Cape Verde vs Egypt vs Madeira – which is best for winter sun?

By January, a photograph of a sunlounger can do quite a lot of damage to your bank balance.

But before you book, it's worth deciding what you actually want from a winter holiday. A week of swimming and doing very little? Somewhere mild enough to explore without a coat? Or a comfortable hotel where somebody else takes care of everything?

Cape Verde, Egypt and Madeira all turn up in winter-sun searches. Once you arrive, they offer quite different weeks away.

The details matter, though. Especially the wind, the water temperature and what's outside your hotel.

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How warm are they in winter?

"Winter" is a rather generous label on a holiday website. A November afternoon and a January evening aren't interchangeable.

To make this a fair comparison, the table below uses January averages. Sal represents Cape Verde's main beach-holiday islands, Hurghada represents Egypt's Red Sea coast, and Funchal represents coastal Madeira.

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These are rounded averages, not promises for your particular week. Conditions vary between islands, resorts and individual beaches. Sources: Sal's January weather, Hurghada's January weather, Funchal's official climate averages and Madeira's sea temperatures.

There's another distinction worth making. Weather that feels lovely over lunch can feel considerably less lovely when you're wet and standing in a breeze.

If swimming is the whole point of the holiday, give the sea conditions and hotel pool as much attention as the headline temperature.

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Cape Verde – for beach time and very few decisions

Best for: beach walks, relaxation and a holiday built around a well-chosen hotel.

There's a particular kind of break where you want breakfast, a book and somewhere warm to sit. Perhaps a walk later. Nothing that needs a spreadsheet.

Cape Verde would be our first place to look.

For this sort of holiday, the main choice is between Sal and Boa Vista. They're the islands to investigate for long beaches and resort stays, although they're only part of what Cape Verde offers.

Sal or Boa Vista?

We'd start with Santa Maria on Sal if you want some life beyond the hotel. Its beach, pier and town give you somewhere to wander when you fancy a change of scene. Check the actual hotel location, though – a property described as being in the Santa Maria area won't necessarily put you a short walk from the centre. Explore Sal and Santa Maria.

Boa Vista would go on our shortlist for a quieter, more self-contained week. Its long beaches are a major attraction, and there's a substantial choice of all-inclusive resorts. Look at the map before booking: being away from everything is either the appeal or the problem, depending on how you like to spend your evenings. Boa Vista's beaches, all-inclusive options.

Take the wind seriously

Cape Verde's trade winds are part of the winter experience. They help explain its appeal to windsurfers and kitesurfers, but they can also make an exposed sunlounger feel cooler than the temperature suggests. Cape Verde's winter weather.

We'd look for a hotel with sheltered places to sit and check recent reviews from the month we planned to travel.

The sea deserves the same attention. A beautiful beach isn't automatically a calm swimming beach. Follow local flags and advice rather than assuming warm water means easy swimming.

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Egypt – for the Red Sea and resort facilities

Best for: snorkelling, diving and travellers who expect to spend much of the week at their hotel.

For this comparison, we're talking about Egypt's Red Sea resorts, particularly Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh.

The underwater scenery gives Egypt a clear reason to be on your shortlist. Around Sharm, reefs such as Ras Um al-Sid and the dive sites near Ras Muhammad offer plenty to build a holiday around. You don't have to be a qualified diver to enjoy the marine life; there are snorkelling options too. Egypt's official guide to Sharm's beaches and reefs.

That makes it an appealing compromise when one person wants a sunlounger and the other gets restless by lunchtime.

The hotel matters more than the star rating

For a January trip, our first question would be: which pools are heated?

Not whether the hotel has six pools. Not whether they look spectacular in the photographs. Whether the one you'll actually use is heated during your stay.

Then we'd investigate swimming access. Can you walk into the sea from sand? Is there a jetty? Is the attraction a reef with deeper water, or somewhere children can paddle?

Those details can make more difference to your week than another restaurant on the facilities list.

Hurghada's January daytime highs are around 22°C, with considerably cooler evenings and a breeze that can take the edge off poolside warmth. A jumper for dinner is sensible packing. Hurghada's January conditions.

Choose the resort location carefully

We wouldn't declare one universally better than the other. Start with the beach, hotel and activities you want, then compare locations.

If you want restaurants and evening activity outside a Sharm hotel, Naama Bay is worth investigating. It has an established promenade with cafés, bars and restaurants. Staying elsewhere in the wider resort area may give you a very different experience. Naama Bay and Sharm's resort areas.

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Madeira – for getting out and doing things

Best for: scenery, walking, restaurants and a holiday that doesn't revolve around the beach.

Madeira would be our choice if the conversation starts with, "We want some sunshine, but I can't spend seven days beside a pool."

Funchal is a useful base because it gives you a city to explore, with gardens, markets, museums and restaurants. You can have a satisfying day without booking an excursion or hiring a car. Explore Funchal.

Beyond the city, the island's coastline, villages and walking routes give you plenty of reasons to leave the hotel.

Expect mild weather, with some flexibility required

Funchal's average January daytime high is about 20°C. That can be lovely for a waterfront lunch, but winter is wetter than summer and sunshine isn't assured throughout your stay. Funchal's climate averages.

Madeira also has pronounced microclimates. The south coast is generally warmer and drier than the north and mountains. A pleasant morning in Funchal doesn't tell you what conditions will be like on a high walking route. Check forecasts and official trail status before setting off. Madeira's weather guide.

The sea is cooler than in Cape Verde or Egypt. Some people will happily swim in water around 18–19°C; others would rather watch it from a café. Neither approach needs defending.

What about beaches and all-inclusive hotels?

Madeira does have beaches, including the sandy beach at Calheta. It also has package holidays and all-inclusive hotels, so you don't have to organise everything independently. TUI's Madeira holiday options.

Our preference would usually be to compare bed and breakfast or half board first. Eating out and exploring are part of Madeira's appeal, and we'd want room in the plans for both.

Madeira on HolidayFilter →

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How long are the flights from the UK?

Madeira has an advantage if you're trying to squeeze some sunshine into a shorter break.

• Madeira: roughly 3½–4¼ hours on direct flights from many UK airports. Jet2's flight guide.
• Hurghada: approximately 5½ hours from Gatwick. TUI's flight information.
• Sal: approximately 6 hours 15 minutes from Gatwick. TUI's flight information.

Your departure airport, route and flight direction will affect the timing. Add the hotel transfer before deciding how much of your first and last day you'll actually get.

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Which offers the best value?

We wouldn't put a permanent "cheapest" badge on any of them.

A discounted week outside school holidays can look very different from Christmas or February half-term. Hotel standard, baggage, transfers and board basis also change the comparison.

For Cape Verde and Egypt, we'd start by comparing complete resort packages. For Madeira, we'd price a package alongside flights and accommodation, then allow for the meals and exploring we expected to do.

Compare the total cost of the week you want. A cheaper hotel loses some of its appeal if you need taxis every evening or discover that the restaurants you wanted aren't included.

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And which has the best all-inclusive experience?

That's a hotel decision more than a country decision.

Our shortlist would depend on recent reviews and a few practical questions:

• Which restaurants and drinks are included?
• Do speciality restaurants need reservations or carry extra charges?
• Which pools are heated in winter?
• Is there a quiet area away from activities and entertainment?
• Can you easily leave the resort when you want a change?

We'd read reviews from the same season as our planned trip. A glowing August review won't answer every question about January.

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What if you want somewhere that doesn't feel full of Brits?

This is where choosing the particular resort and hotel becomes more useful than choosing the country.

For us, the important questions are about atmosphere. Can you walk to local restaurants? Does the evening revolve around hotel entertainment? Is there somewhere interesting to go before breakfast?

A hotel's guest nationality mix alone won't answer those questions.

We'd start with Funchal for a week of independent exploring, or a well-located stay around Santa Maria if beach time matters more. In Egypt, we'd study what surrounds the hotel just as carefully as what's inside it.

Try looking at a map and asking: what would we do if we walked out of the entrance after dinner?

That often tells you more than the brochure.

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So where would we book?

Before comparing deals, picture an ordinary day halfway through the holiday. Where do you want to wake up, what do you want to do after breakfast, and how do you want to spend the evening?

Choose the destination that fits that day.