November holiday

[3smallpups]

Rarely get the chance to go away due to work commitments but may be able to get away for 7 to 10 days, with Dh, in November. Can’t book yet so it’s going to be really short notice. Either somewhere hot or a shorter break not so hot. Either way good food and not a massive resort. Not Egypt, Dubai or Cape Verde. Flexible budget . Any ideas?

There’s an article in the Independent online today about best places to holiday in November!

South Africa is good in November. Also
North Africa and southern Spain. Anywhere in Europe that’s too hot in summer. You might find choice limited by flight prices to the best destinations. SA flights are overnight and it’s only around 2 hours time difference. Hire a car and drive the garden route. So much nicer than just a beach holiday.

Go down the Nile - see some history! Ditto in Tuscany or Puglia.

Caribbean cruise if you can find a last minute one that suits.
Or Aruba.

Goa? Gambia? Oman?

Have you considered the Carribbean? Average rainfall level in November looks OK for Mexico/Jamaica. We stayed in Negril in Jamaica which has lots of smaller resorts, we stayed in a 32 room place in March, really liked it. Obviously smaller hotels will have much less facilities compared to a 300 room resort. Tulum in Mexico has also got smaller resorts, but you may want to check the seaweed situation before going there.

Canary Islands?

We did southern Spain for a month mid Nov - mid Dec last year. Weather was fabulous for the time of year, though definitely not guaranteed. You need south facing accommodation to take full advantage of the winter sun and keep the accommodation warm if you aren't staying in a hotel.

Caribbean: St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominican Republic

Thanks all
did Gambia last year , that’s enough for now !
goa and kerala under consideration
maybe Vietnam ?
Canary Islands too cold and not enough else to do
Spain , might be sad if it’s cold and windy every day
Caribbean, have done a lot of islands but looking at
dh keen on South Africa but it scares me a bit as would be self driving

I think it’s a real
mixture of me being tired and not being away for more than three nights since the Gambia Jan last year and so wanting something low stress
but also not wanting to go somewhere and not do stuff .
also I’m a planner , book flights , research hotels and things to do really carefully , so a last minute thing freaks me out a bit , hence I’m so indecisive.
chat gpt is spectacularly useless , asked it to plan an itinerary in kerala and it had 13 hour drives and a three night stay in a tiny village somewhere that basically had a back packers hostel and little else .

Mauritius

Madeira.
Plenty to do, should be pleasant weather.

@3smallpups Driving is pretty easy in SA. There’s sensible rules you must follow but we’ve been perfectly ok. No worries at all!

We’ve always taken our main holiday in November. We’ve been to the US, and also Asia (Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, etc, all places where weather was fine). Our last trip was Florida, on a road trip, but with beaches. We loved Naples, the Keys, and South Beach Miami. Driving is super easy out there.

Mauritius
South Africa
Thailand

We usually go to Bali in November. Although it is the start of wet season we have always been lucky. Might be a bit far for you though (we are in Aus). Everyone I know who has been to Vietnam has loved it,

Have you considered Yunnan in China?

If you can manage 9–10 days, I’d recommend Dali and Lijiang. November is usually quite sunny, with pleasant daytime temperatures, although evenings can get chilly.

In Dali, have a look at Erhai Lake, Xizhou Ancient Town and Shaxi Ancient Town. Around Lijiang, there’s Lijiang Old Town, Baisha Ancient Town and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

The region has beautiful lakes, mountains, traditional villages and some fantastic local food. No need for big resorts either — there are plenty of lovely boutique hotels where you can stay and explore at your own pace.

Try Googling some photos of these places. I think Yunnan might surprise you!

The only downside is the long journey from the UK, so I’d recommend it more for a 9–10 day trip rather than just a week.

Madeira would be worth a look. Lovely food, beautiful scenery and plenty of smaller places to explore without staying in a huge resort.