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Where’s warm for a holiday in March?

Working in the travel industry, January and February is our busiest time of the year, and generally speaking we avoid taking our holidays in these months. As I’ve missed out on a holiday this year, I’ve been doing some research as to where I can head to in March for the best weather. Long haul is always going to be your best option – it’s well documented that Dubai and Abu Dhabi are warm all year round, whilst the Caribbean and Indian Ocean are also good shouts. Antigua and Cancun average around 25 degrees whilst the Maldives is even warmer at a lovely 29 degrees. But long haul is not for everyone, and for myself travelling with children, the thought of being on a plane with a toddler for more than 5 hours sounds a little too much to bear. So, I’ve been looking closer to home, and began my search with Portugal, where Faro daytime temperatures can reach a high of 18 degrees. For me wanting to lie in the sun, that’s not quite warm enough to make it worthwhile. Greece, Malta and the Balearics are no better, so I had to look a little further afield. The Canary Islands are often on my radar, but the weather on islands like Tenerife and Gran Canaria is reliably warmer in October and November. Come March however, those temperatures drop to a high of about 19 degrees, which is pleasant enough  but it’s not quite warm enough to be sunbathing weather. A more reliable bet for March is Egypt. Sharm el Sheikh boasts an average of 11 hours sunshine in March where the average temperatures sit at around 21 degrees – great for sun bathing and yet not too hot for your children. Its cooler in Hurghada but highs can still reach 24 degrees, although you”l enjoy a couple of less hours sunshine per day. Beach holidays of course are not for everyone. Marrakesh is a good option for non-beach dwellers and holidaymakers looking for a warm, cultural break with tasty cuisine and snake charmers thrown in for good measure. Here you can expect an average March temperature of 22 degrees but you’ll need a light jacket for evenings as it can drop to around 9 degrees. So, herein lies my advice, if you are after a short/mid haul beach holiday and you like it mild but not too hot then you’ll be fine in the Canaries, but if you want to sunbathe then my number one choice is Sharm el Sheikh. Carole Booth is Commercial Director at Destinology. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Carole Booth

I am the Commerical Director at the multi award winning luxury tour operator Destinology.

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3 Comments

  1. Carole

    It’s a common mistake of underestimating the weather in the Canaries in March.

    I’ve gone to Tenerife (Costa Adeje) in March for about 6 years in a row. Every year we’ve had consistent daytime temperatures of 25C and above. In that time we’ve only had a couple of cloudy days when the temperature was in the low 20s.

    I think the problem lies in the way that temperatures are reported for Tenerife. There are two main places that temperatures are used from – Santa Cruz in the north (the capital) and the airport which is on the east side of the island. Both of these places are nearly always cooler than the south west of the island around Costa Adeje, Playa Las Americas etc.

    Mount Teide at 12,000 feet high has a significant impact on the weather on the island. Even though the airport is not far from Adeje that side of the moountain is much windier and cooler. Once you round the bend at the bottom of Tenerife and get to the other side of Teide the weather changes to blue skies and warmer temperatures.

    Hope that helps you and others.

  2. With 300 days of sun, Valencia is a good option. March is no beach weather but during the day you can find yourself enjoying the sun on a terrace in a t-shirt. From 15-19 March we celebrate the Fallas festival, this is something everybody has to see!

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