Family winter sun holidays for 2027

Somewhere past November, a warm week stops being a treat and becomes the thing that keeps everyone sane instead of climbing the walls at home. The question is where, because plenty of destinations sold as sunny are a gamble by December. And with a single week of holiday, you do not gamble on the weather.

The Canary Islands are the simplest answer, and we recommend them without a second thought: a four-hour flight, 21 degrees in February, a calm sea where little ones keep their footing, and that very Spanish way of building hotels where families feel genuinely expected. Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura are our favourites for it. If you want real heat, the kind that makes you sweat, the Red Sea and Dubai push the thermometer higher, though the flight gets longer with children in tow. Cape Verde sits in between, our quiet soft spot.

One thing worth putting first: a short transfer. After an early flight with a wiped-out toddler, an extra hour on a coach is the difference between a good first evening and a full-blown meltdown.

A sense of how fast these weeks go: one family booked their Canary Islands New Year 2027 back in August. If your dates are set, do not sit on it. Our eight picks are just below.