If you fancy ditching the cold for a balmy summer Christmas then this is the perfect trip for you
If you’re tired of winter Christmases and fancy a taste of summer while you eat your festive lunch, then why not jet away from the UK on your break and fly to the island where December weather is a balmy 18 degrees.
The island of Malaga in the Costa de Sol even has a Christmas Market so you can celebrate the season. Based on a review of four-night packages (flights and hotel included) available through loveholidays between December 1-15, 2024, Malaga is also the ‘most affordable’ sunny Christmas market break, averaging at £277 per person.
The Malaga Market runs from November 24 through to January 5 and offers a range of delicious treats to sample, festive lights and children’s toys as well as floats and processions to marvel at.
For the foodies among us, there’s plenty to love about Christmas in Malaga. There are traditional sweets including shortbread, marzipan, nougat and borrachuelos (wine-flavoured fried pastries) to sample as you wander through the streets at the Paseo del Parque market.
There’s even a seasonal tipple, with mulled wine flowing freely. You’ll also find an impressive amount of decorations dotted throughout the city from Nativity scenes to twinkling lights and wicker figures.
There’s also a yearly light display at the Botanical Gardens in Malaga which is always a stunning spectacle. These gorgeous gardens were created in 1855 by the Marquises of Casa Loring to entertain the bourgeoisie. Today it has more than 50,000 plants, and is one of the few subtropical gardens in Europe.
This year the garden’s theme for Christmas is ‘Illusion: Christmas has many faces… but only one heart’. There are seven themed areas along the route: The Elf Queen’s Abode, the Polar Express Station, the Grinch’s Lair, the Magical Elf Forest and Santa’s Mansion, the Forest of Chimneys and the Lighthouse of Illusion.
With this theme, this year’s Botanical Lights will be more focused on children and families and children under 12 will receive a free cotton wool cloud to take with them as they wander. There’s even a square with hot chocolate and fresh roasted nuts you can snack on.
General admission tickets cost 15.5 euros for adults and 11.5 euros for children and will run from November 29 through to January 6.
If you’d rather spend Christmas lounging on the beach then Malaga is the dream destination for that. It’s famous for its golden sands and crystal-clear waters, providing the perfect backdrop for a relaxing day by the sea. Even though it will be winter, it’s still plenty warm enough to relax and maybe even have a dip. Daytime temperatures hover around 17 to 18 degrees and the sea temperature is a few degrees lower at around 16 degrees.
While it may not be the warmest swim you’ve ever had, it’s still lovely. If you’d rather stay above the water then there’s plenty of opportunities for that too with kayaking, boating and even parasailing for the brave.
Flights to Malaga leave daily in December from a number of airports in the UK including Bournemouth, Glasgow, Leeds and London. A round trip is currently priced at around £120, which is a small price to pay for a taste of midwinter sun.
