February can be a gloomy month for weather conditions in Europe. However, with school semester breaks falling in the middle of the month, parents have the opportunity to take their children to a place where the sun really shines.
This can result in crowded beaches in popular destinations, but since it’s the hottest and driest part of the Caribbean, there’s plenty of room for childless travelers to find their own getaway. Here’s the place to go for last-minute winter sun.
For temperatures 19-24°C
1. Tenerife
In reality, there isn’t a month that goes by when the Canary Islands don’t serve as an escape from hot weather, and February is no exception. Even if the second month of the year delivers low temperatures of “only” twenty degrees Celsius, that’s good enough at a time when the UK is shivering in much lower temperatures. Costa Adeje, on the west coast of the island, enjoys more starry accommodation than the cheap bedrooms found in Playa de las Americas in the south-west – and if you’re looking to soak up the sun for at least a week, this could be the place to comfortably spend the Winter.
Do it: Flying from Manchester on February 17, a seven-night half-board stay at the five-star GF Gran Costa Adeje starts from £1,085 per person through Last Minute (0871 277 1070; lastminute.com).
Find the best hotels in Tenerife here and plan the perfect trip with our private guide.
2.Miami
Florida’s most party-centric city never needs an excuse to stay out late, and South Beach’s bars and restaurants will be in full swing if you choose to visit in February. However, the advantage of the second month of the year is that the temperature gauge is still settled at Twenty degrees Celsius, although the Spring Break rush that transforms the metropolis into a huge crowd of college students has not yet occurred.
Do it: A seven-night getaway to the five-star Eden Roc Miami, flying from Heathrow on 17 February, costs £2,188 per person via Virgin Holidays (0344 472 9646; virginholidays.co.uk).
Find the best hotels in Miami here and plan the perfect trip with our private guide.
3. Andalusia
Continental Europe doesn’t serve many hotspots in February – at least not on the continental mainland – but Spain’s southernmost province is a good bet. Get there at the end of February and 20 degree days are possible.
Our regional expert, Annie Bennett, recommends exploring the Costa Tropical in the province of Granada, a coastline of coves and Moorish watchtowers.
“Climatic oddity means that dense gardens of mangoes, avocados, custard apples, bananas and other exotic crops straddle the Mediterranean,” he writes. “The protection of the Sierra Nevada and the warm winds blowing from North Africa create a subtropical microclimate with 320 days of sunshine a year and mild temperatures even in winter.”
Do it: Motril is the largest resort on the Costa Tropical. Flying from Luton to Malaga on February 17, a seven-night stay at the four-star Elba Motril Beach Resort starts from £356 per person with Love Holidays (01234 975 975; loveholidays.com).
Find the best hotels in Granada here and plan the perfect holiday in Andalusia with a tailored itinerary from our experts.
For temperatures 25-29°C
4. St. Lucia
St Lucia is one of the Caribbean’s most coveted destinations, and for good reason. The west coast is home to some of the planet’s most beautiful beaches, including the golden strip of Anse Chastanet, while the twin volcanic cliffs of Gros and Petit Piton offer great photography as well as hiking and climbing challenges. All this takes place at temperatures above twenty degrees Celsius, especially in the dry season of December to May.
Do it: A seven-night all-inclusive getaway to the five-star Cap Maison resort costs £2,359 per person, including flights, via Tropical Sky (01342 395 263; tropicalsky.co.uk).
Find the best hotels in St Lucia here and plan the perfect trip with our private guide.
5. St Kitts and Nevis
Along with its smaller companion Nevis, St Kitts is the “Little and Big” showpiece of the Caribbean. The big island’s intriguing capital on the south coast is Basseterre, with a sandy crescent shaped like Turtle Beach at its southern tip. Her companion across the Narrows’ little channel is equally seductive; its charm can be seen at Nisbet and Oualie Beaches.
Neither island keeps up with the crazy nightlife. You could argue they’re all better for it.
Do it: A seven-night escape to the three-star Oualie Beach Resort on Nevis, flying from Gatwick (via Antigua) on 24 February, costs £1,943 per person through British Airways Holidays (0344 493 0787; ba.com/holidays).
Find the best hotels in St Kitts here and plan the perfect trip with our private guide.
6. Hawaii
There’s no hiding the fact that America’s Central Pacific archipelago requires quite a journey from the UK and an 11-hour period of jetlag once you get there. But there are few better treatments for that much time difference than the soft sands of Waikiki Beach, the strip of sunshine that graces the southern edge of Honolulu, the state capital on Oahu. And the sight of volcanic giants Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the “Big Island” will certainly awaken the senses.
Do it: Bon Voyage (0800 316 3012; bon-voyage.co.uk) sells a 14-night “Hawaii Island-Hopping Vacation” touching on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. Prices start from £4,995 per person with flights.
Find the best hotels in Hawaii here.
7. Oman
Neither as flashy as Dubai nor as majestic as Abu Dhabi, Oman is not the Arabian Peninsula’s quieter cousin. However, the possibility of winter sun should not be underestimated. Both Zighy Bay and Sur are attractive destinations for a beach getaway; Muscat is a city with an under-appreciated culture and sophistication.
Do it: Steppes Travel (01285 880 980; steppestravel.com) sells a 10-day “Luxury Holiday to Oman” that starts at the museums of Muscat and ends on a sun lounger at the Six Senses resort on Zighy Bay. From £10,295 per person (flight extra).
Find the best hotels in Oman here.
8. Tue
A four-hour southwest flight time will take you from the UK to the beaches of Tenerife or Gran Canaria. But if you add two more hours in the air to your journey, you can land on the sunnier sands of Cape Verde. The West African archipelago has witnessed a significant improvement in the quality of accommodation over the last decade and is now a completely reliable destination for winter warmth.
Do it: Flying from Birmingham on February 16, a seven-night break at the five-star Hilton Cabo Verde Resort on the island of Sal starts from £1,655 per person through Cape Verde Experience (01489 866 969; capeverde.co.uk).
Find the best hotels in Cape Verde here.
For temperatures 30°C+
9. Maldives
Let’s deal with the statistics. 26 atolls and approximately 1,192 islets and coral outcrops spanning 35,000 square miles of water make up this archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean. Very few of these soft pieces deviate from the template; golden sands, swaying palm trees, deep blue shallows. If you want variety of terrain, don’t visit the Maldives. If you want thirty degrees Celsius temperatures and unlimited beach luxury, you’ve chosen well.
Do it: A seven-night holiday at the five-star Anantara Kihavah Maldives Resort costs £4,000 per person, with flights via Scott Dunn (020 3733 4841; scottdunn.com).
Find the best hotels in Maldives here and plan the perfect trip with our private guide.
10. Zanzibar
This blissful continental junction box of sand and sunshine – officially African by being part of Tanzania, seductively Middle Eastern by the commercial heritage of Stone Town (once the capital of Oman), seductively tropical by the Indians . The ocean rolls around them. Of course, this clash of cultures makes Zanzibar even more exotic, and the weather is largely reliable, flirting with thirty degrees Celsius at the dawn of February.
Do it: The “Masala Beach Holiday” presented by Expert Africa (020 3405 6666; Expertafrica.com) cools its boots in two places: amidst the history and life of Stone Town; In the luxury seaside resort of Kilindi in the north of the island. Break costs start from £6,260 per person including flights in February.
You can find the best hotels in Zanzibar here.