Where to go for Winter sun

Volcanic national park above a sea of cloud, with the cable car toward the summit of Mount Teide.

The south coast's best kept resort beach, calm, pale sand and a long promenade in Costa Adeje.

Huge Thai-themed water park above the south resorts, open and warm at midday all winter.

Santa Cruz market hall for Canarian cheese, mojo, fish and a cheap market lunch.

Protected dune sea where the resort south meets the Atlantic, best at sunrise and sunset.

Great reef-sheltered city beach in Las Palmas, with winter swimming and a local promenade.

Iconic rock pinnacle in the island centre, a short hike with views across to Teide.

Columbus house museum in the Vegueta old quarter of cobbles and wooden balconies.

The Fire Mountains, a sea of lava toured by coach past a restaurant cooking over volcanic heat.

Manrique's lava tube lagoon and auditorium, home to tiny blind white crabs found nowhere else.

Sheltered southern coves with the island's clearest, calmest winter swimming on a still day.

Manrique's lava-bubble house, the key to why the whole island looks protected and unified.

Miles of dunes and white sand south of Corralejo, facing Lanzarote and Lobos island.

Wild mountain-backed Atlantic beach on Jandia, for walking and looking, never for swimming.

Small permit-capped island by boat from Corralejo, with a lighthouse walk and a sheltered lagoon.

Vast tidal lagoon beach in Jandia, one of Europe's great kite and windsurf arenas.

Great hillside garden above Funchal, reached by cable car, with lakes, tiles and bay views.

Drive-up 1,818 metre summit, often above the clouds, start of the ridge walk to Pico Ruivo.

Glass-floored viewpoint on one of Europe's highest sea cliffs, west of Funchal.

Funchal's working market of passionfruit, flowers and black scabbardfish in the fish hall.

Santa Maria's town beach on Sal, pale sand, turquoise water and the fishing pier's morning catch.

Vast near-empty beach on Boa Vista's southwest coast, reached by 4x4 from Sal Rei.

A small Sahara in Boa Vista's interior, dunes of sand blown in from Africa.

Boa Vista's slow capital of a harbour, a church and beach bars, where island life happens.

Great calm bay south of Bridgetown, with wreck snorkelling and west coast water at south prices.

Crystallised limestone caverns in the island centre, toured by tram past streams and falls.

Friday night fish fry of grilled mahi, swordfish and flying fish, music and dominoes.

17th century plantation great house with its own rum distillery and a heritage railway.

Aruba's wide white beach of low-rise hotels and fofoti trees, calmer than Palm Beach.

Aruba's wild desert interior of caves, natural pools and a cliffed windward coast, by 4x4.

The candy-coloured Dutch harbourfront of Willemstad, a UNESCO listed working port.

Big cliff-framed cove west of Willemstad, intense blue water, busiest with locals at weekends.

Kilometres of white sand and reef-sheltered water past every grade of resort in Bavaro.

National park island day trip, catamaran out, starfish in the natural pool, beach lunch.

Intense blue cenote at a cliff foot inside Scape Park in Cap Cana, a good family half-day.

Public beach where the resort wall ends, surf schools, fish shacks and local families.

Terraced waterfall climbed from the sea through rainforest, beautiful and best early or late.

Marley's Hope Road house and studio in Kingston, toured by guides who sing through it.

Negril's long low rise beach ending at the West End cliffs, for the island's best sunsets; confirm your hotel has reopened after Hurricane Melissa.

Walled Mayan port city on its cliff above a cove, compact and essential, best at opening time.

Twin glass-clear cenote pools under a part-open cave roof, turtles below and swallows above.

Vast protected coast south of Tulum, lagoons, dolphins and an empty wild beach.

Wide public beach at the ruins end of the hotel zone, palms, white sand and clear morning sea.

Seafront promenade of sculptures and sunset crowds, the city's living room at dusk.

Main Zona Romantica beach of bars and restaurants under the sail-shaped pier, social and busy.

The arch at Land's End by water taxi, sea lions on the rocks where two seas meet.

Lovers Beach, a sand cleft between granite towers reached only by boat at Land's End.

A thousand pastel 1920s and 1930s buildings on Ocean Drive and Collins, best on a morning walk.

Outdoor street art museum anchoring Miami's serious art scene in the warehouse district.

Hemingway's Key West house and garden, polydactyl cats and the studio of the island books.

The painted buoy claiming 90 miles to Cuba, where the United States runs out.

Marble Big Buddha on the Nakkerd Hills, seen from half the island and viewing half of it.

Sino-Portuguese shophouse street in old Phuket Town, shrines, cafes and Sunday market.

Samui's Big Buddha Temple on its causeway island, a golden figure above the sea approach.

Archipelago of limestone islands west of Samui, kayaking, lagoons and viewpoints by boat.

Famous protected reef of coral walls, caves and dense fish life near the capital's atoll.

Maafushi's designated tourist beach, the base of the local island guesthouse Maldives.

Small museum in Sultan Park, coral stone carvings and royal regalia beyond the resorts.

Waterfront market of bananas, coconuts and smoked tuna, across from the fish market.

The tallest building on earth above the fountain lake in Downtown Dubai, decks booked for sunset.

Wind-tower quarter by Dubai Creek, old houses, museums and an abra to the Deira souks.

Vast white marble mosque, free with registration, at its best in late afternoon light.

Museum under a great perforated dome on Saadiyat, a building that is itself the headline.

Protected Sinai headland of mangroves, a salt lake and some of the Red Sea's finest shore reefs.

Hurghada's offshore island day trip, white sand and reef snorkelling in clear water.

Protected Eilat reef with snorkel trails in water near 21 to 22C through winter.

Great red desert valley an hour from Aqaba, Bedouin jeep tours under granite mountains.

Revolving cable car up the flat top, city, bay and peninsula in one panorama, first car best.

Ferry to Mandela's prison island, toured with former prisoners, book days ahead in season.

Great fynbos garden on Table Mountain's slopes, canopy walkway and summer lawn concerts.

Boardwalks over the African penguin colony among granite boulders on False Bay.

The harbour's heart at Circular Quay, toured inside and circled by ferry and garden.

Famous surf beach and start of the Bondi to Coogee cliff walk past ocean pools.

Car-free island by ferry from Fremantle, 63 clear bays, bikes and quokkas.

Huge inner city park of bushland and gardens above the Swan River, best at dawn and dusk.