Value winter holiday.

J_B

Mands said:

That said, the weather in Cyprus is all over the place this year. I'm sitting here in shorts and t-shirts watching torrential rain and re-booting electrical devices after yet another power cut. So who knows what the rest of the year will bring.

We left CY towards the end of May. Said goodbye to a neighbour who finished with "and take this 5H1T weather back to England with you!"

Doshwaster

Mands said:

tightauldgit said:

Went to Malta this January (also for the first time) - other than it being really quiet it was a lovely little place and the weather was good. Also did Cyprus in January and the same applies.

I'm not a fan of Cyprus in January. The weather tends to be worse in Feb, and is considered to be the worst month of the year, but January is still pretty grim. Absolute daytime temperatures look good but you need to figure in the early sunset, the chilly evenings and most of all the poor levels of insulation.

That said, the weather in Cyprus is all over the place this year. I'm sitting here in shorts and t-shirts watching torrential rain and re-booting electrical devices after yet another power cut. So who knows what the rest of the year will bring.

I once went to Cyprus in January looking for some mid-winter sun but it was freezing. The hotel didn't have any heating and only thing bedding so I had to sleep with my coat on.

Love Malta but never been in winter. Just feels a bit more grown up than other Mediterranean islands. 

strawb_shortcake

We went to Malta one April, it was their worst weather in years. A friend we went with her Grandmother lives in Malta and she saw snow for the first time that winter. 

Hopefully the weather is kinder to you than us. 

Mdina is incredible though, and strongly recommend visiting both in the day and evening. I can't believe how many people I've spoken to since and didn't visit

jimi_man

To be fair to the OP, they aren’t going in April, or Jan, they are going in November. The Med takes a long time to warm up and doesn’t really hit its stride till June. However October and to a lesser extent November are still reasonably warm from the summer (the sea temperature being key here). 

November has a fair amount of rain but it should still be warm. Last year the highs at the start of Nov were around 22-24 or so, only dropping to 17-19 towards the end of the month. 

Mands

Doshwaster said:

Mands said:

tightauldgit said:

Went to Malta this January (also for the first time) - other than it being really quiet it was a lovely little place and the weather was good. Also did Cyprus in January and the same applies.

I'm not a fan of Cyprus in January. The weather tends to be worse in Feb, and is considered to be the worst month of the year, but January is still pretty grim. Absolute daytime temperatures look good but you need to figure in the early sunset, the chilly evenings and most of all the poor levels of insulation.

That said, the weather in Cyprus is all over the place this year. I'm sitting here in shorts and t-shirts watching torrential rain and re-booting electrical devices after yet another power cut. So who knows what the rest of the year will bring.

I once went to Cyprus in January looking for some mid-winter sun but it was freezing. The hotel didn't have any heating and only thing bedding so I had to sleep with my coat on.

I recall making travel suggestions for you, but being concerned that you wouldn't be warm enough. But of course you'd already booked by then.

Hotel insulation is often rubbish, yes. But there's usually plenty of hot water and aircon that can be switched to warm, without electricity bills to worry about. So there is that advantage.

November, and usually December, are almost always better than January and February.

Mands

J_B said:

Mands said:

That said, the weather in Cyprus is all over the place this year. I'm sitting here in shorts and t-shirts watching torrential rain and re-booting electrical devices after yet another power cut. So who knows what the rest of the year will bring.

We left CY towards the end of May. Said goodbye to a neighbour who finished with "and take this 5H1T weather back to England with you!"

It continues to be the oddest weather ever.

jimi_man

If you want proper winter sun and warmth, then neither the Med or the Canaries are suitable. You need to go to the tropics - Caribbean, far East -Thailand etc or the Middle East. Or the Southern hemisphere. 

Potbellypig

We've been going to the Canaries for years and always searched out a bargain. I have spent countless hours this year (like every year) and can't find a deal like we have had previous years. Just ended up paying the inflated prices in the end.

Nebulous2

Potbellypig said:

We've been going to the Canaries for years and always searched out a bargain. I have spent countless hours this year (like every year) and can't find a deal like we have had previous years. Just ended up paying the inflated prices in the end.

Thanks - I considered paying it as well, probably would have if I wasn't going to New Zealand next year. 

What time of year do you normally go? 

Baled

Malta is fabulous! There's just something quite magical about it. Both times I've been was in early to mid October, it was scorching by day and warm at night.

Seconding the recc for Mdina. Try the sister island Gozo too.