You can hear the rain pounding on the window and if you’re anything like me, your next thought is: when do I get to see the sun again? I could tell you to jet-off to Hawaii for the weekend, it would spare me a post but eyyy… maybe next year.
So were to go for a winter-sun quick fix?
I went twice to Lanzarote, Canarias in November and had a very relaxing experience, enjoyed the surf beaches and came back to the office ostensibly tanned. On the 1st January, we were having a coffee in short sleeves on a rooftop in the middle of the Marrakech Medina…any other candidates?
The magic of airline competition on fares and the off-peak accommodation prices make short sunny breaks possible, while staying in Europe, or close at least.
1. Where’s the sun?
If those weather averages can be trusted, the Canary Islands and Marrakesh are the top sunny, dry and warm combinations; and Madeira is coming up as a valid contender on that round.
| Crete, Greece | Sicily, Italy | Marrakech, Morocco | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | Madeira, Portugal | Malta | |
| Temperature (Celsius) | ||||||
| November | 20 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| December | 17 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 17 |
| January | 15 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| February | 15 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| March | 17 | 17 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Rainfall (in mm) | ||||||
| November | 69.3 | 122.3 | 24.1 | 14.3 | 95.9 | 94.8 |
| December | 89 | 141 | 24 | 27.8 | 134.3 | 114.1 |
| January | 77.5 | 68.8 | 24.2 | 15.5 | 91.6 | 93 |
| February | 64 | 50.6 | 29.4 | 16.3 | 69.7 | 62.5 |
| March | 62.2 | 59 | 25.2 | 14.1 | 52.4 | 43.1 |
2. …anywhere cheap and easy to get to?
For that one, I took a random long weekend end of November: departure Friday 21st November in the afternoon, return on Tuesday the 25th in the afternoon too. I arbitrarily removed Luton from the range of possible airports – just because. Prices are per person, from a simple Skyscanner search. When the inbound and outbound times where different, I took an average.
All 6 places came back with options under £150 which overall is not too bad. Sicily is the quickest trip, and with 3 airports, it has the most cheap & convenient options. Crete is also pretty cheap, however it’s worth noting that there are no galore options of flights: twice a week, take it or leave it!
The black horse seems to be Madeira again, we had decent weather in step #1, and cheap and relatively easy to get there… I like the sound of it.
| Crete, Greece | Sicily, Italy | Marrakech, Morocco | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | Madeira, Portugal | Malta | |
| price of a long weekend direct flight* | £69, Gatwick to Heraklion with Easyjet | £69, Stansted and Gatwick to Palermo with a combination of Ryanair and Easyjet | £140, Stansted and Gatwick to Marrakech with Easyjet | £110, with Monarch and Thomas Cook | £80, from Gatwick to Madeira with Monarch and Norwegian | £140 with a mix of BA and / or Ryanair |
| flight time | 4h10 | 3h | 3h40 | 4h20 | 3h40 | 3h15 |
| nb: only 2 direct flights a week (Tuesday and Saturdays with Easyjet) | nb: 3 airports in Sicily | nb: lots of flights options |
3. And the winner is….
- Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain – the surf winter break
It’s a proper winter destination. A little bit further away than the rest, but let’s be honest, once you have made it to the airport, whether you spend 3 or 4h in that plane doesn’t change the overall journey much. It’s got good surf, nice food and wine…it’s funny how I fell in love so much of that rock and dust island.
Downside: please avoid tourist traps unless your holiday dream is merely to sit on a beach drinking cheap beer. There is so much more to it.
Alternatives: Lanzarote, Canary Island, Spain, but be warned, the entertainment offer is minimal
- Marrakech, Morocco – the pamper weekend
Marrakech as well is a real winter-time destination, with a luxe spin to it. Go for a riad stay in the heart of the medina, many offer spa and massage treatments, several 5 stars hotels like Mamouna are full all year round and the night life is also super trendy.
Alternatives: Djerba, Tunisia. Flights are a lot more expensive & uneasy but that may change soon.
- Madeira, Portugal – the nature time off
I was already super curious after seeing the fabulous landscape pictures posted by my friends who did the Madeira Ultra Trail. But the more I read about it, the more I want to discover that region, plus, they have one of the biggest New Year Eve fireworks in the world! It’s a bit wet than the first #2, so I probably would target late autumn or early spring.
Alternatives: Faro, South Portugal, mostly for the surfing
- Sicily, Italy – the foodies’ weekend
I have repeated enough how much I love Sicily on this column. In all honesty, it’s a perfect shoulder-season place, it’s possible to hop there for just a 2 or 3 days weekends, it’s easily accessible, and really the weather won’t matter this much, you’ll be inside eating cannoli and arrancini, and pasta di mandorla, and parmegiana, and crema di pistacchio…
Alternatives: Sardinia, Italy, but has a lot fewer convenient flights options
- Malta – the youngsters get-away
Malta a small picturesque island, easy to go around, ideal for a cultural 3/4 days weekend; lots of cheap accommodation options too and making it a young people’s favourite.
Alternatives: Cyprus, decent flights options and relatively mild weather, it could be interesting to see the touristy spots such as Limassol without the crowds
- Crete, Greece
All bloggers reporting their trips have enjoyed the Island off-peak: going hiking in the countryside free from crowds, and the cultural treasures and varied landscapes. Lots of family-friendly options too…
Alternative: I checked on Mykonos, Greece, but the winter flights are few and far between…wait until April.
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