30 winter sun holiday you'll love (whatever kind of traveller you are)
Some like it hot, some not. Most of us dream of a break from the chill and gloom we’re stuck with for the next few months, but winter sun means different things to different people. You might relish baking at 30C on a white sand beach and don’t mind flying 12 hours to get there. Others just want mild, sunny weather. Some would like an early night, some would rather dance until sunrise, whereas some would like to, but have children to think about. Our winter sun problem solver takes all this into account and suggests solutions for all sorts. And if you can’t find something that suits here, try our online Heatseeker app at telegraph.co.uk/tt-heatseeker.
Prices quoted are per person based on two sharing for seven nights in January, and include hotel accommodation with breakfast, and return flights from London. Where relevant, book-by dates are also quoted, but all prices are subject to change. Where trips are longer or occur in a different month, details are also given. Temperatures are the daily average peak for the month of travel suggested.
Best for beachside relaxation
Adult resort in Oman
Fast developing as a subtle upmarket tourist destination, Oman has good beaches and an idyllic winter climate. The opulent, five-star Shangri-La Al Husn Resort & Spa near Muscat is aimed at adult guests (no under-12s permitted in the hotel and two of its four restaurants exclude children aged 16 years and under). There is a private beach and new boutique spa and fitness centre opened this year.
How hot? 77F (25C)
£1,889 including transfers, departing Jan 17 2019. Sovereign Luxury Travel (sovereign.com).
Spa hotel in the Maldives
Few places allow you to escape quite so completely as the Maldives. Fewer still have quite such idyllic beaches and such slick resorts. The five-star Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Maldives on the Noonu Atoll sits on a white-sand beach and offers a spa, kids club, pool and watersports including a diving centre.
How hot? 48F (29C)
From £2,559. Book by Sept 30 for this price which includes seaplane transfers. BA Holidays (ba.com).
Seaside luxury in St Lucia
If you prefer the Caribbean, I’d vote for St Lucia, especially the south-west coast. Here, set in tropical gardens and with views over the Piton mountains, the four-star Anse Chastanet Resort has a spa and diving centre. Rooms overlook two long, sandy beaches.
How hot? 84F (29C)
From £2,699 including transfers. Book by Dec 15. Caribtours (caribtours.com).
Best for sociable solo travellers
Beaches in Cape Verde
For more of a fly-and-flop break, designed as a holiday specifically for singles, Friendship Travel has a house-party style, seven-night stay at the recently-upgraded five-star Iberostar Boa Vista by Praia de Chaves beach in the Cape Verde Islands. Accommodation is in beachside bungalows with small gardens and the hotel offers exercise classes, watersports and kite surfing.
How hot? 73F (23C)
£1,725 including transfers, all meals, activities and entertainment programme with Friendship Travel (friendshiptravel.com). No single supplement. Departs Feb 23 2019.
Cuba tour
Escorted tours are a sure way of finding a like-minded group and a convivial way to travel. Relatively few combine winter sun, but Ace Cultural Tours is running a 13-day Cuba trip with six nights in the capital Havana plus a stay in the colonial town of Trinidad. Art history expert Peter Higginson leads the tour and the itinerary includes a walk in the Parque El Cubano with a nature guide.
How hot? 79F (26C)
£3,995 including transfers and most meals with Ace Cultural Tours (aceculturaltours.co.uk). Single supplement £400. Departs Jan 10 2019.
Cruising the Amazon
Cruising is an obvious choice for a sociable holiday. The 14-night Amazon River Adventure on Braemar provides both Caribbean warmth and more exploration. Departing from Barbados, the itinerary takes in Grenada and Brazil with a cruise along the Amazon and a jungle trek.
How hot? 86F (30C)
£1,899 including transfers and all meals with Fred Olsen (fredolsencruises.com). No single supplement on the Jan 17 2019 departure (ref M1902) if booked by Oct 17 2018.
Best for culture
The Pyramids and the seaside
The Egyptian climate in winter is idyllically warm and dry, and the concerns over security have eased in the last couple of years. This could be a good winter to see the sights and top up a tan.
Audley Travel is offering up a tailor-made 11-day Cairo and beach trip that combines six nights in El Quseir on the Red Sea coast with four days in Cairo. Visitors can explore the wonder of the pyramids at Giza, Dashur and Saqqara with a private guide, pay a visit to the museums and shop in the souq.
How hot? 71F (22C)
From £1,995 including transfers and excursions. Audley Travel (audleytravel.com). Check latest travel advice at fco.gov.uk.
Beach and culture in Vietnam
Vietman offers an interesting alternative to Thailand, with a Bhuddist culture more influenced by China. There are some tempting top-end beach resorts too.
Abercrombie & Kent offers a nine-night tailor-made “Vietnam Culture & Beach” itinerary combining the sights of Ho Chi Minh City with the soft sand beach of Ninh Van Bay. Staying in the Six Senses resort, take a luxury cruise and enjoy the spa.
How hot? 80F (27C)
From £3,115 including transfers. Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Private tour in Sri Lanka
The best value of the Indian Ocean islands, Sri Lanka also has the richest and most varied culture.
Hayes & Jarvis has a 10-night itinerary which combines a seven-night Classic Ceylon Private Tour, exploring Sri Lanka’s rich culture with three nights at the five-star Shangri La Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa. Situated on the southern coast, it overlooks a long stretch of yellow sand beach.
How hot? 87F (31C)
From £2,039 departing Jan 12 2019. Hayes and Jarvis (hayesandjarvis.co.uk).
Best for activity seekers
Walking in La Palma
For dramatic volcanic landscape combined with pine woods and banana groves, it’s hard to beat the National Park of Caldera de Taburiente located in the lesser-known Canary island of La Palma. Ramblers Walking Holidays has a walking itinerary which offers a choice of daily walks accompanied by experienced guides from a comfortable, four-star hotel in Los Cancajos.
How hot? 64F (18C)
£925 including transfers and half board departing Jan 17 2019. Ramblers Holidays (ramblersholidays.co.uk).
Cycling in the Atlas Mountains
An expanding network of quiet tarmac roads means that it’s becoming increasingly easy to explore this spectacular region of Moroccan by bike. Saddle Skedaddle has a guided, 10-day itinerary which departs from Marrakech and traverses the Toubkal National Park. Not for the fainthearted, the itinerary takes in the high Tizi N’test pass and wide Souss Valley with accommodation ranging from hotels to basic gîtes.
How hot? 64F (18C)
£1,295 including transfers, most meals and tour service departing Feb 9 2019. Flights and bike hire (around £240) excluded. Saddle Skedaddle (skedaddle.co.uk).
Riding in Patagonia
Argentina’s northern Patagonian region is a spectacular landscape of glacial lakes and mountain passes where temperatures peak at 77F (25C) in the (southern hemisphere) summer, though it can sometimes be cooler on higher ground. Ride World Wide is offering an Andean Cordillera trek using packhorses to carry luggage across the mountain range, staying in campsites and simple farmsteads with four-to-eight hours riding per day on locally-bred horses.
How hot? 77F (25C)
From about £1,900 (depending on the US dollar exchange rate), including full board and guiding but excluding transfers and flights. Departs Jan 21 and Feb 18, 2019. Ride World Wide (rideworldwide.com).
Best for families
Self-catering in Cyprus
Cyprus – the warmest island in the Mediterranean – is one of the only destinations in the Med which can offer families good value accommodation and plenty of sunshine in February. You’ll also find cycling routes, museums and monuments. The flight takes just over four hours.
How hot? 60F (16C)
£566 departing Feb 17 2019 based on four sharing a two-bedroom accommodation at the Kotsias Hotel Apartments in Pissouri, with a communal garden and shared pool, 100m from the sea. Price includes car hire. Sunvil (sunvil.co.uk).
Adventure in the Sahara
If you are a family who likes to get out and see things, as well as get to know other like-minded families, specialist tour operators, like Explore, have some excellent group tours. Its eight-day “Rock the Kasbah” itinerary in Morocco is specifically geared to parents and school-age children. Activities include a mule ride to Berber villages, a camel trek and an overnight camping expedition in the Sahara desert. The flight to Marrkech takes about three and a half hours.
How hot? 64F 18C
£869 (departing Feb 9 2019), £1,119 (Feb 16 2019) including transfers and most meals. Explore (explore.co.uk).
Villa in Lanzarote
A four-and-a-half hour flight, a reliably warm climate, and plenty of good quality family accommodation available – there are very few destinations which can match Lanzarote at this time of year.
How hot? 68F (20C)
£1,138 departing Feb 17 2019 and based on four sharing a two-bedroom villa at Heredad Kamezi, a small complex of 36 stylish houses near Playa Blanca. Each villa has a small seawater swimming pool. Price includes car hire. Cachet Travel (cachet-travel.co.uk).
Best for nightlife
Late nights in Miami
Florida sees seven hours of balmy sunshine a day throughout the winter months, and the west coast city of Miami is a year-round party town with great beaches. LIV in the Fontainebleu resort is one of the hottest nightclubs.
How hot? 73F (23C)
£1,089 per person, room only, for a seven-night stay at the SLS Brickell Hotel and Residences in downtown Miami (guests have VIP beach access available to Delano Miami Beach). Holiday Genie (holidaygenie.com). Departing on January 14 2019.
Bar-hopping in Dubai
For a city where Islam is the main religion, Dubai has a remarkably vibrant nightlife, from top-end cocktail joints to casual Irish pubs.
How hot? 75F (24C)
£1,255 at the five-star Grosvenor House in Dubai Marina, with 15 in-house bars and restaurants; includes half-board and transfers. Thomas Cook (thomascook.com). Departing on January 13 2019.
Nightlife in Koh Samui
As well as having some of its best beaches, Koh Samui, on the south-east coast, is Thailand’s best party island.
How hot? 90F (32C)
From £1,149 at the four-star Amari Koh Samui, including transfers. The hotel is close to the bars and clubs in the north east of the island. Book by October 14. Travelbag (travelbag.co.uk).
Best for big groups
Country house in Morocco
It’s not boiling hot in Marrakech in February, but it is reliably warm and sunny - perfect weather for day trips, exploring the city, and enjoying lunch in the sun. There is a good choice of villa developments in the palm groves outside the city.
How hot? 64F (18C)
£4,721 rental-only in February half-term week at Dar Yasmina, a luxurious villa sleeping up to 10 people on the Bab Adrar estate near Marrakech. There is a private pool, shared tennis court, spa and cooking service. Kuoni (kuoni.co.uk).
Antiguan hillside hideaway
February is peak season in the Caribbean, so make sure you book flights sooner rather than later. Easter villa prices are similar, but airfares may be slightly cheaper.
How hot? 82F (28C)
From £5,392 rental-only at Villa Nicobar, sleeping up to nine, near Galley Bay. Overlooking the sea, this contemporary villa has an infinity pool and a small sandy beach within a five-minute walk. A lower ground-floor double room could suit accompanying grandparents wanting a little more privacy. CV Villas (cvvillas.com).
Tropical villa in Mauritius
Mauritius is a great family destination with a good choice of villas, but you need to be careful with timing. February is the wettest month of the year, though the rain tends to fall in afternoon downpours. By the Easter holidays (which are late this year) it’s starting to look much drier.
How hot? 84F (29C)
£8,330 rental-only at Villa Mia, a stylish house sleeping up to 10, plus once child, in the private grounds of Trou d’Eau Douce, near the Shangri-La and Tousserok beaches. The price, for Easter, includes a housekeeper to help with cooking. SJ Villas (sjvillas.co.uk).
Best for fine dining
Wine-tasting in South Africa
January is high summer in South Africa - the vineyards will be heavy with grapes and the winemakers enjoying a quiet moment before the harvest. Audley Travel offers a tailor-made 11-day Cape Town and Winelands self-drive itinerary which includes a private tour of the city and a trip up Table Mountain, combined with a wine-tasting tour from a comfortable hotel in South Africa’s gourmet capital, Franschoek.
How hot? 77F (25C)
From £1,800 including car hire. Audley Travel (audleytravel.com).
Caribbean gourmet cruise
More and more cruise lines are putting an emphasis on the quality and variety of food on board. Celebrity Cruises’ new ship Celebrity Edge has more than a dozen restaurants overseen by Michelin-starred chef Cornelius Gallagher. A seven-night Caribbean Cruise, departing from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, calls into the Puerto Rican port of San Juan, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and Philipsburg in St Maarten.
How hot? 82F (28C, based on Tortola)
From £810, full-board (a supplement is payable in some restaurants), excluding flights and transfers. Departs December 15 2018. Celebrity Cruises (celebritycruises.co.uk).
A food tour of Cambodia
If you fancy something more exotic, Cambodia has a distinct and tasty Khmer cuisine, which includes peppery curries, spicy fried chicken and baked puddings. Intrepid Travel offers a nine-day Real Food Adventure itinerary, travelling from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap with traditional Khmer breakfasts, food market tours and a visit to a pepper plantation near Kampot.
How hot? 90F (32C)
From £925, including two lunches and five dinners, but excluding flights and transfers. Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com).
Best city breaks
Palermo home from home
You won’t get much of a tan, but you should see plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures - perfect for sightseeing in one of Italy’s southernmost and liveliest cities.
How hot? 57F (14C)
Stay in Butera 28 (telegraph.co.uk/tt-butera28), which houses 12 self-catering apartments in the Kalsa district, near the old port and close to sights and restaurants. Simple cooking facilities and basic food supplies are included. From €75 (£66) per room, per night. Excludes breakfast.
Boutique hotel in Seville
Few European cities enjoy a winter climate as warm and sunny as Seville. Fewer still have such fasincating historic sights, such a lively contemporary culture and such a delicious cuisine.
How hot? 61F (16C)
The Legado Alcázar (full review at telegraph.co.uk/tt-legado-alcazar) is a small, 18-room hotel overlooking the Alcázar royal palace gardens in the historic city centre. Excellent service combines with stylish rooms and tasty breakfasts. Rooms from €124 per room per night, excluding breakfast, for a midweek stay in January 2019. For details of direct flights from the UK to Seville and other cities, see skyscanner.net.
Stylish riad in Marrakech
You may be able to see the snow-capped Atlas mountains in the far distance, but this historic desert oasis has a reliably warm, dry winter.
How hot? 64F (18C)
Dar Al Assad (telegraph.co.uk/tt-daralassad) is within five minutes’ walk from the Djemaa el-Fna and is well-located for exploring the souks and palace museums. From £95 per room per night including breakfast.
Best for budget travellers
Tenerife
Two strategies are key to finding the best deals. First, pick an off-peak week. For winter sun, November and the first half of December are very quiet and there are always plenty of late deals available from about three or four weeks ahead of departure. Second, for really low prices, choose a desination with plenty of flights and lots of accommodation - that always puts downwards pressure on prices during quiet times of year. Your best bet is Tenerife or one of the other Canary Islands.
How hot? 68F (20C)
See our detailed online guide for hotel and other recommendations (telegraph.co.uk/tt-tenerife).
Barbados
In the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic probably has the most flights and biggest offering from tour operators, but I prefer the vibe in Barbados, which also has plenty of good hotels along the white sands of the west coast.
How hot? 82F (28C)
See our online guide (telegraph.co.uk/tt-barbados).
Thailand
Even in these days of weakened sterling, the pound is still reasonably strong against the baht, and the huge choice of flights to Bangkok means fares are kept competitive.
How hot? 30C
Our recommended hotels (telegraph.co.uk/tt-thailand-hotels).
