suggestions please - what to do over christmas ?

J

jema

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Argh , ideas please -winter & christmas.
....going to be stuck in tiny rented accomodation (inc most kids toys in storage), which is fine whilst weather warm as spend most time out sailing / outdoors,
-Active Outdoory type family (but never done winter type skiing sports, & not into sunbathing) 2 adults 2 kids - 11 & 8 who are both dinghy & yacht sailors,
can imagine kids christmas sch holidays will end up as a nightnare unless we plan to go away-
never been away at christmas before - any good ideas please-
just looked at Sunsail ...would need to take out a mortgage !
.. who can tell me how far south we'd have to go to be in tee shirts & shorts, ie warm but not necesarily baking hot ..
creative ideas ..please
thanks J.
 
Hi
The simplest would be the Canary Islands. A 4 hour flight. At that time of year the weather is often like a good English summer - pleasant but not hot. The large resorts on the bigger islands are my idea of hell but there are nice places. Avoid resorts described as 'lively'. Not to good for sailing but lots of surfboards, scuba diving or hang gliding for the suicidal.
 
I don't have a family but my little sister does, and to save money they go camping. When its too wet to go camping they go to a Centre Parcs (sp?).
 
We haven't had cristmas at home for a decade or more.

tenerife/canaries is a cheap option, bit daily mirrorish here and there but definitely quite shorts and t-shirty weatherwise over christmas. There are saily boats for rent, though obv keep an eye at weather , and the shoreside shops etc aren't "closed" as with say greece or med - winter is popular soft season.

red sea/egypt a possibilty, though need jumpers for evenings when it is cold and when we wentto luxor the ratbags didn't heat the pool, grumble grumble. Not sailed there.

Best weather annd warm sea tho more pricey is caribean. Sunsail and moorings determinedly price very high - bit of googling and you can do much better with smaller outfits, priced to compete for yankee dollars. Most charter rates from big charter companies will be the same number from others - but the same number of *dollars* , or less. Virgin do one-stop flights to antugua, jolly harbour a good base. Irelavance of christams shown by giving each other CD's or a book, sail away, have a swim. I thik we usually have ham sandwiches for christmas lunch. It's all quite "special" without galunking amounts of chirstmas dinner food which we do in the uk cos er a century ago having food was a big deal. Work out what you otherwise spend on christmas and going away can easily be justified, imho...
 
Canaries is probably the nearest convenient source of reliable weather, as others have said. Playa Blanca (in the South of Lanzarotte) is quieter than some of the more frenetic resorts elsewhere and, even if you're not sitting still types, there is a sheltered, safe and sandy man-made beach there. There's also a Marina for you to have a look at, when you start getting withdrawal symptoms. I am no geologist, but the volcanoes and stuff are fascinating. Lanzarotte has strong planning controls, so no skyscrapers, and less unsympathetic development than many holiday destinations.

Alternatively, what about Seth Effika? Longer journey, but no jet lag.

Anywhere at Christmas is going to be expensive, and quite booked up already, I fear. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Try Latesail for Caribbean deals. Nice, cheapish place is Guadeloupe or Martinique - sort of European atmosphere but with Caribbean roots. Isles Saintes (30nm S of Guadeloupe) is nice anchorage for Christmas.
Otherwise Canaries or Azores.
 
You should be banned from the forum for mentioning Christmas in July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul.
 
I'd seriously consider south Florida; west coast around Fort Meyers Beach, east coast Fort Lauderdale, or go all the way south to The Keys. Plenty of places to rent dinghy's, Hobie Cats, fishing boats etc. The snowbirds don't arrive from the north until after Christmas so you might get a decent deal on a furnished house or condo. Weather is great between "Northers", which can bring lower temperatures and rain for a few days - luck of the draw.
 
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