Beach Holidays 2026/27

What does each beach holiday cost?

All twenty-three packages, grouped by how far you are going. Prices are per person and include return flights from London and your hotel. Regional UK departures can be priced on request, at a supplement confirmed when you enquire.

Mediterranean and the Canaries, from £199pp

Six of these seven are Spanish. There is more on choosing between the mainland, the Balearics and the Canaries on our Spain destination guide.

Indian Ocean, from £859pp

Caribbean, from £1,599pp

Four trips pair a city with the beach: Marrakech and Agadir from £499pp and Istanbul and Antalya from £699pp, with the beach nights all-inclusive; Dubai and Bali at £1,249pp, with seven nights in Bali; and the Dubai and Maldives honeymoon at £1,779pp, three nights of city then seven all-inclusive on the beach. More pairings of that shape are on the multi-centre holidays hub, and the packages where meals and drinks are covered throughout are on the all-inclusive hub.

Board varies and is not the same across this page: thirteen of the twenty-three are room only, six are all-inclusive throughout, three are all-inclusive on the beach leg with breakfast in the city, and one is bed and breakfast. Each package page states which.

The Marrakech holidays guide covers the Marrakech and Agadir holiday month by month: what each departure costs, and how warm and how wet the city and the coast are. The Turkey holidays guide covers the Istanbul and Antalya holiday month by month: what each departure costs, and how warm and how wet the city and the coast are.

When is a beach holiday cheapest?

There is no single answer, and the reason this section is worth reading is that the cheapest month means opposite things depending on which ocean you choose.

The Canaries and Mediterranean: cheapest in November

Ibiza falls to £199pp, Lanzarote and Mallorca to £209pp, Costa del Sol to £269pp, Tenerife to £359pp and Gran Canaria to £399pp. The dearest month is July or August, where the same packages run £319pp, £329pp, £399pp, £499pp and £519pp.

For the Canaries in particular, the cheap month is also a good month. November is when the islands do the thing they are famous for — warmth while the UK is dark — and it is when they cost least. That combination does not exist anywhere else on this page.

The Indian Ocean: cheapest in June

Uniformly. Bali £859pp, Mauritius from £1,049pp, Zanzibar £1,249pp, the Maldives £1,369pp, the Seychelles £1,799pp. Every one peaks in December, where the same trips cost £1,099pp, £1,449pp, £1,699pp, £1,749pp and £2,299pp.

June is the shoulder before the European school holidays and long before the Christmas long-haul rush. For Mauritius it is also genuinely the best time to go — southern-hemisphere winter there is mild and dry.

The Caribbean: cheapest in September, and here is why

Jamaica drops to £1,599pp and Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua to £1,699pp. September and October are the wettest months of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs 1 June to 30 November. Barbados sits far enough east that direct hits are uncommon, and the likelier September experience is heavy afternoon rain that clears — but the saving has a reason, and you should know it before you book rather than after.

St Lucia and Antigua peak in February at £2,099pp, not December. Caribbean high season runs through the northern winter and February sits at its centre.

Cheapest and warmest are not the same question. For the second one, where is hot in January and February sets published temperature and rain-day normals for eleven destinations beside the price of each in that month — including the column most guides leave out, which is how many days it rains.

Where should you go for winter sun?

The Canaries, and it is not close on price. Tenerife at £359pp and Gran Canaria at £399pp for five nights are the warmest places in Europe you can reach on a four-and-a-half-hour flight, and November is their cheapest month. Lanzarote at £209pp is the budget version of the same idea.

If you want guaranteed heat rather than pleasant warmth, the Indian Ocean delivers it but costs four to five times as much and takes a long flight. The Caribbean in winter is at its most reliable and its most expensive — St Lucia and Antigua both reach £2,099pp in February.

The honest summary: the Canaries for value and convenience, the Caribbean for postcard winter weather if the budget allows, and the Indian Ocean if you are going for longer than a week anyway. Our Caribbean island guide compares those islands in more detail.

The sixteen long-haul packages we run through the UK winter are collected on the winter sun holidays page, from £529pp in Dubai to the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, with what each one costs in December and January side by side.

For the Caribbean in January, the Caribbean in January guide compares Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and Jamaica on official weather averages and January prices.

For December specifically, our where is hot in December guide ranks eighteen places by official temperature and rain.

For January, our where is hot in January guide ranks eighteen places by official temperature and rain.

How many nights should you book?

Four or five nights works for the Canaries, Balearics and Costa del Sol, because the flight is short enough that you are on the beach the same day. Every Mediterranean package here is built that way.

Seven nights is the Caribbean standard and what Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua are sold as. With eight to nine hours of flying each way, that gives you five full days at the resort.

Ten to twelve nights is where the long-haul trips make sense. The Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Bali and Zanzibar are all sold at seven, ten or twelve nights, and the longer options cost less per night because the flight is the fixed cost. Mauritius at twelve nights from £1,299pp works out cheaper per night than a Caribbean week.

Which beach holiday should you choose?

If the budget is the constraint

Ibiza at £199pp, Lanzarote or Mallorca at £209pp, all in November. Four or five nights, short flight, and about as little as a foreign beach holiday costs with flights included.

If you want long-haul for the least money

Bali at £859pp for up to ten nights. It is the cheapest long-haul beach trip here by some margin, and unlike the Indian Ocean islands there is a great deal to do beyond the sand.

If you are travelling with children

Mauritius family packages from £1,049pp, or Jamaica at £1,599pp for eight nights all-inclusive. For short-haul, Mallorca at £209pp and the Costa del Sol at £269pp both have the shortest transfers and the widest choice of family resorts.

If it is a honeymoon

The Maldives at £1,369pp, or the Dubai and Maldives pairing at £1,779pp if you want a city first. The Seychelles at £1,799pp is the quieter, more remote alternative.

If you want to actually do something

Sicily at £279pp, Bali at £859pp, St Lucia at £1,699pp or Zanzibar at £1,249pp. All four give you somewhere to go when lying down loses its appeal — which is not true of an atoll.

If you want the least effort

An all-inclusive Caribbean week: Barbados, St Lucia or Antigua at £1,699pp. One flight, one transfer, nothing else to arrange or pay for.

Zanzibar sits slightly apart from the rest of this list: it carries an entry requirement the others do not, since every visitor must hold insurance bought from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. The Zanzibar holidays guide covers that, the one-stop routing from the UK, and what the ten nights cost month by month.

What changes the price of a beach holiday?

• The month, by more than anything else. Tenerife runs £359pp to £499pp, the Seychelles £1,799pp to £2,299pp. Moving your dates is the largest single lever available to you.
• Nights. Several long-haul packages are sold as a range — the Maldives at seven, nine or ten nights, Mauritius at seven, ten or twelve. The headline price is the shortest option.
• Board. Fourteen of these are room only and five all-inclusive. Comparing a room-only price against an all-inclusive one tells you very little until you add what you will spend on food.
• Resort and room grade. The named property for each package is on its own page, described as that hotel or similar. Sea views, swim-up rooms and higher categories are quoted individually.
• Departure airport. Every price is from London. Barbados and Jamaica list Manchester and Birmingham on their own packages; the rest carry a supplement we confirm at enquiry.

What do you need to enter these countries?

Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026. Rules change, and we re-confirm yours before you travel.

Zanzibar is the one to read twice. Every visitor must hold Inbound Travel Insurance bought from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation itself, covering the whole stay. No international travel insurance policy is accepted in its place, however comprehensive. Tanzania also requires an actual visa — an e-visa before you travel, or one on arrival at the main ports, and it is no longer obtainable from the High Commission in London. Your passport needs six months and a blank page, and you should be ready to show a return ticket.

The Seychelles needs a travel authorisation, applied and paid for online before you fly, up to 30 days ahead. You will need a return ticket, confirmed accommodation and proof of sufficient funds to complete it. There is no visa as such — a free three-month visitor's permit is issued on arrival.

• Spain, the Canaries, the Balearics and Italy: Schengen. No visa, 90 days in any 180. Passport issued within the last 10 years of arrival and valid three months past departure. The biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, so allow extra border time on your first crossing. ETIAS is not required.
• Maldives: free 30-day visa on arrival. Passport valid one month past arrival. IMUGA traveller declaration within 96 hours before landing.
• Mauritius: no visa, up to 60 days. Passport valid for the length of your stay with one blank page. The Mauritius All in One travel form is completed online and you print the QR code.
• Indonesia, for Bali: visa on arrival, 500,000 IDR, 30 days. Passport valid six months with two blank pages. Online customs declaration within 72 hours, plus the Bali tourist levy of 150,000 IDR.
• Barbados: no visa. Immigration and customs form completed online before arrival, onward or return ticket required. Departure tax of BBD$55 for passengers aged 2 and over is normally in the ticket.
• Jamaica: no visa, usually 90 days. Passport valid for the duration of your stay with two blank pages. The Immigration and Customs Form C5 must be completed online — mandatory.
• St Lucia: no visa, but a maximum of six weeks rather than the 90 days most of the Caribbean gives. Online immigration form no more than three days before arrival.
• Antigua and Barbuda: no visa, 90 days. Passport valid six months past arrival, onward or return ticket required. ArriveAntigua.com is optional, not mandatory.
• UAE, for the Dubai leg: visitor visa free on arrival, up to 90 days. Passport valid six months past arrival.
• Turkey: no visa for tourism, up to 90 days in any 180. Passport valid at least 150 days from arrival, with a blank page.
• Morocco: no visa for up to 90 days. Passport valid at least three months from arrival, and undamaged.

The Seychelles guide covers the travel authorisation in full: where to apply, and the return ticket, confirmed accommodation and funds you need to show when you do.

Who beach holidays suit

• Anyone whose main goal is to stop doing things for a week.
• Families, where a short transfer and a pool matter more than sightseeing.
• Travellers with a fixed budget who want the flight and hotel settled in one payment.
• Couples wanting somewhere warm in November or February without a long flight — the Canaries do this better than anywhere.
• Anyone who would rather read six books than see six museums.

Who might prefer something else

• If you get restless after two days, an atoll will not suit you. Sicily, Bali, St Lucia and Zanzibar all have somewhere to go; the Maldives and the Seychelles deliberately do not.
• If you want to see a city, a city break costs a fraction of a long-haul beach week, or you can pair the two on a multi-centre trip.
• If your dates are fixed to August, the Mediterranean is at its most expensive and most crowded. The same money goes further in the Indian Ocean in June or the Canaries in November.
• If you burn easily or dislike real heat, the Canaries in winter are a far more comfortable proposition than the Caribbean or Indian Ocean at any time of year.
• If you are counting every pound once you arrive, a room-only beach package can cost more in total than an all-inclusive one. Compare the whole trip, not the headline.

How we book it

Every package here is ATOL 10713 protected and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. All twenty-three are held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.

Prices are the ones we hold today, shown in full on the page, per person, including flights. February and December in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean sell earliest and cost most, so if those are your dates it is worth starting sooner than feels necessary.