28 October 2006 - The Guardian - Michael Fish

He may have missed a hurricane, but Michael Fish can still spot a warm front when he sees one. We dragged him out of retirement to show us where to find reliable winter sun

Whenever I go on a winter holiday, the weather sees me coming. I have been flooded out in France (and hit over the head by an angry tourist who had decided it was my fault). In Madeira, I endured gales and snow, and on another occasion nearly sank in hurricane force winds (no jokes, please) on what should have been a relaxing cruise. Most remarkably of all, I have watched sleet come down in Dubai and snow fall in Jordan. The one time I picked a long-haul option - to Sydney for a wedding - it was completely washed out. In this age of climate change, statistics and records can make even the "experts" look foolish.

When looking for winter sun relatively near to home - without having to make the long haul down to the southern hemisphere - you should ignore what the travel industry says: the Mediterranean is not a good destination. Yes, you can be lucky and have a glorious week of sunshine, but it is the rainy season. Often the weather is colder and wetter than in the UK. I have sat outside a cafe in Eastbourne in February knowing full well that it is snowing in Mallorca. The Mediterranean is notorious for winter gales, too. Early October is probably OK, but the change to the winter regime is often abrupt and normally sweeps through the area during the month.

The same is true for north Africa. By November, the rainy season has started in Marrakech and the nights can also be really cold. The Mediterranean and north Africa receive an average of about three inches of rain a month during the winter. On the plus side, being that much further south, there is the potential for six or seven hours sunshine a day as against two or three here in the UK.

A better bet is Egypt and the Middle East, providing you head well south. The Red Sea resorts are good and so are Aswan, Luxor, Dubai and Muscat. But even here the nights can be chilly, you would be very unlucky if it rained and you should enjoy a good eight hours of sunshine and afternoon temperatures between 20C and 25C.

The Canaries are an old favourite and a far better bet than the Mediterranean or north Africa. La Gomera is a lovely island and relatively unspoilt. You can expect six hours of sunshine a day and temperatures around 22C, but it can still rain, and when it does it really pours. Madeira is cooler and wetter than the Canaries and doesn't really cheer up until April.

One place I would like to get to before it becomes developed is the Cape Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa. The rainy season usually ends in October, and the winter months are warm with 25C temperatures, a daily eight hours of sunshine and just a few passing showers. The Azores are increasingly talked about as a winter destination, but are cool and very wet from October until well into April.

To read the remainder of Michael's feature please click to read full article online