Desert camp, Morocco

Desert camps tend to be either ultra-luxurious or very basic, with not many options in between. Now The Souce, a new eco-spa camp in the Sahara, is bridging the gap, offering "raw luxury" in the middle of the dunes. The tents are plush, with proper mattresses, handcrafted furniture and en suite bathrooms, but you'll need to cope with a "bucket wash", rather than a hot shower, to preserve water. Still, you won't feel like you're roughing it, as you enjoy massages and spa treatments, daily yoga and meditation, and healthy meals from the nutritionist/chef.
• From £1,250 for a week full-board, including three nights in a riad in Marrakech, one night at Ait Ben Haddou kasbah and three nights at the desert camp. Flights extra, departures 9 March and 14 November, +212 661 215062 moroccoretreats.com

Family holiday village, Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, isn't really known for characterful places to stay – but it is a great family destination, with sandy beaches, warm weather and lots of watersports. Now Pierre & Vacances, which owns Center Parcs, is opening a "holiday village" in the north of the island, aimed at families and groups. The huge Origo Mare resort has 11 swimming pools dotted around the site, plus a giant waterpark, six restaurants and more than 40 sports and activities. Accommodation ranges from a two-person studio to a split-level house for seven people.
• From £630 for seven nights for four people, accommodation only, opens in spring, 0870 0267 145, pv-holidays.com

Luxury apartments, Tenerife

The upmarket resort of Costa Adeje, in the south of Tenerife, has a cool new place to stay: Baobab Suites, a luxury apartment complex. The sleek, all-white building is set back from the beach on top of a hill, with lots of natural light and great sea views. Each apartment has a private terrace or balcony, some have private pools and hot tubs, and all have high-spec kitchens. There is a funky poolside bar and a gorgeous underground gastro bar serving tapas and cocktails, with plenty more bars and restaurants a short walk away.
• From €196 a night for a studio for two people, +34 822 070030, baobabsuites.com

Beach hotel, The Gambia

The Gambia offers fantastic value for money, has average March temperatures of 34C, is only a six-hour flight from the UK, and on the same time zone – making it perfect for some early spring sunshine. Leo's Beach Hotel in Brufut, near the resort town of Kololi, opened last year and brings a touch of Austrian minimalism to west Africa, courtesy of its husband-and-wife ex-pat owners. There are six simple suites, spacious grounds with a swimming pool, and wooden steps down to a deserted sandy beach. The restaurant, serving a short menu of Mediterranean dishes made with Gambian produce, is popular with locals as well as guests.
• From £899pp for seven nights' B&B, including flights from Gatwick to Banjul and transfers, departures on 7 and 28 March, 0845 330 2060, gambia.co.uk

Spa resort, Cyprus

The Zening Wellbeing Resort, on the north-west coast of Cyprus, offers lots of ways to make guests feel great: Ayurvedic massages, infra-red saunas, indoor and outdoor yoga and fitness classes. Food is suitably virtuous, too: largely vegetarian with some seafood, or you can choose to go the whole hog (as it were) by going vegan. The entire resort is a "quiet zone" with no children allowed, so peace is guaranteed. Take a short stroll to the beach, or go for a proper walk in the adjacent Akamas national park – perhaps to the fabled baths of Aphrodite.
• From £423pp for seven nights' B&B, including daily yoga and meditation, and transfers, but excluding flights; opens in April, 020-8968 0501, thehealthyholidaycompany.co.uk

Mountain views, Oman

A spectacular new hotel is about to open in the Al Hajar mountain range, northern Oman. Alila Jabal Akhdar is 2,000m above sea level, overlooking a dramatic gorge, where the temperature is pleasantly warm (down in the desert it becomes unbearably hot). Guests can learn about the history and culture of Oman, try local arts and crafts, and take cookery lessons. Spring is the perfect time to visit, as the country's famous roses will be in bloom across the mountains.
• Suites from US$310 B&B, +65 67358300, alilahotels.com

Writing workshops, Mallorca

Express yourself on a writing holiday at a former monastery in Deia, an unspoiled town near Mallorca's north coast. The programme includes group writing workshops, guided walks down to the sea and up into the limestone mountains, and mindfulness meditation sessions. Two swimming pools and lots of terraces are dotted around the house's old walled garden, which is full of olive, orange and lemon trees. The house belongs to PR guru Lynne Franks, and your tutor is Elaine Kingett, an experienced journalist and writing teacher.
• From £870 for five nights full-board, including four group writing classes and a one-to-one clinic, but excluding flights, 27 April to 2 May, no phone, bloomretreats.com