Where is best for winter sun?
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I am desperate for some winter sun after not managing to get a break this summer. Where can I go before the end of the year for great weather on a last-minute holiday?
By Bob Atkinson, travelsupermarket.com
This is a great question for me this week. I too, am feeling in need of a winter sun break and so have been scouting around for some great last-minute holiday deals to see where I can go and what kind of prices I will have to pay.
To be fair, my holiday mood has been prompted by 'anti-Christmas Scrooge' feelings that I get every year in November. With Christmas TV adverts being ramped up and panic beginning to set in about gift, parties and where to spend Christmas, I just want to escape it all and pretend that summer is still carrying on.
So, where should you go? If you are looking for great value then look at the METT countries (Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey), although Turkey will probably be too cool in the few resorts that are open year round.
Morocco has warm temperatures by day, cool at nights and gives you an exotic style of holiday. The main beach resort is Agadir at around three-and-a-half hours' flight from around the UK. Most people take all inclusive holidays and you can find one-week deals from around £350.
Tunisia offers similar prices and sun, and is welcoming back holiday makers to its sandy beaches after the troubles earlier this year.
Egypt is, of course, an excellent choice with warm sunny days, great water sports and diving in the Red Sea resorts or world class sightseeing in the Nile resorts of Luxor and Aswan. Prices are a little higher than Morocco, reflecting the longer flying time. Standards are high and the welcome to Brits is very warm.
The classic winter sun destination for Brits is the Canaries. With huge numbers of flights to Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and even now into the smaller island of La Palma, the islands are easy to reach in a little over four hours from all over the UK.
Whether you want a cheap self-catering holiday in one of the main resorts, a private villa or a five-star luxury hotel, the islands offer all kind of accommodation. Prices start from as little as £199 for seven nights and the whether will definitely be warm enough for sunbathing, if a little cloudy on occasion.
Further south of the Canaries you will find the Cape Verde Islands. These have a distinctly Afro Caribbean feel to them and most accommodation in is quiet resort complexes with gorgeous beaches and temperatures well into the 80s. Big companies such as Thomson have direct flights from the UK, making them one of the new must-see destinations.
Further afield, Florida and the Caribbean are gearing up for the winter season that kicks in just before Christmas, however if you go now, you can find superb weather, quiet beaches and some bargain prices.
The best deals are to islands such as Cuba, Dominican Republic and Jamaica on charter flights from the UK. However, you can also get some great holiday deals flying on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to places such as Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Lead in prices from around £599 for a week
Other areas you may want to consider are Goa in India and the Maldives, although Thailand should be avoided at present due to the continued flood problems.
So where am I heading? Well, I have taken the plunge and booked to travel to the Gambia. Temperatures in the high 80s, no time difference from the UK, superb beaches and wildlife too. I’ll be flying off on my all-inclusive last-minute holiday deal for Christmas and I cannot wait. Where will you go?
