The 10 best destinations for March sun
It’s not too late to plan an escape in March, ahead of the Easter rush. Below are 10 sultry shortcuts to the sun, but there are many more great destinations for March, or other months of the year, on The Heatseeker, our interactive tool that helps readers plan their holidays.
19C-24C
1. Gran Canaria
Forever in the enormous shadow of its neighbour to the west, Tenerife, Gran Canaria is nonetheless never so eclipsed that it cannot provide temperatures around the 20C mark as March makes the rest of Europe shiver. In truth, the third-largest Canary Island is a fabulous destination. The capital Las Palmas offers elegant culture at its Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno – but saves its best for the beach in the shape of Playa de las Canteras.
Sponsored: A seven-night all-inclusive stay at the Clubhotel Riu Papayas, Gran Canaria flying from Glasgow on March 12, including 20kgs of luggage from £604 per person with TUI (tui.co.uk).
2. Essaouira
Where once, Morocco only really gleamed on the map – for British tourists at least – via the (admittedly alluring) souks of Marrakesh, now it can suggest Fes, Agadir and Tangier as accessible reasons to visit. And Essaouira. Pinned to the country’s Atlantic coast 110 miles west of Marrakesh, here is all the food and market frenzy you may expect of any Moroccan city – but also long beaches which are oases for surfers and windsurfers.
A seven-night stay at the Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa, offering a Gary Player-designed 18-hole golf course, costs from £964 per person for selected departures in March via Kuoni (0800 044 8581; kuoni.co.uk).
3. Las Vegas
If you take the line that it doesn’t matter when you visit Sin City – for you will be locked in the casino trebling your life savings – then the temperature outside is irrelevant. But Nevada’s big beast is arguably near its best in March – not so hot that you cannot brave the poolside, not given over to the desert chill either. A brief flight away in Arizona, however, the more elevated Grand Canyon may be dusted with snow – which is all the more reason to visit one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.
25-29C
4. Adelaide
What to make of South Australia’s capital? True, it cannot match Melbourne or Sydney for glamour, nor Perth for surfing beaches. But it rewards investigation – the waterfront districts of Glenelg and Semaphore, the wineries of the Barossa Valley, the wildlife-laden outcrop of Kangaroo Island, the calm seascapes of the Yorke Peninsula. It’s all wrapped in mid-20s Celsius warmth in March. Case closed.
5. Dubai
Sometimes it is hard to imagine Dubai as it was barely more than a century ago – a fishing village gazing at the Persian Gulf. Certainly, it was a place far removed from the metropolis that beckons travellers today – its Atlantis The Palm and Burj Al Arab resorts smiling for the cameras. But then, if you come for the luxury to be found in both, or the reliable warmth outside, such back stories scarcely matter.
A five-night half-board stay at the five-star Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa, sitting on Jumeirah Beach near the Dubai Marina, costs from £1,159 per person. Includes return flight from London. Valid for departures in March (0333 130 9221 or see here for more details).
6. Florida
You know you can count on a destination for winter warmth when it goes under the nickname of “The Sunshine State”. Florida lives up to this boast in all areas of the calendar – and in all corners of what, with 1,350 miles of sandy flanks to its portfolio, is the portion of the United States with more coastline than any other, Alaska excepted. For all that, it can be difficult to resist Orlando, whose theme parks and hotels guarantee holiday fun.
7. Cuba
For all its notoriety, at least in terms of the 20th century, it is sometimes forgotten that Cuba is big. The largest island in the Caribbean, it stretches from verdant Pinar del Rio in the west to historic Santiago in the south-east. So where to start in this country of 42,426 square miles? Certainly the crumbling, chaotic capital Havana – before the beach resorts of north-coast Varadero issue their loud siren call.
Sponsored: A seven-night all-inclusive stay at Ocean Vista Azul, Varadero flying from Gatwick on Saturday March 17, including 20kgs of luggage from £1,220 per person with First Choice (firstchoice.co.uk).
30C+
8. Mozambique
Being bereft of the crashing waterfalls and major wildlife zones which symbolise Africa at its best, Mozambique still feels somewhat undiscovered. All the more reason, then, to encounter the safari secret of Gorongosa National Park, the Portuguese colonial heritage of Ibo Island, and a coastline that ebbs for some 1,535 miles.
Expert Africa (020 8232 9777; expertafrica.com) sells a seven-night “Ibo Beach Holiday” in the Quirimbas archipelago. From £2,944 per person, excluding flights, for departures in March.
9. Langkawi
Malaysia can lay claim to (a portion of) the largest island in Asia – rugged, rainforested Borneo. At the other end of the scale, it possesses the scattered shards of the Langkawi archipelago – some 104 islets strewn across the Andaman Sea. But there is nothing second-rate about the levels of luxury in the hotels on its golden flanks nor the heat in which it usually basks.
10. Jamaica
The resorts and hotels dotted along Jamaica’s north coast at Montego Bay and Ocho Rios proffer the sort of sunny escapes where the European winter feels like a bad dream. Throw in an afternoon on Seven Mile Beach, at Negril, on the west coast, and the thought of Britain still shivering in March seems even more distant.
Sponsored: A seven-night all-inclusive stay at the Sensatori Resort Azul Jamaica, on Negril’s Seven Mile Beach, flying from Gatwick on March 19, including 20kgs of luggage from £1,351 per person with TUI (tui.co.uk).
See our other month-by-month guides
Where to go on holiday in October
Where to go on holiday in November
Where to go on holiday in December
Where to go on holiday in January
Where to go on holiday in February
Or to find the best destinations for the rest of the year try The Heatseeker, our interactive online tool
