Blue Monday: Three Caribbean destinations to brighten up the saddest day of the year

Have you ever felt as though, around the middle of January, everything seems to become a little greyer? Well, you’re not alone. The third Monday of every January is a day that many consider ‘the saddest day of the year’… the famous, or rather ‘infamous’, Blue Monday.

So what if, instead of giving in to the melancholy, you decided to escape to a destination of sunshine, white sand, and crystalline waters?

At Princess Hotels Caribbean we believe that no sadness can resist a ray of Caribbean sunshine, and that the best antidote to sadness is a dip in the sea, a warm breeze, and a welcoming smile from our staff.

With that in mind, today, we’re going to suggest three Caribbean destinations where Blue Monday doesn’t exist: Punta Cana, Riviera Maya and Jamaica.

What is Blue Monday?

Blue Monday has been identified as a particular day that invites reflection and reconnection with oneself.

Usually falling on the third Monday in January, it comes at a time when the year is just getting started and the return to the old routine creates the perfect scenario for a pause for reflection.

It is a date marked by a combination of cold weather, the end of the holidays, the return to routine, unfulfilled resolutions, Christmas over-spending, and a general feeling of tiredness… all of which lead to this day being considered (somewhat ironically) the saddest of the year.

While it is popularly known as the saddest day of the year, today it can be interpreted from a more positive perspective: an opportunity to rethink goals, recharge energy, and focus on personal well-being.

So Blue Monday is also a reminder that every day is a new opportunity to adjust course and start again with a somewhat brighter, more motivational attitude.

Punta Cana: where there’s no room for Blue Monday

If there’s one place capable of erasing the word “sadness” from the calendar, it is Punta Cana. Imagine waking up to the murmur of the waves, the scent of coconut, and a breeze gently caressing your skin.

With its endless beaches, relaxed pace, and cheerful energy, this is the ideal destination for disconnecting from routine. At the Princess hotels in Punta Cana there’s no room for stress, as every corner of this destination has been designed to help you reconnect with yourself, your partner, or your family, and leave your worries behind.

Punta Cana with your family: relaxation for all

If you’re travelling with your family, Punta Cana offers entertainment and tranquillity under one roof.

Our hotels Grand Bávaro Princess, Princess Family Club Bávaro, Caribe Deluxe Princess and Tropical Deluxe Princess in Punta Cana offer a slice of paradise that has been specifically designed so that every member of the family can leave stress behind and immerse themselves in the serious business of having fun.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are a few ideas you can imagine yourself doing with your loved ones:

• Enjoy leisurely days at the beach, building sandcastles, messing about in the pool, or simply soaking up the sun while accompanied by your favourite drink.
• Activities for the whole family – adults, children and teenagers – organised by our entertainment teams allow us to let off steam, let our hair down, and create family moments that will stay with us for a long time.
• Swimming pools, slides, mini clubs and themed areas designed to spread joy among the little ones.
• An extensive and varied range of culinary options, because we all know that a full tummy makes for a happy soul.
• Away from the hotels, together you can explore natural parks, take an excursion on a catamaran, or discover picture-perfect beaches in idyllic locations

Here at Princess Hotels in Punta Cana, Blue Monday gives way to laughter, games and shared moments, because we know that life’s best memories begin with simple moments shared with love.

Punta Cana as a couple: romance and total relaxation

Punta Cana, an intimate retreat where time stands still.

For those seeking a romantic getaway to break with routine and the melancholy of Blue Monday, Punta Cana Princess is the ideal destination:

• Peaceful walks on the beach at dawn, where the murmur of the sea provides the ultimate emotional refuge.
• Intimate sea-side dinners, perfect for reconnecting and enjoying being the moment.
• Our Spa Princess and its relaxing treatments, designed to reduce accumulated stress and renew mind and body.
• Rooms and suites designed for total rest and relaxation, with spaces that invite peace and tranquillity… and don’t forget a hydro-massage in the whirlpool tub!

As a couple, Punta Cana provides a break from the world; a space to breathe and remember that even the greyest of days can be transformed into something idyllic. Here, Blue Monday fades with every knowing glance…

Punta Cana with friends: endless fun

Travelling with friends to Punta Cana is synonymous with laughter, sharing plans, and memories that will be retold time and time again.

If what you’re looking for is to disconnect from Blue Monday in the company of your loved ones and swap your routine for Caribbean sunshine and ambience, our Punta Cana Princess and Caribe Deluxe Princess hotels are the ideal starting point for enjoying this experience together

Here are a few inspirational ideas to help you imagine enjoying yourself in a group setting:

• Endless days at the beach, between dips in the sea, impromptu games on the sand, and raising a glass under the sun.
• Swimming pools to cool off, relax, or liven up the mood with great music and the best holiday vibes.
• Sports and leisure activities in which to share challenges, have a laugh, and create moments that will bring you even closer together.
• Bars and nightlife venues where you can chat, celebrate friendship, and let the night unfold.
• A varied culinary offering designed for sitting down together at the table and turning every meal into another holiday experience.
• And away from the hotel, excursions by catamaran, aquatic adventures and/or visits to spectacular beaches provide yet another way of chalking up more unforgettable experiences.

Getaways to Punta Cana with friends are transformed into stories that will last a lifetime. Here, Blue Monday is replaced by laughter, camaraderie, and that feeling of being exactly where you want to be, with those who make the world a better place.

Riviera Maya: ring in the New Year with smiles and Mexican landscapes

The Riviera Maya is a destination that invites you to disconnect from your routine and reconnect with what really matters.

The combination of white sand beaches, tropical jungle, vestiges of Mayan culture, and wide range of wellness experiences make it the ideal place to escape Blue Monday and kick the year off with renewed energy.

Riviera Maya as a family

Travelling with your family to the Riviera Maya means transforming everyday life into moments of shared enjoyment.

In these surroundings holidays are experienced with unbridled enthusiasm, especially when you’re staying in spaces designed for the whole family…. speaking of which, the newly remodelled Grand Sunset Princess offers a completely revamped experience, with a range of newly-refurbished areas and amenities.

Updated restaurants with options for all tastes, a water park that’s sure to become a favourite with the little ones, an ice cream parlour, ideal for cooling off on sunny days, and many more areas reinvented with the aim of creating unforgettable memories.

And all this in a safe, comfortable environment where every member of the family can find their own space and leave behind any hint of the blueness associated with Blue Monday.

Riviera Maya as a couple

For those seeking a getaway focused on romance and disconnection, the Riviera Maya offers the perfect setting, especially when you choose the Platinum Yucatan Princess, our adults-only hotel designed exclusively for couples.

All our areas and amenities are designed to create an intimate, sophisticated ambience: tranquil pools, specialty restaurants, elegant bars, and a Mayan-inspired spa, in addition to a range of other spaces where relaxation and privacy take centre stage.

Every detail here invites you to kick back, enjoy the moment, and reconnect with your partner.

Swapping a grey Monday for an experience filled with tranquillity, comfort and togetherness is surely one of the best ways to beat those Blue Monday Blues.

Riviera Maya with friends

Travelling with friends to the Riviera Maya is the perfect excuse to break with routine and transform Blue Monday into days of good vibes, laughter and shared experiences.

Every day in this destination is experienced with renewed energy, especially when you’re staying in hotels designed for group enjoyment, such as the renovated Grand Sunset Princess, where newly-revamped areas invite you to enjoy spending time together, or the Platinum Yucatan Princess.

Here are some inspirational ideas to help you imagine your getaway with friends:

• Relaxing mornings on the beach or by the pool, combining sun, music and leisurely chit-chat.

• A water park and communal areas where fun is contagious and every idea becomes another anecdote.

• Renovated restaurants with varied culinary offerings designed so you sit down together and linger over after-dinner conversation.

• Bars and spaces to toast the sunset and let the evenings unfold with laughter and great company.

• And away from the hotel, excursions along the Riviera Maya, visits to cenotes, Mayan ruins, or picture-perfect beaches… all ideas to add a touch of adventure to your trip

On the Riviera Maya trips with friends are transformed into memories that will stay with you forever.

Here, Blue Monday is left at the office and replaced by camaraderie, unbridled enjoyment, and the feeling of having exactly what you need: the opportunity to spend quality time together.

Escape the Blue Monday Blues in Jamaica

A luxurious journey into connection, renewal, and pure island joy

Blue Monday may be known as the year’s “heaviest” day but in Jamaica, it becomes something entirely different: a chance to disconnect from the weight of routine and rediscover the beauty of simply living.

Here, soft ocean breezes replace stress, rhythms of reggae melt tension, and every sunrise brings a reminder that joy is not a fleeting moment, it’s a destination. And it’s waiting for you.

Princess Hotels Jamaica invites you to trade the ordinary for the extraordinary, with two distinct escapes designed to reconnect you with the people you love most.

Jamaica for Families

Reconnect through adventure, play, and unforgettable shared moments.

There is no better antidote to the Blue Monday Blues than watching your family light up with wonder and Jamaica is the perfect place to make that happen.

At Princess Grand Jamaica, families step into a world crafted for all ages:

• Days of adventure: From splash-filled laughter at the Wild Princess Water Park to friendly competitions on our multifunctional courts, every corner of the resort invites connection.

• Spaces made for togetherness: Choose comfort and convenience in our Princess Family Junior Suites with Bunk Beds, designed for families who travel with ease, style, and a little extra room to play.

• Experiences for every age and interest: persons 12 years and older dive into immersive virtual reality in the E-Games Zone, young explorers discover creativity in our 7-zone Kids Club, and parents finally get to rest, knowing everyone is exactly where they want to be.

Jamaica brings families closer, but Princess Grand Jamaica makes every moment unforgettable.

Jamaica for Couples

Escape into intimacy, serenity, and a world designed only for two.

For couples looking to dissolve the stress of Blue Monday, Princess Senses The Mangrove offers the ultimate sanctuary for reconnection.

• A setting made for romance: Imagine strolling along a private peninsula, sharing candlelit dinners as waves whisper against the shore, or unwinding in a luxurious swim-out suite designed for rest, romance, and quiet indulgence.

• Elevated adults-only tranquility: From serene pools to intimate lounges, every space invites you to slow down, savor each other’s company, and let the outside world fade.

• Exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences: Couples who book our pleasure suites enjoy access to the O’Club an enclave of sophistication, while our Overwater Villas offer mornings suspended above crystal-blue waters and sunsets that feel like they were painted just for you.

This is Jamaica at its most refined. A retreat where love feels effortless, time stretches gently, and every detail is crafted to bring you closer.

Jamaica with friends

Experience the island to the rhythm of music, laughter and shared freedom

Some trips are unforgettable, and those taken with friends to Jamaica are destined to become legendary. When Blue Monday hits, this island vibrates, perhaps as a reminder that life is also meant to be celebrated together.

At Princess Senses The Mangrove, friendship is experienced without timetables, and without haste. Here, it’s not just about resting up, but about feeling the energy of the Caribbean in every shared idea: mornings that begin with the sun reflecting off the pool, afternoons of challenges and entertainment at the resort, and evenings that linger, with music, toasts, and conversations that you can only have with those who really matter.

Jamaica invites you to get out there, explore, and let yourself go… to share adventures inside and outside the hotel, to laugh until it hurts, and to create memories that, once you return home, will be retold over and over.

Because travelling with friends isn’t just about changing location; it’s about changing pace, mood and perspective. And in Jamaica, that change feels stronger than ever: Blue Monday here fades away to the rhythm of reggae, golden sunsets, and the complicity of experiencing something unique, together.

This Blue Monday, choose joy. Choose connection. Choose Jamaica.

Let Princess Hotels Jamaica be the place where your story begins.

Blue Monday does not have to be synonymous with sadness. It can become the perfect excuse to treat yourself to something much more valuable than any object: an experience.

Booking a trip to the best destinations in the Caribbean means investing in wellbeing, excitement and memories that truly make us happy.

Whether with family, your partner or even on your own, swapping the grey of winter for the blue of the sea is undoubtedly one of the best remedies for any emotional slump. And perhaps the best possible start to the year ahead.

Are you coming? Leave us a comment, we’ll read it!

Categories: Caribbean, Travel Tips, Jamaica, Punta Cana, Riviera Maya