Melle

Newcomers to this forum....and probably should be searching elsewhere...

Him & her have been lucky/fortunate to have travelled from East (HK) to West (California), North (Norway) to South (Kalihari Desert) and are now rapidly approaching retirement age.(Yet there is still so much to see....)

Can any readers offer a guide to warm & sunny places that are suitable locations to spend Xmas? We are not really interested in sailing with hundreds of others, nor staying in large hotels specialising in providing a commercial Xmas.

So far this year we have each done Italy / Xing the Himalayas by motorcycle on the highest navigable route.

Any ideas that will not cost the earth are most welcome...perhaps even Home watch for absent owners?

VMT. Melle

Jerseygirl

Hi...welcome to BE.

You could take a look down this list and if you notice a country that takes your fancy you could open a new thread asking for info/advice. Alternatively you could open a thread in The Lounge.

bakedbean

1. Anywhere non commercial in southern Thailand on the West side. East side will get the NE monsoon.

2. Langkawi in north west Malaysia. Great chill-out island with gorgeous beaches. Avoid the big hotels if you want to be alone.

Happy planning . Check out Far East forum for other options. Must be some sunny quiet options west Australia too I imagine.

Christian

I live in Canada, if I could find a ‘warm & sunny place’ to spend Summer Bank Holiday I'd be chuffed!
(Myself, I'd love to spend Christmas on the Hants/Wilts border ... but I'm a homebody, and that was my patch of ground at one time as well). Welcome to B.E. ... good luck, and an early ‘Happy Christmas!’ to you.
Christian

Rosemary

Hello and a big welcome to BE.

Excellent information can be found in the BE Wiki, not forgetting the Living and Moving Abroad forum that will help you, another set of great help is the permanent threads at the TOP of each forum, they are very pertinent to that particular forum and makes sensible reading.

Moderators deal with any problems that arise such as inappropriate posts, spammers etc, you will find their names at the bottom right hand side of each forum's index in bold font.

Please contact me if I can give you any further help.

Rosemary

dreadsoc

Hi Melle

Welcome to BE.

Here are a few places I have been to during winter months, where the weather is beautifuln and most importantly WARM:

-Brazil - this is probably the most amazing place I have ever been to (and I have been to many places). We have a South America forum on here with a fair few expats living there who can answer any questions you have. My advice would be to check out the forum, but also buy the Lonely Planet guide and plan and execute the trip yourselves as opposed to an organised trip.
- Oman - This is a lovely country in the midle East and very non touristy. I would recommend spending time in Muscat, which has some lovely sites to see, and great shopping too, a trip to the gold souk (Mutrah Souk is the largest I think) is a delight not to be missed, but leave the credit cards behind !!. One fabulous aspect is Muscat Beach, which is deserted all day as the locals come out to play once the sun sets. Also Sallallah in the South of Oman is beautiful as well - go off roading in a jeep and find some deserted beaches, desert dunes etc. Great for sailing, diving and fishing too. Oman is also exceptionally clean. Check out the Middle east forum as I am sure there are plenty of expats living in Oman who can advise you more.
- Kenya - great safaris etc. If you want real adventure do some trekking on Mt Kilimajaro. Also take a few days to check out Zanzibar. This is another geat place for diving and sailing. South africa can be a great place to go too. Check out the Africa forum for expats who can tell you more.
- Asia - we have a forum for Goa which is a place where many Brits go for winter. There are luxury hotels, but the better experience is had staying in local run places. Kerala in India is an up and coming destination. From either of nthse places, it is easy to fly to or travel to other parts of India to experience some amazing sites and culture, which differs from state to state.
Other parts of Asia are Malaysia which Baked Bean has advised, as well as Sri Lanka and Thailand. There is plenty of informaion on all these places in the Far East forum.
- There are the well known destinations such as Egypt (Sharm is nioce if you like diving or snorkelling) and you can always take a trip by train to see some of the ancint stuff. The Gambia is another typical place but I don;t know what that is like as I have not been there.
- Carribean Island hopping is a great way to enjoy a few winter weeks too. Some of the less well known islands are well worth spending some time on. And guess what - we also have a Carribean forum... so happy reading !!!

Feel free to pop into any of the forums if you have questions about a place you like the look of. BE are a friendly bunch who are happy to help.

In the meantime, enjoy the discovery through our forums, and have a great time in whichever destination you decide on....don't forget to let us know where and tell us all about it

Dread - x