Winter sun?

[catownerofthenorth]

Dh really struggles in the winter. Am thinking of short break in January or feb but I hate flying. So where is as sunny as possible as close as possible. Preferably with safe sea swimming plus pool and nice cultural vibe. (I am not sure this all exists!)

Southern Spain and Morocco are usually pleasantly warm but not swimming - level hot then.

You might be lucky with the weather in the Canaries or Egypt at that time of year but the sea will definitely be chilly. Better to look for a hotel with a heated pool.
Or you could try Cape Verde but there have been a lot of horror stories recently about food poisoning outbreaks.
Murcia and Seville are pleasantly warm at that time of year but, again, sea swimming will be cold.

I think for sea swimming you may have to go as far as Egypt which I think is around a 5 hour flight, and I’m thinking of Sharm-el-shaikh so not sure if that’s the cultural vibe you’re after.

I’m not keen on flying either, and we normally have a winter break in Southern Spain, but although it’s pleasant and we can walk around in T shirts, you certainly wouldn’t rent to be swimming anywhere outdoors.

I would invest some money getting over the flying thing and book a week in the Caribbean

Was surprised by how warm the sea was in Malta when we visited in March. It's an ok destination for a few days in the sun.

You will need to go at least 4 hours away (by plane) for decent sun in the winter. Canaries, Morocco, or other places in North Africa like Tunisia or Egypt. Even then, it will only be low-mid 20s in winter.

If you want to stay in Europe, then the Canaries are the best bet for winter sun. About 4 hours flight from southern England. You won't want to swim in the sea - it can be rough in winter - but if you book a hotel with at least one heated pool you will be able to swim in that. Weather is never guaranteed though. We went to the Canaries at new year this year and the weather was mixed - some sunny days, but also some windy ones that were quite chilly and we also had rain a couple of days. Some years though it can be 28 degrees.

For Jan or Feb, your best bet is the Caribbean. Yes, it's a long flight but I think if you are afraid of flying, it doesn't matter if it's 4 hours (Canaries/Egypt/Morocco) or 8 hours. Get some hypnotherapy for the flying issue and enjoy a proper winter sun holiday!

Of course you can swim in the sea around the Canaries in winter. I do it most years. You just need to go to one of the many sheltered bays on a south coast for the best chance of warm weather and calm seas.

I guess it depends on what you don’t like about flying, but many people would disagree with you there. In fact, many (most?) people who don’t have an issue with flying itself would find it a lot easier to sit in a cramped tube for 3 hours than for 8.

I went to the Canaries this Jan for some winter sun.

the sea was about 20 degrees which frankly isn’t far off uk summer sea temps.

i swam most days and there were plenty of others swimming as well. My hotel had an unheated pool which was about 15 so pretty chilly unless you are used to it.

realistically you are going to need to fly for decent winter sun. European destinations that you can get to by train (Spain, south of France, Italy) will be warmer than the uk but you are unlikely to feel like it’s summer, more spring.