In europe or further afield?

If europe.. it has to be the canaries without a shadow of a doubt..

further afield.. well thailand is popular that time of year...

We went to Lanzarote a couple of years ago and I would definately NOT recommend it. It was wet and cold. How about Egypt?

For the cheaper end of the market try Egypt or Gambia.
Taba Heights (Egypt) is nice but you might find this a bit quiet on the shopping front, as there is not much but the hotels and the beach there.

With a bigger budget I'd be looking at Dubai, Caribbean or S. Africa.

The Med. is too cold for the beach in January- even North Africa will be, which I'm afraid rules out Tunisia /Morocco etc
As mentioned, the Canaries can be nice, but the sea will definitely be cold.

How long were you thinking of going for ...this might determine how far you are prepared to travel and also your budget ?

Florida is 8hrs+..... but still comparatively cheap - the Florida Keys would be a great place to head off to.

I've been to Fuerteventura in the month of February and although the weather was quite warm (about 20c), the sea and pools were absolutely freezing!

Thanks for all the advice, Been to the canary islands that time of year it was great and warm but want to go somewhere different. Maybe eygpt but im worried about getting a poorly tummy or turkey if the weather is nice there in january or march time.

I think Turkey would definitelybe too cold in January..and you may struggle for flights since most tour operators don't start going there till April. Even March would be a tad cool for my liking. Also you won't avoid tummy problems in Turkey - my sister ended up in a Turkish hospital a few years back due to this......really these problems can strike where ever you go on holiday

Egypt is fine if you go to a good quality hotel. The ones in Taba Heights are mostly 5*; Hyatt, Sofitel, Marriot etc....... and relatively cheap as the resort has not really taken off yet (have a look at the Peltours website http://www.peltours.com/). As long as you are careful not to drink/ brush teeth in, the tap water you are pretty safe there. I can thoroughly recommend the Marriot hotel there for both fabulous food and accommodation (but I believe the Hyatt is equally good).

If you are looking at other Egyptian resorts, then just make sure you read the hotel reviews first before booking.

Hope you find somewhere nice

Goa would be another option. Goa's season is November to April and from reading on the Goa forum January is a popular time to go. We go in 37 days - can't wait.

As well as Taba in Egypt, you could also check out Sharm, El Gouna & Hurgarda. The only thing is the days might be quite short as it was getting dark about 6pm when I went and that was in April. Also the pools may well be cold. You need to check carefully to make sure the hotel you pick has at least one aclimatised pool. (Lots of the hotels have 3 or 4 pools but only heat one). Holidays in the Red Sea resorts tend to be very hotel based, unless you can find a hotel you are happy with in somewhere like Namma Bay.

Why not try thr Gambia, same time zone and only four hour flight.

For me that time of year its Thailand or Malaysia...its hot and sunny, the sea as warm as a bath...food and shopping all to be found especially if you do a multi centre holiday with a city thrown in.