A place under the sun
On Sunday the 30th of October, the clock goes backwards across most of Europe and the northern hemisphere. Then darkness descends and the cold settles in. The days get rapidly shorter and the grey cloudy weather makes the sun even more of a rarity.
There is not much to do outdoors, unless you are one for winter sports. All this can only sap your energy as you trudge along waiting impatiently for spring, with only Christmas to look forward to.
If you can’t wait until next spring for some sun, you will have to look beyond Europe for some sun. Otherwise, there is always the southern hemisphere to consider.
Under the tropics
In Mauritius, one of the best time to visit is when it’s winter in the northern hemisphere; you’ll have a beautiful summer weather waiting for you down here and with plenty of sun. The contrast couldn’t be better as you take the plane for a place under the sun in Mauritius for a few weeks, leaving icy Europe and all your troubles behind.
While December is a rather expensive month to travel as everyone wants to go away for Christmas and the price of plane tickets shoot up as demand goes up, you can still travel in November. January and February are particularly slow months for tourists as most people have overspent for Christmas and New Year! So you can find plenty of bargains and hotel discounts during that period.
Summer in Mauritius
What can you expect during summer in Mauritius? Expect to feel very hot and humid everywhere but a pleasantly warm sea water to cool down and have fun. There’ll be plenty of mosquitoes unfortunately during the summer months but you can fight back by wearing anti-mosquito cream or spray.
There is not much rain during summer but when it falls down, it is long and powerful, compared to the frequent drizzles of winter. There’ll also be several occasions during which cyclones will approach the island and once in a while even pass over it. You’ll have to interrupt your holiday activities and stay indoors during this time but it only adds to the experience of living on the island and seeing how the locals cope.
Once a year, in December, the Flamboyant trees turn crimson red as they are covered in flowers. Summer fruits such as letchis first and then mangoes are ripe for picking.
While it gets dark around 4 pm if not earlier in Europe during this time, summer sees the sun set after 7 pm in Mauritius and in winter, only 1 hour earlier, so not much of a difference all year round.
Of course, it’s sunny and warm all year round in Mauritius and in winter, it’s still warm on the coast at around 20 degrees or more during the day. You can find more about the seasons in Mauritius here. But why would you want to leave a Europe blooming in summer then?
A drab winter or an active summer holiday? The choice is yours.