The 46 all-time wintertime-lord's day destinations

Here are the best wintertime-sun destinations to consider right now, from tropical islands to brusk-haul sunshine

The best wintersun destinations 46 hot spots

David Crookes

For many of u.s., the last few summers feel like they never really took place. Even though lockdown for much of the UK was eased, irresolute quarantine rules kept some of usa from travelling to anywhere as well far-flung.

As the world adjusts to the new normal, we're excited most the prospect of some serious off-season sunshine. Below we've collated the destinations that offering warm weather condition during the winter, as well as smart places to stay, covetable culture and a brilliant food scene.

For more than travel ideas, see our pick of the best vacation destinations to visit in 2022.

The all-time wintertime-sun destinations for 2022

  • Flight time 10 hours When to go DecemberApril Average winter temperature 28°C There is no bad time to go to the...

    Sabastian Posingis

    The Maldives

    Flight time: 10 hours
    When to go: Dec–April
    Average winter temperature: 28°C

    There is no bad time to become to the Maldives. There is zilch bad about going to the Maldives at whatever time always. They are perfect little islands, whichever you choose – tiny castaway-fantasy sandy islets, mostly with one immaculate resort, with various levels of splendidness. Even people who remember they will get bored in the Maldives end upward loving the Maldives. They're family unit-friendly, and for blissed-out beachy nirvana, they're hard to beat. And they're all-time of all during the British winter, and a quite do-able 10 hours abroad.

    Where to stay: In terms of scenery, it'south hard to beat Gili Lankanfushi which sits on what might be the most beautiful lagoon in the country. We besides love Patina Republic of the maldives for information technology's impressive set up spanning eight confined and restaurants, each one exceptional. See more of the best hotels in the Maldives

  • James Bedford

    Republic of cyprus

    Flight time: iv hours 30 minutes from London
    When to go: March–May; October–Nov
    Average winter temperature: 22°C

    The eastern Mediterranean Sea around Cyprus may be chilly in winter, only the island gets plenty of sunshine all twelvemonth, and then there's a skilful chance you'll get T-shirt weather fifty-fifty in the coldest months. From March, the island's flowers start to bloom, and in that location's barely some other visitor in sight. Plus it's simply a short hop from the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland.

    Where to stay: At Amara, a slick design hotel right on the embankment.

    Read more features on Cyprus

  • Julien Capmeil

    Seychelles

    Flight time: 13 hours from London to Mahé (including one stop)
    When to go: October–November
    Average winter temperature: 29°C

    Adrift in the Indian Ocean, a g miles from the nearest coast of Africa, the Seychelles are the ultimate fantasy-island escape.  The archipelago has year-round heat and sunshine, equally well every bit its off-white share of rain. The wettest months in the Republic of seychelles are November to March, but temperatures never go too oppressively hot (meandering around 24ºC at night and up to 29ºC in the daytime, year round). October is a great calendar month to go for a hit of sunshine, before it gets besides rainy, and the air is fresher.

    Where to stay: Its private-island resorts – Due north Isle, Frégate Island, the Six Senses Zil Pasyon – are mayhap the near sensational anywhere in the globe, a honeymooner's dream (even William and Kate honeymooned at North Island, though the hotel is as well discreet to acknowledge information technology).

    Read more features on the Seychelles

  • Republic of mauritius

    Flying fourth dimension: 12 hours from London
    When to go: May–Dec
    Average winter temperature: 28°C

    What Republic of mauritius has over its Indian Ocean neighbours, the Seychelles and the Republic of the maldives, is its size and natural diversity, and the fact that yous can do it independently. Its beaches are still potted tropical paradises, and here yous can rent a car and go exploring to observe your own deserted cove, drive or hike up into its rainforested hills, accept a boat out and go snorkelling or swoop in its extraordinary underwater world. It has a bit of a reputation for overly groomed resorts – but it also has some of the finest beach hotels in the world, and you tin can find niggling bazaar hotels right on the beach, too. Possibly the best months to go to Republic of mauritius are September, October and Nov, when information technology's hot but not too hot (averaging effectually 25-28ºC in the day, a cooler 17-19ºC at night), and at its driest (the rainy season in Mauritius is from January til April).

    Where to stay: Lux One thousand Gaube is a beach-lover's fantasty.

    Take a closer look at Mauritius: the Indian Body of water superstar .

  • King Features

    Canary Islands

    Flight time: iii hours 30 minutes from London
    When to become: Year-circular
    Average winter temperature: 22°C

    It's summer all the time in the Canaries, where temperatures average in the low-mid 20s all yr round. Too as the well-known destinations – Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote (pictured) – there are three smaller islands that are less visited and less spoilt: La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera. They don't appear on the average British holidaymaker'due south mental earth-map, and make for interesting exploring and wintertime sunshine.

    Where to stay: The Ritz-Carlton in Tenerife made our Gilded List in 2022 – a pastel-pinkish, Moorish palace mansion of a hotel with viii restaurants, a handful of pond pools and a decadent spa.

    Come across more: the best Canary Islands to visit .

  • Michael Turek

    Bermuda

    Flight fourth dimension: 7 hours from London
    When to become: October–March
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 24°C

    The mid-Atlantic archipelago of Bermuda, mythical setting for Shakespeare's Storm, is a land of pink beaches, pinkish houses and brightly coloured shorts. It is Caribbean in nature, though it's much closer to the Uk – so shorter flight times – and has a distinctive character all of its own. Its pinkish-sand beaches are lovely, too. Those along the South Shore are the glory of the island. Horseshoe Bay is the all-time known and most crowded, though Warwick Long Bay, a brusk fashion along the coast, is but as attracting. At one terminate of Horseshoe there is a little patch of sand the size of a playground, cut off from the residual of it by a rocky hillock.

    Where to stay: We like the the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a 19th-century retreat prepare right on the capital's harbour.

  • Getty Images

    Cuba

    Flying time: thirteen+ hours from London
    When to go: October–April
    Average winter temperature: 27°C

    With its lovely Caribbean area climate, guaranteed warm and sunny days and very fiddling rain, Cuba's weather is at its nigh reliable during the UK winter. The beaches down on the south coast may get the best sunshine and depict the biggest crowds, but in that location'south plenty beyond the palm-fringed stretches of sand. Havana's got its colourful pastel-hued buildings, cigars and Cadillacs, while the perfectly preserved Spanish colonial architecture in UNESCO-protected Trinidad makes the city experience lost in time. Elsewhere, in that location's no end of nature reserves, lush forests, mountains and tobacco plantations to explore.

    Where to stay: Gardens Havana is a sweet guesthouse in a faded, renovated townhouse in Havana.

    Plan your visit with our ultimate guide to Republic of cuba .

  • King Features

    Bahamas

    Flight time: about 10 hours from London
    When to go: November–December, and March
    Average winter temperature: 25°C

    Once a hiding place for pirate treasure and prohibition liquor, Harbour Island in the Bahamas is now a colourfully eccentric retreat where every dark is a party and every twenty-four hour period more vibrant than the last. The sand is pinkish, the turquoise h2o is home to light-green sea turtles and orange starfish, and yellowish-throated birds wing about the trees. Days on the beach are long and lazy, and the fourth dimension of day forgotten.

    Where to stay: The Other Side is a small, gorgeous gear up of tents and shacks on Harbour Island.

    Read more features on Harbour Island

  • 4Corners

    Dubai

    Flying time: vii hours from London
    When to go: November–March
    Boilerplate wintertime temperature: 26°C

    For year-round sunshine, spotless beaches and impeccable service a short hop away, Dubai is an obvious choice. The Palm, a manmade sweep of beach packed with superb hotels, each with its own immaculate patch of embankment, is perfect for family unit holidays. It's non all drinking glass and shopping malls in Downtown Dubai: the Old Souk is a warren of glittering jewellery and pots, and the peaceful Dubai Creek hints at a time before the seven-star hotels and indoor ski slopes. 2 new creative districts(Dubai Design District and Al Quoz) accept gained the attention of the international fine art scene, too. To see the city in its best light, go in November, when it's non too humid and you can happily bronze past the puddle all 24-hour interval.

    Where to stay: Check into the Mandarin Oriental for its private beach and splendid location.

    The best things to do in Dubai .

  • Oliver Pilcher

    Taghazout, Morocco

    Flight time: 3 hours 50 mins from London
    When to become: December–March
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 21°C

    Once a slightly rough-around-the-edges hippie town, Taghazout is now Morocco's top surf destination. The sleepy angling village on the Atlantic coast hasn't lost any of its old-fashioned charm, and goats even so wander gormlessly through the dusty tangerine-coloured streets while fishermen haul in their daily catches from rickety bluish and white boats. For serious surfers, winter marks the beginning of peak season, and as the slap-up rips up, the intermission-chasing crowds arrive. Temperatures usually hover around a very pleasant 20°C, simply Saharan winds often push the mercury up much higher. The places to stay continue getting smarter, offering surf lessons in the twenty-four hour period and rooftop yoga at dusk. And even if you lot're not into surfing, there are plenty of cute hiking trails nearby, camel rides along the beach and splendid fishing too.

    Where to stay: 15-room, Afro-inspired Munga Guesthouse is owned past former pro surfer Mounir Bouallaq.

    Get to know Morocco'southward bottom-known surf spot .

  • Tim McKenna

    Bora Bora, Tahiti & French Polynesia

    Flight time: One full 24-hour interval from the United kingdom
    When to go: Year-circular (though March is particularly rainy on Tahiti).
    Average winter temperature: 28°C

    In both geography and spirit, but near equally far from a drizzly British winter as you can get. French Polynesia is made up of 100-odd petty islands in the Due south Pacific Bounding main, the all-time-known of them Tahiti and Bora Bora. They are out of this globe. Castaway fantasy, ringed by reefs; the water unbelievable shades of turquoise blueish; the hibiscus flowers Gauguin bright; everything bright and light and hyper-real.

    Where to stay: The Brando is the area'due south biggest-hitting hotel – endemic past Marlon Brando and fix on a stunning, living coral reef.

    Why the jet-set up are setting their sights on French Polynesia

  • Via Tolila

    Tel Aviv, Israel

    Flight fourth dimension: 5 hours from London
    When to go: March–May; Oct–Nov
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 23°C

    Israel enjoys around 300 days of sunshine a twelvemonth – and although wintertime hither may non be every bit scorching every bit some of the other big-hitters, if yous come towards the starting time or terminate it's withal warm enough to lie on a beach. The modern Center Eastern metropolis of Tel Aviv is just a five-hr flight from London, making it an piece of cake long-weekend hop. With its skyscraper skyline, striking Bauhaus architecture, advanced art galleries, earth-class restaurants and hedonistic after-dark civilization, this is the Mediterranean'southward very own version of Manhattan. Throw in 14km of beautiful coastline, and it'south easy to see why so many creatives are fatigued to the vibrant city.

    Where to stay: One-time 19th-century convent The Jaffa, in the urban center's Arabic district, is the most ambitious design hotel.

    The best things to do in Tel Aviv .

  • Alamy

    Jordan

    Flight time: 5 hours 10 minutes from London
    When to get: Feb–May (south); March–May and September–October (due north)
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 21°C

    Jordan is full of surprises. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to requite it its full name, has wonders both natural and ancient. It's true that much of the country is desert (seemingly countless Wadi Rum has even doubled equally the moon in Hollywood movies), but there are also swathes of fertile land, brilliant and beautifully green. The waters of the Cherry Sea, off the coast of Aqaba, are bath-warm all year – and colourful, too, home to myriad fish, rays and turtles which make their home on the full-of-life coral reefs – and the all-time time to go for beach weather condition is February til May. Meanwhile, winters can exist dank in the north of the country, where snow caps the magnificent treetops of the Ajloun Wood Reserve; and the best months to become to ancient Petra, Amman and the n are March, April, May, September and October.

    Where to stay: Feynan Eco-Lodge is 1 of the only places to stay nether the stars at the Dana Biosphere Reserve.

    Read more features on Jordan

  • Oman

    Flight time: seven hours and 15 minutes from London
    When to become: Oct–Apr
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 26°C

    Oman is a less-glitzy, laid-back alternative to Dubai – just the mural here is more dramatic: broad open spaces punctuated by oases and desert towns; valleys fragrant with rose and sandalwood; hidden coves with golden beaches and brilliant-turquoise water. The capital letter, Muscat dazzles in the year-round sunshine with its yard mosques and bustling souks. Upward in the far north-due east, the Musandam Peninsula has some of the best diving in the Middle East (whale shark and turtles are the large draw).

    Where to stay: Six Senses Zighy Bay is on a golden sweep of sand backed by the impossibly steep Al Hajar Mountains. To experience truly isolated, camp in handmade Bedouin tents among the ballsy sand dunes of the Wahiba Sands southward of Muscat – it'southward the best mode to find authentic Oman.

    Read more than features on Oman

  • South Africa

    Flying fourth dimension: 12 hours from London
    When to go: November–March
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 27°C

    It might be in some other hemisphere, but South Africa is in the same time zone as the UK – which means no jet lag. In Cape Town and across in that location is stunning scenery, breathtaking beaches, as well as world-class wines and fabulous food.The country's most historic stretch of coastline is the glorious Garden Route. However in the other direction, a road trip through the Western Cape makes a rewarding alternative and the weather is particularly proficient in December and January. The less-explored Overberg Coast has wide beaches, good restaurants and wineries, moody seas at the southernmost tip of Africa, and a sensational coastal reserve that even the locals don't know virtually.

    Where to stay: In Cape Town, check into The Silo, which sits on top of the Museum of African Art. Just over an hour's drive away Leeu Estates (pictured) in Franschhoek is an high-sounding stay for post-safari relaxation.

    Read more features on S Africa

  • Alistair Taylor-Young

    Kerala, India

    Flying fourth dimension: 9 hours from London
    When to go: November–March
    Average wintertime temperature: 27°C

    At-home, cool and green: Kerala is not how yous imagine Republic of india to be. A meandering voyage through the backwaters of this southern state is a wonderful manner to see the subcontinent. Old Fort Cochin is bound to please, and there are some lovely beaches, as well.

    Where to stay: Somatheeram Ayurvedic Wellness Resort in Kovalam is one of our favourite spas in India.

    Read more features on Kerala .

  • Rajasthan, India

    Flight time: 8 hours from London
    When to go: October–March
    Average winter temperature: 25°C

    With its cities of pinkish, blue and gold, its romantic lakeside palaces and desert camps, Rajasthan is Bharat'south brightest and most beautiful state. Go there and become carried away, whether you're getting stuck into the hustle-bustle streets of Jaipur, escaping into the desert around Jaisalmer, or floating wistfully across the lake in romantic Udaipur.

    Where to stay: Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur is a gilt, deluxe stay (and still occasionally the habitation of Jodhpur's one-time royal family).

    Read more features on Rajasthan .

  • istockphoto

    Western Australia

    Flight time: 20 hours from London
    When to go: Nov–March
    Average wintertime temperature: 35°C

    1 of our picks for the best destinations to visit in 2021, the north-west coast of Western Australia is remote, beautiful and largely uninhabited. Information technology has the least-visited of all Australia'southward coral reefs, Ningaloo Reef, a pristine 260km stretch of coral where thrilling encounters are fairly routine, whether you're diving or snorkelling. Turtles nest from November to March.

    Where to stay: Como the Treasury in Perth is the metropolis's smoothest stay, with a rooftop restaurant and beautiful bedrooms.

    Read our feature on Ningaloo Reef

  • Rex Features

    Thai islands

    Flight time: 13 hours from London
    When to go: Nov–March
    Average winter temperature: 32°C

    The islands of Thailand are the stuff of castaway fantasies. White sand, rustic-chic embankment shacks, a hammock gently swaying betwixt two palm trees as a turquoise ocean laps at the shore… At that place are dozens to choose from, and each offers something quite different, from the super-spas of Koh Samui to barefoot beach-bum in Koh Lipe, while Koh Lanta remains quietly chilled out with lovely places to stay on beaches that stretch for miles.

    Where to stay: At Costa Lanta on Koh Lanta, an adults-merely minimalist hotel with unruly gardens and lots of polished physical.

    The all-time islands in Thailand .

  • Martin Morrell

    Belize

    Flight time: 16+ hours from London (via Houston)
    When to go: December–April
    Average wintertime temperature: 30°C

    Belize's peak season coincides perfectly with the Britain'southward coldest months. Although temperatures remain high all year-round, January to March has the lowest adventure of rain, making this an platonic fourth dimension to explore this tiny adventure-packed nation. Bordered past Guatemala and Mexico, Belize attracts a fraction of the crowds of its neighbours, notwithstanding the natural and cultural multifariousness of this former British colony is truly compelling. Information technology's home to Mayan ruins, national parks, nature reserves and the Belize Bulwark Reef (which forms part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Organisation, the world's second largest), all begging to be explored. The country'due south jungly interior contrasts with a dazzling Caribbean coastline and hundreds of small cayes and islands, while a flurry of fresh hotels accept all put eco-tourism at the tiptop of their agenda.

    Where to stay: at rattan- and establish-filled Itzana.

    A guide to embankment hopping in Belize .

  • Jack Johns and Owen Tozer

    Lamu, Kenya

    Flight fourth dimension: 17+ hours from London, via Nairobi
    When to get: December–February
    Average winter temperature: 32°C

    When the Foreign Office slapped a travel ban on Lamu later the 2011 Somali terrorist attacks, it fell off the map. But now with sanctions lifted, crowds are starting to flock dorsum to this far-flung African isle that notwithstanding feels totally unchanged by time. It's long been a popular beachy commodities-on after an epic Kenyan safari, alluring curious travellers rather than flag-following sightseers. There are no vehicles, just donkeys and dhows, and the heady mix of Arab, Persian, Chinese, Indian and European cultures is mesmerising. Later a few days in the UNESCO-protected Quondam Town, head south to the deserted beaches or drift over by dhow to the nearby Robinson Crusoe islands of Manda and Kiwayu. From December to Feb, temperatures average a steamy 32°C, making winter the prime time to come and bask the postcard-perfect empty sands and Lamu's laid-dorsum rhythm.

    Where to stay: Seafront Peponi was built in the 1930s and has been a hotel since the 1960s, with an incredible puddle, shady verandah and a list of former guests that includes Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall.

    Read more features on Lamu

  • Julien Capmeil

    Zihuatanejo, Mexico

    Flight time: 17+ hours from London (via Mexico Metropolis)
    When to get: December–April
    Average wintertime temperature: xxx°C

    Over on Mexico's Pacific Coast, two beach towns sit side-by-side: Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. They couldn't be more than unlike. Ixtapa, stacked with high-rise hotels and modern infrastructure was purpose-built for tourists, while, merely circular the bay, Zihuatanejo has kept concur of its old-world amuse and sleepy-fishing-hamlet feel. Information technology'due south a low-cardinal beach retreat with genuine Mexican flair; fisherman flog their catches on the shore each morning time, and the boondocks centre is filled with historical cobbled streets and a buzzy market. Clutches of boutique properties sit right on the beach or overlooking the bay – which is a hit with surfers. Information technology'southward hot all yr round, but Oct to April sees the least rain, making this a perfect spot for a hit of wintertime vitamin D.

    Where to stay: We love the Thompson, which spotlights interiors from Mexico City-based studios.

    Read more on Zihuatenejo

  • Getty Images

    Panama

    Flight time: 13+ hours from London
    When to go: December–March
    Average winter temperature: 32°C

    The San Blas Islands are nothing new – travellers have long been flocking to the white-sand beaches and dazzling turquoise waters of Panama's Caribbean archipelago. But the Pacific side is however significantly less discovered. There'southward Islas Palenque, surrounded by a 400-acre jungle reserve and seven pristine beaches a piddling closer to the mainland. Admittedly it's a bit of a schlep to become here from Panama Urban center, just totally worth information technology for the privacy and seclusion once you arrive. The all-time fourth dimension to come up is from January to April, when the wet rainy season gives manner to a few months of glorious sunshine and scorching temperatures.

    Where to stay: philanthropist Louis Bacon opened Islas Secas, a game-changing new private isle with but four solar-powered casitas and conservation at its core.

    Read more than on Panama

  • Getty Images

    São Tomé and Príncipe

    Flying time: 20+ hours from London (via Lisbon and Accra)
    When to get: Dec–February
    Average winter temperature: xxx°C

    Marooned off the coast of Gabon, these tiny unspoiled islands together make up Africa's smallest and least-visited country. Merely it'south thanks to the tiny tourist numbers that they still retain the allure of somewhere almost completely undiscovered. These jungly islands are home to more endemic species per foursquare mile than anywhere else on earth – making them a bit like Africa's very own Galápagos. When Due south African billionaire Marker Shuttleworth opened up his starting time boutique hotel, Bom Bom, back in 2013, a new breed of luxury traveller arrived; since so, he'due south opened 2 more than, Roça Sundy and Praia Sundy. They're all function of a wider project to create jobs and heave tourism – so you lot'll be doing good while on vacation as well. Jan, February and March are the hottest months, when the dry and dusty winds blow straight in from the Sahara.

    Where to stay: Bom Bom is the isle's original bazaar.

    Read more than on Sao Tome and Principe

  • Kalle Gustafsson

    Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

    Flight time: 10+ hours from London
    When to get: November–March
    Average winter temperature: 24°C

    Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, on the Atlantic Coast, has a magical mix of ancient and buzzy-right-now cultures. Swim in its green ceynotes, discover temples, salute the sunday beneath the glitterball gods with fashionistas on the beach in Tulum. Mix it up in colonial Mérida. Go barefoot on Isla Holbox. The best time to come is during Britain's darkest months.

    Where to stay: in a delightful hacienda on the Mayan Riviera.

    The best places in Tulum .

  • Bali

    Flight time: 16.five hours from London
    When to get: Bali is hot year-round. It is rainiest (and thus cheapest) November–April; simply even when information technology rains, information technology'southward in brusk, tropical bursts.
    Average winter temperature: 27°C

    Bali is the heavenly island with earthly pleasures. Back-to-blissed-out spa retreats so fine that Bali has developed a style all of its own: clean and contemporary, night wood and linen whites. Parties, from flip-flop full-moon raves in hidden-away coves to the cool Potato Head Embankment Club and new The Lawn at the boho beach spot that anybody's talking about, Canggu. There's glamping here at present, and chic boutiques. There's fine art in Ubud. In that location are spas absolutely everywhere. There are beaches, of course. And the pools here are something else: a classy, jungly deep green, shrouded by tropical leafery. Those incredible horizon pools high up overlooking rainforest – that's classic Bali.

    Where to stay: Capella Ubud offers something a little dissimilar – an African-inspired jungle army camp.

    To plan your trip see our Bali travel guide .

  • Mirjam Bleeker

    Mozambique

    Flight time: 13.5 hours from London UK (via Johannesburg, Southward Africa)
    When to become: April–November
    Average winter temperature: 26°C

    This southern African country has the nearly astonishing declension – the beaches of Mozambique are out of this world. Great stretches of sand, wild and dune-backed; lapped by the beautiful Indian Sea where humpback whales alienation, where you can swim with manta rays in the Mozambique Channel. In the little islands of Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, a protected marine park towards the southward, there are sand-floor bars and simple thatched lodges, and the most sensational sandy islets in bluer-than-bluish waters, like wisps of deject in a summer sky. On the beaches of northern Mozambique you experience as though y'all're at the stop of the world; off this coast are the dreamlike Quirimbas Islands, including heavenly Vamizi

    For those bang-up to tread where others have not, Mozambique has a certain caché – savvy travellers have been returning, in small numbers, to this coast for the past 20-odd years – and a few new spruced-upwardly hotels are starting to announced – but are keen to keep it all a secret. We say go now, before the underground is out.

    Where to stay: in i of the 17 prettily stripped-back bandas on the southern peninsula's tip at Machangulo Beach Guild.

    The south of Mozambique: The unexplored coast .

  • The Philippines

    Flying fourth dimension: fifteen.5 hours from London
    When to become: February–May
    Boilerplate wintertime temperature: 31°C

    More than than 7,000 islands. Deserted white-sand beaches lined with tilting coconut trees. Protected marine parks with pristine reefs like giant tropical fish bowls. Surf breaks so astounding they draw the world's all-time pros. Low-key but slick hotels and villas. And some of the friendliest people on the planet. This is the glory of the Philippines.

    Where to stay: Amanpulo, in the Palawan archipelago, is a blissed-out private isle hotel.

    Read more features on The Philippines

  • California

    Flying fourth dimension: x hours from London
    When to go: Year-round
    Average winter temperature: 21°C

    'The Golden Land' is an appropriate nickname; California is 1 of the sunniest of Us states, with mild winters, little rain and enough of sunshine, especially in the due south. For a archetype Usa road trip, rent a convertible and hit the Pacific Coast road. Country Route one runs 550 miles from Leggett all the way down to Malibu. It has famously beautiful views much of the fashion, and the all-time section is that from San Francisco through Monterey and San Simeon to San Luis Obispo (where the route drifts inland), although northward of San Francisco the route is wilder and less crowded. Aim to drive southwards, to be closer to the body of water.

    Where to stay: The choice of hotels on the Pacific Coast is plenty alone to tempt you lot, ranging from the quaint to the all-out modern, all with stupendous views of the Pacific Ocean.

    Read more features on California

  • Ken Kochey

    Bahia, Brazil

    Flight fourth dimension: xiii hours from London
    When to go: October–February
    Average winter temperature: 31°C

    On Brazil's Atlantic seaboard, far from the tourist trail, Bahia has deserted beaches, rainforests full of wildlife, cocoa farms, a surfers' town and several barefooty resorts that you lot'll never desire to get out. Head to the small town of Itácaré for surfing, sailing, walking and birdwatching; to Trancoso for people-watching and beach-partying.

    Where to stay: at chilled-out Casa dos Arandis, sandwiched between embankment and rainforest.

    Read more than features on Brazil

  • Iwan Baan

    Senegal

    Flying time: 10 hours from London
    When to go: November–May
    Average wintertime temperature: 29°C

    It may not the obvious choice for a beach vacation, simply all the improve for it: Senegal, in W Africa, has some beautiful golden sands, fantastic surf, cracking music and delta wildlife. Go for a vacation of life-irresolute experiences.

    Where to stay: Espace Sobo Badé hotel is an utterly serene stay.

    Read our full story on Senegal

  • David Crookes

    Guatemala

    Flight fourth dimension: xiv hours from London
    When to go: November–May
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 25°C

    In Key America, the ancient Mayan cities of Guatemala, hidden deep in rainforests full of colour and exotic dissonance, make Rome seem as if it was congenital in a day. From jungle temples to beachfront bars, the delights of this magical country make for an unforgettable journey.

    Where to stay: La Lancha is made up of 10  bungalows scatterd on the hillside above Lake Petén Itzá.

    Read our full story about Guatemala

  • Alamy

    Hawaii

    Flight time: 18 hours from London
    When to go: Yr-round. February is particularly good.
    Average winter temperature: 24°C

    Aye, Hawaii is hot all yr round. And yes, information technology has a lot of swanking five-star resorts that cater to your every whim and could be anywhere in the world. Some people – a lot of people – similar those places; and why not? For others, there is everything else Hawaii has to offer. The real Hawaii. The best beaches, the best surf, the best walks through rainforests or up volcanoes.

    Where to stay: Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, the first destination spa on the islands.

    Read more features on Hawaii

  • go-myanmar.com

    Burma

    Flying time: thirteen hours from London
    When to go: Nov–Apr
    Average winter temperature: thirty°C

    Burma, or Myanmar, is an enchanting land of golden pagodas, velvet shoes and lotus flowers. Subsequently decades of darkness and fearfulness, the horizon is full of hope as visitors are being encouraged to explore the treasures of this unique Asian country again. Become now, earlier it loses its magic.

    Where to stay: Wa Ale Isle is a turbo-smart eco-isle.

    Read our full story on Burma

  • Don McCullin

    Siwa Haven, Egypt

    Flight fourth dimension: 5 hours and 15 minutes from London
    When to get: October–Dec
    Average wintertime temperature: 25°C

    The oases of Western Egypt have always been havens of refuge in a beautiful simply unforgiving landscape; and with the appearance of small, low-central hotels in the expanse, designed to respect and reflect the local environment, their capacity to refresh is greater than ever. Caput to Siwa Oasis for its aboriginal temples, salt lake, hot springs, shimmering heat and big, shifting dunes.

    Where to stay: Adrère Amellal, a simple hotel with 40 rooms in the Oasis.

    Read more than features on Egypt

  • Anders Overgaard

    Laos

    Flight fourth dimension: 19 hours from London
    When to go: November–February
    Average winter temperature: 25°C

    Anybody is seduced by Laos's misty, mystic mountainscapes and its historic city, Luang Prabang From the moment the country opened its doors to tourism in the 1980s, visitors have talked in reverent tones about the sleepy boondocks far upcountry on the banks of the Mekong River. It captivates. It weaves a spell. It carries some flavour of Indochina before the modern globe got there.

    Where to stay: Rosewood Luang Prabang is made upwardly of safari tents surrounded by jungle.

    Read more features on Laos

    The culling all-time wintertime-sun destinations

  • Philip Lee Harvey

    Namibia

    Flight time: 14+ hours from London (via Johannesburg)
    When to go: November–March
    Average winter temperature: 27°C

    Astonishingly, Namibia gets barely half a million visitors a year – while neighbouring Southward Africa receives nearly 10 times that number. Simply as travellers are slowly beginning to discover, this is one of Africa's well-nigh fascinating destinations: rugged, intrepid and dramatic. More than than a dozen new camps and lodges have opened up over the past few years, each one rocking a more creative arroyo to conservation. Namibia is commonly touted equally a year-round destination, but in truth the searing summertime temperatures can be oppressive. Nov to March may coincide with the country's wettest months, just with the rain comes a stunning transformation of scenery. The arid desert morphs into a lush green carpet; swarms of migratory birds get in, and animals start breeding. Rain is localised and comes in curt, abrupt bursts, so information technology'south unlikely to take too much of an impact on your trip.

    Where to stay: in that location are a number of the best off-grid hotels in the world in Namibia – take your selection.

    Read more features on Namibia

  • Kingdom of cambodia

    Flight time: 14 hours from London
    When to go: Nov–April
    Average winter temperature: 32°C

    If you want to meet South-East Asia at its about beguiling, y'all need to head to Cambodia. Go to lookout dawn interruption over the jungle temples of Angkor (pictured), and for the authentic traditions of its villages and laidback capital, Phnom Penh. But as well get for its immaculate beaches.

    Where to stay: Shinta Mani Wild consists of 15 tents across a individual state.

    Read more features on Cambodia or cheque out our editor approved Cambodia itinerary.

  • David Crookes

    Sri Lanka

    Flying time: 10 hours from London
    When to go: Dec–March
    Boilerplate winter temperature: 27°C

    In that location'due south a existent buzz about Sri Lanka right now, with those in the know making a beeline for coastal spots south of Colombo. Bright-green rice paddies and verdant tea plantations brand way for gorgeous, golden beaches to the w of Galle. Surfers prize the hippy-chic hangouts and rolling waves that hit the sandy coves to the east.

    Where to stay: In one of the A-frame cabanas at PALM hotel.

    The best places in Sri Lanka .

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    Ecuador

    Flight time: xi hours from London
    When to become: December–May
    Average winter temperature: 26°C

    Ecuador is less developed than Republic of costa rica, so expect an adventure — one with everything its Latin cousin has to offering, and more besides. Want wildlife? Take a luxury cruise into the Ecuadorian Amazon. Want surf? Ecuador's ane,400 miles of Pacific coast has enough of that. And and then at that place's Quito, a much smarter capital than San Jose: a heady blend of steamy salsotecas, m Andean vistas, and fabulous hotels in ravishingly restored colonial mansions (none more elegant than the peerless Casa Gangotena). You lot may have heard of another of its under-the-radar destinations, the Galapagos, besides. Ecuador's different geographical zones have their own, singled-out weather patterns, but Europe's winter is when the weather condition is warmest in Quito and the Highlands; driest in the jungle; and sunniest on the coast.
    To a higher place: Laguna de Quilotoa is a beautiful crater lake in a secluded location of the Ecuadorian Andes.

    Where to stay: Want an eco-stay? The five-star Mashpi Social club — a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the Earth — is a sustainable, all-glass stunner hiding out in a cloud woods.

    These are the all-time things to practice in Quito .

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    The Andaman Islands

    Flight time: 14 hours from London
    When to get: January–March
    Average winter temperature: 29°C

    Every bit as dreamy as the Maldives, but more satisfyingly off-radar, the Andaman Islands have smartened up. This tropical archipelago — geographically closer to Myanmar and Indonesia than its owner, Bharat — has always been brochure-beautiful, simply simply recently blest with luxury digs. Those far-flung beaches and impossibly pure waters were more reward for intrepid surfers and gap-year backpackers until now. But it was simply a affair of time before this primitive paradise turned upscale. Havelock is the most developed of the 572 islands, the vast bulk of which are off-limits to visitors (and populated past indigenous tribes). Information technology's here that Indian luxury hotel giant Taj has newly scattered 72 thatched villas nether a rainforest awning, fringing the fabled Radhanagar beach, widely said to be amongst the best in the globe.   Winter is the clearest, driest time of year — peculiarly January to March — with temperatures around 29C.

    Where to stay: at Jalakara, a bazaar, teak-and-concrete sanctuary tucked into a assistant plantation, where there's no WiFi, no TV — just utter, nature-swathed serenity.

    To a higher place: Havelock Islands, Andam Islands.
    The Andaman Islands

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    Karnataka, India

    Flight time: 9 hours from London
    When to go: Oct–Apr
    Average winter temperature: 27°C

    Karnataka'south beach scene is every bit as beautiful, only rather less glowsticky, than Goa's, though it shares the same declension (the state of Karnataka is further south). Gokarna beach, often listed among India'south finest sandy crescents, is chilled-out, powdery and palm-fringed; beach-goers more hammock-swinging yogis than UV-painted ravers. Amend still, there'southward more than to explore across browning and sunday salutations; try trekking and then de-stressing at the Taj Madikeri Resort & Spa, in the emerald, java- and spice-planted hills of Coorg. Hampi's magical, aboriginal temples and bizarre, perilously-stacked boulders have fascinated wanderers and vagabonds for hundreds of years.

    Where to stay: the Taj Madikeri Resort & Spa.

    Above: The temple at Mysore Palace, Karnataka.

    Read more about Hampi, India

  • Vietnam

    Flight time: 12 hours from London
    When to go: November–Feb
    Boilerplate wintertime temperature: 27°C

    Vietnam may well be one of the almost fascinating, cute and charming countries you will e'er visit. Saigon is wonderful, colonial and quirky; Ho Chi Minh Metropolis has one of the world's best food scenes. And the coast of Vietnam – oh, the coast! The beaches are extraordinary. Then much untouched beauty. Little islands and dramatic bays to explore by boat. Out-of-this-earth embankment-chic places to stay, right on the sand. And even though it's like shooting fish in a barrel-going and luxury can exist found everywhere, it still feels like a clandestine, still some sense of discovery about a trip there.

    Where to stay: read about the best hotels in Vietnam.

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    Beirut, Lebanese republic

    Flight fourth dimension: v hours from London
    When to become: October–November
    Boilerplate wintertime temperature: 21°C

    Dubai is a hard human activity to acme: non only the Middle East'southward about-visited city, information technology'due south the sixth almost-visited in the world, outdoing fifty-fifty Paris and New York. But if Dubai is a blockbuster — with its all-singing, all-dancing fountain and globe-beating belfry — think of Beirut as a cool trivial indie pic: edgier, artsier, and only every bit deserving of your fourth dimension. Of form, Lebanon'due south capital has been a niggling too edgy in the past. But now, more than a decade since violence final broke out, there are murmurs of a 'second Gold Age' for this 'Paris of the Eastward', harking back to its 1960s, pre-Civil War bohemia. This is a city of layers: from the captivating, crumbling columns and arches of neo-Ottoman compages, to a storied party scene that never really ramp ups 'til past midnight (Gemmayzeh's confined are and so hip they'd make a Brooklynite blush), and Arabian souks steeped in the scents of a thou spices. And yet, propped at the Med'south edge, and with winter temperatures in the high teens and twenties, yous could just every bit easily while away a day with fine Lebanese wines at a splashy beach club.

    Where to stay: A Leading Hotel of the Earth, Le Gray, is a smart spot to gear up up camp.

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    Ghana

    Flight time: 7 hours from London
    When to go: October–March
    Average winter temperature: 28°C

    Ghana'south 'Africa for beginners' reputation tips a hat to the ease of a trip hither — stable politics, adult towns, functional transport. Simply it misses all the other things that make Ghana smashing. Like the upper-case letter, Accra, a spirited city stuffed to the gills with red-hot food, nightlife and fine art. Encounter Urban Grill, Afro-Latin fusion helmed by Andrew DiCataldo, of Manhattan's one time-loved Patria; rooftop gild Carbon, owned by Nick House of Mahiki; and Gallery 1957, with its knack for edgy homegrown shows that accident up on social media. Then there'due south the beaches: blaze parties and street food at Accra'southward ain Labadi. Winter months are hot — temperatures boilerplate effectually 28°C — so you'll be glad of a bracing Atlantic dip. Alright, there's no Large Five, but there are safaris: walking with elephants, world-class birding, humpback-whale-watching. Plus there's that handy hour's time divergence in common with South Africa, with only half the flight time.

    Where to stay: the soothing White Sands Beach Resort & Spa, an exclusive private members' club just an hour's drive from Accra

    In a higher place: colourful fishing boats in the fishing village Anomabu, Republic of ghana.

    Join the states on a road trip in Africa .

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    Tangier, Marrakech

    Flying fourth dimension: 3 hours 40 minutes from London
    When to become: March–May
    Average wintertime temperature: 17°C

    From the 1920s to the 1950s, port urban center Tangier was a playground for the maddest and baddest bohemians: Vanquish icons like Burroughs and Kerouac; glamorously demon-plagued playwrights from Tennessee Williams to Jean Genet. Only it wasn't only the romance of indigestible white-washed buildings fanning along a too-blueish African shoreline that brought them. The city'southward status as a virtually-lawless 'international zone' made stiff drugs, strong cocktails and other strongly sordid entertainments all-likewise-readily available. The Moroccan monarchy later enacted penalization: the urban center was left to rot. A new king and a new attitude have revived it, widespread restoration inviting a smarter vitality, where cafés-cum-bookshops and speakeasies retain a raffish-cool, without segueing into seedy. In a hilltop casbah, El Morocco Social club is where the leisure class make piece of cake work of looking beautiful while slurping oysters and sipping Mojitos. And though chaotic Marrakech isn't curt of designer riads to escape to, Tangier is an infinitely jauntier option, and with T-shirt temperatures to boot.

    Where to stay: Hôtel Nord Pinus is all handmade fabrics, traditional Fez tiles and antique piece of furniture.

    Read virtually our route trip in Kingdom of morocco