Christmas week is the one week of the year when a great hotel stops being a place to sleep and becomes the whole trip. The best luxury Christmas vacations are built around a house that knows how to throw a holiday: a palace in the snow, a grand hotel with a set Christmas program, or a resort where Santa arrives by jet ski.

These are the hotels I would book for December 24 to 27 this year, with the 2026 festive details each one has confirmed. If you want pure sunshine instead, my guide to warm places to visit in December covers the Caribbean and Mexico in depth, and if you would rather spend early December wandering stalls, start with the best European Christmas markets for 2026.

The Alpine Palaces: St. Moritz

If your idea of Christmas involves snow that actually stays on the ground, St. Moritz is the answer. Both of its grand hotels open their winter seasons in the first week of December, which means the houses are fully staffed, the lifts are running and the Engadin is properly white by Christmas week.

Badrutt’s Palace Hotel

Badrutt’s Palace opened in 1896 and is still owned by the Badrutt family. Its 2026–27 winter season runs December 3, 2026 to March 30, 2027. The hotel’s most famous holiday tradition is its Christmas Tree Auction, a black-tie charity gala held in the days just before Christmas, when one-of-a-kind trees designed by luxury houses and artists are auctioned for local causes. The only rule is size: no tree may be taller than 1.80 meters. The 2023 edition marked the auction’s 25th year, by which point it had raised more than CHF 3.7 million.

In winter the hotel runs 11 restaurants, two bars and a nightclub, including La Coupole-Matsuhisa, and the new Serlas Wing opened in 2025. I have written about why Badrutt’s Palace is the winter home of the jet set; book a table by the great window over the frozen lake at least once.

Suvretta House

Suvretta House is the quieter, more old-money choice, set above town with its own ski lift about 100 meters from the entrance, serving the Corviglia slopes. It calls itself the only ski-in, ski-out hotel in St. Moritz, and has 181 rooms including 10 suites. The 2026–27 season runs December 4, 2026 to March 29, 2027.

The big night is New Year’s Eve, a black-tie gala in the Grand Restaurant. Last year’s theme was “Cirque du Suvretta,” with a Champagne reception in the lobby, a five-course dinner and dancing past midnight; the 2026 theme has not been announced. For families, the Teddy Club has its own children’s restaurant. My old-money ski trip at Suvretta House has the room to book (a Junior Suite facing the lakes).

The City Grand Hotels

A city Christmas is a different pleasure: shops lit, churches full, and a hotel that hands you a Christmas Eve dinner reservation so you do not have to fight for one.

The Goring, London

The Goring in Belgravia does the most complete Christmas package I know of, and it has published every detail for 2026. The three-night stay runs Thursday, December 24 to Sunday, December 27, 2026, with Champagne and chocolates on arrival, Christmas Eve dinner in the Dining Room or the Veranda, Christmas Day lunch or dinner in the Michelin-starred Dining Room, and Boxing Day lunch. Rates start from £1,495 per night for bedrooms and £2,305 for suites (double occupancy, service charge extra). Note the deadline: cancellations after November 25, 2026 are non-refundable.

It is a few minutes’ walk from Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park, which makes Christmas morning walks very easy. I wrote about a perfect day at The Goring, from the 5pm cocktail delivered to your room to the Eggs Drumkilbo that opens dinner.

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

Every December, artistic director Jeff Leatham turns the Four Seasons George V into a winter garden, and it is the reason to stay here rather than anywhere else in Paris for Christmas. In recent years the festive program has included a Christmas tea at La Galerie with a sculptural bûche de Noël, gospel choirs on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, special menus at Le Cinq, Le George and La Galerie, and live music on New Year’s Eve. The 2026 program had not been published at the time of writing, so ask the hotel when you book.

Book Christmas Eve dinner at Le Cinq the day you book the room. More on the hotel in my romantic trip to the Four Seasons George V.

Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo

Monaco at Christmas is the Riviera without the summer crowds, and the Hôtel de Paris is its stage. For a decade Chopard has designed the lobby Christmas tree, more than eight meters tall, built overnight by its own decorators; the 2026 theme is being kept secret until it is unveiled. Cédric Grolet serves a Christmas Tea Time in the Patio.

New Year’s Eve is fully published: the December 31, 2026 gala dinner at Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse is €1,300 per person before wine, and the Salle Empire dinner show is €1,450 including a half-bottle. I stayed in a sea-view Exclusive Room, and my Hôtel de Paris review covers the rest.

The Country Castle: Ashford Castle, Ireland

Ashford Castle in County Mayo is for the family that wants a houseparty Christmas, with fires lit and nowhere to drive. A castle has stood here since 1228, and Red Carnation Hotels reopened it after a full restoration in 2015. Its residential Christmas has traditionally run December 24 to 27, with Christmas Eve dinner, a morning boat trip on Lough Corrib, tastings, films and estate activities like falconry and archery across the 350 acres. Confirm this year’s program directly with the castle. Before you go, read what staying in a castle hotel is really like.

A Christmas in the Sun

The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas

For a warm Christmas with a real program, The Ocean Club on Paradise Island has published its 2026 festive season in detail. Santa arrives in the lobby on Christmas Eve, followed by a parachute appearance, and also makes an island-style arrival by jet ski during the season. Junkanoo dancers go through the resort on Tuesday, December 29, and New Year’s Eve brings a five-course dinner at DUNE by Jean-Georges, Junkanoo and fireworks. See the full festive schedule.

It is also one of the easiest holiday trips from Boston: JetBlue launched daily nonstop service from Logan to Nassau last December, so check this winter’s schedule when you book.

If you want somewhere smaller, St. Barths is the Caribbean’s Christmas capital. Rosewood Le Guanahani publishes a festive program each year (last year Santa came to the beach on Christmas Eve morning), and Gustavia holds a Village de Noël on the harbor quays in mid-December. For Nevis, Canouan, Anguilla and the rest, see my December warm-weather guide.

Your Christmas Week 2026 Calendar

• November 25: The Goring’s Christmas stay becomes non-refundable
• December 3: Badrutt’s Palace opens for winter
• December 4: Suvretta House opens for winter
• December 24 to 27: The Goring’s three-night Christmas stay
• December 24: Santa’s arrival at The Ocean Club
• December 29: Junkanoo at The Ocean Club
• December 31: New Year’s Eve gala at Le Louis XV, Hôtel de Paris

Festive programs can change, so confirm the details with each hotel before you book.

How to Book a Luxury Christmas Vacation

• Book the package, not just the room. At hotels like The Goring, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals are part of the stay. Elsewhere, reserve them when you book.
• Expect minimum stays. Many hotels require three or more nights over Christmas and New Year’s.
• Read the cancellation terms. Festive rates often become non-refundable weeks before arrival.
• Pack for the program. Gala nights in St. Moritz and Monaco are black tie.

FAQ

Where is the best place to spend Christmas in luxury?

For snow, St. Moritz, where Badrutt’s Palace and Suvretta House are both open by early December. For a city, London’s Goring has the most complete published Christmas package. For sun, The Ocean Club in the Bahamas has a full 2026 festive program and a nonstop from Boston.

When should I book a Christmas vacation?

As early as you can. Small hotels fill first, and festive packages often have deadlines: The Goring’s 2026 stay is non-refundable after November 25.

Are luxury hotels open on Christmas Day?

Yes, and the best ones plan the day for you. Expect a Christmas lunch or dinner, often a choir or a visit from Santa, and New Year’s Eve galas that are booked out weeks ahead.