amazing

WE all know that reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh – but did you realise his entire fleet of magical-hooved creatures is female?

“We know this because of their horns,” Diego Osorno tells me, pointing towards Vixen, one of Grouse Mountain’s resident herd.

At that moment, she decides to depart her hay-filled lodge and gently plod off through the snow, tilting her antlers towards the shimmering Christmas lights in a well-timed performance.

Males shed their antlers in the winter months, while females cast theirs in summer, the knowledgeable Diego shares. He is one of a few rangers here at Grouse Mountain, a 4,100ft tall peak that towers over the city of Vancouver, on Canada’s western coast in British Columbia.

This magnificent landmark will be celebrating its 100th birthday next year, and for those already planning their 2026 wintry getaway, few places offer more Christmas cheer, aside from Santa’s home in the North Pole.

A small “skating pond” sits just beyond the reindeer shelter, where kids can twirl on ice in front of snow-topped fir trees listening to festive music echo between the trunks.

ON THE UP

‘Queen of the English Riviera’ set for multi-million pound revamp

TAKE OFF

Heathrow Airport reveals new £1.3billion upgrade plans with fewer delayed flights

Elsewhere on the peak, you can trudge through fresh white powder on a snowshoe experience, weaving through the frosty woodland which, at this time of year, is dripping in twinkling lights.

These lights are almost as magical as the ones glimmering up from the city of Vancouver at night.

Birds-eye views of the city are spectacular from the cliffside restaurant, The Observatory, and you can soak them up while you dive into fondue — a bubbling pot of rich, gooey cheese served alongside thick slices of charcuterie, pickles and hunks of bread for dipping.

Of course, there’s skiing and snowboarding, too. In fact, visitors will have their pick of three mountains for snowsports when staying in Vancouver, which is partly what makes this region one of the best in the world for night skiing.

You can hit the slopes in a mere 25 minutes from the city centre, including the cable car journey. And Vancouver’s breathtaking nature doesn’t end with its mountains. At the foot of the snow-capped cliffs lies a huge harbour, filled with ships, fishing boats and humming seaplanes — and plenty of wildlife, too.

Winter isn’t the season for spotting whales, but you’re still in with a chance of catching something emerging from the waters, especially if you decide to take a stroll around the seawall of Stanley Park.

This is Vancouver’s answer to Central Park in New York, except it’s roughly 20 per cent larger, boasting 1,000 acres of lush green space bang in the centre of a skyscraper city.

A pal had spotted seals here only a few days earlier, but during my morning run, I only spied black squirrels (cool, nonetheless) and a seagull cracking into a crab that it had plucked from the water for breakfast.

Messy but fun

That sight hammered home just how fresh the grub here really is.

With a huge body of water on its doorstep, wild salmon is, unsurprisingly, very popular in Vancouver. It’s also a staple in the diets of the indigenous communities around these parts. Sushi is big, too. In fact, it turns out Vancouver is where the California roll was invented, supposedly by Japanese-Canadian chef Hidekazu Tojo, although there is some debate over this.

One of the best places in the city to sample this is Miku Waterfront, near the cruise port. This restaurant has rightly earned a place in the Michelin guide for its extremely high-quality dishes at prices that won’t break the bank.

I polished off clean plates of oshizushi, a sushi block made from layered rice and slabs of fresh tuna or mackerel, dolloped with a smattering of saffron as well as perfectly-crafted nigiri, which I was instructed not to dip in soy sauce as the seasoning had already been meticulously balanced.

Right they were.

An extremely filling lunchtime Shokai consisting of ten pieces of traditional sushi, rolls and nigiri with appetisers and miso soup, will set you back just under £25, in a swish setting.

Asian influences can be seen throughout a large number of restaurants in Vancouver due to a wave of Cantonese and South Asian communities immigrating to the city over recent years. Anh And Chi at the northern end of Main Street serves immaculately executed Vietnamese classics, including DIY rice paper rolls that you construct at the table. Messy but fun.

During the festive period, however, you can’t go wrong with a slap-up Christmassy meal within a sparkling globe-style dome at H Tasting Lounge.

Order the 24-hour braised beef shank, which is lit on fire tableside, the smoky smell of rosemary and meat engulfing the dome.

Cold plunge pools

If you simply can’t decide what tickles your fancy, book on to a food tour with foodietours.ca around the public markets of Granville Island.

This industrial area has become a hub for arts and food, and more than 50 independent vendors flog their homemade delights to not just tourists and locals, but A-list celebs, too.

Pop star Harry Styles once bought Hobbs Pickles’ entire stock of sweet pickles in one day. I had to resist doing the same after sampling their dill flavour.

Vancouver-born actor Seth Rogen, on the other hand, regularly makes a beeline for Lee’s Donuts, which sells the classic ring-shaped bake in all manner of flavours, from cinnamon to honey-dip.

For more snacking with a festive twist, there are two Christmas markets in the city. The main Vancouver Christmas Market (entry from £3.80), offers a more commercial atmosphere with wooden stalls selling all the classics.

Meanwhile, the Shipyards markets on the North Shore are a little more crafty and free to visit, serving quirkier titbits like pickled spruce tree tips.

They taste like capers, if you’re wondering.

I was also grateful for the city’s emphasis on wellness after gorging one too many poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes).

Spas have become a large part of the culture here and the two-hour thermal circuit at Circle Wellness will ensure every ounce of stress is extracted from your body through specially designed hot pebble floors, Himalayan salt chambers and cold plunge pools.

From my private shipping container, I watched the steam billow from my cedar tub, clashing with the air’s chill.

Some things are just made for winter. And Vancouver is one of them.

Sam Teesdale jetted off to Malta for a winter break, staying at the AX Odycy hotel. He went to check out the island’s reputation at great for catching the winter rays

The small island country of Malta, found between Italy and North Africa, has long been regarded as one of the best places to get away for some winter sun.

With affordable flights, a flight time of around three hours, and close ties to Britain, it’s no wonder that it’s ranked number one on easyJet’s top winter getaways for 2025. But, there are, of course, wins and trade-offs with winter holidays.

Yes, the crowds on a winter getaway are a fraction of what they are in the high-season, but then again, so are the temperatures. It’s a mixed bag. Which is why I set off to stay at the all-inclusive AX Odycy hotel, to see whether a winter getaway was worth the hassle and cash.

The weather

With December looming on the horizon, the weather was understandably up and down. There were rainbows, downpours, thunderstorms, sea winds of 50mph and also, some moments of glorious sunshine.

So, while it was most definitely a climatological smorgasbord, Malta was undoubtedly warmer than Blighty. As is always the case with holidays, the final day, which was spent in the airport, saw completely clear skies and a lovely temperature of 20 degrees. Such is life.

Sunbathing

Sunbathing is indeed possible in the late November Malta sun, weather permitting, but whether you’ll see the all-important tan lines appear is a different question. Temperatures reached a cool high of 17 degrees, but, coupled with some fairly relentless winds and sporadic rain bursts, it made for some of the less balmy sun-worshipping experiences I’ve had in my life.

However, it is most definitely warmer and more enjoyable than braving the UK’s measly end-of-November highs of five degrees. So, yes, sunbathing is possible. You will just have to wrap up warm.

Swimming in (unheated) hotel pools

For this, I will have to assign a 1/10 on the enjoyment scale. Although the AX Odycy was blessed to have a lovely heated indoor pool, this was not the case for the numerous rooftop pools. It’s humbling when the brut served at breakfast is warmer than the outdoor pool water. I naively thought that as a hardy Lincolnshire-native, I could firm a quick dip in 15-degree water. So I put my nervous system’s cold shock response to good use, and after some undignified guttural breathing, I decided that swimming was not on the agenda in winter.

Hot tubs

The hot tubs at AX were brilliant, with no notes to report. After a while, it does essentially feel like you’re sitting in a big bowl of human soup, but still, anything is a blessing after the Arctic plunge of the non-heated pools. Opportunities were scarce to have the jacuzzi to yourself, with fellow Brits understandably hogging the coveted warmth of the hot tubs.

Sitting at the ‘beach’

‘Beach’ may be a bit of a misnomer as the beaches near the hotel consisted mainly of jagged limestone. The water was not much warmer than the rooftop pools, so yes, while you can sit at the beach, it most certainly won’t live up to the Euro-summer images you probably had in mind.

Visiting tourist sites

Now, this is an often-overlooked but important factor in winter getaways. I had the distinct sense both in the hotel and out and about that the crowds were a fraction of the size normally seen in high season. My visit to Disney film-set-turned-living-museum, Popeye Village was a similar experience, and I was able to roam unabated by the throngs of tourists one normally encounters on a typical high-season holiday.

Dining

Dining both in and outside of the resort was notably different from a summer holiday. Although I had never visited before, AX Odycy had a quieter atmosphere and dining was similarly subdued.

The hotel was not empty by any stretch, and it still enjoyed a good number of guests, but there were no notable instances of queues and lots of room and time to dine leisurely without the constant barging and overstimulation normally expected at an all-inclusive.

Prices

Finally, the prices. As it was low season and during term time, the prices were incredibly good value. Popeye Village cost just £13 to spend all day there, with minigolf and popcorn included, while AX Odycy’s stunning Junior Suite, complete with private wraparound balcony, came in at £750 per person.

The holiday offered great bang for my buck, so it’s no wonder Malta has become such a popular destination for Brits looking to warm their cockles over the winter months.

Book it

Lastminute.com offers convenient, great-value package deals. Its January Sale starts at the end of December. A six-night stay for two adults in the 4* AX ODYCY in Qawra, Malta from 12 to 18 January costs from £199 per person, with flights from Manchester included.