Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Holidays
Lone woman beach holiday mid to late Feb?
LaSevillana · 28/01/2022 21:08
I've been told I need to take annual leave before the end of February and am a bit unsure re where to go. I'm a single woman and am looking for something super relaxing with minimal stress. The idea of just sitting around reading with a cocktail is amazing.
First thought was Canaries but not sure they'll quite have the weather late Feb. Have also thought of Dubai but a bit unsure re safety, and it's a bit unsettling that they do random PCR testing on arrival. Have also thought of the Caribbean (St Lucia, Barbados) but also worried about safety and the fact it might be really honeymooney, and Mexico (Cancun area). I'd want somewhere where I'd feel safe on the beach and not be bothered or harassed.
Would anyone have any recommendations of where to go?
LondonWolf · 28/01/2022 23:43
@NoToLandfill
Really REALLY bad idea to go to Dubai as a single woman. Just crazy.
Have you been? What might happen?
LondonWolf · 28/01/2022 23:47
Do you know how it is to get around without a car? Are there shuttles or buses to the hotels from the airport? Can you walk around on the street to get to the beaches? I remember reading that the nicest beaches are owned by hotels and you can't just rock up but not sure how that all works!
Metro. Also hotels do shuttles to various malls and other destinations. I mainly use taxis though. Reasonably priced and highly regulated. Some women only taxi firms too. Also stay at a hotel with beach access, there's loads of them. Google Dubai free beaches too. Also you can pay for day access to hotels and their beaches.
Roo45 · 29/01/2022 00:03
@LaSevillana transport to/from the hotel was already organised I can't remember if it was the hotel or tour operator but the larger hotels all had buses to take you directly from airport. Public transport I will admit we didn't use. Apart from taking taxi to the nearby beach with my friend (only because it was slightly cheaper than going with the hotel coach) I only left the hotel for excursions which again hotel coaches take you there and back- they offered different excursion choices a few of the places were a few hours away by coach with a few stops in between others 15-30 mins Mayan ruins old colonial towns Cancun itself cenotes adventure parks diving/snorkeling... Lots of choice so depends what you are in the mood for! There was also a few shops and a nightclub within the hotel complex if you wanted! X
Roo45 · 29/01/2022 00:05
I remember the airport being very busy when we got there but didn't feel unsafe and there were signs so we knew where to get our hotel coaches!
NoToLandfill · 29/01/2022 00:07
Yes I've been to Dubai. If anything went wrong you are at a huge disadvantage to be female alone. Considering there are other countries able to go to I'm simply advising to make a fully informed choice.
PossiblyDreaming · 29/01/2022 00:09
Dubai is one of the last places I would consider if I wanted a relaxing holiday as a lone female.
unsync · 29/01/2022 00:10
Give Audley Travel a ring. They arranged a Barbados trip for me. I told them what I was after and they sorted it all out for me. Their staff have stayed in the places and have good first hand knowledge. They can sort it all out for you, I didn't have to worry about anything, it was great.
user1477249785 · 29/01/2022 01:41
Honestly Mexico is the easy solution here. Reliably warm, safe in tourist areas and busy enough that you won't attract attention on your own.
ouch321 · 29/01/2022 01:54
I've seen Cape Verde recommended a fair few times in recent years for that beachy chilled kind of hol
Movinghouseatlast · 29/01/2022 01:58
Barbados. Stay in Sunset Crest ( find an Air BnB) and you get use of The Beach House private beach club. Lots of single women and no-one bats an eye lid. I'm here now ( not alone) it's brilliant, really safe.
momls20 · 29/01/2022 02:08
Gran Canaria, February weather is perfect! I went solo there in December just before Xmas but I've also been in feb too and was lovely. I did fuertaventura & Lanza in feb but not half as nice.
Look at Puerto Rico specifically for Gran Can. My favourite place.
Skippingabeat · 29/01/2022 02:57
I lived in Dubaï for many years and still visit frequently. I'm well travelled and there's nowhere where I'd feel safer.
You can use the metro for transportation and taxis are much more affordable than Europe. And most beaches are public.
LondonWolf · 29/01/2022 07:33
@NoToLandfill
Not really. You said:-
Really REALLY bad idea to go to Dubai as a single woman. Just crazy. which is pretty hyperbolic...
There are many countries where a single woman travelling alone would be at a disadvantage. In my opinion having spent a lot of time there, Dubai is one of the least unsafe. It's just silly to say a woman would be crazy to visit there. Thousands of women live and work there with no incidents and as a previous poster said it's safer on a day to day basis than the U.K. Now if you don't like their laws then that's another matter.
BringMeTea · 29/01/2022 08:50
As Thailand testing rules are so annoying that is out as you say. You now have to do day 1 AND 5 so no thanks.
No way on earth I would go to Dubai and yes I have lived and holidayed there.
I would do either Canaries for ease or Caribbean for lushness. Barbados or St Lucia. That personal recommendation sounds great upthread. Have fun!
Maireas · 29/01/2022 09:59
@BringMeTea
No way on earth I would go to Dubai and yes I have lived and holidayed there.
I would do either Canaries for ease or Caribbean for lushness. Barbados or St Lucia. That personal recommendation sounds great upthread. Have fun!
Why wouldn't you go to Dubai?
MarshaBradyo · 29/01/2022 10:02
How high does it get in the Canaries in Feb?
I’d prefer high 20s / 30s for that really luxurious experience
So if Thailand is put another with similar temp
Roselilly36 · 29/01/2022 10:03
Enjoy OP, feb weather is usually good in the Canaries, been in Feb half term many times. Usually pretty consistent for weather.
BringMeTea · 29/01/2022 10:07
Various reasons. Having lived there and been harassed and had taxis followed to my home for example I know that western women are subject to alarming behaviour. Many other people have not had this experience, that does not mean it does not happen. I have other examples but hope this will suffice.
The sea in the area is not refreshing. It is so warm it feels gloopy. I love being in the sea so this matters to me.
The human rights record is appalling and that bothers me. I did not realize the extent of this when I took a job there. I know better now.
Unless you are on a stretch of beach attached to a hotel you WILL be subject to unwelcome attention. The OP wants to avoid this.
Maireas · 29/01/2022 10:13
@BringMeTea
The sea in the area is not refreshing. It is so warm it feels gloopy. I love being in the sea so this matters to me.
The human rights record is appalling and that bothers me. I did not realize the extent of this when I took a job there. I know better now.
Unless you are on a stretch of beach attached to a hotel you WILL be subject to unwelcome attention. The OP wants to avoid this.
That's interesting.
On the surface it looks very glamorous, doesn't it?
Not an unsurprising attitude to Western women, sadly.
Masdintle · 29/01/2022 10:19
The Bodyholiday in St Lucia. Perfect for solo travellers, they expect solos. Loads of fitness activities from yoga to sailing via weight training, golf and archery. Or you can lie on the beach and do nothing. Fabulous staff. Amazing food, all inclusive, no tipping. And a spa treatment every day, all included. It's truly bliss. The odd honeymooners but they tend to go round the corner to Sandals
Clymene · 29/01/2022 10:29
@MarshaBradyo
I’d prefer high 20s / 30s for that really luxurious experience
So if Thailand is put another with similar temp
It doesn't get that hot in February. It's lovely sitting outdoors weather but mid 20s, rather than high. Suits me fine but I would want a heated pool!
Babdoc · 29/01/2022 10:33
If you want relatively short haul flights, I had a completely hassle free holiday as a widow alone with my DD (in her 20s at the time) in a v nice hotel in Marrakech, Morocco in February.
It was warm enough to sunbathe but pleasantly cool for the fabulous sightseeing- including a trip into the Atlas Mountains for tea with a Berber family, and looking round the wonderful soukhs, mosques and gardens in the city.
Tenerife was also warm and safe in January on three previous occasions, so prob still good in Feb. My hotel had a large heated outdoor pool - it was so nice to sit by it after a swim with a freshly squeezed orange juice prepared at the pool bar.
Madeira is great if you love gardens, but tends to be an older person’s destination. Warm and safe though! The kids loved the crazy dry “toboggan” run down the mountain road into Funchal.
AdaColeman · 29/01/2022 10:47
Madeira would be a good choice, with the weather warm enough to sit outside reading, meals outside etc.
Funchal is a very pretty town to wander through, with an interesting market to browse around.
The flight isn’t too long, the hotels are good quality, it felt safe walking around alone.
itwasntaparty · 29/01/2022 11:16
The Chedi, Muscat or any of the hotels tbh. Perfect weather in feb, less in your face than Dubai. Not sure what the testing requirements at the moment.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.