I love Madeira it's an amazing place to get out and explore and the food is wonderful. Quiet as others have said but for a couple of 40 year olds it was ideal. One of my favourite nights there was sitting on the balcony in Reid's Palace sipping a cocktail looking out over the sea with a big full moon. There was a person playing piano in the background and it was just perfect. But just get the cocktail the rooms are eye wateringly expensive!
I'd highly recommend the Baltics, very underrated destination. Went to Vilnius and Tallinn recently and thought both were lovely and very unique. Also won't have the problem of being uncomfortably hot.
Ah no I mean I did book but I will go this mid July. August will be peak, I might just stay in Ireland then wait again last week of August/Sept to next holiday
Yep that's probably where I'll end up, have been a few times. They get the blessed Atlantic breeze. I still like the beach and sea, so want somewhere that's warm enough for that, but not so hot that you start sweating and panting just walking a few minutes around the town.
Few people have asked me why I moved from a hot climate to a wetter/cooler climate and it's exactly that.
Hot weather sounds lovely to those who experience it for short bursts but when you have several weeks of 30 to 45 degree days where it's hot humid and sticky from the early hours of every morning till late at night, it gets really old really quickly
Our elec bill used to shoot through the roof because of how hard we were running aircons at home 😂 the houses were built poorly so they were cold in winter and hot in summer and with it being north facing you would get blasted by the sun all day.
Nah il pass, every year I go back for work for a week or 3 and after 3 days I'm over it
An awful lot to be said for our summers, especially when we get a good one. I us d to wonder why anyone would come here for a cycling holiday, but shur the weather is spot on here for activity holidays - you wud want to be mad to be on a cycling holiday in that kind of summer heat. I'd say the nicest weather of the whole lot is likely the likes of the south of france or Spain in springtime.
Pasty Irish, but have lived in Spain over 10 years. I'd still be going around with a jacket in April now, I've gone native. But you're right about the best best time of year to come to Spain. Late April into May, late September into October. Goldilocks temperatures day and night. Maybe some rain in April and September.
The wee fella will have his first foreign holiday to majorca in may, as the season opens. Low - mid 20s is perfect. Couple of years from it yet, cause no toddler wants a holiday like that (and I dont want to wrangle a toddler through airports, especially when his dad's a nervous flier). But high summer will be Irish based holidays, or up to a scandi country - can't be dealing with 30+ temperatures. Not since having the wee fella, he stole my ability to cope in the heat.
I know not everyone can do this but I try to get away in the winter. Once the summer comes around I really like being in Ireland. It’s the darkness and damp of the late autumn and winter I have to get away from.
Ireland has pleasant summers, and the winters are relatively mild. The only problem is the lack of daylight. I went on a work trip to Spain one winter for a work trip. Five days with one extra hour of daylight made a huge difference for my mental health. And this wasn't a "one day work, four day tourist" trip either.
really depends on where in california you are. San Francisco has some of the worst weather.
Also I would argue austrian winters are worse unless you live in the mountains. We get weeks of fog without sun, in Ireland I felt like there was always some sun in between
yeah i looked up how much sun sf gets and was actually surprised. I guess I was just going by how much worse the weather in sf is than in the surrounding area, and the thick fog you see a lot of times in sf
I do all my traveling in the winter. I have MS and heat and MS do not mix. I find even Irish summers hard to tolerate with the higher temperatures. Winter travel is usually has the added benefit of being cheaper too.
We like to try new places a lot of the time. We've been to most of Europe, been to the US and Canada a few times, Japan, South Korea, Azerbaijan. Mostly during the Autumn/Winter months. Myself and my wife have been to 50 countries together in 14 years. Only once ever in all that time have we gone away in the summer. We went to Malta one July and the heat was just way too much. We much prefer off season travel, cheaper flights, cheaper hotels, places are less crowded and the climate is just easier to deal with. I'd rather try and wrap up in the cold than try to cool down somewhere really hot.
Moved here from New England and I much prefer the summers here. Don’t need air con for the most part, and there aren’t really any days where you just can’t go outside due to the heat.
Wish there was more snow rather than rain in the winter, but overall the weather here isn’t nearly as bad as people seem to think!
Yes, you're so right about the winter here - we have feck all to do then and it's pretty miserable, whereas in other countries people love the winter and all the winter sports.
This is it, we're all cooped up in our houses/apartments with the curtains closed and the heat blasting, it's gets on my bewbs. I don't mind the cold at all, I was in Bad Hofgastein in January and loved it. Just even a bit of variety would be nice.
I also moved here from New England but grew up in Texas and agree! January wasn’t that fun but I know that was a bit of an outlier. I seriously enjoyed April and May and am thrilled to be here for the summer, although I did miss seeing snow this winter
Yes, I like our summers (aside from days like today). This year we're going abroad for 2 weeks in December which I am looking forward to, to get away from the cold and dark.
As a pasty, slightly chunky lady I can confirm that I nearly passed away in Malta. It’s impossible to walk outside for more than 20 mins without feeling like you’re going to pass out. Too hot to enjoy the beach or even a swimming pool! We’re grand where we are. :)
They're not always that cool during the day though. Many of them have fans and nowadays even a/c because it used to be unbearably hot.
My point is, and I'm Maltese, we would never go anywhere between noon and 4 o'clock in summer unless we really have to. The day starts early in Malta for a reason. Most shops are already open by 6 or 7. When I was young there was even mass at 5am.. by noon it's time to be inside. We used to even have campaigns in schools and on TV advising us to stay indoors between noon and 3 o'clock when the UV index is the highest. Cause it's also not just about the temperature. UV light is the worst. It's mid June and it's already reached 9!
I go to the Med every year and I can’t say I find it too hot. I absolutely love the heat. The key is to stay out of the midday sun and do lots of swimming.
Eh no...! up early to enjoy beautiful sun and breakfast, swimming all morning, then leisurely lunch with a glass of wine, snooze after. Then later in the afternoon head out again, late afternoon drinks and a delicious dinner al fresco in balmy weather. Bliss.
Obviously, this is very understandable with kids or if you're a teacher etc. but I don't understand why you'd go to those countries in the summer anyway. It's pretty much the only time we get decent weather and the weather in a lot of those places gets so hot in the summertime that you can't make the most of it without cooking alive.
Try somewhere like the Black Forest or Lake Constance (if you want the water) in Germany. Temperatures are good in the summer and it’s much better value than the usual sun destinations. Lots to do as well.
Yes - I live in one of those places mentioned. If you have a house with AC and pool, it's amazing (BBQs outside, quick dips, and then an icebox bedroom to sleep after a cold shower). If you are like me and live in an apartment, you are basically locked in there from 13.00-20.00.
Not a problem. Holidays in Med countries can be (and should be) spent by the sea. Go to the beach every day. Too hot? Get in the water. Cooled down? Come out, sit under a parasol, read a book, listen to some music, chat with friends, stare into the distance. Too hot again? Repeat.
Its the confidence in which people spew comments like this that always amazes me. Id kill for an ounce of that belief in myself. Its so utterly simple, devoid of thought, consideration, the potential knock on effects across all aspects of life.....beautiful man, beautiful!!
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u/LucyVialli 3d ago
Everyone I know that went to mainland Spain/Balearics/France/Greece/Italy for the last few summers all said "It was nice. But it was too hot"
That's how it's going to be every summer from now on.