Cheap Winter Sun Holidays: your recommendations

[Orang Utan]

You'll end up spending less in goa than anywhere in Europe, even with the flight. And you're in Goa, not some shit hole full of pissed up brits.

just a shit hole full of pissed up russians and israelis - I wasn't that impressed by Goa, but I probably went to the wrong bit and my memory is tainted by falling in a ditch and hurting my foot badly, causing me to limp around for the rest of my trip to India, much of it with my lower leg in plaster.
It's also hard to sit on a beach relaxing in Goa as you are constantly pestered by tat peddlers and earwax removers.

 

[Reiabuzz]

Yes, you do see a lot of foreigners hobbling around with leg injuries but those are usually motorbike accidents. Were you smashed when this happened?

I know what you mean about the Russians. They've largely replaced the Israelis now though as a lot of guesthouses simply won't let them in due to the sheer fuckwittery they've been guilty of there. Russians are marginally better but there's areas there with none of either.

 

[bi0boy]

It's also hard to sit on a beach relaxing in Goa as you are constantly pestered by tat peddlers and earwax removers.

I've found you get this or the equivalent in most tourist places, from weed sellers to jet ski ride touts, with the exact product depending on the wealth of the locals and the tourists.

 

[Orang Utan]

Yes, you do see a lot of foreigners hobbling around with leg injuries but those are usually motorbike accidents. Were you smashed when this happened?

I know what you mean about the Russians. They've largely replaced the Israelis now though as a lot of guesthouses simply won't let them in due to the sheer fuckwittery they've been guilty of there. Russians are marginally better but there's areas there with none of either.

I was sober, but I was looking at my phone
I was in Anjuna and the beaches there and south of that seemed to be just like Club Med for elderly Russians who weren't very nice to the locals.
I think it was Calangute that was the worst - the one with the wrecked cargo ship on it.

 

[Thimble Queen]

I was sober, but I was looking at my phone
I was in Anjuna and the beaches there and south of that seemed to be just like Club Med for elderly Russians who weren't very nice to the locals.
I think it was Calangute that was the worst - the one with the wrecked cargo ship on it.

Calangute is properly awful. Full of lobsters with awful braids so tight you can see their scalps

 

[hammerntongues]

Gambia is great in Feb , politics are currently a bit shit , but Sun is hot , beer is cold and food is good on a budget

 

[miss direct]

Dahab. I love it. You can fly to sharm via turkey with Pegasus airlines.

 

[Spymaster]

You'll end up spending less in goa than anywhere in Europe, even with the flight.

Another vote for Madeira. You'll get flights and a reasonable hotel for a week for well under £500, and the temperatures are about what you're looking for in February. Ideal if you're just looking for somewhere warmish and scenic to chill out for a week. Decent food, things to see and do, with the added bonus that you're unlikely to have anyone try to kill you.

 

[Orang Utan]

Dahab. I love it. You can fly to sharm via turkey with Pegasus airlines.

in what country?

 

[Spymaster]

Egypt.

I wouldn't.

 

[Spymaster]

Go here: Solar de Boaventura (Madeira, Portugal) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

Expedia doing a week with flights in Feb for £393 at the moment.

 

[Orang Utan]

Cheers, I can't book until January though. And I have to get a passport renewal sorted then too.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Malta can be very cheap off-season. I've been there in March and while it wasn't particularly hot, it was certainly very sunny.

 

[twentythreedom]

Malta can be very cheap off-season. I've been there in March and while it wasn't particularly hot, it was certainly very sunny.

I went to Malta a couple of weeks ago, it was great. UK plug sockets, drive on the left, everyone speaks English

Properly stunning architecture and history in Valletta too. 20 - 24deg, mostly sunny. Recommended

 

[Thimble Queen]

Cheers, I can't book until January though. And I have to get a passport renewal sorted then too.

You'll be able to get a well good deal booking then

 

[Orang Utan]

You'll be able to get a well good deal booking then

I hope so, I thought it would be more expensive closer to the date

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I went to Malta a couple of weeks ago, it was great. UK plug sockets, drive on the left, everyone speaks English

Properly stunning architecture and history in Valletta too. 20 - 24deg, mostly sunny. Recommended

Yeah, I think winter/spring is the best time to go. Manageable temperature, not too crowded and full of twats, good public transport but small enough to walk, and the whole place is absurdly historical—stuff going back literally several thousand years.

 

[twentythreedom]

Yeah, I think winter/spring is the best time to go. Manageable temperature, not too crowded and full of twats, good public transport but small enough to walk, and the whole place is absurdly historical—stuff going back literally several thousand years.

Yes, totally. The cathedral and history of the knights was particularly mind blowing. I reckon OU would love it there

 

[Orang Utan]

Malta can be very cheap off-season. I've been there in March and while it wasn't particularly hot, it was certainly very sunny.

as long as warm enough to wear short sleeves and absorb all the Vitamin D

 

[twentythreedom]

as long as warm enough to wear short sleeves and absorb all the Vitamin D

Yup

 

[Orang Utan]

I've been recommended Malta on Facebook too. I'm veering to that at the mo, although the Canarys (which one though?) and the Algarve are strong contenders too. Surprised no one has recommended the Balearic Islands yet. Maybe they're not south enough to be sunny in February.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

as long as warm enough to wear short sleeves and absorb all the Vitamin D

Should be. I kept a light jacket in my bag which was enough after dark, and this year's been quite mild anyway.

 

[bi0boy]

Should be. I kept a light jacket in my bag which was enough after dark, and this year's been quite mild anyway.

For a moment there I thought a light jacket was some device to boost your vitamin D levels.

 

[Thimble Queen]

I hope so, I thought it would be more expensive closer to the date

Nah you can get some well good last minute deals still... obvs having a little bit of flexibility helps... and a lot of the airlines and operators do deals in Jan...

 

[fishfinger]

I went to Malta once in February. I quite enjoyed the place but, apart from the first and last day of the holiday, it rained every day.

 

[Spymaster]

as long as warm enough to wear short sleeves and absorb all the Vitamin D

Malta's great but it won't be warm at all in February. It'll be quite chilly. Temperatures in the southern Med pick up around mid/end March.

 

[Orang Utan]

I went to Malta once in February. I quite enjoyed the place but, apart from the first and last day of the holiday, it rained every day.

Drat, a mate said similar about Lanzarote. I guess nowhere's guaranteed 100% sunshine.
The most sunny places in the world are either forbidding deserts or places where personal safety is not guaranteed

 

[harpo]

What about the Gambia?

 

[Orang Utan]

What about the Gambia?

A couple of people recommended that to me. Not sure it's that cheap or even possible to get there from where I live.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Hi Orang Utan If you want peace and quiet in the canaries, I'd recomend Lanzarote - it has other-worldly volcanic landscapes, and very tasteful looking resorts - no high rise buildings, all traditional colours, lots of public art. All very restful. Its always warm and sunny all year round.

I went to Malta a couple of weeks ago, it was great. UK plug sockets, drive on the left, everyone speaks English

Properly stunning architecture and history in Valletta too. 20 - 24deg, mostly sunny. Recommended

Malta was lovely not very touristy lots of fabulous, ancient temples that are older than the pyramids, and a medieval city. And its home to all the bendy buses that London got rid of. A weekly bus pass was really cheap, you can buy it at the airport and you can go all round the island in a day. We went in feb once it did rain a bit, but sunny otherdays