Escape to the sun this winter

It’s about this time every year, typically at that point in the day when I emerge still bleary eyed into the bracing cold and stumble towards the tube station for another tussle with the hordes of rush hour human traffic, that I start to fantasize about an escape. Not, I should stress, a Reggie Perrin style disappearing act; a week or two somewhere warm, sunny and relaxing would suffice.

Of course, I’m not alone; the “winter sun” holiday has become an increasingly popular retreat for sun seeking Brits contemplating the yawning gap between September and June. So, where to go? Well here’s a few destinations guaranteed to give you enough of a solar recharge to get through the next few months.

The Canary Islands

The classic British sun, sea and sand destination, the Canaries are only a short flight away but can be relied upon for year round sun. Whilst the islands might most readily conjure images of lobster red British tourists lounging on densely packed beaches and 18-30 style hedonism, there is another, less familiar, more authentic side to the Canary Islands. For something a bit different how about visiting one of the less popular, more remote islands like La Palma or El Hierro? Both offer relatively unspoilt tranquility and beautiful natural scenery as well as a chance to experience something of the genuine Canarian culture. It won’t take long to see why La Palma is affectionately known by the Spanish as ‘La Isla Bonita’.

There are no direct flights to La Palma from the UK (possibly the main reason for it still being so unspoilt by tourism) but you can get a ferry from Tenerife. Winter flights to Tenerife are available for not much more than £100 on cheapflights.co.uk, the best deal on cheap flights we found at the time of writing however was just £24 single with FlyMonarch in mid December.

Queensland, Australia

It’s an oft repeated fact that whilst we’re ‘enjoying’ our bleak British winter Australians have to endure the blistering heat of high summer – poor them. Well how about sharing in their pain and escaping to beautiful Sunshine Coast for a week or two? Literally and metaphorically a world away from the frostbitten British winter, the only downside is the 21 hour flight. Still, the best way to relieve the aches and jet lag of getting there is undoubtedly by unwinding in a luxury spa. The Aqua Day Spa is Noosa’s only five star resort and, if your winter break is all about trying to escape the rat race and recharge the batteries, the perfect retreat.

The Aqua Day Spa is a Starwood Spa Resort.

Affordable flights to Australia can be found on Cheap Flights.co.uk. At the time of writing flights from Heathrow to Brisbane were available with Cathay Pacific for £619.

Thailand

With year round temperatures of between 30 and 34 degrees Thailand actually enjoys a slightly better climate between November and April when it doesn’t rain quite as much. Thailand boasts a wealth of idyllic beaches complete with picture perfect white sand and turquoise seas; exactly the sort of beaches in fact that one might fantasize about on a chilly winter morning. For that perfect beach paradise holiday Ko Samui is the classic choice and still takes some beating.

We found flights to Ko Samui at pretty reasonable prices on Cheap Flights; the cheapest deal from Heathrow at the time of writing was around £530 including taxes. You can also find bargain travel deals on Travel Zoo like 7 nights staying at the Nora beach resort including flights from £869.