Why choose Monte Carlo for a Christmas and New Year getaway?

Christmas and New Year are fast approaching and, for some people, that’ll mean looking forward to time spent with the family with glee. For others, this season is the ultimate time for a trip overseas – and personally, I think it’s hard to find a better time of year for a holiday.

After all, this way you can make your Christmas and New Year seriously memorable, not to mention escape all the stress of preparation while you’re at it. This year my chosen destination is the glitzy, glamorous Monte Carlo – and you can find out why below.

Avoid the chill

I know we’re all meant to dream of a white Christmas, but with autumn, winter and – if we’re honest – usually most of spring now too being on the decidedly uncomfortable side of chilly, I’d be quite happy to swap that for some sun. While Monte Carlo isn’t exactly tropical in December and January, it’s usually between 8 and 15 degrees C, which is much warmer than the UK’s averages!

So, while you might not be able to spend your days sunbathing on the sand, you should be able to stroll around without resorting to hats, scarves and thermal underwear!

Make your Christmas and New Year memorable

For me, one of the biggest advantages of taking a break in Monte Carlo is that it gives you so much scope for making your Christmas and New Year truly memorable. Don’t get me wrong – having a family tradition at home is lovely, but sometimes it’s nice to shake things up a bit and spend the season celebrating in true style.

With its array of luxury hotels (which, by the way, you can find great deals on here) and lavish casino complex, Monte Carlo couldn’t be more perfect for memorable celebrations. Make sure you take a trip to the world-famous Place du Casino to try your luck at classic games like poker, as well as checking out the various events on offer.

What’s nice about Monte Carlo is that there are some great things slated to take place at this time of year, including Christmas concerts, festive markets and ballet performances. The ballet performance of the Nutcracker Company – a new work – by the Compagnie des Ballets de Monte-Carlo promises to be a particular highlight.

Escape the seasonal rush

I’m pretty fond of Christmas, but I have to confess that I find the lead-up fairly tiresome. The shops get unbearably crowded, Christmas adverts run endlessly on TV and you never seem to get a spare minute to yourself. Book yourself a break in Monte Carlo, though, and you can swap all that for utter indulgence.

Of course, the key here is to try to time your break so you avoid the part of the Christmas rush that stresses you out the most. For instance, if you hate the run-up, maybe book it for earlier in December and arrive home just in time to carve the Christmas turkey. If you’d rather get away from the day itself though – not to mention the following days spent watching bad festive TV – then obviously it’s better to go away for the final week or two of December and stay in Monte Carlo for New Year too.

Whatever you decide to do, this gorgeous destination is the ideal place to treat and pamper yourself – the perfect way to celebrate Christmas and New Year.