As the Northern Hemisphere goes through what I think is the worst part of winter during January and February, there are plenty of fantastic beach holiday locations in the Southern Hemisphere experiencing fantastic warm sunny weather. The problem with most of them is that they are really far away and long haul travel generally means that the cost of finding the perfect winter sun holiday in January and February is high. With this in mind I decided to see what are the best cheap winter sun holiday’s currently on offer. The Best Beach Winter Sun Holidays in January & February Challenge! To qualify for my “challenge” the holidays had to be:

• Primarily a beach holiday – opportunities for excursions a bonus.
• All inclusive holidays of at least 7 nights in duration, with flights included.
• Not too expensive – under £500, keeping in mind that best is not always the cheapest!
• Length of travel a consideration, the shorter the distance the better, direct flights are often cheaper.
• Locations have to be sunny and warm and bookable during January & February.

The candidates for best winter sun beach holidays: So where exactly can you at this time of the year go on a beach holiday, that is truly sunny and warm? Below I created a list of possible locations, but are they cheap and do they meet all the criteria listed above to make the grade? So for my first knock out stage, we will remove all locations that I couldn’t find a 7 night all inclusive winter sun break for under £500 per person or fell short in another critical area, like the weather!

Africa

• Kenya: Lamu, Mombasa and Kilifi – Winner of Best excursions that include African safaris!
• Zanzibar and Tanzania - Could not find any under £500
• The Gambia – Winner of Cheapest Holidays from £299
• South Africa, Cape Town and Durban – Could not find any under £500
  
• Mozambique - Could not find any under £500
• Namibia - Could not find any under £500
• Mauritius - Could not find any under £500
• Egypt – Whilst I could find holidays in Egypt for under £500, I felt that the weather at this time of the year in Egypt is just not war enough to make it a true winter sun beach holiday, wait until March and April for the weather to get truly warm.

Middle East

• Dubai
• Oman

The Caribbean

• Barbados
• Antigua
• Cuba
• Bahamas .. etc

North America

• Florida – Winner of Best Family Beach Holiday Location as well as a great Winter Sun destination
• Hawaii – Could not find any under £500
• Miami

Asia / Indian Ocian

• India, Goa
• Sri lanka
• Maldives

South America

• Brazil & many others – Could not find any under £500

Winners: The Best Beach Winter Sun Holidays in January and February

Below are the winners of my challenge and are in my opinion the best places you can go to to find a cheap beach holiday before the end of February. I have included the details of the holiday that I managed to find that fitted in with all the criteria , that I listed above.

Kenya, Kilifi - Winner of Best excursions that include African safaris!

Kenya and the beach resorts around Mombasa are definitly worth considering, I have been and the beaches are fantastic, the people friendly. The other great advantage of Kenya is the option to combine your beach holiday with an African Safari. Some of Kenya’s best National parks, Tsavo and Amboseli National Park are not that far away and you could easily organise a safari day trip or as an overnight stay. The famous Masai Mara is also a consderation, it is a little further but still an option. I stayed at a resort in Bamburi beach where I also learnt to scuba dive, obtaining my PADI divers license. Kenya must be one of the cheapest locations that you can get your scuba divers license and the diving as well as snorkelling on some of their reefs is excellent.

14 nights in Kenya for under £500 I found Again I found some pretty good holiday deals on lastminute.com where you can stay for a full 14 nights at a 3 star hotel on the beach in Kilifi for only £449 in January, in February, the prices rise to around £500 or just above, but because of the two week duration I felt that this holiday should still qualify. The Laguna Sea Lodge Hotel is located 64km north of Mombasa along the main beach resort strip in Kenya that includes Diani beach, Bamburi beach (where I stayed), Nyali beach and Malindi.

For more details on this beach holiday and others in Africa: www.lastminute.com

The Gambia - Winner of cheapest winter sun holidays: from £299

The second winner as an ideal cheap winter sun beach holiday location is The Gambia and again, I can talk from experience as I have been there, it does not have the excitement of the big 5 safari’s of Kenya, but this samll West African country does have some great beaches (My guide to the Best beaches in Gambia), but the best thing is it’s location. Of all the truly warm winter sun holidays, this has to be one of the closest, there are direct flights to the Gambia and as such there are plenty of cheap holiday deals to be had. The weather in The Gambia at this time of year is excellent with daily temperatures of around 30° celcius, (90°F) I managed to find 7 night all inclusive holidays for as little as £299 at a 2 star resort, the cheapest 3 star was £359

African Village Hotel Gambia

7 nights at the Authentic African Village hotel from £329 This was not the cheapest holiday to the Gambia that I found, but was one of the most interesting and so I just had to add it. You will be staying at a small, friendly hotel laid out like a typical Gambian village giving you an authentic African experience which they boast attracts many repeat guests to this small and friendly hotel situated in the bustling town of Bakau. Bakau is located at the northern end of a 10 km stretch of the Atlantic Coast in the Gambia that has a few beach resorts hotels that can be found to suit every pocket. The beaches have been improved in those places where they were not naturally perfect.

For more details on this Gambian beach holiday and others in Africa: www.lastminute.com

Florida – Winner of Best Family Beach Holiday Location as well as a great Winter Sun destination

Florida for me is an excellent Family beach holiday location, the weather is great at this time of the year, with the hurricane season a distant memory. There is plenty to do for the whole family which I wrote about in a previous blog post: Cheap Winter Sun Holidays in Orlando, Florida where I list a number of winter sun holidays for under £500 from lastminute, Thompson’s Travel and British Airways holidays.

Other Notable Recommendations:

India, Goa

Goa also makes an excellent winter sun location and has some really pretty beaches, the weather during January and February is excellent and  you are far from the monsoon season which starts in June and runs till September. I managed to find a few 7 night all inclusive holidays on lastminute.com for under £500 and even one for 14 nights for only £409 at the Osborne Resort, which whilst it is only rated 2 stars, the fact that all transfers are included, I think makes it fantastic value. You will have to hurry as this price rises to over £700 in February. I could not find any under £500 on Thomas Cook or British Airways Holidays.

Check out www.lastminute.com For this and other holidays to India.

…. to be continued

Please note for the beach winter sun challenge, I used the popular Thomas Cook, Lastminute.com & British Airways Travel companies availability and prices of holidays and am sure that other specialist travel companies may have offered holidays in locations that I could not find with these, but I decided to stick to these mainsteam companies to act as a guide to popular destinations.

During the darkest months of winter, you have to travel some to find some real winter sun holidays, this often means that they are often pretty expensive. So I decided to see where would make a great winter sun holiday destination but which you would not have to pay the earth for.

Cheap Winter Sun Holidays in Florida

A quick search on Lastminute.com holidays

and I found two three star 7 night holidays to Florida for under £500 between January and April. Both of them in Orlando and on a room only basis. Leaving from either London Gatwick airport, or Manchester, you will be flying Virgin Atlantic Airways, which usually means a comfortable trip.

Car Hire in Florida Included
What is great is that they both include car hire, with insurance which is sure to save you a bunch of money. If you don’t want to drive, the transfers will be included in the price.

Accommodation in Orlando Florida
For the two holidays that I found, you can either stay at the Quality Inn International or the Comfort Inn lake Buena Vista.

Comfort Inn lake Buena Vista – £499
The Comfort Inn offers excellent value in what is generally a slightly pricey area of Orlando. In the 23 acres of landscaped grounds is a lake which is home to a variety of Floridian bird life. Disney is really near as well, with a fantastic array of restaurants, bars and shops there, including the Virgin Megastore for bargain CDs. The Comfort Inn has a Shuttle to local attractions and parks, Two swimming pools, Children’s playground, Video game arcade, comfort Zone cocktail bar, mini market and a board walk restaurant.

I found this holiday at the Comfort Inn lake Buena Vista available for £499 between December and April, to find it use the link below:
Search Lastminute.com Holidays

Quality Inn International – £459
Located in International Drive, near to all the theme parks and lies in the main entertainment centre in Orlando. Quality Inn International hotel in Orlando is just a 5 minute drive to Universal Orlando with all its special effect 3D rides and fantastic roller coasters, 10 minutes to Seaworld and only 20 minutes to Walt Disney World. There is a lively evening atmosphere at this hotel in the Topsy-Turvy Lounge where you can shoot pool and dance to the jukebox until the early hours of the morning.

I found this holiday at the Quality Inn International hotel in Florida available for £459 between December and April, to find it use the link below:
Search Lastminute.com Holidays

Florida Weather
The nickname of the “Sunshine State” is really justified for Florida, with seemingly endless days of lovely warm weather and sunshine. Florida has hot tropical summers and a warm dry winters and it is said that the Florida winter is like the UK summer without the rain! So as long as you avoid the Hurricane season, you can almost guarantee to see the sun on your Florida holiday. With very little rainfall from January to April and average daily temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius, the UK winter is the perfect time to visit.

Beach Holidays in Orlando, Florida
Most people visit Orlando for the theme parks, but Orlando has some great beaches too. Try Cocoa Beach to get away from the tourist crowds. Or do what the locals do and go to New Smyrna Beach, it a great beach that’s never really crowded. Other beaches in Orland to look out for include Playalinda beach, located in the Cape Canaveral National seashore just north of the Kennedy space center and Indialantic Beach which is the easiest beach to reach from the Orlando area. With good surf and a great atmosphere, Indialantic has long been a favorite of visitors and locals alike. The boardwalk has an old time beach appeal and the dining and shopping areas give the area a small town feel.

Florida Activities
As well as a great beach holiday destination there is loads to do in Florida and as you would imagine, it is an excellent location to go on holiday for the whole family, and you don’t have to go to Disneyland!

Golf is huge in Florida and the state has some of the best golf courses in the world. There are literally hundreds of golf courses in Orlando alone and so you are sure to find the course to suit you including the excellent Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge, which has two of the finest public golf courses Orlando Florida and they boast 45 Holes of Pure Golf with No homes, No noise and the World’s Largest Practice Facility!

For the whole family there are literally hundreds of activities and attractions on Orlando, Florida including:

• Gatorland: Orlando’s best half-day attraction! The “Alligator Capital of the World” is a 110-acre alligator theme park and wildlife preserve.
• Boggy Creek Airboat Rides: Discover territory that remains unaltered by man in the Central Florida Everglades with a Half Hour airboat ride.
• Ripley’s Believe It or Not!®: This weird and wacky Auditorium features fascinating, outrageous and interactive exhibits that are fun for all ages.
• Train Land International: For train enthusiasts both young and old! Learn the history of trains and examine miniature models in action.

More Holidays to Florida
As alternatives to lastminute.com, you can also try:
Thompson holidays to Florida

With over 40 years of travel experience and more staff based around the world than any other travel company, you won’t find anyone better to travel with.
British Airways Holidays also offer holidays to Orlando in Florida and you may want to check them especially if they have a sale on.

Alternatives to Florida & The USA
If the USA is not for you, from January to March another relatively cheap winter sun holiday destination is The Dominican Republic. Part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region, it is in the same part of the world as Cuba, Jamaica and therefore Florida. It has pretty decent weather all year but from December to April, the humidity is low and there is less rainfall on the island. Hurricane season lasts from the beginning of June until the end of November.

I found a few deals to The Dominican Republic for under £700 between January and March on Lastminute.com. Just use the link below and search for holidays to The Dominican Republic:
Search Lastminute.com Holidays