Destinations You Should Visit in 2019

By Lori Zaino From The Points Guy

TPG staffers are avid travelers, and we’re always on the hunt for the next hot destination. To help you plan next year’s travels, we put together a list of the 12 best places to visit in 2019 — a trip for every month of the year. We took into consideration new flight routes, exciting restaurant openings and hotel debuts, as well as annual festivals, once-in-a-lifetime events and, of course, took stock of our own travels and plans. From the South Pacific to the American South, we’re sure this list will inspire you to travel more in the new year.

Where to Go in January: St. Barts

There’s no better way to fight the post-holiday winter blues than a seriously glamorous escape to the Caribbean island of St. Barts.

“St. Barts has been on my list of places I’d love to visit for a long time, but 2019 is going to be the year,” TPG social media editor Samantha Rosen said. “The island has energetically rebounded from Hurricane Irma.”

The French island has always been known as an impossibly chic retreat, but hoteliers took their time following the hurricane to not just repair but completely reimagine their properties. (Such as the relaunch of Hotel Manapany, a B Signature Hotels & Resorts property on a private beach now billed as the island’s first ecohotel).

“I’ve got my eye on Le Sereno … and Eden Rock, where all of the menus at the hotel are under the direction of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten himself,” Rosen said. And at Le Barthélemy, which reopened in October 2018, guests can enjoy the cuisine of legendary French chef Guy Martin.

Le Sereno will welcome back guests in December 2018 after being completely demolished following Irma and rebuilt from the ground up. The island’s Cheval Blanc is also rumored to be opening at the end of 2018, and Eden Rock is expected to reopen in late 2019.

Plus, the island will be easier than ever to get to in January, too, as American Airlines plans to amp up its service to the gateway island of St. Martin (SXM). American’s nonstop flight from Charlotte (CLT) began in November, and flights from New York-JFK and Philadelphia (PHL) resume on Dec. 19, 2018. St. Martin is just a quick puddle jump away from St. Barts.

“I’m looking forward to being able to fly into Princess Juliana Airport, the airport on every AvGeek’s bucket list, to practice my newfound planespotting skills (the airport also closed and later reopened after last year’s tumultuous hurricane season). From here, I can hop on a shuttle flight to the equally awesome Gustaf III Airport (SBH) on St. Barts, known for its terrifying but awesome landings: abrupt descents on a skinny, short runway between steep mountains and the clear, blue ocean.”

For more on this story go to: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-destinations-for-2019/