🇲🇽 MEXICO
Bacalar
A calm freshwater lagoon in seven shades of blue, edged by mangroves and jungle.
Nature & hiking✈️ 11h4 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🧘 HOLIDAY TYPE
Relaxing holidays
Pools, quiet beaches and nowhere you need to be. Here's where to go for a relaxing holiday, and the best months for each.
Relaxing holidays: 16 guides
🇮🇩 INDONESIA
Bali
Temples, rice terraces, monkeys and warm sea, at very good value.
Beach✈️ 17h10 to 14 nights£
BEST TIMEAPR–SEP
🇧🇧 BARBADOS
Barbados
Calm Caribbean beaches, swimming with turtles and fish fries on a Friday night.
Beach✈️ 9h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇨🇻 CAPE VERDE
Cape Verde
Year-round sunshine, wide sandy beaches and lemon sharks in the shallows off West Africa.
Beach✈️ 6h7 nights££
BEST TIMEMAR–JUN, NOV
🇦🇪 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai
Winter sun, water parks and the tallest building in the world.
City break✈️ 8h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇲🇹 MALTA
Gozo
Malta's smaller, greener sister island, with salt pans, sea caves and sleepy villages.
Relax & spa✈️ 4h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇹🇭 THAILAND
Koh Lanta
Long, quiet beaches, coral islands and sunsets over the Andaman Sea.
Beach✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇮🇹 ITALY
Lake Garda
Lake beaches, ferries between pretty towns and Italy's biggest theme park.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h7 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Madeira
Spring weather all year, toboggans down the streets and cliff walks along old water channels.
Nature & hiking✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇲🇻 MALDIVES
Maldives
Overwater villas, white sand and reefs full of turtles right off the beach.
Beach✈️ 12h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇲🇹 MALTA
Malta
Sunny, English-speaking islands with clear water, old forts and Popeye's village.
Beach✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇲🇺 MAURITIUS
Mauritius
Lagoon beaches, giant tortoises and rainbow-coloured sand in the Indian Ocean.
Beach✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–DEC
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Menorca
Calm turquoise coves, pine woods and pretty harbour towns on the quieter Balearic island.
Beach✈️ 3h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN, SEP
🇨🇾 CYPRUS
Paphos
Sunshine almost all year, Roman mosaics and the beach where Aphrodite was born.
Beach✈️ 5h7 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Tenerife
Winter sun, a volcano with a cable car and some of Europe's best water parks.
Beach✈️ 5h7 nights££
BEST TIMEOCT–MAR
🇹🇿 TANZANIA
Zanzibar
Spice-scented Stone Town alleys, giant tortoises and white beaches on the Indian Ocean.
Beach✈️ 10h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
When to go
Where's at its best in each month of the year.
- May
- Bali, Cape Verde, Gozo, Lake Garda, Madeira, Malta, Mauritius, Paphos
- June
- Bali, Cape Verde, Gozo, Lake Garda, Madeira, Malta, Menorca, Paphos and 1 more
- November
- Cape Verde, Dubai, Mauritius, Tenerife
Relaxing holidays: common questions
Where is good for a relaxing holiday in winter?
The Maldives, Barbados, Dubai and Tenerife are warm and sunny between December and February.
Where can we relax close to home?
Malta, Gozo, Menorca, Madeira and Lake Garda are short flights from the UK, with quiet spots to unwind.
How long should a relaxing holiday be?
A week is enough to properly switch off in Europe. Long-haul places like the Maldives or Mauritius are worth two weeks.
Other kinds of holiday
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🎟️ IDEAS ON STANDBY
Found somewhere you like?
Put it on standby with the rest of your family's ideas. Everyone spreads their points in secret, gets one veto, and the draw picks where you go.