Paradise

The Spanish island of La Graciosa has no roads or cars, boasts the largest marine reserve in Europe, and is perfect for hiking. Best of all, it’s basking in balmy 22C temperatures this week

If you’re looking for a holiday destination that will let you escape the winter chill, traffic noise and festive stress, then Spanish island La Graciosa, is your ideal getaway. With no cars, Europe’s largest marine reserve, and perfect hiking conditions, it’s a paradise.

Even as we brace ourselves against frosty mornings, La Graciosa enjoys a balmy 22C this week, with its coldest days rarely falling below 16C. Rain is also a rarity, making any time of year perfect for a visit.

One of the unique features of La Graciosa is its lack of traffic, owing to the absence of paved roads. In fact, it’s the only European island without a road, making it the most untouched of all the Canary Islands.

With just a few hundred permanent residents and no mass tourism, the locals travel by bicycle along sandy paths.

From atop the Risco de Famara, La Graciosa appears like a golden mirage amidst the Atlantic: a strip of golden sand, silent and luminous. Its sandy paths and tranquil atmosphere make it the most secluded and serene of the Canary Islands.

In line with its minimalistic approach to tourism, the island offers a small but well-maintained range of accommodation options. These are mainly located in Caleta de Sebo, where guesthouses, apartments and a fully-equipped camping area can be found.

With the limited availability of holiday accommodation, it’s recommended to book well ahead, particularly for summer, Easter, Christmas or during July’s Carmen festivities when the island is buzzing with an unusual festive spirit.

La Graciosa is conveniently located near Europe’s largest marine reserve. Excursions from La Graciosa take you to the islets of the Chinijo Archipelago Marine Reserve, a 70,700-hectare natural sanctuary.

Here, the crystal-clear waters offer a glimpse of the seabed and remote beaches where you can escape from reality. The Marine Reserve is a biological treasure chest, home to a variety of seabirds nesting in its cliffs.

On the nearby islets, a small population of monk seals, largely hunted to extinction elsewhere in the world, still clings on.

Roque del Este houses the Integral Reserve, an area accessible only to scientists where nature continues undisturbed by human interference.

To reach the stunning island of La Graciosa, Brits will need to fly to Lanzarote first, with flights from London as cheap as £39 in December. From there, a 45-minute taxi ride will take you to the port of Orzola, where a short 25-minute ferry ride will transport you to this secluded paradise.

LOCATED in the Baltic Sea is a crowd-free island with outdoor music festivals and ancient forests – and we bet you’ve never heard of it.

Hiiumaa in Estonia is an island home to several historic lighthouses and sprawling beaches.

It is Estonia’s second largest island, yet is home to less than 10,000 people.

But this led to the island, along with other West Estonia islands, joining the UNESCO biosphere programme area dubbed ‘Man and Biosphere, which means that the locals have lived sustainably alongside nature for hundreds of years.

And most of the time, the island is completely in the dark unless the moon and stars are glowing – as a result it also has no noise or light pollution.

Many people who travel to the island love it for its peace, including soothing sauna and walks in the forest.

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Naturally, being an island, the destination also has “endless beaches” according to Hiiumaa.ee, such as Tõrvanina, Luidja and Ristna.

Ristna, in particular, is loved by surfers thanks to having the biggest waves in the Baltic Sea.

This spot is also where you will find on of the island’s historic lighthouses.

Ristna Lighthouse’s tower was completed in France at the workshop of Gustave Eiffel – the same person responsible for the Eiffel Tower.

Then it was brought across to Hiiumaa in pieces and then assembled to watch over the sea and ships in the region.

The lighthouse is still operational today, but is open to visitors during the summer.

Nearby is also Kõpu lighthouse, which is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world.

Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse and see across the coastline.

If you happen to visit the island during the summer months, you can also explore The Lavender Farm, which is the northmost lavender farm in the world.

And rather unusually, it is located on the edge of a meteorite crater.

Visitors heading to the farm can see 20,000 lavender plants and the products produced using them, such as lavender jam, lavender spice and lavender micellar water.

For a longer walk in nature, then visitors can head to the ancient Kõpu Nature Reserve, which is located on the oldest part of the island.

The area has many rare plants and bird species.

The island also hosts a number of festivals throughout the year including the Ice Fish Festival in February which involves a number of winter-related activities on the ice and summer music festivals of jazz, folk and club music.

When it comes to food options, local dishes often include fish or lamb.

One top spot is IIUmeekk, which is located inside a quaint redhouse and overlooks a harbour.

Inside, dish options include sea trout with edamame beans, parsley and salted egg yolk or slow cooked porky belly, with tomato kimchi and polenta.

Make sure to check out their desserts as well, such as gingerbread tiramisu.

As for somewhere to stay, there are hotels scattered across the entire island.

For example, for £75 per night you could head to Kassari Holiday Resort which features bubble baths on the hotel’s roof terrace, access Kassari beach and family-friendly rooms.

Alternatively, you could head to Utoopia No. 9 for £70 a night.

The 19-room hotel is sat on Kirikulahe Bay and is inside a historic manor’s vodka kitchen.

The best way to get to Hiiumaa is by flying to the capital of Estonia – Tallinn.

Return flights from London in November cost from £37 and the flight takes under three hours.

From Tallinn you can either hop on another flight to Kärdla Airport, which takes 30 minutes.

Then you can jump on the ferry to Hiiumaa, which takes less than an hour.

Alternatively, you can hop on a coach from Tallinn, which takes just under four hours before catching the ferry.

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Also in Estonia is a seaside city nicknamed the ‘summer capital’ by locals – with huge sandy beach and the sea hits 33C.

Plus, there is a tiny island in Estonia with white sandy beaches that’s the most child-friendly holiday destination in the world.

WE might be heading into winter, but looking ahead to a summer getaway for 2026 doesn’t hurt.

One airline in particular is doing exactly that and has announced that it plans to add more flights from the UK to one very popular Turkish resort.

Corendon Airlines has announced that it plans to extend lots of its summer services next year.

One of these routes from the UK heads to the Turkish resort of Antalya which is known for its family-friendly hotels and waterparks.

During the next summer season there will be daily flights to Antalya from Stansted Airport.

Matthew Carpenter, Corendon Airlines UK Country Manager said: “For 2026 we’re doubling down on the routes that have performed well for us – for example, we’ve had two flights a week to Antalya from Stansted and this will be increasing to five flights a week in the shoulder seasons and daily flights in peak season.”

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There will also be multiple weekly flights from Gatwick, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle.

Antalya sits on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and has been nicknamed as ‘paradise on Earth‘ thanks to its beautiful beaches, mountain scenery and great weather.

In the summer months, Antalya has average highs of 33C – and it still has daily highs of 23C in November this week.

Thanks to this, Antalya is incredibly popular with Brits, around 1.5 million British tourists visited Antalya between January and October 2024.

To make it even better, the average flight time from the UK is around four and a half hours.

There are plenty of great beaches around the coast like Lara Beach, known for its fine sand and luxury resorts.

Other popular beaches include Konyaaltı Beach, which has a long pebble and sand coastline.

Patara Beach is one of Turkey‘s longest beaches, and there’s also Kaputaş Beach which is small cove between the towns of Kaş and Kalkan.

Being such a family-friendly destination, there are plenty of huge hotels with on-site waterparks, kids clubs, activities, and beach access.

One writer visited the Regnum Carya Golf and Spa which has a full-size football pitch, a golf course, seven pools and a waterpark.

Stacey Solomon even stayed at the new sister hotel called Regnum The Crown this summer which has a Blue Flag beach and unique ice fountain.

This summer, another writer took a visit to the Titanic Deluxe Lara in Antalya, the hotel’s design was inspired by the fateful Titanic ship.

And another destination that airline hopes to expand to is Heraklion, the capital of Crete.

Corendon will increase its Heraklion capacity by 20 per cent as the popularity of the city grows for Brits.

The island is known for its beautiful beaches, as well as nightlife, historical sites like the Palace of Knossos.

If you fancy booking, Corendon Airlines has also extended its reservation system to be able to make bookings 700 days ahead of the trip.

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Turkey’s ‘best kept secret’ is a quiet seaside village that’s right by Antalya…

Just 90 minutes away from Antalya is the seaside village of Cirali.

It’s found on a quiet sea valley, surrounded by mountains, crystal-clear waters and sandy beaches.

The village was called “one of Turkey‘s best-kept secrets” in an article in the Sunday Telegraph.

Despite not being far from Kemer and Antalya, only a few Brits seem to holiday in Cirali.

Because of its protected status as a nesting site for loggerhead turtles, the seaside village doesn’t have huge all-inclusive resorts or large hotel chains.

The beach, which is a mixture of shingle and sand, is its main attraction. While metal cages mark the turtle nests, there is still plenty of space for holidaymakers.

Other facilities at the beach include several restaurants that serve a range of grilled fish and rustic stews.

Away from the beach, other activities include yoga classes, cycling routes and walking routes.

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Plus, check out the luxurious new 5* all-suite hotel is jewel of Turkey’s Turquoise coast, with stunning sky pool, 22 restaurants & 30 bars.

Writing on Reddit, one poster lifted the lid on a tropical island they found while travelling. The photographs showed beautiful sandy beaches lined with palm trees, with crystal-clear seas, and barely another soul in sight

Sometimes the only solution to the stresses of everyday life is to jet off to a tropical island. But finding the perfect unspoiled paradise can be a trick, with ever-increasing tourism levels meaning many places can be overcrowded, or have lost some of their local charm.

Writing on Reddit, one poster lifted the lid on a tiny hidden island they had discovered while travelling in South Asia. The photographs showed beautiful sandy beaches lined with palm trees, with crystal-clear seas, and barely another soul in sight.

The Reddit user wrote: “My girlfriend and I were in the area (Sri Lanka) and decided to extend our trip with a new country, so flew to Malé and took a local ferry to an island two atolls away.” They continued: “(We) arrived in a little unspoilt paradise called Dhigurah, which only opened up to non-Muslim foreigners recently (at the time, 2023).”

Dhigurah is an island in the Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, a series of 49 islands in the Maldives. It is 3km long, making it one of the longest islands in the Maldives, and at points just 250 metres wide, according to maldives-magazine.com.

The waters surrounding the island are teeming with docile whale sharks, the website says, as well as stingrays and other marine wildlife. Whale sharks only eat plankton and tiny fish, and pose no danger to humans.

Continuing, the Reddit user said: “We spent our time snorkelling (the water, especially the closer to the shore, is literally teeming with sea life), swimming with whale sharks and stingrays and drinking freshly cut coconut juice on the beach.

“Seems like the local population were clearing the rainforest (which covered 90 per cent of the island at the time of our visit, 2023) at an alarming rate to make room for new hotels, some of which apparently already have appeared on Booking.com.”

Reddit users were amazed by the pictures. One wrote: “Man I wish I could be there now. Looks amazing.”

Another said: “Oh man I’m heading to Sri Lanka in about a month and was considering hopping over. I even booked a ‘just in case hotel on this exact island but cancelled and thought I shouldn’t rush Sri Lanka. Now I’m second guessing!!”

The original poster replied: “It’s indeed best to not rush Sri Lanka, it deserves your full time and attention!

“We were in Sri Lanka for 23 days and five days in the Maldives, so only three full days on this particular island, since the transport to/from the capital city and its only international airport took almost a full day on the local ferry – if you still decide to go opt for the speedboat option!

“The local ferry involves a transfer or two at other local islands and is bound to make you seasick, and takes three times as long as the speedboat.”

The island also has rave reviews on Booking.com, with one visitor writing: “The most beautiful sea I have ever seen in my entire life.”

However, asked if they would return, the Reddit user wrote: “The locals are clearing the islands’ palm tree forest at an alarming rate, already at the time of our visit (see picture 13 for a glimpse into that). So maybe it’s best to not spoil our fond memories of Dhigurah by being confronted with a vastly changed island.”

Return to Paradise star Anna Samson has spoken out about the future of the BBC series

Return To Paradise star Anna Samson has opened up about the triumph of the Death in Paradise spin-off series as it makes its comeback for a second series, confessing there was no certainty the storyline would continue.

The Home and Away actress broke new ground as the franchise’s inaugural female lead when she stepped into the shoes of DI Mackenzie Clarke.

The debut series, which broadcast last year, followed her character’s homecoming to Australia after establishing her reputation within London’s Met Police.

Whilst she briefly rejoined Dolphin Cove’s local constabulary to assist with a murder investigation, accusations of tampering with evidence prevented her planned return to London, compelling her to face her Australian past for an indefinite period.

Adding complexity to her position, her ex-fiancé Glenn (Tai Hara), whom she previously abandoned at the altar, ultimately confesses he still harbours romantic feelings towards her.

Return to Paradise has now progressed with a second series, placing Mack in charge of unravelling another collection of puzzling killings, reports the Express.

Speaking about how it felt to return to the world of Dolphin Cove, she shared: “We were so thrilled to get a second series, which is never a guarantee, even if your show’s a huge success.

“We adore each other: the cast, crew, everyone in the office, and the producers. It’s a workplace full of love, support, kindness, and fun. Getting the chance to go back and do it all again, there aren’t many better opportunities in the world than that.”

Teasing the new episodes, she added: “You can expect murders, and for Mackenzie and her team to solve them! We’re expanding the emotional world of all the characters in series two. Who they are and why they are the way they are.

“Colin and Mackenzie’s friendship becomes ridiculously joyful. They act like best friends while having no idea that they feel that way, which is really fun to play.

“That love triangle between Glenn, Mackenzie and Daisy also gets even more complicated, giving us a peek into her vulnerable side. We really challenge the emotional wall she puts up in this series.”

Admitting she was “overwhelmed with heartfelt positivity” from the response to the first series, Anna continued: “The show comes with an incredibly loyal and enthusiastic fanbase already, as it is part of a franchise.

“We felt a responsibility to do justice to the show and to honour the audience. The biggest surprise for me, and maybe it shouldn’t have even been that surprising, but how many of the fans are young women – I was so moved by that.

“Seeing the impact of a character like Mackenzie, who isn’t always smiling or worried about being liked, yet remains at the centre of the story, is what made putting on the waistcoat every day feel so valuable.”

The storyline for the second series of Return to Paradise hints: “Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke finds herself trapped in her hometown of Dolphin Cove to solve more perplexing cases, while grappling with the end-of-series-one bombshell that her ex-fiance, Glenn, still has feelings for her.

“The team contends with even more perplexing cases in this series, including the chemical poisoning of a man alone at sea, alongside having to deal with larger-than-life characters like a troublesome rock band who fall under suspicion when one of their members turns up dead.

“Beyond her detective duties, Mackenzie is forced to face Glenn’s shocking confession that he still has feelings for her, despite his impending wedding to Daisy, complicating her own feelings toward him even further.

“Meanwhile, the unexpected arrival of Colin’s old friends from back home starts to crack the mystery behind his decision to leave everything behind and build a new life in the tight-knit community of Dolphin Cove.”

Return to Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.