Brand advice

Come on in! The water’s lovely

Handy holiday ideas from Cheapflights

If the dark days of winter are getting you down, why not head for sunnier climes and hit the beach? For total relaxation chill out in groovy Goa, for wildlife adventures see sealife beneath the waves in Egypt or for serious adrenaline hit the surf in sunny Oz.

Hit the surf in OZ
It’s never been easier to hit the beach down under. Increasing competition on routes to Australia mean that there are plenty of low cost flights to choose from. And whilst the northern hemisphere winter brings gloomy days and cold nights, it’s the middle of glorious summer there. Sydney has plenty of wave-laden beaches – not least the famous sands of Bondi - so you can try catching a wave or two within minutes of the metropolis, but for a true taste of idyllic surf and sunsets, you’re better off heading up the east coast towards the surf Mecca of Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast. Here you’ll find wide, wide beaches and plenty of different styles of swell to tempt you – whether you’re a boarder pro or you’ve never stood up on one before. Surfer’s itself is rather developed these days, but resorts close by are smaller and more friendly. Try Noosa a little further north for the perfect laid-back beach vibe, world-renowned waves and plenty of surf schools. Serious surf addicts will tell you that the south west coast of Oz has far more to offer proper wave-hounds and beaches that remain virtually untouched, but it’s a little harder to reach. With internal flights around Australia in plentiful and cheap supply, your best bet is to fly to Perth and then drive south towards the Margaret River area. Here you’ll find breaks of all shapes and sizes with hardly a tourist in sight. Many of the top surf beaches are quite out of the way and you definitely need to hire a car to reach them.

Chill out in Goa
Of course, not everybody’s idea of beach heaven is crashing surf and frantic paddling. If you’ve had a hectic time at work of late, you’ll probably want to do nothing more than just fly and flop. Goa has remained a perennial favourite for Europeans chasing winter sunshine and it’s not hard to see why. The weather at this time of year is perfect for lazing on the beach. And beaches in Goa are legendary: favourites include the old hippy hangout of Arambol which remains surprisingly undeveloped given its history, along with less discovered Benaulim and Palolem which are more relaxed with stunning stretches of sand and lip-smacking seafood to boot. If you happen to coincide with Christmas or New Year you’re also guaranteed a party to remember. Anjuna is the place to head for full-on hedonism, though it’s not for the faint hearted. All the beaches get very busy around the Christmas holiday season; try Patnem and Rajbag beaches just south of Palolem if you are looking for more seclusion. Cheap flights to India are pretty plentiful too, with Virgin, Air India, Jet Airways and BA flights direct from London to Mumbai and straightforward onward connections to Goa.

Go below in Egypt
If you fancy a blast of sunshine and some warm sea a bit closer to home, Egypt is the ideal destination. Egypt’s Red Sea coast has seen a huge spike in development and there are now countless top end resorts to choose from. In fact supply has increased so much that there are often serious bargains to be had. Travel outside the school holidays and you could be relaxing in five star luxury for a distinctly middle-of-the-road pricetag. But golden sand and warm sunshine isn’t all that this part of Egypt has to offer. The Red Sea boasts some of the best diving in the northern hemisphere; new divers and old pros alike flock here to fin their way amidst schools of myriad multi-hued fish. Ras Mohammed, Egypt’s first national park at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula is particularly good, but there are beautiful stretches of coral all the way up the coastline. There are also lots of great wreck dives too, in particular around the Tiran Strait. Diving schools in Egypt are of increasingly good quality, so learning to dive is a definite possibility. Make sure the school you choose is PADI, BSAC or CMAS certified. Non-divers will also get plenty of below-surface thrills if they try snorkelling. Most scheduled flights to Egypt land at Cairo which is a long land transfer or an internal flight to the Sinai Peninsula, but there are now direct BA flights from Gatwick to Sharm El Sheik, which is much closer. Easyjet and several charter flight operators like Thomas Cook and Thomson also offer direct flights to Sharm, so it pays to shop around.

For more great holiday ideas and flight deals visit www.cheapflights.co.uk