Relaxing Family Holidays for the Taking at Alvor

Author: Isla Campbell
Source: ezinearticles.com

There are some beautiful beaches in the UK and they are great to visit during the seemingly random sunnier periods of our year. However, lets be honest, the British summertime is a bit of an up and down affair at best and can often end up becoming a washout. With belts being tightened and every penny counted, do you really want to risk your hard-earned cash on a beach holiday in the rain?

With last minute offers and huge summer sales, there are now many beach holidays to luxury destinations across the world that will cost you less than you think.

When it comes to beach holiday destinations, Egypt may not be the first one that springs to mind however, if you want the smallest possible chance of rain on your holiday, then Egypt is probably your best bet. In the summer months Egypt will have consistently average temperatures in the 30s and around 12 hours of sunshine a day. Rainfall is pretty much nonexistent during June to September, so you are almost guaranteed a sunny holiday. The coastal resort of Sharm El Sheikh is becoming increasingly popular with British tourists and offers some of the best beaches and five star hotels that Egypt has to offer. A flight to Egypt is around five hours, so it is very popular with those wanting a bit of sun, but aren’t willing to go long-haul.

A little further afield than Egypt, the island of Hawaii has very consistent weather throughout the year with average summertime temperatures of around 30oC. However, there are many different micro-environments and you can find tropical rainforests and sunny beaches right next to each other. Water temperatures can reach a very pleasant 27ºC and there are many beautiful, picture perfect beaches for holidaymakers to enjoy. Obviously the exchange rate to the US Dollar will have a great influence on the price of your Hawaiian holiday, so it is worth keeping an eye on the exchange rate to get a good deal.

While Hawaii has always been a popular island to visit, one that has grown in popular recently. One of the top beach destinations in the world is the Indonesian island of Bali. The best time to visit Bali is between May and October when rainfall is at its lowest. The temperature is fairly consistent throughout the year and is usually around 28oC. The beaches of Bali are what people come to experience and there is nothing like taking a dip in warm turquoise waters or watching a Bali sunset from a hammock with a cocktail in hand. Be prepared for a long flight, but your pound should go a long way against the Indonesian Rupiah.

Back in Europe, Italy might not have been the first place to mind when thinking about a beach break, but there are plenty of beautiful spots to lay down your towel. Some of the country’s highlights include the beautiful beaches of Sardinia, Tuscany and the Italian islands. The Italian climate is Mediterranean, especially on the west coast, so it is hot and dry during the summer months and perfect beach weather. Also, the flight time to Italy is only around two and half hours so you don’t have to travel too far to find some summer sun.

For those looking to leave the familiarity of Europe and venture into the dark continent, Kenya is a popular holiday choice. Known for its amazing wildlife and safaris, few travellers are aware of its amazing coast and beaches. The city of Mombassa is a very popular beach destination and travellers will often book a Kenya safari and a week on the beach to help them relax. Kenya’s coast boasts over 300 miles of white sand beaches and summer high temperatures of around 30oC. There are also a huge number of activities to keep you busy, including some great dive sites and a range of watersports for thrill seekers.

So when you are looking at beach holidays this year, keep these destinations in mind and you are almost guaranteed some summer sun.

Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Author: Jason Whiteheadbr
Source: articledashboard.combr
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Africa probably does not spring to mind as the first destination you would choose when planning a beach holiday, but there are many great reasons to give it a try. Cape Town in South Africa has up until recently always been the destination to go to if you wanted to go to Africa and enjoy the beach as well as all the other great things that only this great continent has to offer. Now there are new kids on the block and places like Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya and The Gambia have really come in to their own each offering their own unique selling points and flavour of Africa but all great beach holiday destinations.

One of the more obvious reasons to pick somewhere on the African continent is to enjoy the beach during the European winter, breaking up your winter and escaping the summer holiday rush. How often these days do we hear of strikes at airports during the summer peak holiday period, delaying millions of holidaymakers and destroying their few weeks away from work? Escape the rush and travel out of the peak season.

Beach Holiday in Cape Town, South Africa

Capetown in South Africa is still the most sophisticated beach holiday destination in Africa, with the incredible backdrop of Table Mountain, excellent accommodation options and some of the best restaurants in the world it would be an excellent place to visit even without the beach. On top of that you can also enjoy the best wines and scenery of South Africa on the Garden Route, which stretches from Mossel Bay to the Storms River in the Western Cape. There are ten nature reserves in the area as well as unique marine reserves, home to soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals and a host of other marine life.

Combing golf with a beach holiday has always been popular in places like Spain and Portugal, South Africa and the Cape Region have some of the best Golf courses in the world, now you can combine a beach, golf and safari holiday, there is nowhere in Europe that can boast that!

What about the beaches? Cape Town has some excellent beaches, False Bay with the long sandy beach which extends from Gordons Bay to Muizenberg and includes Boulders Beach and Simons Town. The Atlantic Seaboard along the West (Atlantic) side of the Cape Peninsula with well known beaches including Sandy Bay, Clifton Camps Bay, Scarborough and Kommetjie. The West Coast, running Northwards from Cape Town with the windy conditions make these beaches popular for surfing and kite-surfing.

An important point to note is the sea in False Bay is about 6 degrees warmer than the Atlantic Seaboard and the West Coast!

On the down side, Cape Town is the furthest point in Africa you can travel to from Europe, so expect a long flight as mentioned above the water can be a little chilly and then it is probably one of the more expensive destinations in Africa.

Beach Holiday in Mombasa, Kenya

Kenya, probably best known for its wildlife safaris on the Masai Mara but also has plenty to offer in the way of beach holidays on the coastline near Mombasa. The city of Mombasa is a real bustling African city and there is in stark contrast to the sophistication of Cape Town. There are however many fine places to eat to sample some more traditional African food as well as those catering to western palates. The Old town is also well worth visiting and Fort Jesus, a Portuguese fort built in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain, to guard the Old Port of Mombasa, Kenya. It was built in the shape of a man and was given the name of Jesus as a religious reference.

Along the coast there are plenty of places to stay with some of the most luxurious hotels youll find anywhere in Africa, some great little beach cottages as well as basic beach side campsites, something for everyone.

The snorkeling and diving in Mombasa and the surrounding areas is also excellent and it is a great place to learn to dive with the prices here are substantially cheaper than many other well know diving locations. Bamburi beach is a great location to base your beach holiday in Kenya, about half an hour from Nairobi, there are some great hotels and beach cottages as well as an excellent PADI dive center located at the well know Travellers Beach Hotel.

Of course no trip to Kenya would be complete without some sort of Safari and they can be organised from Mombasa with a popular destination being the Tsavo National Park, less well known than the Masai mara, but at just over 21,000km sq, Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya and one of the largest in the world with large herds of Elephant and plenty of lions, it is well worth considering if you want to take a break from relaxing on the beach!

With these two very different African beach holiday options, I hope to have given you a just a flavour of what Africa can offer you in the way of your next seaside holiday./pbr
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