Post Xmas sunshine break

[frillseeking]

Can anyone recommend somewhere we can go for a week after Christmas? It’s been a tough year for many reasons and we’d like to escape to the sunshine. Ideally don’t want to travel too far as we can only do a week. Not Tenerife or the Canaries. Anyone been anywhere they’d really recommend?

No but following with interest! All I’ve come up with is Tenerife and Canaries and I don’t know why but I feel no draw to them.

Cape Verde?

@boulevardofbrokendreamsssame! They’ve never appealed at all and anywhere that time of year is expensive as it’s peak time and I can’t bring myself to spend a lot of money going somewhere I feel half assed about! First world problems I know 🙈

We went to the Algarve in January one year- it was lovely. Needed a cardigan at night but was around 22 degrees during the day. I’d recommend it.

Middle East or Caribbean for guaranteed properly warm weather

Morocco?

Morocco - Essaouira or Taghazout. Cheap flights, great food and fab weather!

Lanzarote is lovely. Dreams in Playa Blanca is our favourite. We stay B&B as there are some lovely restaurants a short walk away in the Rubicon Marina. Great views across the water to Fueteventura. Total relaxation.

We are going to Egypt on NYE. Resort hotel in Sharm el Sheikh (we've been to Egypt previously and seen the major sights). This trip is for sunshine and warmth in a nice hotel with a gym and cocktails.

I was going to suggest Egypt too. I've been in December and February and it was lovely and hot. I'd suggest Sharm over Hurghada as less windy.

Had a lovely few days in Seville in early January a few years ago. And Valencia. Sunny and warm though, not hot.

Hi,

The Canaries are popular, but you could try The Gambia for budget Winter sun, Oman which would be a classy alternative too, or what about Sharm El Sheikh?

We went to Madeira just after New Year this year and we are going back next January with our DDs who are 25 and 22. The temperature was very pleasant and it was dry (unlike the snow that forced us to go to Edinburgh airport the night before our flight in case we couldn't get there in the morning).
DH and I had been there in 2022 but 12 hours after we arrived in our hotel, DSM contacted me to let me know that DF had been diagnosed with sepsis and palliative care was the only option so we had to come home. That time we hired a car and managed to see a little of the island before we left a couple of days later but the roads are so steep that driving was scary.
This year we didn't have a car but instead we did tours with Hit the Road Madeira. They have a fleet of Land Rover Discoveries which they use to take tourists to otherwise inaccessible parts of the island.

We had never been keen on the Canaries but we did Lanzarote one year for some winter sun. We stayed in Hotel Costa Calero in Puerto Calero and we loved it. Puerto Calero is quiet with a marina and several restaurants and it's lovely. It's within walking distance of Puerto Del Carmen and we walked in once for lunch but it wasn't our type of place (and the return coach to the airport further confirmed that). Again we hired a car and that allowed us to explore the island.

I'd consider the Canaries - hear me out. They never appealed to me until the last couple of years when I was desperate for winter sun but didn't want to go long haul. I'm currently in Lanzarote, Playa Blanca and it's beautiful weather, we are in a fabulous hotel on the sea front, sea view room. There's a promenade walk just outside our hotel so you can walk for miles if you want. The hotel we are in is a H10 and it's huge, loads of facilities including 5 pools, a spa, wonderful food...I could go on. Oh and its around 23/24c and skies are blue! Honestly it's an absolute tonic to be here after the last few weeks grey weather at home.

A few snapshots..

Malaga or Seville. Maybe not swimming weather but potentially nice in the day time to sit outside.