Egypt: The Red Sea (Hurghada & Sharm El Sheikh)

For sheer bang for your buck, the Red Sea takes some beating. Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh post daytime highs around 21-25C through winter with next to no rain, and the all-inclusive resorts here are large, well-equipped and priced to move, which keeps weekly package prices among the lowest on this list. The house reefs are Egypt's extra card: excellent snorkelling and diving are often just a few steps from your sunbed, and flights are under five hours. Two honest points to weigh: check current Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice before booking, as guidance for parts of Egypt can change, and the sprawling resort strips are functional rather than charming, with much of the appeal staying inside the hotel gates. It ranks third on value: at around £480 it undercuts Cape Verde by roughly £220 and the Dominican Republic by some £620, and the flight is well under five hours. It sits below Cape Verde only because of the advisory caveat and busier, built-up strips; it sits above the Dominican Republic because you save both the long-haul fare and four-plus hours in the air, trading away the true tropical 28C heat to do so.