Popular destinations for Europeans during the winter include long haul trips to Australia or New Zealand and the beach resorts of the Florida coast. Closer to home are the temperate climates of the Canary Islands, Cyprus and Malta, while more recently the Middle-Eastern resorts of Sharm el Sheikh, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have found more takers.
The British winter months can be a long drawn-out affair. As soon as the clocks change back from daylight saving the days seem much shorter and the evenings suddenly feel darker and colder. With less leisure time during the week to enjoy sporting activities, the weekends become more important and unfortunately the British weather isn’t always the best. Other alternatives include winter sun breaks to the African countries of Senegal and The Gambia. For those with sufficient finances there are other options like The Maldives, Thailand, Bali or the Caribbean Islands.
The island of Curacao is the preferred destination of many Dutch tourists and has the idealclimate for November and December visits. The daytime temperature there regularly remains between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius and the coolest daytime November temperature has never fallen below 20 degrees Celsius. The island is part of the group known as the ABC islands; Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao and is the largest of Netherlands Antilles group. Small, secluded beaches are what people enjoy most on Curacao and there are plenty of those archetypal “desert island” vistas that one sess so often in travel brochures.
Of course a fresh, crisp winter’s day has its attractions and wrapping up warm for a walk in the countryside before retiring for a hearty lunch and a warming brew by the fire in a favourite pub would be perfect for many. However idyllic British winter days don’t always materialise for various reasons. For many families the chores and routines of home life are difficult to break free from and only a journey abroad can supply the rest and relaxation many desire. Also sunny winter days are not as frequent as many would hope. More typical are wet, rainy days or grey, cloudy skies that seem to envelope the countryside and dampen any enthusiasm to go outdoors and have some fun.
That is why the run up to Christmas is a very busy time on the travel scene. Come mid-November many people have had enough of the dreary British weather and start to look into the possibilities of a winter sun break. The typical winter break is not usually an extended one. In most cases a week is long enough, but the next choices to be made are about the cost and whether one opts for a winter sports holiday or a warmer climate offering higher temperatures, sunshine and minimal chance of rain.
To guarantee that summer feel, you really need to travel to a country that is enjoying its own summer season and for the British traveller that normally means places like Australia, Africa or the Caribbean and or one of the tropical island choices.
For many, a trip to those places would require a substantial investment and merit a trip longer than mreely a week. That is why the European resorts of Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria and the desert resorts of Sharm and Dubai are much more popular.
The November weather in the Canaries is a much safer bet than somewhere like Southern Spain, Mallorca or Ibiza. Certainly those places do have their fair share of mild winter days, but you could equally be unlucky enough to be landed with a week of rain and blustery winds. For less risk head further east to somewhere like Cyprus or dive deeper south to Tenerife, Fuerteventura or Lanzarote. These islands are almost fully booked over the Festive period with travellers seeking a warmer festive period, unaffected by the commercial excesses of the typical British Christmas.
Another choice is one of the Greek islands that seem very busy during the height of the summer, yet take on a peaceful calm come Autumn time. Your choice of Greek island should be made with some care though as some tend to shut down completely once the summer tourists have departed. That’s the time when the restaurant and hotel owners take their own vacations. An island like Santorini with its beautiful hillside towns of pure white buildings can be difficult to enjoy when shared with thousands of others, but in the relative calm of a warm Autumn day, the place takes on a tranquil atmosphere where even the most stressed visitors cannot fail to start relaxing.
source to this post: Off Season Getaways
From the Winter and summer travels website
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