Family Christmas and New Year sun for 2027

There is a particular kind of relief in spending the festive week somewhere warm: no cold-weather logistics, no cabin fever, just a pool and a beach while home is dark and grey. Christmas and New Year in the sun is one of the most-booked family weeks of the year, and one of the first to sell out. Here are eight resorts that do it well for 2027, scored and mapped.

Where a warm festive week actually works

• The Canary Islands are the family default: four hours, dependable warmth, and resorts that dress the week up with kids clubs and festive dinners.
• The Red Sea and the Gulf turn up the heat for a longer flight.
• Cape Verde sits in between, warm and low-key.

What matters over the festive week

• A heated pool, because even Canary evenings cool off in late December.
• A proper festive programme, if a big Christmas dinner and New Year for the children is the point.
• Family rooms that sleep everyone, since this is a week you want to be together and comfortable.

Booking 2027

We have already seen a family book a Canary Islands stay for New Year 2027 back in August, which tells you everything about the timing: the good festive weeks go the earliest of all. Hold a refundable room now and compare on the map. The eight below are where we would start.