November means winter is fast approaching in most countries, which equals getting up and going home in the dark, usually in the pelting rain; no winter coat on earth is a match for the season’s creeping damp. It’s almost NHS-prescribed that you pick a November holiday destination to survive until the sunlight finally peeks through again around March.
1. Chiang Mai, Thailand:
Thailand is the dream destination all year round, but in November, the rocky North is lit up by thousands of floating lights. There are two annual festivals held in Chiang Mai to coincide with the full moon during this month, both lighting up the night but in slightly different ways. Tour the 300+ wats (Thai places of worship) scattered across the city or explore the Doi Inthanon National Park, home to several waterfalls and the country’s highest mountain.
2. Lisbon, Portugal:
As most of mainland Europe shivers, Portugal remains enviably mild: Lisbon’s average November temperature is 18°C. Of course, it’s not just the weather that makes this cobbled capital so alluring; now ranking among Europe’s coolest city breaks, it’s a hive of high-end but refreshingly affordable restaurants, raucous hole-in-the-wall bars, and covetable concept stores (not to mention those cute canary-yellow vintage trams).
3. Sayulita, Mexico:
Join the hippies in this Pacific coast surf town, where brightly painted design boutiques and vintage surfboard shops rub up against al pastor stands and street eats sold from wheelbarrows. Less glam than Tulum, but much hipper than resort-y Puerto Vallarta further south, it’s an easy-breezy scene, more about catching waves and afternoon margaritas than yoga and cold-pressed juice.
4. Athens, Greece:
Athens makes for a brilliant and warm weekend city break, where new youth culture is breathing life into this historical city, and hip young start-ups are booming in the face of austerity. Visit in November, when it’s cool enough to wander around the Acropolis and the Parthenon, still having a crisp blue-sky backdrop for your Instagram shots. The fact that you’ll also skip the crowds is the cherry on top.
5. Antigua and Barbuda:
Support conservation and biodiversity by booking an ecotour at Wallings Nature Reserve, the first-ever community-managed national park. Learn about the history and wildlife as you hike this not-for-profit sanctuary. Antigua’s little sister, Barbuda, is more laid-back, with a handful of low-key hotels.
6. Phoenix, Arizona, USA:
Arizona deserves its own architectural style; the state invites a distinctive desert aesthetic. Today’s Phoenix is the sort of place to enjoy cocktails in an Art Deco landmark (Bitter & Twisted) before retiring to a fabulously retro hotel designed by a Wright protégé, once frequented by Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant (Hotel Valley Ho). For the best view of the city, though, you’ve got to hike up red-rock Camelback Mountain — an easier proposal in November’s mid-20s temperatures.
7. Essaouira, Morocco:
For a blast of winter sun just a short hop away, Morocco is ideal, even for a weekend break. Along the coast are windswept beaches and surf towns such as Taghazout and Tamraght, where chilling out in the sun is the main focus. Essaouira is a feast for the senses: freshly caught fish is grilled over smoking-hot coals in shacks right on the harbor, and shisha smoke rises from rooftop bars.
Keywords: November, vacation, sunny, weather.