Does anyone else feel like this winter has been so long and so so unforgiving? I remember being excited about wrapping up in October, getting the thick coat out of the wardrobe and all the fluffy scarves. I have a real love / hate relationship with the winter months, on one hand, you just need a good coat and scarf to look good shopping, on the other hand, it's so bloody cold, you just need a coat and scarf!
I wrote a post last year about dealing with winter blues, it's something I really suffer with and am definitely self diagnosed with SAD. For me, I just end up feeling so lethargic and drained of energy. You might've noticed that I do like a holiday, so the key to making my winter bareable is a little break in January.
I used to be incredibly lucky and go and stay with Drew's parents in Madeira. If you've read my previous post, here, you will know how much that island has truly stolen my heart. Not wanting to tread the same ground that I used to do so happily, when looking at destinations I completely discounted Madeira for this winter. I'd love to go again some day, as it is a really lovely place.
So, best friend in tow, we started looking for holidays at Christmas-time. We were determined to get a 'deal' as no where has guaranteed weather at this time of year and we didn't want to end up paying an arm and a leg for something that could be overcast every day. We really struggled to find one this time, but about 10 days before we were due to go we stumbled across the Hisperia Bristol Playa on the Thomson website, it had 40% off, so we checked the reviews and booked before we missed out on another good deal!
Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands, known to be windy year round but with a really mild climate, they do attract the winter visitors with temperatures in the 20s pretty much year round. It's closer to the equator so the days are slightly longer with around 11 hours of light and being so close we could check the long term weather forecast, which was looking good!
We stayed in a resort called Correlejo, right on the northern tip of the island, closest to Lanzarote. So close that we could actually see Lanzarote from our hotel. If you're wanting a little trip, there's a boat that goes from Correlejo to Lanzarote that you can get for a day of exploring.
Correlejo is a purpose built resort (like much of Fuerteventura, I'm told) but as we were literally going to spend most of the week chilling, that didn't bother us. It still had some cute little Spanish themed buildings and squares and we noticed a lot of nods to Moroccan culture, it's just off of the coast of Africa, so hardly surprising I guess.
The weather was blissful, we had a tiny bit of rain one day (perfect excuse to check out the local shopping mall) and one day was quite overcast and windy in the afternoon. We both came home with good tans and smiles on our faces from a small break from winter. There honestly is nothing better than wearing flip flops in January!
I'm not sure I'd head back to Correlejo in a hurry as there's not a great deal to do there, unless you're a surfer. Although, I will definitely head back to Fuerteventura in the future and maybe next time see a different part of the island and a bit more culture.
So - if you see a late winter deal, go for it! We were so glad we did and the whole thing cost each of us less than £500, winner in winter!
I'd love to know any other winter break destinations that people have?
Ems xx
I wrote a post last year about dealing with winter blues, it's something I really suffer with and am definitely self diagnosed with SAD. For me, I just end up feeling so lethargic and drained of energy. You might've noticed that I do like a holiday, so the key to making my winter bareable is a little break in January.
I used to be incredibly lucky and go and stay with Drew's parents in Madeira. If you've read my previous post, here, you will know how much that island has truly stolen my heart. Not wanting to tread the same ground that I used to do so happily, when looking at destinations I completely discounted Madeira for this winter. I'd love to go again some day, as it is a really lovely place.
So, best friend in tow, we started looking for holidays at Christmas-time. We were determined to get a 'deal' as no where has guaranteed weather at this time of year and we didn't want to end up paying an arm and a leg for something that could be overcast every day. We really struggled to find one this time, but about 10 days before we were due to go we stumbled across the Hisperia Bristol Playa on the Thomson website, it had 40% off, so we checked the reviews and booked before we missed out on another good deal!
Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands, known to be windy year round but with a really mild climate, they do attract the winter visitors with temperatures in the 20s pretty much year round. It's closer to the equator so the days are slightly longer with around 11 hours of light and being so close we could check the long term weather forecast, which was looking good!
We stayed in a resort called Correlejo, right on the northern tip of the island, closest to Lanzarote. So close that we could actually see Lanzarote from our hotel. If you're wanting a little trip, there's a boat that goes from Correlejo to Lanzarote that you can get for a day of exploring.
Correlejo is a purpose built resort (like much of Fuerteventura, I'm told) but as we were literally going to spend most of the week chilling, that didn't bother us. It still had some cute little Spanish themed buildings and squares and we noticed a lot of nods to Moroccan culture, it's just off of the coast of Africa, so hardly surprising I guess.
The weather was blissful, we had a tiny bit of rain one day (perfect excuse to check out the local shopping mall) and one day was quite overcast and windy in the afternoon. We both came home with good tans and smiles on our faces from a small break from winter. There honestly is nothing better than wearing flip flops in January!
 |
| Blue skies and palm trees = heart eyes |
I'm not sure I'd head back to Correlejo in a hurry as there's not a great deal to do there, unless you're a surfer. Although, I will definitely head back to Fuerteventura in the future and maybe next time see a different part of the island and a bit more culture.
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| Wish I could have this view every day! |
So - if you see a late winter deal, go for it! We were so glad we did and the whole thing cost each of us less than £500, winner in winter!
I'd love to know any other winter break destinations that people have?
Ems xx
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