Sunshine or Slopes: Shop the Sale for your Next Getaway

One way to beat the January blues is to use the month to plan all of your holidays for the rest of the year. No matter if you’re hitting the slopes or making a beeline for the beaches, our sale consists of the perfect blend of both summer and winter garments so you can bolster your suitcase with stylish kit for less. We asked our friends at Secret Trips to curate four stunning destinations where you can make the most out of your sale purchases...

Hochzillertal, Austria

With a resort altitude of 2400m above sea level, the stunning Hochzillertal in the Zillertal Valley of the Tyrol in Austria never fails to disappoint when it comes to spring skiing. While just shy of 91km of slopes, there's plenty to keep all levels of skiers occupied, together with an excellent fun park. But what sets Hochzillertal apart is the quality of its ski-in-ski-out restaurants, namely the super futuristic Kristallhütte, and the exemplary gourmet experience to be had at Wedelhütte. The former is an achingly cool mirrored glass structure with stunning views of the valley, and a large terrace that is regularly jumping thats to the resident DJ; while the latter boasts some of the best farm-to-table cuisine and a vast wine list which has a focus on Austrian and South Tyrolean wines.

Funchal, Madeira

Located on a large ocean-facing slope in the south of Madeira – an island in the middle of the Atlantic about 300 miles west of Morocco – Funchal is shaped rather like a natural amphitheatre. It was here that the great Christopher Columbus would seek refuge in winter due to the island’s agreeable tropical climate. Incredible flora and fauna abound, with the violet jacaranda in full bloom in April. This island is often referred to as the Hawaii of Europe, with its stunning volcanic beaches, lush forestation, otherworldly sunrises, stunning mountain passes, cascading waterfalls and mysterious mist-shrouded highlands, alongside an emerging food and wine scene. Funchal is its epicentre, and boasts some incredible cuisine. To get under the skin of the place and discover where to eat, read this extensive guide by Secret Trips Creative Director Lee Osborne.

Verbier, Switzerland

Verbier is one of the top off-piste resorts in the Alps, making it a skiers paradise. It's also an amazing place for raucous après-ski too, with the infamous Farm club still going strong since it opened in 1971. Verbier has a reputation for being a rich person's playground, and it is certainly one of the most expensive resorts in Switzerland if you plan on raising hell and dining well. But if you're super into your skiing, there's no better place. We tapped up some inside knowledge courtesy of Tom Avery, the record-breaking polar explorer and Verbier resident for his secret tip on where to head off-piste: "My secret tip is Bruson in Verbier. It’s the locals’ go-to place to get the best snow, avoid the crowds, have beautiful tree-lined skiing and get away from it all. Next year it’s going to be even more accessible thanks to a brand-new chairlift that’s going in. Bruson is a relatively small area. It’s on the opposite side of the valley to Verbier; if you’re in Verbier you look across to it all the time. The brand-new lift will be accompanied by a new traditional Swiss restaurant where a local chef will be using local produce – a signature dish will be nettle soup, which is very typical of the region. This should elevate the place; but I confess, I hope it doesn’t make it too busy, as up to now it has been a complete hideaway, a seasonaire’s secret – like a mini Lapland with the pines, and all north-facing so it’s usually blanketed in a nice covering of light, fluffy snow.

Miami, USA

If you want the inside track on Miami, only local knowledge will do. So we asked our friend and Secrettrips.com contributor Jane Moggio, a local with a great nose for style, design, and culture.

"To outsiders, Miami is South Beach. Bikinis, big hair, big hotels. To locals, the beaches are what the Meatpacking District and SoHo are for New Yorkers: tourist destinations. The real action goes on across Biscayne Bay in the city proper. In the past, it was New York that had it all: food, art, music, cool. Recently, though, everything has started to shift south. And now urban Miami is America’s most dynamic city, a place that’s being constantly revitalised by waves of newcomers from southern Europe, the US West Coast, Latin America… Everywhere you look, something new has opened or just been restored to its former glory. David Beckham’s new stadium has been given the green light. The World Cup is coming. Formula 1 is here. But more than anything else, there is an air of optimism about the place. Come now and catch it on the up and up." For a peerless insider guide on Miami, from where to stay to the finest restaurants and bars, visit secrettrips.com.