Cape Verde (Sal & Boa Vista)

If your priority is dependable warmth, Cape Verde is a strong pick. Sal and Boa Vista sit far enough south to hold 22-25C right through January to March, with long dry spells and fine sandy beaches, while the flight is around six hours direct. Nearly all the accommodation is large, modern, all-inclusive resort stock aimed squarely at the European winter market, which makes booking simple and the on-site experience predictable. It is one of the better-value ways to get tropical-feeling sun without crossing the Atlantic. The trade-offs are real, though: the islands are dry with limited off-resort sightseeing beyond the beach. It ranks second rather than first because at around £700 it costs roughly £150 more than the Canaries and the flight is two hours longer; it sits above Egypt because the warmth is more bankable and there is no travel-advisory caveat to weigh, though you pay around £220 more and get less to do off the beach.