July. Time to head south. For some, um, sunshine.

Counterintuitive? Nah. July’s when cheap places get cheaper and wildly expensive resorts become almost affordable. (Would you really rather fight the crowds at Martha’s Vineyard?)

Kick back at Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun. (Far, far away from frat-boy hell.) Visit La Hacienda Mundaca, or just watch gauzy curtains catch the ocean breeze at the Hotel Secreto (rates from $150).

Or kick it up in South Beach. (You can still respect yourself in the morning.) Go all out: Sneak into the Delano’s pool (from the beach), have a cortadito at David’s, get on the Sunday list at Nikki Beach, and stay at the Sagamore (from $159) or the Townhouse (from $99), which is right behind the Shore Club. It’s like getting the glamour without paying for it.

So much more than golf and gray-hairs, midcentury-modernist mecca Palm Springs rocks. Don’t miss Frey’s Tramway Gas Station or Neutra’s Kaufman House. Stay at the coolly luxe Viceroy (from $149) or the intimate Korakia Pensione (from $87).

One&Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas may redefine over-the-top. Book a room or, for a splurge, one of the new private villas (pool, butler, chef, iPods …). The reduced summer prices (rooms from $450; villas from $4,000) put it within reach. Well, sort of.

Just consider it research for next winter’s escape.

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