February destinations - warm, 3 hour flight ish

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

We've enjoyed February holidays in Madeira and Malta. Looking for somewhere similar for next year.

Criteria:
Good chance of it being warm (18 -19 degrees ok, low 20s even better)
Max 3 hour flights from UK if possible
Lots to see & do, not just lying by a pool.
Great food - so lots of restaurants open at that time of year.
Not so keen on the Canaries, unless you can persuade me there's lots of history/sites to see.
Greece possibly a bit far, but happy to compromise on flight time if all other criteria met (eg I understand a lot of restaurants close, but happy to be corrected!)
Obviously I know there are no guarantees weather wise but just beat chances of escaping our winter.
Thank you

I would go an hour longer. You can then get to the canaries with guaranteed sun.

Whoops just reread you don't want canaries. I don't think even Greece and Turkey are that warm in February

We've been to Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, hired a car in both, didn't feel there was much to see? But happy to be convinced otherwise. I like a bit of sunbathing, but not all day, every day. Friends who go to the Canaries do little else. Although I know the food is good! I haven't ruled the Canaries out completely, but much preferred Madeira and Malta.

Yes I think Greece and Turkey are very much off season in Feb. Maybe we just go back to Malta or Madeira again.

Cyprus everything won't be open but its got year round residents - bit longer flight though

Morocco?

As an aside -are the pools / sea warm enough to swim in the Canaries in Feb?

Morocco. Lots of places to visit. When we went we stayed in Marrakesh but visited Essaouria (loved it) and did a trip to Aid Ben Haddou via the atlas mountains. With a private guide who was fab.
Plenty to do in Marrakesh too.
We went start of March a few years ago and it was about 20 degrees.

Greece here. Our capital is most likely to get snow in February. In fact last year schools closed for a week due to the chaos 2 days of snow caused. Magical for us to see the Acropolis covered in snow but not great for visitors because things really do come to a standstill.

Marrakech or Granada or Seville - I got married in Gibraltar in March and it was 24 degrees.

Thank you. We've been to Marrakesh (sorry, should have said).
Enjoyed it but not compelled to revisit.
Maybe other parts of Morocco are worth exploring.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot Personally I would pick Granada , cordoba (lovely) or Seville or Cadiz - proper places with lots of history , so not beach dependent and likely to be 20 degrees or so - even Malaga is lovely

@Crikeyalmighty oh I agree, these are gorgeous places, we've visited them previously and happy to visit again, if we don't find anywhere we haven't been that fits the bill.

I went to Barcelona one February and it was glorious. Probably mid-high teens but felt warmer in the sun ☀️

I found lots to do in Lanzarote, but then we loved all the Cesar Manrique sites and attractions.

Also enjoyed the trip round the volcanoes.

A visit in the Geria wine growing valley, so beautiful. Fascinating way they grow the vines.

And we didn’t have time for the castle in Arecife.

We've been to Barcelona, but it was only a day visit and a long time ago, so definitely would be happy to revisit.

As we have flexibility as to when we go, it might be worth waiting to see what the weather is doing and book the week before. Appreciate flights might not be available or more expensive, and we might not have a good choice of accommodation but possibly worth the gamble?

Please keep suggestions coming, thanks

Thanks for this, will look into the sites you mention. We visited the volcano but not the other sites. And we loved the food!

Barcelona, or lanzarote would win hands down over malta for me. Booked for malaga as that sounds good option too.

Thanks @dreamingofsun . Malaga is lovely but went last year, definitely worth a visit, hope you enjoy

Malta might be an idea, or specifically sweet little Gozo which is a short ferry away. It won’t be cold but it might be a bit rainy and I’m not sure what the sea swimming would be like. It’s a charming, slightly ramshackle little island with astonishingly big churches. They use a beautiful, golden sandstone for building, and their dry stone walls. Because it’s quite close to Sicily, the food is similar.

We did fuerterentura, it's not particularly full of history but interesting geology and we went sailing, it's certainly the nearest (and cheapest) place to have (nearly) guaranteed late teens weather. If they sort out their monetary crisis I hope to be in Sri Lanka at that time of year, it's 10 hours flying though

I really like southern Spain that time of year. Malaga is a good place to spend a couple of days - then on to Seville or Granada or Cadiz.

Madeira I found very dull. We went walking but even then...

Egypt - Nile cruise. Lots to see!

Cape Verde: The African Caribbean.

If you want warm in February then it's the Canaries or Cape Verde maybe Morocco or Tunisia

Although not much to see in Cape Verde. Sal livelier than Bao Vista.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot Have you been to Istanbul?? We loved it- very interesting place and great food- although I can't vouch for the weather then