Best Holidays for 2011

Find out where's best to go to relax, indulge and explore every month of 2011.

Ski holidays - Best holidays for 2011
Ski holidays - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Find out where's best to go to relax, indulge and explore every month of 2011.

Love to ski? This is the best month to bag a late deal check out the latest snow conditions at skiclub.co.uk then try a spot of bargain-hunting at ifyouski.com, affordable-wintersports.co.uk and directski.com. Super-organised types can book now at crystalski.co.uk.

January

Ski holidays - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

If sunshine s a must, snap up a low-cost flight to Luxor (easyjet.com) then check into the enchanting Al Moudira hotel (moudira.com). For more options in Egypt see discoveregypt.co.uk

January

January

Ski holidays - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

If sunshine s a must, snap up a low-cost flight to Luxor (easyjet.com) then check into the enchanting Al Moudira hotel (moudira.com). For more options in Egypt see discoveregypt.co.uk

February

February

Finland - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Time for romance snuggle up in a log cabin in Finland (finnishlakesidecabins.com) or chase the Northern Lights on a husky sled (discover-the-world.co.uk). Northern Lights (£6.99, Bradt) is a new practical guide to this cosmic light show.

Sri Lanka (srilanka.travel) is becoming a must-visit tropical hotspot. Ampersand (ampersandtravel.com) offers tours mixing colonial hotels and blissful spas with palm-lined beaches, whale-watching and hikes through the tea plantations.

March

March

Andalucia - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Learn the secrets of Spanish cooking on a small group holiday to Andalucia (inntravel.co.uk) or for many more culinary courses, from Ireland to Mexico, log on to holidayonthemenu.com.

Grab some sun and salsa in Cuba. Travel City Direct (travelcitydirect.com) has good value packages staying at the monumental, historic Hotel Nacional (hotelnacionaldecuba.com) in Havana, including scheduled flights with Virgin.

April

April

Istanbul - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Istanbul is perfect for a glamorous break check into newly restored Pera Palace hotel (perapalace.com), built in 1892 for Orient-Express passengers.

Watch the world roll by on an epic USA train ride. Download free guides to romantic trips like the California Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco) and The Crescent (New York to New Orleans) at amtrak.com. For more advice see seat61.com

May

May

Bali - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

May is a good month to visit Bali, where a holiday restores both body and spirit. See i-escape.com for super-relaxed hotels to suit all budgets, such as the flower-filled Gajah Mina Beach Resort. For cheap flights, try southhalltravel.co.uk

Looking for something different? Indulge your treehouse fantasies at Sweden s chic, eco-friendly Treehotel (treehotel.se), where the designer rooms are suspended high in the forest. Get there on SAS s new direct flights from Heathrow to Lulea (flysas.com).

June

June

Greece - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Recharge your batteries in Greece. Freelance Holidays (freelance-holidays.co.uk) has a tempting choice of villas and apartments in Crete and Kefalonia.

For an unforgettable trip, you can t beat Kenya book a safari in the Masai Mara then chill on a beach by the Indian Ocean. Visit chelipeacock.com for fabulous lodges or, if money s tight, see africasky.co.uk

July

July

Provence, France - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Whizz down to the south of France on Eurostar s direct summer service from London to Avignon (eurostar.com). Find an idyllic château in Provence to fill with friends at thebigdomain.com

Up for an adventure? Drive through Ecuador s Avenue of Volcanoes. Sunvil (sunvil.co.uk) offers self-drive holidays that also stop at colonial cities, national parks, markets and the cloud forest.

August

August

Greenland - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Fly to Greenland to see the icebergs of Disko Bay in the midnight sun with Discover the World (discover-the-world.co.uk). Visit greenland.com

Bag a chic beach hut on Whitley Bay, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Sleeping up to four, they come with shower, kitchen, hi-fi and wi-fi (beachhutresorts.com).

September

September

Istria, Croatia - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Catch late summer sun in Croatia. Vintage Travel (vintagetravel.co.uk) specialises in poolside properties in the hills of Istria. Other useful sites include croatianaffair.com, hiddencroatia.co.uk and dubrovnikapartmentsource.com

Head Down Under to see the colourful wild flowers that carpet Western Australia. Roam as you please with the help of wildflowerswa.com and drivewa.com, or Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) has self-drive holidays starting in Perth.

October

October

Berlin - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Everyone s heading off to Berlin the best way to enjoy it is to rent an apartment with friends. See miniloft.com, urban-apartments.com and imalofts.com. For more options, see visitberlin.de.

For a rewarding desert encounter try Jordan (visitjordan.com). You can float in the Dead Sea, explore the mighty ruins of Petra, then dive the Red Sea. Book a tour with Bales (balesworldwide.com).

November

November

Classic country house - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Slip away to a classic country house hotel. Von Essen (vonessenhotels.com) has some of the best in the UK, invariably set in beautifully landscaped grounds with intimate restaurants and a spa.

Fancy spending your days visiting ruined temples followed by warm nights in exquisite boutique hotels? Cambodia s for you. Audley (audleytravel.com) arranges tailor-made packages flying via Bangkok.

December

December

Copenhagen - Best holidays for 2011
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Small and packed with treats, Copenhagen is an enchanting place to kick off your Christmas shopping. Find a hotel at dkhotellist.com and book top restaurants like Noma (noma.dk) well in advance. See visitcopenhagen.com

Or get away from it all in New Zealand. Rent a beach house (rentabach.co.nz); hire a camper van (escaperentals.co.nz); tour wineries (winesofnz.com) stop off in LA on the way home (airnz.co.uk).

The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.