The Chicest Thing You Can Do in 2026? Leave for the Whole of February
Long-stay luxury escapes are the new status symbol and the smartest way to travel when everyone else is still stuck in winter mode.
There is a particular kind of luxury that has nothing to do with a suite category, a waitlisted restaurant or an overwater villa. It’s quieter than that — and considerably more powerful. It’s the luxury of time. And in 2026, there is one move that feels unmistakably chic: leaving for the whole of February.
Not a five-day dash. Not a rushed half-term break. But a full month away - long enough to reset your internal clock, soften your pace, and briefly forget what weekday it is. It’s the kind of travel that reads less like a holiday and more like a lifestyle decision.
Fashion editors have long understood the appeal of fleeing winter at its greyest. But now this sensibility is being embraced by a wider set of travellers: entrepreneurs, creatives, families, and high-frequency flyers who are tired of travel that feels transactional. A February abroad is not about escapism. It’s about reclaiming the season - replacing cold commutes with sunlit mornings, and traded-out routines with something that feels better designed.
Why February: The Most Luxurious Month to Travel
For years, February was travel’s quiet month - bracketed by festive chaos and spring awakenings. But that’s exactly why it has become the new sweet spot. It offers three things that luxury travellers care about most:
1) Privacy without compromise
In many destinations, February delivers warm weather without peak-season density. You can secure the best villas, the best guides, the most coveted spa appointment slots - and still feel like the place belongs to you.
2) A chance to slow the nervous system
A true month away isn’t simply “more days”. It changes the texture of travel. You stop performing your itinerary and start living inside it. Long lunches, repeated rituals, the same beach walk each morning - that’s not indulgence. That’s wellbeing.
3) The new status symbol: presence
We used to signal luxury through excess: more cities, more bookings, more restaurant reservations. Now, the smartest travellers are signalling it through restraint. Staying longer, doing less, and returning home looking like you’ve been edited by the sun.
One Month Away: How to Plan it Properly
Before we get to destinations, it’s worth noting: the key to a successful February abroad is choosing the right shape of travel. A few principles we love:
One anchor property for 10–14 nights (so you can fully settle in)
One “contrast” location for a change of scenery (desert after sea, city after coast)
Villas or residences over standard rooms, so space becomes part of the luxury
A few slow rituals (spa day weekly, local market day, recurring dinner spot)
Most importantly: if you’re going away for a month, do not over-plan. The entire point is to experience a different rhythm - and to return feeling like you’ve actually lived somewhere, rather than merely consumed it.
The Maldives - for deep rest and the rare luxury of silence
Let’s start with the obvious - because it remains unbeatable. A full February in the Maldives is what travel looks like when it stops trying to entertain you and starts healing you. Days become soft and repetitive in the best way: a swim, a book, a slow breakfast, a massage, a sunset ritual. You don’t need a schedule. The sea does the work.
Why we love it:
Because it doesn’t just feel like an escape - it feels like a reset. And for long-stay travel, that’s everything.
Dubai - for sun, service, and effortless living
Dubai is one of the easiest long-stay luxury bases in the world. The flight connections are strong, the service culture is exceptionally high, and the lifestyle is frictionless — which matters more than people admit. For a month away, you want a destination that makes living well feel easy: beautiful beaches, extraordinary dining, wellness, shopping, and excellent private experiences.
Why we love it:
Dubai is not just a holiday destination anymore - it’s a long-stay city. You can live well here without trying.
For Elegant Calm and a Soulful Kind of Winter Sun: Oman
For travellers who want warmth without noise, Oman is the answer. There’s something deeply refined about the country’s aesthetic: the architecture is restrained, the landscapes feel cinematic, and the culture of hospitality is rooted in dignity rather than performance. Muscat offers beachfront elegance, lush nature, and relaxed sophistication. The desert offers stillness. The mountains offer space.
Why we love it:
Oman is what luxury looks like when it’s not trying to prove anything.
For Colour, Beauty, and a Sense of Theatre: Marrakech
If Dubai is polished ease, Marrakech is sensual energy. A February in Marrakech is about switching palettes: terracotta architecture, warm light, citrus courtyards, textured interiors, the sound of fountains. It’s a destination that makes you feel alive, and it suits the long-stay traveller because there’s always more to notice, more to taste, more to return to.
Why we love it:
Because it’s a colourful, heartfelt experience that inspires and enchants you time and again.
For Design Lovers and Volcanic Calm: Lanzarote (Canary Islands)
For travellers who want February sun without the crowds, Lanzarote is one of Europe’s most stylish escapes. The island feels beautifully elemental: volcanic landscapes, black-sand beaches, whitewashed architecture and a slow, restorative pace that makes winter feel very far away. It’s also quietly design-led, shaped by the legacy of César Manrique, whose vision preserved Lanzarote’s natural beauty and distinctive aesthetic.
Why we love it:
It’s winter sun for people who care about atmosphere - dramatic nature, thoughtful design, and a calm, cultivated feel that never tips into resort cliché. tips into resort cliché.
For Barefoot Luxury: The Caribbean
For long-stay travellers, the Caribbean offers something rare: a lifestyle that genuinely slows you down, but still feels glamorous. February is prime season: bright skies, ideal temperatures, and that effortless rhythm where days unfold around the water.
Why we love it:
Because it delivers the kind of luxury people are actually craving now - warm water, privacy, open-air living, and days shaped by mood rather than plans.
For Winter Sun with Soul: Thailand
Thailand is already known for its hospitality, but a February spent there - especially between islands and northern retreats - becomes something far more layered than a typical beach holiday. The wellness culture is strong, the food is exceptional, and the sense of place is vivid.
Why we love it:
You can start the day with meditation or a swim, end it in a night market or a serious food scene - few places balance deep reset and vivid experience this naturally.
Book with Us
A February abroad doesn’t just change your winter - it changes how you relate to travel. You return home calmer, clearer, and quietly transformed. This isn’t about being far away. It’s about being away long enough to remember what you feel like when your life isn’t rushed. And that may be the greatest luxury of all.