To end the year on a high note, there’s probably nothing better
than bathing in the colours of a magnificent desert sunset before a
sheet of stars fills the sky. To make the most of your natural
surroundings here, spend New Year at Amangiri, perhaps one of the
alluring destination hotels in the entire country – don’t be
surprised if your hungover breakfast neighbour on 1 January
is an up-and-coming Netflix star. The resort offers tented
pavilions, suites and even four-bedroom desert houses that you can
rent out for a holiday blowout en famille. Outdoor fires, Zen
design and five-star cocktails are all on the menu, as well as
once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as horseback riding to
Amangiri’s Chinle Site for dinner in the desert before the
countdown to midnight. On New Year’s Day, if you’re not tanning by
the stone pool, one of the most striking pieces of land in the US
is also a couple hours’ drive away: the warped, rosy-orange earth
that forms Antelope Canyon on Navajo territory in Arizona is
absolutely not to be missed if you’re in the area.

Watching the ball drop in New York on NYE seems so passé, so
this year we’re looking for a far-flung, hard-to-reach destination
to enjoy (and then humble-brag about). Escaping to Alaska with our
nearest and dearest seems like our best bet to do so. Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is a 45-minute plane ride
away from Anchorage, and once there, you’ll feel completely and
utterly isolated. Spend the last few days of 2019 jetting down
unmarked swathes of powder after being deposited by a helicopter,
then unwind and thaw your fingers and toes with a yoga class or in
the sauna and copper hot tub. On the eve itself, dinner will be the
main event, where you can count down to midnight with Kachemak Bay
oysters, gourmet scallop dishes and chianti from the lodge’s
500-bottle cellar.

If there’s any word to describe Palm Springs at New Year, it’s
got to be glam. Whether you’re heading to a private disco pool
party in sequinned trousers or will be dining out before dancing
under the stars by a bonfire at your hotel, any 31 December
experience here will feel exclusive and utterly fabulous. For an
evening surrounded by the bright young things who have gotten out
of Los Angeles for the holiday, hit up the Ace Hotel to dance the night
away by the swimming pool. Those looking for a slightly more
elevated evening should head to adults-only Sparrows Lodge for an
outdoor communal dinner followed by cocktails on pool beds for a
party worthy of a David Hockney painting. Given Palm Springs’
reputation as a spa weekend hideaway, it’s the ideal place to make
the most of your surroundings – smoothies, yoga and massages will
take you all the way into 2020.

Unless you’re invited to Beyonce and Jay-Z’s Tribeca loft for an
intimate soirée, we highly recommend staying far away from NYC if
you want to avoid the trials and tribulations of attempting to set
up a night out downtown on New Year’s Eve. If you’re in the city
and need an escape route, hop on the LIRR and head not to Montauk
but to Long Island’s North Fork, a haven for farmstands, empty
beaches and wineries. If your ideal New Year’s Eve scenario
involves renting a house with your family and closest friends and a
table covered with heaping plates of local food and full glasses of
wine, you’ll have found your nirvana. The snow-capped cottages in
tiny towns and expansive farm properties that make up this area
mean you’ll be spoiled for choice (and have less competition) when
booking a place, and will certainly not be bothered when you hole
up by the fireplace as you transition into 2020.

For a sunny getaway that’s further afield that Soho Beach House
and Nobu Malibu, jet to Maui for extravagant surroundings worthy of
ringing in the dawn of a new decade. This Hawaiian island is equal
parts dramatic luxury and landscapes, and the ideal spot for
spending the end of 2019 hiking to jungle waterfalls and surfing in
hidden coves. On New Year’s Eve itself, celebrate at Travaasa Hana hotel with an
elaborate sunset meal before dancing the night away on the
property’s grassy bluffs jutting out over black volcanic rock and
crashing waves. 2020 is all about embracing the outdoors, so this
stay is the best possible place to start things off on the right
foot – with no televisions or even alarm clocks on-site, you can
make the most of your time with afternoon naps under the sun and
midnight swims.

For a New Year holiday à la Ralph Lauren, there’s no place that
marries Western style and après-ski like Big Sky. Just north of
Yellowstone National Park, the entire area is breathtaking, with
snowy peaks, tall pines and log cabins making up much of the
landscape. As the name suggests, this destination is defined by
wide-open spaces, so prepare for endless days of skiing down
untracked pistes (that just so happen to have the most consistent
snow in the Rockies). Once you’ve tired out your legs on the 31st,
settle in by the fire with a hot toddy before a hefty meal of local
meats and cheeses and clinking champagne flutes at midnight. Dance
on tables in your ski socks until the wee hours of the morning then
wake up to a fresh sheet of snow to race through on the first day
of the new year.

While we’re doing our best to avoid big-city New Year scenarios
(as they typically involve stressful crowds and unnecessary
spending), New Orleans stands in a category of its own. Dance well
past midnight – we’re talking 4am – to the sound of a live band
charging through the city streets, and embrace the joie de vivre
this city is so well known for to start 2020 on the most positive
foot possible. In the run up to your night out (which, unlike
elsewhere, is guaranteed to be a blast no matter where you end up)
head to Bacchanal Wine. The outdoor music, spicy
Louisiana Gulf shrimp and overflowing wine list will get you in the
mood to party in no time.