Where should we go on holiday in mid-February?

January 15, 2013 12:40 PM

Me and my girlfriend want to go on holiday in mid-February. Where should we go/what should we do?

Some facts and criteria:

• We're planning to go for four or five nights in mid-February (during the week rather than over a weekend so we'll be there for my birthday.)
• Our maximum budget for flights and accommodation is £350 (per person)
• We're UK based so we're mostly looking at European destinations
• We enjoy wandering around looking at interesting things. We like museums, markets, offbeat tourist attractions, etc.
• Tasty local food would be great. (My girlfriend doesn't like fish, though.)
• The weather needs to be significantly warmer than mid-February in the UK - wandering around interesting places is more fun if it's warm(ish).
• Maybe getting over-specific, but we're planning to fly out of either Manchester or East Midlands, so destinations served by those airports would be best

Where would be an awesome place to visit, hive-mind?

posted by xchmp to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

I think you're going to struggle a little. Mid February is, obviously, Valentine's and school half terms are around that time also - most of them break up on the 18th with private schools typically on the 16th. Added to that you want culture and sun.

That said, you can get from Stansted to Porto for £80 each on Ryanair going out on the 15th and coming back on the morning of the 20th. The airline says these are the last seats. This leaves you £270 for accommodation each. It is tight, but doable. Porto is awesome, off the beaten track with good food, wine and culture.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:04 PM on January 15, 2013

Nice?

Ryan Air has some packages that fit your budget. Lots to see and do both in Nice and on the coast.

Warmer than England, but not Spain or Portugal.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:15 PM on January 15, 2013

I'll be watching this thread with interest, you just posted my precise holiday requirements, down to weird specifics, even! are you my boyfriend? ;)

Canary Islands are lovely and hot at this time of year, with great natural.. stuff. Lanzarote is amazing if you forget the tourist trap towns and go on a couple of cool island tours - really unusual scenery. Lots of nommy restaurants. Cheap and nice.

OMG, you can do Marrakesh for £383! :o see you on the plane most likely!

Unless we go to Iceland, for the Northern Lights and freezy goodness.
posted by f3l1x at 8:08 AM on January 16, 2013