I live in the U.K.; I have to take a week off work during each
February. By this time of the winter I am in need of some sun!
Can you suggest a holiday (vacation) destination for a mature couple
within a maximum 8 hours flying time of London, with the priorities
being 1)sun 2)warmth (say 16-20 degC) 3) dry  ?

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 16 May 2004 14:56 PDT

millimole...

I was going to recommend Valencia, Costa Blanca, Spain,
based on this quote from the Holiday Rentals site:

"Region & Climate The Costa Blanca ('White Coast') is
 situated between the two other well known areas of
 Costa Brava to the north and Costa del Sol to the south.
 This coast, protected by the mountains to the west and
 with the warm Mediterranean Sea on its eastern shores
 has an excellent winter climate. According to the
 World Health Organisation this is the healthiest area
 to live in! Average daytime temperatures vary from
 17C in February & December to 32C in August and
 September".
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/index.cfm/property/6413.cfm

But further research into the area's humidity makes me
think it will not be dry enough for you. Being by the
sea, it can get as humid as parts of the UK, with the
average being about 75% humidity through most of February,
though it dropped off to about 55% or less in the last
week of February, 2004, per www.wunderground.com

According to www.e-flightshop.com you could get a 
round-trip flight for 2 for as little as 185.49 GBP,
or as much as 457.60 GBP, for a flight leaving London
on 2/21/05 and returning 2/27/05.

Let me know what you think.

sublime1-ga

Dear Millimole, 

In my opinion, taking a holiday in February is the sensible thing to
do, since you're a bit off-season (and therefore the prices are not as
expensive as in Christmas/New Year's era), but in a time where you
*really* in a need of a bit of sun.

So, what are the ideal resorts, weather and humidity considered? 

Humidity is high in coastal areas such as the Spanish coast or islands
like Mallorca and Cyprus this time of the year. However, there other
coat resorts that are less affected by humidity. The warmth is in fact
very comfortable, especially for people with asthma, because of these
favourable conditions, in Dead Sea and Red Sea resorts.

The Dead Sea is also known as a spa area, with many people coming to
beautify their skin, relax and enjoy a healthy environment. It is
divided between Israel and Jordan, and there are resorts in both
sides, with the Israeli side more developed:

Dead Sea - Official Site (IL)
<http://www.deadsea.co.il/> 

Moevenpick Dead Sea (Jordan)
<http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/hotels/hotels/HKDDSHH/> 

Sheraton Dead Sea (IL) 
<http://www.starwood.com/sheraton/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1228> 

The Red Sea is in the same area, and has also lots of resorts, in
Eilat, in Sharem A-Sheikh, in Hurghada, in Aqaba. It is ideal if
you're into scuba diving, but even without it, it enjoys sea-side
resorts with minimal humidity, especially in Eilat:

Red Sea (Egypt)
<http://www.red-sea.com/> 

Tour Egypt
<http://www.touregypt.net/redsea.htm> 

Sinai For You 
<http://www.sinai4you.com/> 

Go Red Sea
<http://www.goredsea.com/> 

Eilat guide
<http://www.inisrael.com/tour/eilat/> 

Eilat/Sinai, in my opinion, is your best choice. 

Further in that direction, try Oman (if you like the more naive, wild
and less developed places) or the United Arab Emirates. Unlike Eilat
or Sinai, it is not recommended to sun-bath topless, but these
destinations are also warm, dry and within 6 hours from London:

Oman: tourism info
<http://www.oman.org/tourism.htm>

Oman tourism, Oman travel, 
<http://www.destinationoman.com/> 

Dubai 
<http://www.dubaitourism.co.ae/> 

Other recommendations are more conservative. My suggestions thus far
have been for dry, warm and fun places. However, you might want to
consider more traditional destinations, namely in Spain and Greece. As
I mentioned before, I wouldn't recommend it because of humidity (and
because there is a chance, especially in Greece, that you'll have a
rainy holiday...). If you still want the Mediterranean, try Morocco or
Tunisia (although a friend of mine was recently in Tunisia and
complained that they speak French only, no English):

Tourism in Morocco
<http://www.tourism-in-morocco.com/index.php?newlang=english> 

I hope this answered your question. Please contact me if you need any
further clarifications on this answer before you rate it.

Search strategy: ?only * hours from London?; personal experience (lots
of it); weather sites for humidity.

That's exactly what I needed to know - I hadn't considered humidity as
being a factor - of course it is.
You've given me plenty of options and lots of food for thought - roll on next year!