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Richard Mellor
Wednesday January 4 2023, 09:00am
The classic winter-sun destinations have one obvious drawback — and often a second. They’re jam-packed with other pasty northern-hemisphere dwellers, and they’re frequently fairly pricey. Happily, many more authentic, more affordable options are out there, including the Crusoe-esque shores of Principe, off West Africa, and quieter Caribbean corners such as Curaçao. Further east, Réunion and the Andamans bring Indian Ocean alternatives to the Maldives or Mauritius, while Koh Mook proves that there are still blissful Thai islands to discover. For more cultural oomph, consider northern Sri Lanka, Kenya’s history-packed Lamu or the under-the-radar emirates of Ras Al Khaimah and family-friendly Sharjah.
Main photo: a traditional longtail boat on Koh Kradan, Thailand (Alamy)
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So idyllic is Principe’s best beach that Bacardi once filmed castaway-style commercials on it. Christened for its curving shape, Praia Banana is one of numerous yellow, sandy shores flanking the island; most are entirely empty, while all feature jungle-like, palm-fronted backdrops. Forming Africa’s smallest nation alongside bigger Sao Tome, this slow-paced Gulf of Guinea speck also hosts three luxurious eco-hotels. Along with beach-hopping boat trips, guests can explore restored cacao plantations, admire endemic birds or go whale-watching. December is hot, but not overwhelming.
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While tourists abound elsewhere in Sri Lanka — particularly in leopard-filled Yala National Park — its Tamil-accented north remains gloriously under-visited, having taken longer to recover from this large island’s civil war. Travelling after the monsoon in February or March, tours should start with an elephant and leopard safari at Yala’s underrated rival, Wilpattu, before watching wild ponies on the islands off the Jaffna Peninsula. Jaffna itself contributes gorgeous Hindu temples, while scenic trains connect to Anuradhapura’s ancient ruins. Finish on the honeyed sands and coral reefs around Trincomalee.
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Roughly two hours’ drive from Cape Town are seven — yes, seven — impressive bays and lagoons that cater to surfers, swimmers and anglers, plus a series of whitewashed villages, their preserved fisherman’s cottages now housing chichi guesthouses. Most chichi of all is Paternoster, which is known in South Africa for its restaurants: fine-dining Wolfgat, Asian-influenced Gaaitjie, usually booked up weeks in advance, and the informal Noisy Oyster. While that can lead to a somewhat snobby air, no such issues affect smaller, sleepier Jacobsbaai.
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Featuring the prettily named Coconut, Cocoa and Discovery coasts, this northeastern state’s 579-mile coastline intersperses rainforest stretches with isolated bays. Despite the pastel-tone Renaissance buildings and seductive Afro-Brazilian beats of its main city, Salvador, southern Bahia is the place where you’ll find slow-paced paradise on tap. Itacare delivers surfing or sailing, and Trancoso hosts barefoot beach parties. The minuscule, mellow city of Prado contains one of the oldest churches in Brazil, while Corumbau, a fishing hamlet gone gently luxe, delivers caramel-shade shores and hammock-happy pousadas.
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There are still some uncrowded Thai islands to explore. Part of the southwesterly Trang chain, striking Koh Mook (aka Ko Muk) is one of the best. Just about small enough to explore on foot, it contains some pristine, soft-sand “tourist beaches” (others, sadly, are less clean) from whose shack bars one can swim above multicoloured fish before kayaking into caves. Consider staying next on teensier Koh Kradan, whose east-coast shore is even more perfect, but avoid travelling during lunar new year.
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One of the lowest-profile Indian Ocean islands, rugged Réunion confounds. Like Mauritius, 106 miles to the east, it has golden-sand bays and coral reefs, yet is dominated by rainforest, lunar-like caldera plains, waterfalls, hot springs and one of the world’s most active volcanoes. You can lounge, yes, yet crater hikes, canyoning or cycling are just as popular. And while a distinct Creole vibe infuses hotels, rum shacks and lively markets, “L’Île Intense” remains a French overseas territory, with patisseries and petits fours.
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Christopher Columbus was so seduced by La Gomera in 1492 that he supposedly delayed his seminal, America-discovering voyage for a month while exploring this lesser-known Canary Island. It’s easy to see why today. Some 370 miles of walking tracks wind across the misty Garajonay National Park’s misty ravines; below are palm groves and three black-sand beaches with Blue Flag status for cleanliness. The views of Tenerife’s volcano Mount Teide are terrific and you can visit the house in which Columbus — who returned twice more — stayed.
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A former British colony in the Caribbean, bijou Belize has wondrous Mayan ruins and national parks where eco-schemes safeguard jaguars. Its verdant interior cedes to a pristine coastline whose hundreds of cayes form part of a massive barrier reef — guaranteeing kaleidoscopic corals and critters galore. Busy Ambergris Caye delivers divers into the jaw-dropping Great Blue Hole, but snorkellers might prefer the less-developed beach towns of Placencia or Hopkins. Here, croc-spotting boat tours, cafés in converted fishing shacks and powdery sand are the blissed-out norm. A garifuna cultural experience is essential
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As unbelievable as it now seems, Sharjah was the highest-profile of the United Arab Emirates for package-holiday tourists four decades back. Then, perhaps to limit western influence, alcohol was prohibited in 1979; as a result, fast-growing Dubai and Abu Dhabi began hogging the limelight. With that “dry” status still in place today, Sharjah’s excellent hotels and beachside resorts cater predominantly to families; supporting them are excellent cultural attractions from ancient (but now air conditioned) souks to the Natural History & Botanical Museum’s dinosaur displays.
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Would you like some historical interest in your heavenly destination? Then these islands, just off the north coast of Kenya and ideal for post-safari slumber, will enchant. Stay on mostly car-free Lamu itself, where quintessential Indian Ocean seasides — soft, sugar-coloured sand, superb snorkelling, crystalline blue waters — neighbour Unesco world heritage Lamu Town, an ancient Swahili settlement of narrow streets and a 14th-century fort. To seal the deal, most hotels can arrange trips to other islands in traditional dhow sailboats, often including dolphin sightings.
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Shaped uncannily like a butterfly, the two “mainland” islands of this French-administered archipelago are linked by two bridges over a narrow river. Easterly Grand-Terre specialises in toffee-hued beaches and small resorts with activities such as golf or windsurfing, while the emptier, craggier Basse-Terre has a lush national park with waterfalls below ever-active volcano La Soufriere. Spectacular trails lead up to that, passing skin-cleansing sulphur pools. If they sound too tiring, investigate Gallic-accented food or tour filming locations from Death in Paradise.
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Arguably better known for its namesake blue liqueur — flavoured by laraha citrus fruits — than for tourism, affordable Curaçao is part of the “ABCs”: a Dutch-constituent trio, completed by Aruba and Bonaire, in the southern Caribbean, just 50 miles from Venezuela. Diving and snorkelling are the main magnets, chiefly in beautiful azure lagoons or around shore-accessed shipwrecks, but some 40 beaches will be tempting for fly-and-floppers. The loudly painted colonial lanes of Unesco-protected capital Willemstad are fascinating to explore, as are caves in which escaped slaves once hid.
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Part of India but closer to Indonesia, this tropical Indian archipelago ticks every paradise box. Aquamarine seas and thriving coral reefs? Oh yes. Soft, sandy shores? They’re the colour of fudge. Palm trees? Naturally. Consistent climate? It’s reliably warm and dry here from December until March. Havelock is the most developed of all 325 islands — most of which are populated by indigenous tribes and off-limits — with luxury hotels gradually arriving. Less-trodden Neil Island hosts still finer shores one can easily pedal between.
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Rare saltwater hippos reside on Orango — but they’re just one reason to choose this member of the Guinea-Bissau’s Bissagos Islands. Others include immersion into villages’ beguiling animist culture, an inspiring eco-lodge in Orango Parque, bleached-white beaches free of footprints and the chance to sleep on another, uninhabited isle and watch turtles nest or hatch. From the capital of Bissau — whose colourful, Portuguese colonial-era old town merits a photo-taking wander — it’s a 45-minute drive and four-hour boat ride.
orangohotel.com
The northernmost emirate is the antithesis of Dubai. Ostentatious shopping malls are replaced with gaping canyons and cloud-tickling skyscrapers are swapped out for high-octane thrills. Strap in for the world’s longest zipline and curve around the Hajar mountains in a toboggan. You can turn back time with a visit to the pearl farm, where ex-divers share their tales of a tradition that once brought in most of the emirate’s income — or fill your feed at an Instagram-ready pink lagoon.
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If wildlife spotting is your thing, you’ll find it hard to improve upon Kangaroo Island, just off the coast of South Australia. Not much actual spotting is required though — they’re everywhere. Kangaroos, and their smaller cousins the wallabies, outnumbers just about everything else here. But they can be surprisingly shy, unlike the Australian sea lions down at Seal Bay, who have colonised a sandy beach, frolicking in the sea and often all the way up to the car park in the visitor centre. On the side of the road, you might spot echidnas, an ant-eating mammal resembling hedgehogs, while in the eucalyptus trees there’s usually a koala somewhere. The only elusive creature here is Rosenburg’s Goanna, a giant monitor lizard that prefers the shelter of burrows.
exceptionalkangarooisland.com
Additional reporting by Lucy Perrin and Qin Xie
Inspired to visit a winter sun destination but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Tui* and BA Holidays*.
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