# Winter Sun - Where?



## peedee (May 10, 2005)

I would be interested in views from those that have done it as to where they think the best place is, on the continent, to go for winter sun and why?

This, assumes of course that you enjoyed the experience, perhaps you didn't and if so I would also be interested to know why?

peedee


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Pete,

The warmest with guaranteed sunshine within a reasonable drive must be the West coast of Morocco south of Essaouria.

It's about 5/6 years since we were last there and the only reason we stopped going was the overcrowding. it was less crowded if you went further south to Tan Tan, Laayoune and Dakhla.

I'm not sure what it will be like in 2007 after they stopped the wild camping between Banana village and Taghazoute. It's also very pleasant inland but most people prefer the coast.

As you know we have spent three winters in Turkey, it's a long drive and the weather is not as good as Morocco. We enjoy it there and the people are very friendly.

The best area to winter in is the Eastern Mediterranean between Antalya and Alanya.

Even with the total eclipse last year we only met a few motorhomes. The place has not caught on yet, thank god.

We fly to China for a non motorhome holiday on the 1st April for a three week tour so our winter trip with the van will be a quickie this year. It's a toss up Morocco or the Algarve.

Safe travelling

Don


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## Detourer (May 9, 2005)

Hi Don, nice to see you back and look forward to your great posts.

Yes, you would of course expect me to agree......Morocco.

Worth remembering that the ban on "wild camping" only effects the areas north and a bit south of Agadir and near some coastal towns and cities all along the coast......good news in my view.......Morocco is a huge country and you can wild [wilderness] camp almost anywhere. Also worth noting is the rise in numbers of some really top class camping sites. Owned mostly by retired French and better still by ex-pat Moroccans returning home from Europe [not because they are retuning home :? ] and who are investing in new businesses and see the future.......


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Winter sun*

Hi

For fantastic winter sun I recommend the Italian ski resorts near Canezei/Pordoi etc

Brilliant sun shine that has never let me down - but cold, cold cold!

Southern Italy is mild but probably not warm enough for many.

Lake Garda/Venice - possibly mild by day and bitterly cold at night! Lovely clear sunshine in winter though, with no mist around the lake.

Rapide561


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Winter Sun*

Hello there,

If you would prefer to stay on the continent, I would suggest Costa Tropical Spain. Quieter and more Spanish than neighbouring Costa Del Sol (warmer too I am led to believe).

Salobrena is nice and you could take trips into Granada. An hours drive takes you into Sierra Nevada Ski Resort where they have a dedicated Motorhome Parking Area with Bus Service into main ski resorts.

So they you go the Coast, The Sun and Ski within an hour of each other. In December You can go from 20ish Degrees to -12 in 60 Mins.

Ski Here

Sunbathe Here

Hope this Helps

Trev


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Thanks for the replies so far. Come on, from previous posts there must be quite a few who winter in the sun and who give a view????. Is it really that warm, Don and Ray are suggesting its better to go to Morocco! Not really that keen having lived and worked in the Arab world for a number of years but thanks for the advice anyway.

Surely there are more than just FOUR opinions.

peedee


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

peedee said:


> Surely there are more than just FOUR opinions.


There probably are, but the post has only been up for a day. And bear in mind that it's peak holiday season, so many people are 'out there' with their children and grandchildren.

Sorry - I can't offer any advice; I've only been MHing for a couple of months.

Gerald


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## grouch (Oct 1, 2005)

Went to Morocco this year during January. The weather was not good. Problems with snow prevented us from doing what we had planned. Also it would appear that a lot of the wild camping is no longer allowed and we are into wild camping. The camp sites were cheap but some of them you would not really want to put your foot outside the motor home. We also felt that although the place felt really safe, it was impossible not to be hassled. One particular place recommended by someone on MFH, Source de Bleue de Meski was disgusting. Not only filthy but you could not get out of your motorhome without being pressured into visiting various shops with a view to purchasing cheap souvenirs and you felt uncomfortable not agreeing. Also after rain we had to leave the site backwards. One day we stopped in the middle of nowhere and were immediately surrounded by children who although smiling wanted in this order, bon bons, stylos and money. Not really relaxing.

Portugal and the Baragems for us next year.


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

grouch said:


> Went to Morocco this year during January. The weather was not good. Problems with snow prevented us from doing what we had planned. One particular place recommended by someone on MFH, Source de Bleue de Meski was disgusting. Not only filthy but you could not get out of your motorhome without being pressured into visiting various shops with a view to purchasing cheap souvenirs and you felt uncomfortable not agreeing.
> Portugal and the Baragems for us next year.


Over to you Ray


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## 89682 (Jun 4, 2005)

Hi peedee 

We prefer to winter in Portugal on the Algarve. Whilst people will obviously have their own views, Southern Spain or Portugal are the most popular destinations. We find that Portugal is very laidback and in my opinion cheaper than Spain for most things.

We use at campsite at Olhao, but it does get busy. Generally, you have to wait to find a sunny pitch. Average temp in January/ February is around 16/17c. But the nights can be cool. Thing to remember is that it is a damm site warmer than Britain.

The Olhao site with long stay discount (over 30 nights) prices work out about £4.80 per night with electricity. Other sites can be more expensive, but compared to the main club sites in Britain all are a lot cheaper. The C & CC do a winer brochure which list a lot of sites open over the winter, some do rallies some don't, but they will give you an idea of the options open to you.

if you need any further info, either pm me or post back.

Regards

Herman


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## Detourer (May 9, 2005)

Hi Don

I try never to get drawn......But.

What Grouch says is quite right, with qualification.

Jan and early Feb 06 was the worse winter on record for many parts of Morocco. Heavy snow in the Ceder Forest and Atlas Mountains and heavy rain south west towards Agadir.....many areas were waterlogged. Temps in the rural areas dropped too -6 a few nights. But days were in general bright and sunny and the coast was as always mild to warm.....But all that was unusual weather and the worst I had seen over in 20 years......

To put it into context the weather in the Costa de Sol was also very bad at the same time. I live 20 miles inland from Malaga...and it SNOWED.....first time since 1953!!

The campsite at Source Blue de Meski can get quite bad at times......but remember Moroccans don't camp there so most of the crap is left there by euro visitors who tend to just leave black sack of rubbish against trees when they leave.....dog food!!! But I agree with grouch, shame, a wonderful location. Anyone camping there should first stop at the cafe on the road leading to the site [only cafe], as for A'hamed and get directed to the camping we use more often than not. On the cliff edge over-looking the Kasbha.....stunning and free! Or, 30 miles toward Erfoud on same road is now a fantastic site!

There ARE many high quality camp-sites in Morocco now, as I said in a previous post......best way to find them is word of mouth.....ask visitors on sites where they have been.

Except for the areas around Agadir, that the "free" long term campers spoilt [and is now banned] ALL of Morocco is open to wilderness camping. Including the massive forests, mountain locations and of course the desert. All of which are do-able in a Motorhome.....Safe and stunning.

Kids are both a problem and charm........Tip. Amongst the few Arabic words you should learn is @@@@ off :wink:

So, you takes yah choice......The culture, facilities and whatever may not be what you expect.....but that is the point for many Adventuress MH owner.

Final point, wherever you are thinking of going...Spain, Portugal, France etc etc......and the thread did start by asking "winter sun", simply check average temps for the month you are thinking about on any number of the weather sites available on the net......and you have got wheels, if it turns bad, move!


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Detourer said:


> Kids are both a problem and charm........Tip. Amongst the few Arabic words you should learn is @@@@ off :wink:


 :lol: :lol: And just how are you pronouncing that "@@@@", Ray? I'm guessing it's very gutteral, whatever it is, so I'm practising right now.

Gerald


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

gerannpasa said:


> Detourer said:
> 
> 
> > Kids are both a problem and charm........Tip. Amongst the few Arabic words you should learn is @@@@ off :wink:
> ...


Gerald,

Could it be "Foxtrot Oscar" do you think 8O

Don


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Winter Sun Weather*

Hello again,

With regard to weather, we were in Costa Tropical for 2 weeks. We had one dull day and teh rest realy was T shirt weather (22nd Dec 05 - 03 Jan 06). 27th December was the warmest at 22 degs.

However, when we returned home the weather turned cold and snow fell in southern Spain. I saw a news buletin claiming that 110 People had died in accidents, mainly on the A7 Motorway. This route is notorious for speeding drivers anyway, couple that with snow which most Spaniards are not used to in that area and hey what can you expect.

But weather is weather. About nine years ago we were in Javea Spain and it struggled to reach 65 In june. The Uk was having a heatwave with temps of mid eighties - Anyone remeber that one?

Easter 2001 I think it was, we were in Javea and we were flooded, just managed to get the last road into town to get to our hotel before they closed it. We got the rain storms that killed several people in Teneriffe. 4 Locals drowned in the floods near Javea alone.

So my suggestion is take the route to southern Spain, it is just as warm as North Africa (who's gonna split hairs over the odd degree?) without the Hastle of getting there or the the other type when you get there. While it may not me quite as cheap as Portugal, in my humble opinion better (I don't rate Portugal ( esp its roads)).

If you need any further help or assitance, please don't hesitate to contact me for advice.

I have a passport, Clean licience - Never had a speeding ticket, can cook, carry, turn my hand to most things - JOKING! hope you have a nice time.

Trev


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## Detourer (May 9, 2005)

Hi Tev/teemyob

Must have been about the time I said it snowed......and yes, it was chaos on the roads, but only for a short while!!

Weather is playing up all over...look at what you have had in the Uk over the last few weeks.........hotter than here....But know we are roasting, and I mean very hot......worst [or better if you are on holiday] for a long time.........

4 weeks ago localised storm over Mazouga, Moroccan Sahara, floods with 4 killed.....

But there you go......what would Brits and Mhome owner do if they can't nag about the weather......


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Detourer said:


> But there you go......what would Brits and Mhome owner do if they can't nag about the weather......


errrr kids, dogs, bbq, gen, ac, cc warden, tv, radio, etc etc ......ad infinitum :roll:


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## Hub (Sep 12, 2005)

We set off on New Years Eve 2005 on our first overseas excursion in a MH. 
Storm force 10 Bay of Biscay which was pretty spectacular...........and delayed our arrival into Bilbao by several hours!
We headed off to Toulouse to see relatives for a couple of days and found it way too cold so we headed South.
Next stop Perpignan............ still cold.
Next stop, 2 nights Benicassim. Disgarded our down jackets for fleeces and sometimes T shirts. Weather not too bad, tho' still too cool for our liking.
Heading South again........... once we got past Alicante it warmed up considerably.
Into Southern Spain on the coast and T shirt/shorts weather during the day......... nights cool but external silver screens not needed. Great!!
After 3-4 days it rained on and off for about a week. On the coast Almeria rain........... not very far in land it fell as snow. A lot of snow!! We could see it from the headland where we were camped.
All the locals we spoke with said they'd never seen the like.
Some staying on the same site as us got fed up with the weather and set off for Morocco or inland to Granada/Seville. Boy, were they ever sorry they left the coast!! They were sending us text messages saying Morocco was a sea of mud and how cold it was inland (Spain). 
During the last few days of Jan the weather warmed up shorts/T shirts and into Feb was lovely.
Anyway the rain didn't stop play for us coz we love sea fishing.......glad we took our wet weather gear tho'!! 

Folk that had spent the previous winter in the same area said that winter 04/05 was gorgeous except for a dramatic hailstorm. Apparently the hail was the size of tennis balls! Tents/awnings were ripped to shreds and solar panels/roof aircon units/roof lights were smashed to bits!! 

Whatever.......... it's gotta be warmer/dryer than Uk eh?


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Hub said:


> Whatever.......... it's gotta be warmer/dryer than Uk eh?


I hope so - we'll be doing just this in a few years (5 years this winter).

Nice account. Thanks for that.

Gerald


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*True*



Detourer said:


> Hi Tev/teemyob
> 
> Must have been about the time I said it snowed......and yes, it was chaos on the roads, but only for a short while!!
> 
> ...


Hey I was'nt moaning just pointing out that weather is just like that.

A Unimoger! you were you on Salobrena beach on New Years Eve?

Trev


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

What's the Peloponnese (Greece) like in the winter months?
I'm sure Don M did a comprehensive report on that area but I don't think it was during the winter.


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

tonyt said:


> What's the Peloponnese (Greece) like in the winter months?
> I'm sure Don M did a comprehensive report on that area but I don't think it was during the winter.


Tony,

A few years ago after wintering in Cyprus we did a tour of the Peloponnese in March - April. It was a bit wet but started to warm up at the end of March.

Margaret & Barry Williamson http://tinyurl.com/mcx5m spent last winter on the Peloponnese. We met them on the ferry from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa.

There site contains some very useful info.

The last few years the winter weather has been poor in places. In Turkey it snowed where it had never snowed before.

The LPG froze and had to be winterised in many places on the Med coast.

So all in all it seems wintering away these days is a lottery, you pay your money and take your chances.

Don


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## billym (Dec 17, 2005)

Winter sun ? Statistically its the Benidorm area. The warmest, sunniest and driest. Dont knock it till you have tried it ! I am suprised that out of the hundreds of Brit. motorhomers who go there each winter nobody has mentioned it. It is as it has some kind of low down reputation ?


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

billym said:


> Winter sun ? Statistically its the Benidorm area. The warmest, sunniest and driest. Dont knock it till you have tried it ! I am suprised that out of the hundreds of Brit. motorhomers who go there each winter nobody has mentioned it. It is as it has some kind of low down reputation ?


Hi Billy,

Benidorm is like Blackpool but without the class. 

Don


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## billym (Dec 17, 2005)

Don Madge. You have been to Benidorm so you have every right to knock it. 

The question was about winter sun and the Costa Blanca is the best for winter sun. 

As for " class " we find we treat people and places as we find them not as their reputation goes before them.


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## grouch (Oct 1, 2005)

Billym - could not agree with you more.

OK Benidorm itself is a bit naff but the area behind, away from the coast, has to be one of this most beautiful parts of Spain.


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

billym said:


> Don Madge. You have been to Benidorm so you have every right to knock it.
> 
> The question was about winter sun and the Costa Blanca is the best for winter sun.
> 
> As for " class " we find we treat people and places as we find them not as their reputation goes before them.


We preferred the area between Cartagena and Almeria in Murcia. We are loners/isolationist and prefer our own company.

There are some beautiful places to stop along the coast and it caters for all sorts.

places like Puerto Mazarron, Cape Cope, Aguilas, Garrucha (excellent market on Friday, park on the harbour), Mojacar Playa, up the hill to Majacar village, Turra, Carboneras and then take the coast road through the national park to Cape Gata.

It's many years since we wintered there so I'm not up to date on the wild camping scene.

Don


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

There are a number of very detailed earlier posts on Sicily as a likely place to over winter. Makes interesting reading and somewhat different to Spain & Portugal.
I'm not up to speed with the current North African political situation but is Algeria a possibility?


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## Detourer (May 9, 2005)

Hi Tony

As always while all this crap goes on elsewhere there is never a linked "Situation" in North Africa........i.e Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Libya Or Algeria.

Tunisia and Morocco, idealistical removed, have progressed and have developed what could be a "blue-print" for any reasonable Muslin nation...not perfect, but fine and getting better. Safe, friendly and WARM as a destination. Both are easily accessed by Motorhomes. Thousands of French and Germans go there every year......

Egypt does at times get sucked in......and vehicle ferry/entry/paperwork is expensive and mindblowing.

Libya has little to offer the Mhomer except along the coast. Entry/visa/compulsory guides etc make it expensive.

Algeria.......Nice one......big white motorhome....perfect target. Only for the Adventure types and as we say...if you can't carry the risk of loosing your vehicle don't go.......

So far 5 MHF member and their Mhomes coming to Morocco in Jan.....we will see how many I bring back [Joke] :lol:


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## nomad (May 11, 2005)

Hi peedee, we've been wintering in Spain/portugal for the past 6 winters and for the first four years we found that the best weather was in the area between Aguilas and Malaga. I have been told that it seldom rains in that area so you can always rely on good weather. However in 2005 we had 8 weeks in Portugal without any rain and we were told by a couple in a Hymer who had just returned from Morocco that it was the warmest they had been up to then (end of February), we had started from Vila Formosa in an anti clockwise direction and then went along the 'Med' where the weather was nice. This year we went in the same direction but returned through Northern Spain and the weather was not very good at all (better than here in the UK though). So you just take a chance. I would say try the Mojacar to Almerimar area and you will probably not be disappointed. However the campsites along the coast may be full.
Colin


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Many thanks for all the comments...errr... :? still not sure what to do but taking them all in and thinking about it. I have previously not gone because 
it always gave me the impression of being as crowded as in peak season! Been to Portugal/Spain a couple of times in March, back in June and have enjoyed that. We found out that at that time of year many were heading back home so there was plenty of choice of pitches and you had a guarantee of finer weather. May still take that option but really wanted to go a bit earlier next year. 

peedee


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