The Most Demure & Mindful Winter Escapes

It’s that time of year when editors’ inboxes are brimful of suggestions for luxury winter escapes, but nothing says “Nouvelle Année, Nouveau Moi” like a healthy dose of minimalism and perspective, which is why BANGLE’s top picks for early 2025 are all demure, mindful and positively pared-down.

1) DAR DARMA RIAD: PALATIAL, YET COOLLY UNDERSTATED

As recommended by Rooh travel

Dry January could never be dull in Marrakech, the pink City. With Chef Maria on hand to create fresh briouats, tagines and soups, you're bound to feel nourished and restored. The hotel is equipped with a library and pool, with a 360-degree view of the Medina, the Koutoubia Mosque and the Atlas Mountains to be found on the terrace. These suites are affordable and artfully-decorated, with a serene feel.

https://www.dardarma.com/riad-medina-marrakech/

2) CAPELLA HOTEL GROUP EMBRACES THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2025 will be a year of shed skin and new beginnings. At the Capella, Sydney, guests are invited to explore ancient calligraphy practices, as well as traditional dance and tea-drinking rituals. Meanwhile in Hanoi, locals will celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán at the end of January, to mark the beginning of the new lunar year. Hotel guests can choose to participate in baking banh chung, or chung cake, a Vietnamese dish made from glutinous rice, mung bean, and pork. Younger guests will be kept busy in crafting traditional figurines from rice powder, painting fans made from local dzo paper, and creating bamboo ornaments.

www.capellahotels.com/en

Casa Montelongo, Fuerteventura - Photo by Marcos Rodríguez

3) MINIMALIST RESTORATION IN THE CANARIES

Open for nearly a year now, Casa Montelongo in La Oliva, Fuerteventura, comprises two living spaces (the Old Theatre and the Old House) designed by Néstor Pérez Batista. The 19th Century foundations have been fully renovated using local materials such as stone, wood, clay, lime and glass to create a uniquely restorative aesthetic, complete with a poolside sculpture from Tenerife artist, Óscar Latuag. Prices start from 300 euros per night.