January, it comes quicker than you think this time of the year. We haven’t even celebrated Christmas or New Year to that matter and suddenly, suddenly, we are thinking about January.

And here’s the issue we have with that. In the early 2000s a psychologist and a marketing team created a new phenomenon which no-one needed, the PR stunt was called, Blue Monday.

Taking place on the third Monday of January, it’s when, apparently, we are at our lowest. Post Christmas come down, already failing at our New Year’s Resolutions and… the weather. It’s not exactly great in the northern hemisphere. It’s cold, it’s very dark and you don’t want to do anything.

That’s why thinking about your great January getaway isn’t such a bad idea. Because, even though it may be a last minute consideration just think about this; you get to escape. We don’t mean the whole, Blue Monday, nonsense. We mean generally. Because getting away has been proven to help relieve stress – perfect for post Christmas and giving us that much needed pick up.

So, where do you go?

Chase the sun

You could do no worse than chasing the sun, no ordinary sun either. You don’t want to head to where others have thought of. You want somewhere private, chilled, fun and you want to swap ice trodden paths with sand between the toes. Dinners away from the fireplace and more like dinners facing the rolling sea whilst the warm breeze caresses your skin.

Mauritius it is…

Mauritius is the kind of place that feels like it’s been waiting for you, a postcard-perfect island with a rhythm all its own. Where the morning sun rises over the lagoons, breakfasts that are slow and relaxed with afternoons of… nothing. It feels like a fantasy doesn’t it? It’s not though.

This is where understated is probably best described. It’s the kind of place that resets you in quiet ways. Soft, white beaches, uncrowded by more than a few dozen at best. The shallow warm waters and the people who smile with effortless charm; you remember how good kindness feels.

Here, January isn’t the start of something stressful, it’s the return to what matters. Fresh air. Warmth. Time that stretches. You’ll find five-star resorts cocooned by palm trees, private villas perched above coral reefs, and world-class service that makes even your smallest whim feel anticipated.

Or will it be the paddle boarding at dawn, the long lunch with your feet in the sand or a local rum cocktail in one hand whilst you just sit and… breathe. Watch as the light softly changes over the Indian Ocean and you realise that this is the getaway of getaways.

Maybe it’s Villa Carmen calling

And if you’re staying with Le Marquis, that feeling deepens. Take Villa Carmen, for example, a serene retreat where architecture meets atmosphere. With over 9,700 ft² of living space, six bedrooms, and a private landscaped garden, it’s the kind of home that feels made for gathering.

The open-plan kitchen and living space flow effortlessly toward the pool, while each bedroom offers its own quiet sanctuary, complete with bespoke, locally crafted furniture and light that moves gently through floor-to-ceiling windows.

There’s space to breathe, to reconnect, to remember what ease feels like. Maybe it’s morning yoga in the private suite, a swim before breakfast, or evenings spent dining under a bruised pink sky while the sea hums softly in the background.

January isn’t meant for feeling blue, it’s meant for beginning again, where the sky is always a little bluer than you remember and where an escape like Mauritius gives it back to you in colour, calm and clarity.