ideas for a week away in January

Looking for some advice as to where would be nice for my husband and I to get away for a week in January. Have never been away at this time of the year before. Not looking to spend a fortune but would consider anything that doesn't involve too long a flight as only will have a week.

Hi,


what kind of break away are you planning - i.e. relaxing beach holiday or bustling city break, etc.

If you want sun, you'lll prob need to go more south than mainland europe - e.g. Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Canary Islands, Cyprus, even Dubai.

- Tenerife - just back from a week. Nice and warm (between 20 and 30 degrees). We went to the north of the island which is much less touristy than the south. The black (volcanic) beaches werent great, but lots of sightseeing options to do. Weather still nice in Jan.
- Egypt - went to Sinai. Excellent hotel. However hotels tend to be all-inclusive, since there isnt much tourist life outside the hotels (we were surrounded by desert, and just about seven 5* hotels clustered together). Again good trips - like to the desert, to Petra in Jordan. Also very good watersports.
- Morocco - went in Nov, and was getting cooler, but some sunny days.
- Southern spain - went to Cadiz. Extremely differernt to the usual 'costas'. No highrises, all day english breakfasts etc. Weather cool but pleasant.


If sun isnt so important, how about a city break - Rome / Paris / Istanbul / Reykjavik.. Or skiing, if that was your kind of thing.

Enjoy your hols!

Egypt - went to Sinai. Excellent hotel. However hotels tend to be all-inclusive, since there isnt much tourist life outside the hotels (we were surrounded by desert, and just about seven 5* hotels clustered together). Again good trips - like to the desert, to Petra in Jordan. Also very good watersports.

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My husband loves the idea of Egypt. Always mentions it when the "red sea riviera" ads come on the telly. Who did you book with? Also is there any terrorist alert there?
Also like the sound of Reykjavik...keep the suggestions rolling in.

Hi Fobs,

Egypt was lovely (not that I feel I saw Egypt - just experienced a nice beach in a warm place!)
For beach holidays, Hurghada, Sharm el Sheik and Taba seem to be the main resorts.
I went to Taba. Booked with LastMinute.com, and it was reasonable - half board in a 5* hotel for a week was 350sterling each (for two people) incl flights. The hotel was lovely - cant remember which one, but maybe the Hyatt. Huge bedrooms with two double beds, very clean and new, huge gardens with various pools. Daytrips to local sights, and to Eilat in Israel and to Petra/Aquaba in Jordan.
As for safety, who knows, unfortunately. We felt totally safe, but a few months after, a couple of hotels in Taba were bombed. I'd check with the Foreign Office to see what they advise..

Reijkavik was fabulous, but sooo cold (in nov)!!! So much nature to see - glaciers, geysers, frozen waterfalls, aurora borealis, outdoor thermal pools. Very expensive too - a glass of average wine was 10euros! But certainly felt like a 'different' destination!

Ragazza.

Off to Rome myself then - very reasonable prices for flights & accomodation.

Roy

Malta is a good bet in our winter, weather usually warm (though you might need a sweater if your'e walking about in the evening.
Lots of different places to visit on the island; we used the local bus services to get round the island. They cost half nothing and are fun.

Must visit the co-cathedral (absolutely stunning) in Valetta and also the co-cathedral in Mdina. The market in Valetta is good fun.

Everybody speaks English. Lots of hotels of different grades at various rates.
I would guess that if you checked out Malta on Google you would find something to your liking.

We went to Vienna one year (at that time of year). Beautiful city (if you like culture, architecture .. that type of thing). It snowed (which was nice), and the services (bus, train, tram) are very efficient (makes a change from here). If that's not your cup of tea, we went to Lanzarote another year. The usual sun, sea and you-know-what .... but at least it's a complete change from January in sunny Dublin!! This year we're off to Estonia (Tallinn) during that time. Going back to the cold/Christmasy sort of climate. It's supposed to be a beautiful old, quaint, historical city. There is OLD and NEW Tallinn. Also we will take the ferry from there one of the days to Helsinki - not a long trip - and stay there overnight, just to see it. Booked this with Home and Abroad Travel in Camden Street, and found them very good and reasonable. One of the reasons we chose Estonia was that the Sunday Indo travel writer had written a whole article about her short trip there (4 days in all) during which she also took the ferry over to Helsinki for an overnight, and she raved about the whole thing. We're staying in the same hotels as her, and basically doing the same trip. For both of us (flights, ferries, accommodation in Best Hotels) it's about 1200 the lot. Do any of these (Vienna, Lanzarote, Estonia) tick the boxes for you? I'm trying to think of places that aren't too far away.

I do like the sound of Estonia as you have described it so well. We do not want a typical sun resort holiday with only beaches,pool etc.. as my husband doesn't take the sun too well and hates lying by the pool. He loves to be doing something and loves sightseeing. However as we will only have a week the only limitation is we don't want a too long flight cutting into the time we have.

What about somewhere really different ? Villa Palazzola, a former monastery about 16 miles from Rome set in beautiful woodlands looking over Lake Albano to CastleGandolfo which is a walk of about 45 minutes around the lake. It is still owned by the English College in Rome but takes up to about 40 paying guests. Food & wine is included in the price of around 60 Euro p.p. per day. Food is typically Italian & delicious. Weather should be comfortable in January & the villa is very close to the airport used by Ryanair (10 mins. in a taxi) or Giuseppe at the villa will arrange transport for you. We were there recently with a group of friends who go every year & had a ball. The Palazzola web site is cool. [broken link removed]

Hi Fobs,


Have you thought about skiing?

Try www.highlife.ie . Was just on their site and they have a offer in January.

I'm flying to Tampa, Florida in Jan with Continental Airlines...prices are ridiculously low! €319pp (excl tax)! So, if you are looking for a bit of sun, surf, and excellent value - I'd definately recommend a trip to Florida!

-soc