12 destinations for winter sun without the long-haul flight
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the travel industry has a habit of inventing buzzwords: staycation, babymoon, glamping, bleisure, jetiquette – the list goes on. But what of this weekend’s “Sunshine Saturday”?
Actually, we’ll allow this one, because it does carry a certain weight.
Today is, you see, that very thing – the crucial first Saturday of the year, when we look up from the crumbs of the final mince pie, and remember that the next few weeks are going to be grim. Christmas is over, and December has packed away its festive sparkle, leaving in its place the cold drudgery of January and February, a March that is barely better, and an April that can’t come soon enough. No wonder the first day of the first full weekend of the year is the moment we collectively say “enough of this, I need a break.”
That’s the thinking, anyway. “Sunshine Saturday” is supposedly the holiday industry’s busiest day of the calendar; a frantic 24 hours when more than a million Britons either go online or visit a high-street travel agent to book their next getaway.
And not a weekend in the Cotswolds or a round-the-world cruise either (although these can be excellent ideas) – but the traditional seven-night dash to the sun. In other words, anything not to have to face another morning of swirling rain without a few days of hot-weather respite scrawled into the diary for some point in the reasonably near future.
So where to go? It’s a good question, particularly if you would rather throw a few things into a bag and run to the airport before winter is out – rather than wait for high summer.
Here we present a trio of options for each of the next four months, bracketed into three simple categories: Warm (15-18 Celsius); Warmer (19-22C); Warmest (23C+). The only other factor is that these are all short-haul trips, keeping to Europe or the fringes of Africa and Asia.
You can, of course, go further; Dubai and the Caribbean rarely seem more enticing than when the new-year wind is howling outside. But if you fancy a dose of vitamin D without having to cross an ocean, your answer may be below...
January
Ah, January, the least-loved of all months. The weather is foul, the sun sets almost as soon as it rises, and your friends are insisting on four weeks of sobriety. If ever there were a time for an impulsive holiday, it’s now…
Warm: Tenerife (18C)
Proper warmth can be hard to find in Europe in the first weeks of the year. Even the parts of the continent that are politically European – but geographically African – struggle to muster anything that might be considered a heatwave amid the January gloom.
This includes the largest Canary Island, whose image as a haven of guaranteed winter sun can be a little over-egged. That said, Tenerife is far hotter than the UK in these early pages of the diary, and while there are many reasons to visit Spain’s greatest outpost – cool capital Santa Cruz, the epic slopes of Mount Teide – its resort hotels are certainly reason enough.
Do it: The south-westerly Costa Adeje is home to the island’s best resorts – including the Royal Hideaway Corales Beach, a five-star adults-only enclave at La Caleta. A seven-night stay costs from £1,299 per person, including flights, via Inspiring Travel (01244 729 706; inspiringtravel.co.uk).
Warmer: Agadir (20C)
The advantage of having a vast continental landmass and the dunes of the Sahara behind it gives Morocco’s southernmost holiday hotspot a small temperature edge over its Canarian near-neighbour.
Only 425 miles and a smidgeon of latitude separate Tenerife and Agadir – and while the chief Canary has a broader selection of hotels and a wider range of flight connections, its North African cousin is becoming an increasingly popular choice for Europeans fleeing the winter.
The quality of its beaches helps. Both Plage d’Agadir (in the city) and Plage Aourir (a little to the north) offer splendid curves of sand.
Do it: A seven-night all-inclusive stay at the Iberostar Waves Founty Beach (a comfy four-star property on the city’s main beach), flying out of Stansted on January 18, costs from £599 per person – through Love Holidays (01234 230 440; loveholidays.com).
Warmest: Senegal (26C)
If you want upper-Twenties heat in January without crossing an ocean, Africa is the nearest realistic option. But you don’t have to go all the way to Cape Town to see the sun on its best behaviour. As of November 2022, Tui has offered direct flights from Gatwick to Dakar, putting Senegal on the menu for mainstream package holidays.
Admittedly, the distance and time involved (2,700 miles; six hours) pushes the idea of “short-haul” to its limit – but the welcome feel of 26C on your skin should make the journey worthwhile.
Do it: Tui is not the only major travel company to dip a toe into Senegal. The Spanish hotel giant Riu is another recent arrival in the West African country, operating the five-star Riu Baobab, with its four pools and four restaurants. A seven-night all-inclusive stay, flying (from Gatwick) on January 20, starts at £1,197 a head (020 3451 2688; tui.co.uk).
February
And so January melts unceremoniously into February. But the second month of the year (and, let’s not forget, the shortest) does have the redeeming feature of the school half-term (most likely Saturday February 15-Sunday February 23 in 2025, although this may vary according to your area). A perfect excuse for some sunshine? Absolutely.
Warm: Madeira (15C)
With a notable lack of classic golden beaches (as opposed to the volcanic black-sand type), Portugal’s most famous Atlantic island is not an obvious option for half-term trips with younger children.
Nor is it a sure-fire choice for sunshine in the early stages of the year. Sitting 300 miles north of Tenerife, it only just meets this article’s 15C requirement to be considered “warm” in February.
However, it is dramatically beautiful, climbing to a ragged peak where Pico Ruivo tips its hat at 6,106ft (1,861m). If you want a little extra heat with your holiday, a fast hike to this heavenly high-point will give you a ruddy glow.
Do it: Cut into a cliff at Calheta in the south-west of the island, the five-star Saccharum Resort is ideal for couples craving time together. A seven-night stay, flying from Birmingham on February 3, starts at £456 a head via First Choice (020 3451 2716; firstchoice.co.uk).
Warmer: Lanzarote (20C)
Those 300 miles make for four degrees of difference in latitude between Madeira (32°N) and Tenerife (28°N) – and three degrees of difference with Lanzarote (29°N). In other words, the Canaries will always be marginally warmer, and by February, the island occasionally (and unfairly) known as “Lanzagrotty” has seen the mercury rise into the low Twenties Celsius.
It transcends its stupid nickname with some of the planet’s most remarkable volcanic scenery (not least the blackened landscape of Timanfaya National Park; cactlanzarote.com) – but if all you want is half-term down-time, Playa Blanca calls.
Do it: Playa Blanca has the Elba Lanzarote Royal Village – a four-star with pools, slides and kids’ clubs. A week’s half-board stay for a family of four, flying from Stansted on February 15, starts at £4,276 in total (£1,069 per person), via Jet2Holidays (0800 408 0778; jet2holidays.com).
Warmest: Cape Verde (24C)
Pitched out in the Atlantic some 350 miles west of Senegal, Cape Verde shares its mainland neighbour’s appetite for February temperatures, but serves them with a side-salad of island life.
There are ten main pieces to this Portuguese-speaking African jigsaw, each of them subtly different – from the visibly volcanic Fogo to the captivatingly cultured Sao Vicente, where local morna music spills from cafes in the capital Mindelo.
But it is Sal and Boa Vista – the two islands which have embraced the package holiday – that are most of interest to sun-seekers, their beaches home to hotels of increasing quality.
Do it: A week at the five-star Hilton Cabo Verde Sal Resort, on the south coast of Sal at Santa Maria, flying from Glasgow on February 7, starts at £1,517 a head with Cape Verde Experience (01489 866 969; capeverde.co.uk).
March
The third month of the year is the moment Europe starts to emerge from hibernation. But when it comes to short-haul holidays on sun-loungers, our home continent remains largely out of the question. For weather hot enough for tan-lines, Africa is still the answer.
Warm: Paphos (17C)
The exception to the rule on European sun in March (apart from the Atlantic islands) is Cyprus, which is pushed far enough into the Middle Eastern end of the Mediterranean to feel a few rays on its back at this time of year.
Nicosia is Europe’s southernmost capital (35°N); its south-coast colleague Paphos (34°N) even closer to the coming spring. Chairs begin to come off tables here, and shutters off windows, as the month progresses; Paphos inching ahead of its resort rivals on this colossal sea.
But then, ancient Greek myth has it as the birthplace of Aphrodite, naked in her seashell. And you need a warm day for that.
Do it: Paphos boasts a variety of direct links to British airports, so is a solid choice for a fly-and-flop holiday. A one-week half-board stay at the Amavi Hotel (an adults-only five-star), leaving Gatwick on March 8, starts at £1,056 per person (or from £1,259 a head, on a half-board basis), with Sovereign (01293 324 683; sovereign.com).
Warmer: Hammamet (19C)
One indication of Paphos’s close relationship with the sun is that it sits further south than Hammamet (36°N) – a town which dozes on the west edge of the gulf of the same name, but, crucially, on the African side of the Mediterranean.
Tunisia is rarely viewed as more than a package destination by many British holidaymakers, and there is a partial accuracy to this in the mega-hotels of Sousse and Monastir, as well as Hammamet.
But those with a desire to explore can go to El Djem, whose glorious Roman amphitheatre is in day-trip range of each of these resorts. Those without can snooze on beaches of suitable softness.
Do it: Tunisia offers great value. A seven-night half-board stay at the four-star Iberostar Waves Averroes in Hammamet, flying from Luton on March 8, starts at (just) £324 a head, via easyJet Holidays (0330 551 5165; easyjet.com/holidays).
Warmest: Sharm El Sheikh (24C)
It should be no surprise to find Egypt’s most fabled beach resort mentioned here.
Like Senegal, Sharm El Sheikh may stretch the definition of “short-haul” (five and a half hours from the UK by air), but in its position at the top of the Red Sea, at the point where Africa and Asia meet, it is a reliable choice for heat in the mid-Twenties, whichever month you opt to take a break.
It is also deemed safe to visit by the Foreign Office, in spite of the well-documented recent issues in the wider Middle East.
Do it: The Xperience Sea Breeze is one of the resort’s many four-star options; a seafront playground with five pools and four bars. A one-week stay, flying from Luton on March 8, starts at £621 a head, via Thomas Cook (020 8016 3295; thomascook.com).
April
Come the fourth month of the year, the sun has made enough of a return to the Northern Hemisphere that mainland Europe can finally remove its coat. But if you want any sort of change from the low Twenties Celsius, you may still need to travel beyond the continent.
Warm: Andalusia (18C)
In truth, it is only during December and January that Spain’s most happily sun-soaked region fails to provide the sort of temperatures that would be considered warm in most corners of Europe. And by April, it is welcoming the sun back to its parks and plazas; pretty much the first part of the continental mainland to do so.
It offers myriad locations for a holiday – Cadiz and its coastal history; Seville, Cordoba and Granada with their Moorish back-stories; the “hello Morocco” views from Tarifa; Malaga and the ghost of Picasso. But if all you require is indolence on the Costa del Sol, Marbella is your friend.
Do it: Marbella may be a favourite of “scripted reality” stars, but its five-star hotels are real enough. A week at the four-star Hard Rock Hotel Marbella, leaving Heathrow on April 12, starts at £685 a head with British Airways Holidays (0344 493 0787; ba.com/holidays).
Warmer: Crete (20C)
The biggest Greek island can be infernal (30C and up) during July and August, but is far more affable of temperature in April, tip-toeing across the threshold into the low Twenties. And as Greece’s most southerly outcrop, it is generally the first part of the country to do so – eclipsing its compatriots, which still loiter below the magical 20C figure as the seasons swap over (Mykonos and Corfu, as two examples, are stuck at about 18C in April).
The ideal scenario for a family escape? Very possibly. Easter Sunday falls late in the month in 2025 (April 20) – meaning that holidaymakers travelling with children during the school holidays are highly likely to encounter good weather.
Do it: A seven-night stay for a family of four at the five-star Alexander Beach resort (on the central north coast of the island at Stalis), flying from Manchester to Heraklion on April 15, costs from £3,028 in total (£761 per person), via Olympic Holidays (020 4600 0581; olympicholidays.com).
Warmest: Aqaba (28C)
Egypt is not the only country to offer a fine line in sophisticated resorts on the Red Sea. Some 140 miles to the north-east, at the top of the right-hand arm of Moses’s greatest party trick, Jordan plays a similar card in its lone waterfront city.
Aqaba doesn’t have quite the hotel infrastructure of Sharm El Sheikh (it wasn’t really on the package-tourism map until the turn of the millennium), but come April, the temperature difference between the two destinations is negligible – and if you fancy a visit to an A-list ancient wonder along with your heat-seeking, Petra is just a 75-mile day-trip dash into the desert.
In spite of its proximity to Israel (the two countries share a border), Jordan is also considered safe to visit by the Foreign Office.
Do it: A seven-night stay at the five-star Al Manara property, flying from Heathrow (via Amman) on April 22, starts at £938 per person, via Expedia (020 3024 8211; expedia.co.uk). Why April 22? Because if you want to avoid children on the beach, that’s the week the schools go back.
This article was originally published in January 2024 and has been revised and updated.
