Bali: November average 27C

A Post Office survey of long-haul destinations puts Bali at the top of the list in terms of good value. It's probably the most picturesque of Indonesia's many islands, and right now there are excellent options for travelling there. Expedia has packages with accommodation in attractive, small guesthouses and hotels, such as Bali Village Spa and Hotel, just off Nusa Dua beach in the south of the island.
• From £633pp for five nights including room-only accommodation at the Bali Village Hotel, Nusa Dua, and flights from Heathrow, based on a mid-November departure; expedia.co.uk

Sri Lanka: November average 27C

Sri Lanka continues to present some of the best value for the coming winter. Especially with recent opening of Hotel J at the beach village of Negombo near Colombo. It's a good-value option developed by the Jetwing hotel group – offering all creature comforts (swimming pool, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi) and no-frills rooms. And why would you want more when you'll be spending most of your time at the beach just beyond the hotel?
• From £608pp for six nights room-only at Hotel J, including flights from Heathrow, based on a departure at the end of November with Travelbag, travelbag.co.uk

St Lucia: November average 27C

With its idyllic beaches and volcanic mountains, little St Lucia is one of the Caribbean's more lush and glamorous options. With surprisingly affordable prices. British Airways Holidays, for example, is offering discounts at a variety of hotels, including a 40% reduction at the small and stylish Bay Gardens Inn at happening Rodney Bay in the northwest of the island.
• From £832pp for seven nights room-only including flights from Gatwick, based on a mid-November departure; britishairways.com

Goa: November average 27C

With the rupee at a record low, there are some great bargains on trips to India, particularly if you plan now. Among the flight-and-accommodation packages to Goa currently offered by Monarch is a week's holiday at quiet and leafy Kamat Holiday Homes, a small low-rise development set around an attractive pool and a short stroll from the beach at Calangute.
• From £550pp for seven nights including B&B accommodation at Kamat Holiday Homes, Calangute, and flights from Gatwick, based on a mid-November departure; monarch.co.uk

Thailand: November average 27C

This season, longer, stylish trips have become very affordable in Thailand. Trailfinders is offering a particularly good deal, for two weeks at the five-star Radisson Blue Plaza Resort at Panwa Beach on the south-east coast of Phuket island.
• From £1,199 pp including 14 nights B&B and flights from Heathrow; trailfinders.com

Barbados: November average 27C

Virgin Holidays has several good deals to this classically charming Caribbean island. One of the best-value options is a week's self-catering on the west coast of Barbados at an attractive cottage development with pool and palm-filled grounds, and a free shuttle bus to the beach or into Holetown.
• From £866pp for seven nights self-catering at All Seasons Resort Europa on the west coast, and flights from Gatwick, based on a mid-November departure; virginholidays.co.uk

Gambia: January average 24C

Gambia's beaches are surprisingly easy to get to – the little west African nation is just a six-hour flight from the UK (and it operates on Greenwich Mean Time). Loveholidays has some great deals here, including a week at the welcoming Palm Beach Hotel in Kotu, a simply furnished series of cottages in tropical gardens near sandy shores.
• From £443pp for seven nights including accommodation and flights from Gatwick, based on departures at the end of January; loveholidays.com

Canary Islands: November average 21C

This is the closest destination from the UK for guaranteed winter sun – with attendant crowds. But there are plenty of less developed areas. Cachet Travel specialises in less visited places in the islands, and has an appealing offer of a week at Finca del Rosario rural self-catering apartments (with shared pool) just outside the sleepy village of Fataga in the south of Gran Canaria.
• From £445pp including self-catering accommodation and flights from Gatwick; cachet-travel.co.uk

South Africa: November average 18C

With the rand currently offering British travellers great value, now could be the time to take a trip along the fabled Garden Route of the Western Cape. Flight Centre's well-priced flight-and-car-hire package has been devised to allow for maximum flexibility over planning when and where to stop – although accommodation can be booked in advance too.
• From £675pp including car hire for nine days and flights to Cape Town from Gatwick, based on departures before the end of November, flightcentre.co.uk

Cuba: Nov/Jan average 24C/21C

Sunny, crumbling, not quite in the 21st century: Cuba is intriguing and spectacular in almost equal measure – if you keep away from tourism developments. Avoiding resort life, Journey Latin America offers a 12-day trip with local flavour, visiting Havana, Trinidad, Viñales and Cayo Levisa, staying in private homes and simple hotels, and using a mix of public and private transport).
• From £1,492pp including accommodation, most meals, flights and transport, based on departures in November and January but excluding the Christmas/New Year period; journeylatinamerica.co.uk