1. FOR THE GOLFER - A week from €1,683pp
Want a holiday but can’t do without a regular golf fix? Four-star Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort on Tobago has an 18-hole PGA-designed championship course. If you’re taking the children, there’s a playground and kids’ club where they can have fun while you refine your swing. The resort also has a fitness centre, three pools, a laid-back jazz bar and the livelier Robinson Crusoe pub.
THE DEAL: Seven nights’ B&B from €1,683pp through British Airways with a room upgrade, Gatwick flights on December 4 and two rounds of golf.
2. FOR STAR-SPOTTING - A week from €750pp
Barbados, with its beautiful beaches and sophisticated restaurants, has attracted celebs such as Simon Cowell and the Beckhams. But you don’t have to win the lottery to go there. Three-star Coconut Court Beach Hotel, close to the capital, Bridgetown, is good value and has a secluded private beach as well as a lagoon swarming with fish for snorkelling. Bridgetown itself is an interesting mix of colonial architecture and bustling markets.
THE DEAL: Seven nights room-only from €750pp including Thomas Cook flights from Manchester on December 6 through Lowcost Holidays.
3. FOR THE SPORTS ENTHUSIAST - A week from €1,540
Sunbathing and sipping cocktails on a beach might be enough for most of us, but some people like a bit more action on holiday. The Buccament Bay Resort on St Vincent is a luxury all-inclusive hotel with its own sports academy. It attracts big-name guest coaches including footballer John Barnes, athlete Sally Gunnell and tennis player Pat Cash. There’s also a spa, kids’ club, theatre school and salsa dancing.
THE DEAL: Book by November 30 to get seven nights all-inclusive from €1,540pp based on two sharing with Caribbean Warehouse, saving up to €1,700pp. Includes Thomas Cook flights from Glasgow on December 3, connecting flights, academy coaching and four spa treatments.
4. FOR LUXURY - A week from €2,185pp
Escape to a secluded beachfront villa on the tropical island of Nevis, St Kitts’ little sister with an area of just 36 square miles. Paradise Beach Boutique Resort, where the thatched villas have their own plunge pools and outdoor showers, is a great place to chill out. The privately-owned hideaway on the west coast has views of Mount Nevis, the Caribbean and St Kitts, and there’s a concierge and butler service.
THE DEAL: Seven nights’ self-catering from €2,185pp (saving up to €476pp) based on four sharing a two-bedroom villa with BA flights from Gatwick to St Kitts in January, transfers and drinks at the beach bar. Call Western & Oriental on 0203 553 2958
5. FOR SHOWTUNES - A week from €1,515pp
If you love West End shows, Barbados is hosting a two-night Classical Pops festival (December 11 and 12, classicalpops.com ). On the first night an orchestra will play tunes from movies. The next night Broadway actress Audra McDonald and Phantom of the Opera star Norm Lewis will sing songs from musicals. Bora Bora Upper Apartment on the west coast makes an ideal base.
THE DEAL: Seven nights’ self-catering from €1,515pp with Virgin flights from Gatwick on December 7 through Fleewinter. Festival two-day passes from €88
6. FOR CHILLING OUT - Two weeks from €1,511pp
New flights launched this month by Norwegian Air make it the only airline to fly direct from Gatwick to San Juan on Puerto Rico. To celebrate, it is offering a trip including a night in San Juan and 13 nights on the island of Virgin Gorda – the Fat Virgin. You’ll stay at Fischers Cove, a resort which has elegantly-decorated studio beach apartments surrounded by palm trees on the south-west coast.
THE DEAL: Thirteen nights room-only from €1,511pp including flights from Gatwick for departures before November 30, a night in San Juan and transfers.
7. FOR PIRATE ADVENTURE - Nine nights from €2,085pp
The pirate Blackbeard, who terrorised the Caribbean in the early 18th century, is said to have used Skytsborg Tower in Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas as a look-out. Today you can visit the landmark as part of a Celebrity Cruises voyage from Miami, which also takes in San Juan on Puerto Rico and Philipsburg on St Maarten. You’ll sail on the Celebrity Reflection SM, which has huge verandas for relaxing and sunbathing, a spa, a pool deck and a pub serving 50 craft beers.
THE DEAL: A nine-night fly/cruise costs from €2,085pp based on two sharing with flights from Gatwick on November 27.
8. FOR GETTING ACTIVE - A week from €1,110pp
The list of things to do at Punta Cana on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic is almost endless – from speedboat rides and catamaran sailing to deep-sea fishing and swimming with sharks. For days out there’s the Los Haitises National Park or Bavaro Lagoon Wildlife Refuge. Four-star Tropical Princess Hotel has a kids’ club, spa, tennis courts, three swimming pools and a casino.
THE DEAL: Seven nights all-inclusive with BA flights from Gatwick on December 1 costs from €1,110pp with Lowcost Holidays.
9. FOR CHOCOLATE LOVERS - A week from €1,300pp
True Blue Bay Boutique Resort on Grenada offers chocolate spa treatments including facials to celebrate the island’s cocoa-growing tradition. You can also have a go at rum-tasting, cookery classes, under-water scuba yoga, tango dancing and even mermaid swimming with fake tails. Children’s activities include kayaking, sailing lessons, the playground at the Dodgy Dock restaurant and playing on the long white sandy beaches.
THE DEAL: Seven nights’ B&B with Virgin Atlantic flights from Gatwick from €1,300pp with Kenwood Travel.
10. FOR A CRUISE - Nine nights from €1,679pp
Combine a short city stay with a cruise from Miami. Carnival Splendour’s first destination is Cozumel, home to the Palancar Reef, then it’s on to the tropical paradise of Belize. Finally you’ll call at Grand Cayman where you’ll be able to snorkel with stingrays, go scuba diving, sail a catamaran or hit the beach.
THE DEAL: Two nights room-only in Miami plus a seven-night cruise from €1,679pp (saving €750pp) with flights from London on November 27 through Cruise Nation.
