Hot tips for a warmer winter

The British summer is still months away, but there's no need to despair. Harriet O'Brien reveals how to turn seasonal blues into sun-drenched bliss

Wednesday, 19 January 2011

ALAMY

Where the sun keeps shining: beach life on the Mayan Riviera

We say

With the festive season over and spring still some way off (it begins with the vernal equinox, on 20 March), the dark, damp days of British winter may be getting you down. Don't worry: there is a host of options for escaping for some winter sun. We've sought out some of this season's most appealing new itineraries for breaks over the coming month.

They say

"Sun: The source of light and heat, and consequently of life to the whole world; hence regarded as a deity and worshipped as such..." Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

"One day you'll look to see I've gone. For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun."

"I'll Follow the Sun" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney (released in 1964).

Far to go?

It's with good reason that the Canary Islands are regarded as a classic winter sun destination. This Atlantic archipelago is as close as you can get to a near-guarantee of perfect conditions in January and February, with a four-hour flight. Daytime temperatures hover around 22C at the moment.

Monarch (08719 40 50 40; www. monarch.co.uk), Thomas Cook Airlines (0871 230 2406; www.fly thomascook.com) and Thomson (0871 231 3235; www.thomson.co.uk) have frequent flights to Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife from airports across the UK, often as part of package holidays.

Airtours (0844 871 6636; www.airtours.co.uk) has an extensive choice of packages including new family holidays this winter to Sunstar Resorts' Sun Tropical hotel at Playa Blanca, Lanzarote. A one-week break for a family of three sharing a room costs from £1,086 (£362 per person), covering flights from Gatwick to Lanzarote and all-inclusive accommodation.

Romance and culture

This season, Thomson has added Egypt's southernmost city of Aswan to its winter itinerary. So felucca rides on the Nile and the ruins of ancient Abu Simbel are now accessible at a reasonable price. You can expect a good seven hours of sunshine per day here and temperatures of around 24C, which is pleasantly cool compared with the roasting heat Aswan endures during the summer. Accommodation is at the Mövenpick Resort, sited on Elephantine Island about a 10-minute boat trip from the centre. A one-week holiday costs from £625 per person (based on two sharing, as are all other prices below) including flights to Aswan from Gatwick and accommodation with breakfast.

Sail away

Combine a beach break with learning how to sail – and make for Oman. Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort south of Muscat offers daily programmes in association with Oman Sail, catering for everyone from experienced sailors to novices. The resort is set around a cove backed by craggy cliffs, and presents a wide range of water sports, as well as a large spa, six restaurants, three swimming pools and a private beach. Go now to enjoy temperatures of around 23C and to see hawksbill turtles coming ashore.

Turtle nesting and hatching takes place from January to June, when the resort's "Turtle Ranger" will advise guests on the best and least obtrusive areas to observe these creatures. Trailfinders (0845 050 5874; www.trailfinders.com) can arrange a week here from £1,499 per person (or less if you book by the end of January) including flights from Gatwick via Doha to Muscat on Qatar Airways, transfers and accommodation with breakfast.

Golden shores

Mexico's Mayan Riviera has become a haven of chic, five-star accommodation. The coastline has a tropical climate, which means that it is warm and humid throughout the year, with its drier season running between November and April. Right now, temperatures are around 25C.

BA (0844 493 0758; www.ba.com) flies twice weekly from Gatwick to Cancú* at the northern tip. A week at the Fairmont Mayakoba, which is set in lush grounds bordering turquoise waters, costs £1,382 including breakfast.

Plenty of action

Take an all-inclusive break in Jamaica. Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859; www.virginholidays.co.uk) has added Breezes Rio Bueno Resort to its portfolio. Set midway along the northern shores of the island, the property has been built to resemble an old-style Jamaican village, with cobbled streets and a town square. It offers an extensive choice of activities from kayaking to windsurfing, beach volleyball, snorkelling and scuba-diving, plus two Olympic-size swimming pools. A week here costs from £1,386 including flights from Gatwick to Montego Bay, transfers and all-inclusive accommodation. Temperatures are currently around 27C.

Go wild

This year, some specialist companies are featuring Zimbabwe on their itineraries. The political and social problems here are by no means over but, they argue, the country needs tourist income – and in return Zimbabwe offers wonderful game viewing in under-visited parks. Expert Africa (020-8232 9777; www.expertafrica.com) suggests combining a wildlife adventure with a trip to the spellbinding Victoria Falls.

You'll spend two nights at elegant Ilala Lodge at the Falls before setting out on a "Klipspringer Safari" that takes you to two of Zimbabwe's best game parks: huge Hwange (particularly rich in elephants as well as herds of buffalo) and the small and lush Matobo Hills (which is a safe haven for rhinos). You'll also visit the charming city of Bulawayo. The total 12-night trip costs from £2,545 per person including flights from Heathrow to Harare via Johannesburg, internal flights and road transfers, all game drives, all accommodation and most meals.

What Google will tell you

A skiing holiday in Pamporovo, Bulgaria, will find you high up amid the vast, deep green pine forests of the Rhodope Mountains. This is a gorgeous place, and the resort's 270 days of annual sunshine make skiing in Pamporovo a bright, cheerful affair. In fact, skiing holidays in Pamporovo treat visitors to the sunniest ski resort in Europe. (www.inghams.co.uk)

What Google won't tell you – until now

Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director of Bupa International, says: "Getting away for some sunshine when it is scarce at home is actually beneficial for your health. We need sunlight to help us produce vitamin D, which increases the amount of calcium we absorb from our bloodstream, essential for keeping bones strong. Holidays are great for our mental wellbeing, too. Light stimulates a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which controls mood and sleep, and there's evidence to confirm that seasonal affective disorder can be combated by sun exposure. I always take a holiday in the winter for this very reason, and would recommend it to others."

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Ahmadinejad: Iran not to withdraw from its nuclear objectives

2011-01-19 13:28:10 GMT2011-01-19 21:28:10(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

TEHRAN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran will not withdraw from its nuclear objectives despite the West's pressure, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Referring to the enemies' pressure, Ahmadinejad said the Iranian nation will not withdraw an iota from its nuclear objectives, said Fars.

Addressing a crowd in central city of Yazd on Wednesday, he said that "The attempts of the countries which used all their power to stop Iran from being nuclear (state) ... was in vain and Iran with the help of God became nuclear (country)."

Earlier in December, the Iranian president also said that Iran was a nuclear country, implying that Iran had achieved nuclear know-how for energy purposes.

"Now, most of those countries which failed in their attempts (to stop Iran) want to cooperate with Iran in nuclear area," he was quoted as saying.

The West has long accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under civilian disguise, although Tehran has always denied such charges.

Jet Li's wax figure unveiled in Shanghai

2011-01-19 14:21:11 GMT2011-01-19 22:21:11(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Actor Jet Li (R) stands with the wax model of himself in Shanghai Madame Tussauds Waxwork Museum in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Actor Jet Li (R) stands with the wax model of himself in Shanghai Madame Tussauds Waxwork Museum in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Actor Jet Li stands with the wax model of himself in Shanghai Madame Tussauds Waxwork Museum in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 19, 2011. A new wax model of Jet Li was unveiled in the museum in Shanghai Wednesday.

Record 284 companies invest in Hong Kong in 2010

2011-01-19 09:44:54 GMT2011-01-19 17:44:54(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

HONG KONG, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Invest Hong Kong of the Hong Kong government helped a record of 284 companies from Chinese mainland and overseas set up or expand in Hong Kong in 2010, with Chinese mainland continuing to be the largest single source of investment by taking 18 percent of the total projects, the bureau said on Wednesday.

"Last year's result was very encouraging. It demonstrated a strong vote of confidence in Hong Kong as a business location," Director-General of Investment Promotion Simon Galpin said.

Of the 284 completed projects, Chinese mainland accounted for 52 projects, followed by the United States with 51, the United Kingdom with 36, Japan with 19, and Australia with 16. The top three industry sectors were transport and industrial, tourism and hospitality, and innovation and technology, the statement showed.

Last year also marked greater emphasis on green foreign direct investment, in particular on companies that provide renewable energy and environmental protection solutions.

Invest Hong Kong will strengthen its promotion efforts in the mature markets of the United States and the United Kingdom in 2011, as well as the emerging markets of Chinese mainland and Russia, said Galpin.

Amid freezing weather, China begins its annual Spring Festival travel rush

2011-01-19 13:08:10 GMT2011-01-19 21:08:10(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Passengers board a train at Urumqi South Railway Station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2011, the first day of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) estimated that 2.85 billion passenger trips would be made during the period, 11.6 percent more than last year. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's annual Spring Festival travel rush began Wednesday in freezing weather, with some 700 million people, or half the nation's population, expected to travel within the country during the 40-day-long travel period.

China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) estimates that 2.85 billion passenger trips will be made during the period, 11.6 percent more than last year.

The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New year, is the most important traditional festival of family reunions. This year, it falls on Feb. 3.

As usual, the peak travel season is pressuring China's transportation network, with passenger trips by railway up about 12.5 percent and those by plane up about 10.8 percent year on year, according to the country's transport authorities.

But freezing weather in south China is likely to disrupt travel and transportation, with temperatures down to their lowest since 1961 in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei.

A MOT report at 9 a.m. Wednesday said an expressway, seven national highways, and 36 provincial highways have been closed due to heavy snow and icy rain in the southwest municipality of Chongqing and the southern provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, Anhui, Hunan and Hubei.

Railway traffic has increased in parts of Guizhou and Hunan provinces because heavy snow has delayed other modes of transportation, the Ministry of Railways said in another report.

Passengers board a train at Urumqi South Railway Station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2011, the first day of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) estimated that 2.85 billion passenger trips would be made during the period, 11.6 percent more than last year. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

But so far railway traffic has been orderly, as local transportation authorities prepared for possible inclement weather conditions, after freezing weather in the winter of 2008 caused traffic chaos and prevented many people from going home, the report said.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecasts snow storms to hit regions of Guizhou, Yunnan and Hunan this week.

Besides journeys home, many trips will be made to tourist destinations, such as Sanya in Hainan Province, said ministry spokesman He Jianzhong.

On Tuesday alone, a total of 4.72 million passenger trips were made on the nation's railway lines. Railway authorities have arranged an extra 132 trains to cope with the increase in passengers, according to MOR figures.

Children react to a photographer at Urumqi South Railway Station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2011, the first day of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) estimated that 2.85 billion passenger trips would be made during the period, 11.6 percent more than last year. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

The MOT had earlier said it will run an extra 293 trains per day during the rush period, with the average daily train departures totaling 4,561. The trains will carry 6.2 million passengers per day, up 12.5 percent year on year.

China had been working to cope with the flood of travelers with more railway construction and crackdowns on train-ticket scalping.

In China, it is often difficult to obtain train tickets during peak travel seasons.

At Beijing West Railway Station, some 100 temporary ticket-selling booths have been set up to make buying tickets easier, allowing 5,000 people to simultaneously queue for tickets.

However, Wang Zhiguo, vice minister of railways, admitted China's railway transportation was still "far from" meeting the social demand, despite that China put into service 480 trains on its newly constructed high-speed railways and added some 8,540 ordinary trains to its national network in the past year.

During the 2001 Spring Festival period, some 1.66 billion passenger journeys were made. In the 2005 period, there were 1.9 billion. In the 2010 period there were 2.2 billion.

Pandas Kaikai and Xinxin meets public in Macao

2011-01-19 12:18:32 GMT2011-01-19 20:18:32(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Panda Xinxin eats bamboo in Macao, south China, on Jan.19, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)

Panda Kaikai(L front) and Xinxin eat bamboo in Macao, south China, on Jan.19, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)

Pupils watch Panda in Macao, south China, on Jan.19, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)

Panda Kaikai eats bamboo in Macao, south China, on Jan.19, 2011.(Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)

Pupils watch Panda in Macao, south China, on Jan.19, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)

Pandas Kaikai and Xinxin met with about 1,000 pupils on the first day of commissioning of the Panda House in Seac Pai Van Park on Wednesday. Kaikai and Xinxin were sent to Macao by China's central government from Chengdu Breeding Base of Giant Panda in southwest China's Sichuan Province.