mangel Halto is also a good spot for seeing tropical fish. Regardless of which beach you choose, you'll have eight to nine hours of daily sunshine on average to enjoy from January to March.

The thickly forested islands in Malaysia's Langkawi archipelago are a nature lover's paradise. With hundreds of species of birds, including families of eagles that swoop in to eat from your hands on Lion Marine (formerly known as Pulau Singa Besar) island, pretty beaches around the islands, and the treasures of Kilim Geoforest Park, the popular destination on Malaysia's northwestern coast is one of the world's best-kept secrets. It is undoubtedly one of Malaysia's most beautiful islands.

After feeding eagles or hiking around the park, beach lovers will find beaches of every kind scattered around Langkawi's islands. Tanjung Rhu Beach's blue waters and powder sands earn it 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor. Elsewhere, popular Cenang Beach is a boater's paradise with party cruises and water sports like jet skiing and parasailing.

While enjoying Malaysia, you can rest well knowing you're safe. Malaysia was ranked among the top four safest nations in Asia for 2025 by World Population Review and has the safest travel advisory (Level 1) from the U.S. Department of State. Although Malaysia's east coast has a rainy season between November and February, Langkawi on the west coast has much better weather. The rainiest months are September and October, with January to March seeing an average of eight and a half hours of daily sunshine and sea temperatures averaging around 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

And back to the Caribbean we go. The Cayman Islands ranked among the top four safest islands on World Population Review for 2025, and with its strong economy and low crime, it's easy to see why. Thanks to a well-educated population and a high GDP per capita of $97,750, the nation enjoys the best standard of living in the Caribbean. 

Best of all, the islands' beaches are free to access, so both visitors and locals have their pick of beautiful white sand stretches. The most popular is Seven Mile Beach, singled out as one of the best Caribbean beaches by Tripadvisor in its 2025 Travellers' Choice Awards, thanks to its crystal clear turquoise waters, sugary sands, and excellent amenities. Numerous eateries, water sports, and sublime weather make the beach the most popular around the island.

However, there are other options for those looking for less touristy beaches. The azure-watered Rum Point also has nice amenities and activities, but is more laid-back than Seven Mile Beach, while the reef along Cemetery Beach is a snorkeler's paradise. You'll also have a whopping 12 hours of sunshine (on average) to enjoy the warm waters in the winter months between January and March.

Africa's main claim to fame when it comes to vacations might be its range of unbeatable safari experiences, but Mauritius more than holds its own thanks to its culture, gorgeous beaches, and luxury resorts. Among the top beaches are Trou aux Biches, a beauty on the country's northern coast, with crystal clear turquoise waters, white sand, and picturesque Casuarina trees. It is a past winner of the prestigious World Travel Awards leading beach destination, an honor earned through its resorts, shopping, and restaurants in the area surrounding the beach.

There's also plenty to enjoy once you're done with the beach. Mauritius has a gorgeous mix of cultures due to its location in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa, with traditional customs from its majority Indian population blending beautifully with African and French influences, primarily from the Creoles, the island's second largest ethnic group. Indulging in local cuisine reveals a delicious fusion of flavors, although that might go without saying. Outside of history and heritage, dolphin tours are also popular, and hiking the multicolored formations of Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark is one of the best sensory experiences you will have here.

With a ranking as the safest African nation to visit by the World Population Report for 2025, Mauritius also offers visitors a sense of security. The nation enjoys a high-income economy and an involved, stable government, with the U.S. Department of State issuing a safe Level 1 travel advisory (at the time of writing). Regarding the weather, the island nation is as tropical as it gets, and average daily sunshine during January to March is approximately seven hours.

Many travelers think of bustling cities, incredible waterfalls, and a fanatical soccer culture when they think of Argentina, but the country's beaches are well worth some love. The nation, ranked the safest destination in South America by the World Population Review for 2025, is home to many spectacular stretches of sea, sand, and sun. Whether you want to go whale watching or sunbathing, the nation's coastline is dotted with sandy havens and sunny skies during winter.

Pinamar Beach is located in a resort city of the same name in Buenos Aires Province and is a wide expanse of golden sands with unique dunes. After swimming, visitors can enjoy seaside dining at any of the restaurants lining the beach or indulge in exhilarating ATV runs over the dunes and through the pine forests of the area. Horseback riding along the ocean is another memorable way to spend a day on Pinamar Beach.

Also in Buenos Aires Province, the town of Mar del Plata is home to many beaches, including the busy Playa Grande (Grand Beach) with its activities, restaurants serving local cuisine, and heady nightlife come evening. Nearby Varese Beach has calm waters, water sports, and the most breathtaking sunsets at day's end. If you do visit this magical part of the world, you can expect around 9.5 hours of sun daily in January and eight hours in February and March. You can also expect your dollar to stretch further, as Argentina is one of the most budget-friendly destinations in the world.

When it comes to safety, Vietnam gets an edge on its neighbors in Southeast Asia. The destination receives a Level 1 advisory rating from the U.S. Department of State, meaning it is just about as safe as it gets on the travel front. Searching for sun? The trick to planning the sunniest escape from winter is sticking to the south of Vietnam. While undeniably enchanting, the north of the country sees temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit in January, while the south hovers between 77 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The island of Phú Quốc on the southern coast is one of the best destinations for stunning beaches, colonial-era architecture, and culture. It is no shock to hear that Asian travel veterans keep returning there.

The coconut tree-lined Sao Beach, with its soft sand and green-blue water, has eateries looking out at the ocean and water sports to enjoy to your heart's content. The more secluded Khem Beach has calm emerald waters, sugary sands, and seafood restaurants for that classic beach experience. Elsewhere on Phú Quốc, there is the VinWonders theme park, local markets and temples, museums, and Sunset Town — a Santorini lookalike that is a delight to explore.

Barbados is among the safest islands in the Caribbean, according to the World Population Review, and is known for its friendly people, fabulous beaches, and sunny skies (and iconic athletes and international pop stars, of course). For obvious reasons, it is the island's beaches that leave the most unforgettable impression. Bathsheba Beach on the Atlantic Coast is a stunning spot with giant boulders lining the golden-sanded shore while rough, foam-topped waves crash around them. The intensity of the waves means visitors typically don't swim at Bathsheba; instead, the beach is a surfer's paradise frequented by celebrity surfers like Kelly Slater.

For swimming (or to boast that you've walked one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean), Crane Beach is a pink and blue-hued award-winning beauty that deserves every bit of attention it receives. Try to imagine the softest pink sands sitting demurely next to the bluest waters, and you have a good picture of Crane Beach. Add to that image an enticing grove of coconut trees, and you can imagine why it is considered by many to be the finest beach in Barbados.

While you could easily spend whole days on the beach, the rest of Barbados offers opportunities to add action to your vacation. Barbados is one of the Caribbean's premier rum destinations, so bar hopping, rum distillery tours, and tastings are understandably popular. There are also historical sites and museums, luxury spas, and beautiful botanical gardens and caves dotted around the island. The cherry on top of this delicious cake is the eight to nine hours of daily sun you can enjoy if you visit between January and March.

The Seychelles receives a high safety rating of Level 1 from the U.S. Department of State. Visitors can feel secure visiting, provided they respect customary norms such as wearing the appropriate attire (bathing suits should be confined to the beach and modest attire worn in temples), refraining from political protests, and staying away from drugs (a crime with severe punishment). Of course, these facts are true no matter where you decide to visit. However, when it comes to beaches, the Seychelles is anything but standard. This is a country with the world's smallest national park, after all.

Anse Source d'Argent — voted the seventh best on the planet in 2025 by The World's 50 Best Beaches — has white sands strewn with giant granite boulders that give it a rustic, untouched look, along with clear, emerald waters that stay shallow way out to sea. Instead of action-packed shores, visitors find soft sand that invites them to take leisurely walks, snap picture-perfect selfies, or laze under the idyllic coconut trees. For action, amenity-filled Beau Vallon is a beauty with water sports, snorkeling, and much more. There's also plenty of sun to soak up, as the Seychelles gets an average of six hours of daily sunshine between January and March.

We'll end where we began, in the beautiful bays of the Caribbean. The tiny beach haven of Anguilla was actually ranked the safest island in the Caribbean in 2025  by the World Population Report, thanks primarily to a low crime rate and warm locals. If you are lucky enough to visit the so-called "tranquility wrapped in blue," you can expect to enjoy some of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean, as almost everything seems to focus on the ocean in Anguilla. Popular things to do include snorkeling, fishing, boating, and some seriously world-class birding, but it's the gorgeous beaches that top the bucket list for most visitors to Anguilla.

And the beaches are glorious. Shoal Bay East Beach (another name in the World's 50 Best Beaches) has white-pink sand with the clearest, bluest waters around, and fantastic snorkeling spots. The remote Little Bay Beach also offers the rare chance of a secluded paradise all to yourself. Anguilla stays sunny through the winter months, with an average of eight hours of sunshine in January and February. And nine hours in March.

In compiling this list, we began by consulting the World Population Review's 2025 safety rankings for the safest destinations on each continent, along with the safest nations as ranked by the U.S. State Department (those with a safest rating of Level 1 or occasionally Level 2). Once we had the safest destinations from around the world, we used climate websites to narrow them down to spots with sunny weather during winter. Unfortunately, this culled destinations in Europe from the list, although certain places in Albania, Spain, Greece, and Portugal can be delightful in winter. The resulting list of the safest destinations with warm weather during winter was then cross-referenced with travel pages on Reddit and Tripadvisor reviews to see which destinations had good beaches that visitors recommended.