Winter Sun Swimwear: What to Pack Dec–March
For winter sun swimwear from December through March, pack one fully lined one-piece for everyday swims and the hotel pool, one bikini for the warmest midday hours, a light long-sleeve shirt for breezy afternoons and cool evenings, and a sun hat that ties on. That is plenty. Winter beach days usually go wrong because of wind and long pool afternoons, not because you ran out of bikinis. Where you go changes the mix: in February the sea averages about 80°F in St. Thomas, about 75°F on Maui, and about 71°F on the Sea of Cortez side of Cabo.
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This is our home base for winter sun and holiday travel. It takes the five-piece system from our luxury swim capsule wardrobe and tunes it for the months when the trade winds pick up, the surf builds, and the evenings cool off.
Winter sun at a glance: three trips, three water temperatures
| Trip | Average sea temp, Feb | What winter changes | Daily suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (Caribbean) | About 80°F | Stronger trade winds, the “Christmas winds,” around the holidays | Bikini on calm days; lined one-piece for boat days |
| Maui, Hawaiʻi | About 75°F | Big surf on north- and west-facing shores, November through April | Lined one-piece plus a long-sleeve layer |
| Cabo San Lucas, Mexico | About 71°F (Sea of Cortez); about 67°F (Pacific side) | February nights around 55°F; Pacific-side beaches unsafe for swimming all year | Lined one-piece, and a layer for after sunset |
The Caribbean: warm water, windy holidays
The Caribbean is the warmest of the three. NOAA’s long-term averages put the sea at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, at about 80°F in January and February and about 82°F in December, so a bikini is fine on most days. The thing to plan for is wind. Sailors call the short spells of stronger trade winds that blow in late December through early January the “Christmas winds,” as Cruising World explains, and winter is also the islands’ dry season. Climbing out of the water onto a catamaran in that wind is when you will want a lined one-piece and a shirt to throw on.
Two Caribbean rules to know before you pack. The U.S. Virgin Islands bans sunscreens with oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene, so a zinc-based mineral formula is the easy choice. And a winter trip to Providenciales is a lot like a St. Thomas one: our Turks & Caicos beach uniform covers the long, flat-water beach days.
Hawaiʻi: pick your shore before you pick your suit
Hawaiʻi is about five degrees cooler: NOAA’s Kahului averages run about 75°F to 76°F from January through March. What really changes in winter is the surf. Hawaiʻi Ocean Safety says that from November through April, north shores get “consistent huge and dangerous swells,” west shores can get high surf as those swells wrap around, and south shores stay flat to small. For a swim-first winter trip, stay on a south shore such as Wailea and bring a lined one-piece you can bodysurf in.
Our Maui resort swim guide for Wailea and Kāʻanapali covers the resort side. In winter, pack a long-sleeve layer for windy lookouts and cool mornings.
Cabo: hot afternoons, cool nights, and two seas
Cabo is the trip people under-pack for. The Cabo Local puts February highs around 81°F and lows around 55°F. Its water guide puts the Sea of Cortez at about 71°F in February and March and the Pacific side at about 66°F to 67°F. The same guide says the Pacific beaches are dangerous for swimming year-round. Swim on the Sea of Cortez side, check the flag, and treat the Pacific beaches as places to walk and take photos.
That makes Cabo the trip that most needs the lined one-piece. Bring the long-sleeve shirt for whale-watching boats and for dinner, when the desert air cools off quickly. For the full resort edit, see our Los Cabos swim wardrobe for desert light and the Sea of Cortez.
Why the lined one-piece earns the suitcase space
When the beach gets windy, the day moves to the pool, and a winter week can mean a lot of chlorine. Fabric matters more than the label. SwimOutlet’s fabric guide notes that spandex does not hold up well in chlorine and that polyester is chlorine-resistant. Speedo’s chlorine-resistant Endurance+ fabric is a polyester and PBT blend. A resort suit still needs some stretch, so look for a shell that is mostly polyester, a full lining, and a cut you would happily wear to a pool lunch. No stretch suit is truly chlorine-proof, so rinse it in fresh water after every swim.
The winter sun capsule: six pieces
Each of these was in stock on Amazon when we checked in late October. Fabric details come from the listings, so check them again before you buy.
The daily suit: FLAXMAKER bow one-piece
A polyester-led shell (85% polyester, 15% spandex per the listing), fully lined, with removable soft cups and a bow detail, so it looks dressed at a pool lunch. This is the suit for windy boat days, laps in the hotel pool, and Cabo’s cooler water.
- Best for: Every day of the trip, and the pool
- Pair with: The gauze shirt and the Vivian hat
- Fit note: Reviewers say it runs small, so size up if you are between sizes
The warm-hours bikini: ZAFUL three-piece halter set
This is your one bikini for calm, 80-degree afternoons in St. Thomas. The listing says the top and bottoms are lined, and the matching mesh skirt is your walk-to-lunch cover.
- Best for: Calm Caribbean days and lounger time
- Pair with: SOJOS sunglasses and flat sandals
- Fit note: Listed in S through XXL (US 4–18). The skirt is sheer by design
The wind layer: gauze button-down shirt
Light, loose and long-sleeved. Throw it over a wet suit on a catamaran, wear it to a Maui lookout, or wear it to dinner when Cabo drops to the 50s. It is not UPF-rated, so it is for wind and warmth, not a substitute for sunscreen.
- Best for: Boat days, sunsets and airport-to-pool
- Pair with: The lined one-piece, knotted at the waist
- Fit note: Relaxed cut. Check the size chart, because the listing’s fabric details vary
The hat that stays on: Sunday Afternoons Vivian
Wind takes plenty of straw hats. This one has a 4-inch brim, a UPF 50+ rating and an adjustable chin strap, and it is packable, so it stays on in the Christmas winds and doesn’t eat suitcase space.
- Best for: Boat days and breezy beaches
- Pair with: The gauze shirt
- Fit note: The chin strap is adjustable
The reef-rule sunscreen: Sun Bum Mineral SPF 50, 3 oz
A zinc oxide mineral formula in a 3-ounce tube, small enough for your carry-on liquids bag and a good fit for the U.S. Virgin Islands rules. The label says to reapply after 80 minutes of swimming.
- Best for: Every trip on this page
- Pair with: The Vivian hat
- Fit note: Mineral formulas can leave a light white cast at first
The glare cut: SOJOS polarized sunglasses
Low winter sun on the water is bright. These are polarized with UV400 lenses, and the frame is a rounded square.
- Best for: Boat decks and Sea of Cortez afternoons
- Pair with: Either suit
- Fit note: Check the frame measurements on the listing
What to leave at home
Leave the fourth and fifth bikinis, the heavy terry cover-up that never dries in a sea breeze, and any suit you would only wear for photos. Two suits that dry overnight, one shirt, one hat and a mineral sunscreen will cover a week in any of these places. That leaves room in the suitcase for a dinner dress.
Heading to the snow instead this winter? Our sister site Two Step & Tequila has a ski trip packing list for Texans.
