I have quite a bit of leave to use before the end of March - more than enough for a week away - and we're thinking somewhere reasonably sunny - like upper teens or low twenties daytime temperature. Happy to fly as far as the Canaries but no further. Would consider Southern Spain and or Gib too.
Would prefer to fly from Brum or East Mids but Luton or Stansted would be OK. Board probably DB&B but might consider B&B or self catering if eat out options are plentiful.
Suggestions please!!
ISTR when we've discussed this before there are parts of particularly the Canaries that can be cool and potentially wet or windy and best avoided outwith summer. Would particularly welcome insights on that.
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thinking the same, early november, for SWMBO's birthday. Malta has risen to the top of the choice pot. Sicily is also a contender, cyprus might be a consideration.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 5 Feb 24 at 12:33
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Malta and Cyprus hadn't featured on my radar. Not sure what flights are like pre Easter.
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Flights UK to Cyprus are nearly an hour longer than to the Canaries, which would be my default option for non-summer holidays.
Unfortunately I've not been well for a while, but we were planning to go to Gran Canaria, which we've visited once before. La Palma would also be an attractive option.
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>> Flights UK to Cyprus are nearly an hour longer than to the Canaries, which would
>> be my default option for non-summer holidays.
Point taken. I wouldn't rule it out on that basis even though further. Places I'd rule out as too far would be the likes of Boa Vista or Egypt.
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Not sure it's that much longer to Cyprus than Canaries. 4h 20m to Pashos 4h 30m to Tenerife.
I just mentioned to SWMBO what about another holiday in maybe late May early June, hadn't thought of Cyprus!! 7 weeks in Portugal begin on 3 March (and again on 22 Sept)
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>> Not sure it's that much longer to Cyprus than Canaries. 4h 20m to Pashos 4h
>> 30m to Tenerife.
I suspect also that the difference between Cyprus and the Canaries is greater from southern England than Midlands or North.
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I would think in terms of weeks holiday it's neither here nor there?
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Malta is very interesting and weather still mild in November. Full of history and plenty to see. I would stay in Valletta which is compact and very walkable . Traffic on island is awful. Buses are frequent but passengers crammed in like sardines in a can.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Mon 5 Feb 24 at 16:41
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Cyprus would fit your temp requirements, March is a good time to go. The bits of frost on a morning have gone and should be sunny but not too hot.
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In late March anywhere around the Med carries the risk of inclemency. If your motive is sun, sun, sun go to the Canaries.
However Southern Spain or Cyprus is more likely than not to be mostly sunny with daytime temperatures ~20C - ideal for walking, sightseeing, lunch in outdoor cafe etc.
Could recommend Nerja about 40 miles east of Malaga (we stay regularly). Generally civilised, with plenty of good restaurants. Compared to west of Malaga - Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Marbella, etc - less English breakfast, more tapas bars.
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You should find half board for a week with flights in a hotel with ok reviews from £400-500pp on Fuerteventura.
I was thinking about it but can't really be bothered flying anywhere now.
Pick up a car from the airport and it's a nice place to explore. We went for a week in 2017 iirc.
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I’m currently in Fuerteventura.
I was due to rejoin friends on the CBlanca 1st January ( cheap early AM flight) but family medical emergency meant I had to cancel and spend ten days hospital visiting and the rest of January organising home care and other stuff.
Care in place meant I had a short window of opportunity to get away after a stressful month. Staying at bottom end of Fuerteventura with an hours daily beach walk to Morro Jable, drink water, then walk back. Great weather, HB in cracking ( expensive) hotel and walking to Pico de la Zarza @ 807metres tomorrow from my hotel. Highest point on the island.
Only a short holiday, no alcohol, lots of exercise up & down the beach, Pilates classes, pre breakfast swim & gym….very little sightseeing but just what I needed.
Warm sunny forecast rest of the week.
Happy days
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Just back from Tenerife.
Early 20s for a week.
Blue sky every day.
Would always be my default for a winter holiday.
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A varied island…friend of mine worked in hospitality in a luxury hotel
In Adeje. On her days off we spent time in La Laguna and exploring the forest whose name escapes me. Polar opposite to the SW coast. And she introduced me to sipping top notch tequila with every mouthful of freshly caught octopus, served on canarian potatoes. No veg !
Edit. Anarga forest. Brilliant spot near La Laguna
Last edited by: legacylad on Mon 5 Feb 24 at 20:03
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>>Anarga forest. Brilliant spot near La Laguna
Anaga: capturetheatlas.com/anaga-tenerife/
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Hi LL, where are the best places on Fuerteventura a bit later then right now?
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Sorry no idea. Only my second visit to the island…first was early 80s with a gf. Bought a cheap flight, bus to Corralejo, left me drinking beer on a bench whilst she flirted with local rental agencies, fluttered her eyelashes and waved a fistful of pesetas under their nose.
To this day I’m sure we stayed in a third party’s apartment and the agent kept the cash…no receipt, no questions added.
gf went on to become highly successful in the field of sales. I wasn’t in the least surprised.
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Re Malta, it’s worth considering but it’s not everyone cup of tea. We first went in the 80’s and loved it. Chaotic old buses (and I mean old like cars in Cuba) and very friendly people. We went back three years ago and it was like a different place. There’s been a lot of development and immigration and the people seemed rather less friendly. Traffic is chaotic, I recall they have one of the highest rates of car ownership in Europe.
On the plus side we stayed in Valletta for a week and it is indeed walkable and historic. We mainly used ferries to get about the local area (there are old areas across the bay from Valletta) and only used the now modern busses a couple of times. In May they were never crowded and seemed to carve through the traffic pretty well. We didn’t find the restaurants much cop which was a shame as we like eating out on holiday. Being so built up there are few cafe squares or green spaces. It’s more city than a relaxing resort. It’s also a cruise ship terminal with periodic crowds of cruise passengers.
Sorry to sound negative as I am sure some people would love it, as we did the first time. If you like historic sight seeing in a bustling old city it’s still good. If you want a more relaxing holiday go to one of the smaller resorts but it’s not Malta’s forte and there are better options elsewhere. Gozo, Malta’s immediate neighbour, sounds good but we’ve never got there
Finally I seem to remember this topic came up before and I suggested Seville. It’s got much more to offer in terms of relaxing and being able to find peace in a city.
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I'm trying to cast my mind back to our one week on Fuerteventura. It was a short notice bargain taken at the end of Feb.
We had a hotel called the Elba Carlota which was cheap at the time but quite decent, and seems a bit dearer now. Handy for the airport which is 5 miles to the north. A mile up the road is Caleta de Fuste, a pleasant walk along the 'prom'. We were recommended a steak house called Fado Rock, which was fun - they bring a hot rock and cook your steak on it at the table. I wasn't brave enough, but the next table had their alleged signature dish, an extravaganza with steak and prawns I think that involved a fairly major conflagration.
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g658907-d1123713-Reviews-Fado_Rock_Steak_House-Caleta_de_Fuste_Antigua_Fuerteventura_Canary_Islands.html
I don't like lying on a beach or loafing by a pool and a week there would have been tedious, but I hired a Renault Kangoo and four of us explored the island which you can spend a week doing easily. A good trip out was Betancuria which you can look up, a fairly small but once important settlement and 'historic'. I probably remember it because we found a decent cafe. We might have been lucky in that it was fairly quiet when we went, apparently it can be busy with coaches etc.
If you like driving around it's good, with wild places, pretty villages and old towns. And obviously some untidy development around what are intended to become busy resorts but these are easily avoided.
We motored to Punta Ballena where there is a lighthouse with a little museum and nothing else. A desert with a rocky beach. Not much to do but get blown about and contemplate 3,000 miles or so of ocean between there and Florida but strangely inspiring.
Worth a go if you can find a bargain I'd say. You won't see Sydney Opera House, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, or herds of wildebeest but it's good for a change of scene in the bleak midwinter. Weather was ideal for me. As you might infer from the island's name, there is usually a pleasant breeze.
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Not sure I’d return here, but after a stressful January I’m appreciating a week in the sun just chilling. Pre sunrise walks on the beach to work up an appetite, a varied relaxation programme in the hotel with Pilates, yoga, stretching & meditation classes all inc.
cracking walk directly from hotel today to high point of Fuerteventura…10.6 miles with 2896’ altitude gain, taken at a steady pace. Stupendous 360 views from Picos de la Zarza.
Should there be a future visit to Canaries it will be to La Palma
And the weather is fantastic.
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>> Should there be a future visit to Canaries it will be to La Palma
Good choice. Probably the most beautiful and unspoiled of the Canaries and great for hiking. Spent four weeks there last Feb/March and didn’t want to come home. Mind you La Gomera is also great and also well worth a visit. Off to Lanzarote in March which I also like. I avoid the south Coast resorts.
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Finally booked yesterday. Mrs B and I were laid very low with flu last month meaning we're now on compressed time.
A week at Puerto de la Cruz ex BHX with Jet 2. Less than £1500 for two of us half board including a Cit C3 or equivalent hire car.
Flights are on Jet2 but one of their A321 CEOs, not the usual 738.
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Sounds good Mr B. Hope both you and Mrs B have a great time.
Our holidays will be in the UK this year unless we can find a replacement dog minder - our current one has retired :-(
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Wev can be dodgy oop north. I've been on the beach (good film!) in Los Cris with 73 degrees while it's been snowing up there.
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We had a brief cruise stop in Puerto and it was lovely. I remember a huge public park and I liked the fact that it’s a living city, not just a holiday resort. It felt like a place that I could have easily spent a few days.
We tried, and failed, to find the Nelson pub (Casa Nelson). We were told that tradition dictates that every barman responds to “Nelson” as their adopted name. But maybe that’s a tourist wind up?
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I’ve just realised I am confusing my Northern Tenerife towns. It was Santa Cruz I visited.
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Though that was the case as I can't see a port capable of accepting cruise ships near where we're staying and the Nelson reference fitted the island capital too.
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When we were in Tenerife in January, down at Las Americas, we took the bus up to Santa Cruz for a day trip. Saw cruise ship up close for the first time. Scared the bejesus out of me and everything about them shouts “hell on earth” to me. But I am not even a fan of busy hotels never mind thousands of folk together on a floating one.
Enjoyed Santa Cruz. Had tapas on a pavement cafe in the pedestrian area. But one day was enough.
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>> Scared the bejesus out of me and everything about them shouts “hell on
>> earth” to me. But I am not even a fan of busy hotels never mind
>> thousands of folk together on a floating one.
I could enjoy a cruise on the Heb Princess or maybe something a bit bigger on a wildlife theme.
Some of the monsters we saw in Galveston when in the US and off the coast of the Hebrides would have me jumping overboard after a couple of days.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 3 Mar 24 at 15:49
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On Tenerife now, day 3 of what's effectively 6 given arrival/departure times.
Flight out all good. Jet 2 make a lot of use of routes that take the aircraft way out over the Atlantic. Literally over water all the way from the Pembrokeshire cost until a fleeting view of Madeira. Passport control at TFS was a bit of a shuffle but by the time we'd done that baggage was on the carousel.
Avis car hire was off site and the bus stop was a massive route march from arrivals. Then a bit of a wait behind people who seemed not to have done this before. An hours drive, mostly on Motorway then a battel to find the hotel which Google thought was up a back jigger when in actual fact it's over the street - more or less - from the sea.
Shades of the seventies in that there's a building site under the window but it's not actually noisy, what sound there is is drowned out by crashing breakers.
Monday spent exploring Puerto de la Cruz which is actually quite nice. Plenty of nice cafes etc.
Yesterday we thought we'd explore the south - Los Americanos etc - but had to be satisfied with driving round as parking is a chuffing nightmare. Appreciate there's a huge market for places like that but not our thing at all. Like Dad before me I like quieter places.
Lot of English guests are bitching about the food, particularly dinner. International buffet, loads of choice, and as we paid in the UK I think we're only paying a few tens of pounds each over and above B&B.
Excitement today was that the hire car was gone. There at 07:30 when I was on the balcony but gone after breakfast. Turned out the space we'd left it in was needed from today by the folks building the watersports centre under our window.
Took most of the morning to find the pound in the town. Fifty Euro fine was OK, a further eighty for the tow fee less so!!
PLan for today was the zoo but we've re-jigged that for tomorrow and are having another day around the resort.
Weather is good. Warm as UK in June. Odd effect with cloud and the mountains though. Clear in the morning but like Skiddaw on a wet november by lunchtime. When we go up to the Teide we need an early start.
I think a week is enough for us to say we've 'done' Tenerfie. Perhaps Gran Canaria or one othe smaller islands next time.
Edit: While I was writing the above it's clouden over and we've now got warm drizzle.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 13 Mar 24 at 13:01
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>> Odd effect with cloud and the mountains
>> though. Clear in the morning but like Skiddaw on a wet november by lunchtime. When
>> we go up to the Teide we need an early start.
Thats typical of the wrong side of the mountains there.
We did Teide at midnight for star gazing up by the observatory Amazing views of the sky but -5c in May!!!!
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>> Thats typical of the wrong side of the mountains there.
Not sure I share the 'wrong side' nomenclature. It's actually mostly sunny here. The clag was equally visible from TFS as we taxied in and seems to cling to all the high ground without fear/favour.
The rain was only a bit of drizzle. Stopped now. Looking for lunch locally meant we found a lovely Tapas bar.
>> We did Teide at midnight for star gazing up by the observatory
Chapeau!! Not even considering that!!
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>> Not sure I share the 'wrong side' nomenclature. It's actually mostly sunny here. The clag
>> was equally visible from TFS
Thats why they build TFS, TFN was too variable.
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I thought TFS was built after the world’s worst air disaster at TFN.
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Tenerife South was already under construction at the time of the disaster. I was working in aviation insurance at the time.
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>> Tenerife South was already under construction at the time of the disaster. I was working
>> in aviation insurance at the time.
It was more or less complete, the opening had been delayed.
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I used to visit Teneriffy quite a lot, as I had a friend who was restaurant manager in a fancy hotel in Adeje.
On her days off she showed me ‘off the beaten track’ kind of places, all very interesting, but not returned for 3 or 4 years.
Last month I visited Fuerteventura for a week, staying in the ‘German quarter’ at the bottom of the island. Weather was ok, a few hot days, mostly highs around 21C, but I’m in no rush to return.
Last minute trip to Lanzagrotty next week, where I found some great snorkelling spots last year. 7 days in a hotel is sufficient for me...HB was an extra £18 with Jet2 so a no brainer. I know a half decent curry house in Playa Blanca so they’ll get some of my business. Wish I was flying out in a few days as the forecast in PB is for a mini heat wave.
I get bored after a week, ok snoozing in the sun for a few hours after morning exercise...I’m often walking on the beach at sunrise, then swim and a late hotel breakfast which keeps me going until 8pm or later.
Planning my next road trip to Espana....I suppose our choice of holidays change as we age.
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>> HB was an extra £18 with
>> Jet2 so a no brainer. I know a half decent curry house in Playa Blanca
>> so they’ll get some of my business.
Crikey, thought ours was a bargain at £40 each.
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>> >> HB was an extra £18 with
>> >> Jet2 so a no brainer. I know a half decent curry house in Playa
>> Blanca
>> >> so they’ll get some of my business.
>>
>> Crikey, thought ours was a bargain at £40 each.
Yes. A bonkers price in a hotel rated 4*plus by Jet2.
I thought about flying out a few days early, price is currently £59 ( inc 10kg bag, more than enough) for Saturday’s 09:45 departure from LBA. I’ve already checked in for next weeks flight so no changes allowed, and the daily hotel rate online is very expensive. Jet2 told me ‘computer says no’.
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>> Perhaps Gran Canaria or one othe smaller islands next time.
I can thoroughly recommend Gran Canaria, as long as you avoid Puerto Rico like the plague. Lots of the accommodation's plagued with cockroaches, as are public places. I've heard tales of bed bugs too. Scenery is stunning in places, I particularly enjoyed La Caldera.
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Just had a week in Malta staying in The Three Cities. Nice and sunny every day with blue skies. Late teens early 20s temps. Although there was a comparable chill in the air if the wind got up a bit and you were in the shade. T shirt majority of the time. Not too busy as very early season.
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I've been here in Portugal since 3 March and it's been variable. Mostly better than forecast (and many days "sitting in the sun")but we've had some rain and crappy days, and there really isn't a lot to do here (which we haven't already done). Had the usual sandstorm the other day, where they strongly recommend not going out and everything is well covered with a layer of sand. And they are in drought conditions here so no hosing the terrace furniture down (officially :-) )
All that said, we're looking forward to our remaining3+ weeks and also the return trip in Sept :-)
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Winter/Spring Sun - Europe - Zero
