If the thought of another Christmas of peeling spuds and juggling the barbecue has worn thin, there's still time to book your way out of hosting duties. A recent round-up of festive escapes shows four very different ways to spend December 25 without lifting a finger in the kitchen.
The most traditional option is a white Christmas on the water. APT's Magnificent Europe cruises sail between Amsterdam and Budapest along the Rhine, Main and Danube, threading past cities and towns that treat Christmas very seriously. Specific departures line up neatly with the big day: one Christmas and New Year's Eve sailing puts you in Bamberg on Christmas Eve, Nuremberg on Christmas Day and Regensburg on Boxing Day, with festive meals and celebrations handled on board. These cruises skew towards couples and adult groups, though you could just as easily tack a voyage onto a longer European trip and spend Christmas itself in a favourite city.
Prefer heat to mistletoe? The Maldives delivers Christmas with a private pool attached. JA Manafaru, a resort in the archipelago's far north, runs a 19-day festive program that includes a Christmas Eve beachfront gala dinner and bonfire, Christmas Day brunch with Santa turning up on the sand, and a Gatsby-themed New Year's Eve. Kids get treasure hunts, pool parties, workshops and festive films, and the resort's 84 villas and residences all come with private pools – it works for families and child-free guests alike.
Fiji's take blends local culture with family-friendly festivities. At Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort on Viti Levu's Coral Coast, Christmas Eve means carols by candlelight sung with a village choir; Christmas Day starts with a church service, then Santa arrives on the beach and a giant gingerbread house is cracked open on the lawn before a festive buffet or sunset dinner. Free kids' clubs, teen activities and a nanny service give parents a genuine break.
For anyone who finds a packed festive schedule exhausting rather than exciting, Sri Panwa in Phuket keeps things minimal: a six-course dinner at Baba Poolclub on December 24 and 25, plus panoramic views over the Andaman Sea. The days themselves stay free for pools and restaurants, and the real party waits for New Year's Eve, when silver-themed celebrations bring sunset drinks, a gala dinner, live entertainment and a countdown across the resort's venues.
The common thread is simple: whichever option appeals, someone else is doing the peeling and the washing up. Escaping at this late stage suits different travellers differently – couples after romance on a European river, families wanting a tropical Christmas with the kids looked after, or anyone who'd rather a quiet luxe dinner than a house full of chaos. Booking windows are tight, so if any of these sound like your kind of December 25, it's worth moving quickly.
Traveller (Sydney Morning Herald)
