Ooh now hasn’t winter most certainly come in full frosty force?! It took me about 10 minutes this morning to get my car defrosted and even then it was touch and go down the road as it kept freezing back over! I do love those kind of mornings though especially when the sun is shining (albeit very low in the sky and somewhat blindingly when you’re trying to get across the main road during the school run!) But I am not complaining because that is one (of the many) things I love about living in the UK….the seasons! I know they can all mould into one another sometimes when we’re experiencing wet summers or mild winters but at least we get to see the beauty of the autumn trees, the cold fresh air in the winter, the beautiful yellow daffodils in the spring and the hazy summer days. I think living somewhere in the world that has only one climate and little variation to it just wouldn’t suit me, I like the different excitement that each season brings. It got me thinking about all the different holidays you can experience around the world at this time of year and I thought I’d bring you a few that gave you a taste of the different seasons experienced by other countries as we head into the depths of our winter!
I thought I would start with some warm sunshine as a contrast to our cold frosty days and take you Down Under to Australia. Being on the opposite side of the world to us Australia’s seasons (not surprisingly) are the opposite of ours! So they are well into spring down there heading right into summer. The country is so vast however the East of the country can be quite different in temperature to the West. Perth on the South West coast generally gets hotter weather and it can be around 25-30° at this time of year. The other side of the country can be ever so slightly cooler but still beautiful weather and if going up North along the Gold Coast and visiting the Great Barrier Reef the weather is simply stunning.
If Australia’s not on your list for winter treats then how about somewhere nearer to home and well a bit more wintery? Why not try Lapland and maybe even a glimpse of the Northern lights? Lapland has become hugely popular in the last 10 years with lots of tour companies offering trips for people to see Santa and his elves, take reindeer and husky sleigh ride and feel the magic of Christmas. You can even do day trips if time is short and you want to shoehorn a quick ‘authentic’ Santa visit in between school carol services and nativities!
Hang on a minute if you’re reading this in January you might be sick to the back teeth of Christmas so let’s move on to somewhere else! Let’s go South to Cape Town…. now that’s on my bucket list. South Africa is beautiful in our winter the temperature is just beginning to rise and the stunning scenery along the garden route is out of this world. You can call in to Franschhoek or Stellenbosch and try some of the best wine in world (can you see why this is on my bucket list!) then carry on to Port Elizabeth then onto a safari at Shamwari game reserve…..am I whetting your appetite???
Finally I think any winter holiday run down wouldn’t be the same without the beautiful Caribbean Sea…but instead of heading to one of the more well-known hotspots for winter sun holidays like Barbados or Antigua why not head to Aruba the little Island in the South of the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela. Aruba was once colonized by Spain but now is in the Kingdom of the Netherlands which is made up of four Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. Maarten. The tourist economy in Aruba has grown steadily and with it being a popular stop for cruise ships the demand for good quality hotels grew and so it is a great alternative to some of the other popular islands in the Caribbean.
So what do we think guys….fancy heading off? Or maybe just stay here with this beautiful bright blue frosty sunshine!?!