Caribbean Christmas
December average high: 28C
Tell everyone you're not doing presents this year and spend it all on yourself instead. If you've been good, you deserve the Caribbean, and St Lucia is a good option for combining tropical scenery, mountain hiking, beautiful beaches and watersports. Stay at the St Lucian by Rex Resorts, which has outdoor pools and tennis courts.
• Tropical Sky (0870 907 9600, tropicalsky.co.uk) is offering seven nights all-inclusive from £1,199pp, departing 23 December from Gatwick
Canary Island hideaway
December average high: 21.5C
Hole up for charades in the sun at Casa Amy on Lanzarote, a characterful converted stable with a heated outdoor pool within a private walled garden. After your turkey paella, head down into the Los Mojones area of Puerto del Carmen and to the three-mile stretch of beach beyond.
• Seven nights at Casa Amy, sleeping four, from 21 December costs £875 with Hoseasons (0844 847 1170, hoseasons.co.uk). Gatwick-Lanzarote flights on 21 December, returning 28 December, currently £190pp with easyjet.com
Hit the beach in Sri Lanka
December average high: 30C
For perfect beaches, wonderful people, great food and cheap living costs, Sri Lanka makes sense for independent travellers at this time of year. Fly into Colombo (flights from Heathrow with Sri Lankan Airlines currently cost £740 return, departing 24 December, returning 9 January, fly.srilankan.aero), then take a train – a magical experience in itself – or the bus to the west coast beaches. Mirissa offers white sand, palm trees and cheap beach accommodation (go-lanka.com has a good list; rooms from £10 a night in the Amarasinghe Guesthouse). Other great beaches include Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa.
Florida cool
December average high: 23C
Sanibel island off Florida's west coast is a funky little place with colourful clapboard houses, cutesy cafes serving pancakes for breakfast, and diners doing ceviche and rum cocktails. There are endless white sands here, famous for the wealth of shells the sea throws up. See the discoverourtown.com website () Try the website discoverourtown.com/FL/Sanibel%20Island/Lodging-150.html for B&Bs from around £50 a night, and book flights to Tampa, a few hours' drive north, via a scenic highway.
• Kayak.co.uk has flights to Tampa from Manchester on 22 December, returning 29 December, from £516pp
Sea, sand and sun gods in Egypt
December average high: 22C
Hurghada hasn't been a victim of the Red Sea shark attacks, and as it's on the mainland side of the Gulf of Suez (rather than the Sinai side) you can use it as a base for trips to Egypt's ancient monuments, including the Valley of Kings near Luxor, a four- to five-hour drive away.
• A seven-night all-inclusive trip, staying at the four-star Siva Grand Beach hotel, departing Gatwick on Christmas Eve, costs £739pp. A two-day trip to Luxor costs from £135pp (0845 026 5973, redseaholidays.co.uk)
