Make believe it’s still summer with these fantastic winter sun deals. Treat yourself to a final fix of sun, sea and sangria, then come home and face our gloomy winter with a tan. With the wallet still reeling from the festive period, we show you how to enjoy a cheeky winter getaway without breaking the bank.

We’ve broken our search down into hotels, flights and package holidays – so there’s something for everyone!

• Package deals
• Hotels
• Flights
• Money saving tips

We’ve also focused our search on serious sun – so you won’t find any breaks to Spain and Greece in here. Think more Egypt, Morocco and the Caribbean, where sunshine is never limited this time of year and you’re guaranteed an escape from dreary Britain.

Package deals

Package deals are a good idea if you want to kick back and have everything planned out for you. They can be pricier than booking your flights and hotel separately, but at the moment there are some great offers on the market. Here are our favourites:

Antigua

Escape to Antigua with Virgin Holidays and pay as little as £689 for a 7 night all-inclusive break. This is for departures leaving between 11th- 31st January, from Gatwick airport. This offer will only be available until 31st January so if you like the look of it you’d better get booking asap.

You’ll be staying at the gorgeous Halcyon Cove at Dickenson Bay. The hotel features a great Kid’s Club as well as great restaurants, buffets and shops on sit. Head down to the beach for a barbecue and steel band, or learn to scuba dive in the cystal clear waters.

To view this holiday simply click on this Virgin Holidays link, select Destinations from the top of the page, and then choose Antigua from the drop down menu.

Tunisia

Thomson has some great late deals on offer at the moment, including a cracking two week break to Tunisia for just £216pp. This is based on 2 people sharing, and the hotel features fantastic activities like kayaking, massages, saunas and two swimming pools.! The flight is from Gatwick on February 29th.

Egypt

Book through Lastminute.com and pay as little as £213 per person for a 3 night stay in the beautiful Eden Andalou spa and resort in Marrakech, with all inclusive return flights and bed and breakfast.This is based on 2 people sharing and you’ll depart from Gatwick or Manchester – choose your dates anytime between January and June.

Thailand

Jet off to sunny Thailand with this impressive deal from Virgin Holidays . Stay at the gorgeous Courtyard by Mariott Hua Hin for 9 nights from £615 per person. This offer is for departures between1st and 15rd May, with flights leaving from Heathrow airport.

Boasting restaraunts, bars, pools, a fitness centre and a Kids World entertainment centre this resort has everything you could need.

To view this holiday simply click on this Virgin Holidays link and then select Thailand from the Destinations tab located at the top of the page.

Hotels

If you’re a fan of building your own holiday there’s no doubt you’ll be on the lookout for some bargain hotel stays. Luckily, bargain doesn’t entail cheap, inadequate accommodation these days. There are some amazingly luxurious places on a shoe string to choose from if you look hard enough – or let us look for you.

Hotels.com

This is a fantastic website which just so happens to have a Winter Sale running right now. Save up to 40% on a massive range of hotels located in top winter sun destinations. Choose from hotels in Barbados, Thailand, Florida, Morocco and loads more stunning destinations.

eBookers

For a limited time only eBookers are offering you up to 50% off hotel stays around the globe. Take your pick from hotels in the US, Thailand, Dubai and lots more sunny hot-spots. This sale won’t be around forever so check it out today!

Expedia

A great website to check out if you’re not sure which hotel you want to stay in. Allows you to view a range of hotels close to the airport, city or attraction of your choice. Take a look at these beach holiday hotel deals now - we’ve just spotted a £20 a night stay in Lanzarote!

Lastminute.com

Lastminute.com always has fantastic deals on holidays, flights and hotels. The site is easy to navigate and packed to the brim with top deals and major  discounts. If you’re not sure where you want to travel to, check out Lastminute.com  for holiday inspiration.

Flights

The key to getting cheap flights is to book really early (for early bird deals) or really late (for last minute bargains). Anywhere in the middle and you’re likely to pay a whole lot more.

First stop for cheap flights is the Moneymagpie flight comparison tool. Simply type in where you are flying from and where you wish to fly to – with departing and returning dates – and the tool will find the cheapest flights for you.

The best way to bag yourself a bargain holiday is to compare, compare, compare! So once you’ve used the Moneymagpie flight comparison tool give these sites a go and see if they can beat your initial offer: Expedia, Liligo and Kayak.

Putting just an hour or two aside to compare what’s on the market could save you hundreds of pounds. If using a flight comparison tool has ever saved you a considerable amount of cash, let us know about it at the bottom of this article!

Airport parking

If you’re planning to park at the airport make the most of this 10% discount courtesy of APH. APH has over 60 car parks located in all the major airports, and with prices starting from just £2 a day they’re definitely worth checking out. Save up to 25% on usual airport parking fees PLUS your special 10% discount on top of that. Get a free quote from APH now.

Money saving tips

Even if you don’t manage to make a massive saving when you book your holiday, there are still ways you can save while you are actually on your holiday.

• Don’t book in-flight meals. Pack yourself a meal of sandwiches and food with disposable packaging in your hand luggage and you can save yourself around £15 per person.
• Weigh your luggage before you leave for the airport! The last thing you want to do is be struck with excess baggage fees or to end up leaving some of your luggage behind because you haven’t got any extra cash or refuse to pay!
• If you travel during unsociable hours you will get your flights cheaper. This may mean getting to the airport at 3am, but you will probably find that it is a lot quieter and therefore less stressful for you!
• If you’re going self catering and have the means to cook (an apartment or villa), take some food with you to avoid buying it out there. We’re not talking bread, cheese and meat. Think more cereal, pasta, rice and biscuits. You’ll need to be careful with the weight of it – but ask yourself – do you really need that extra pair of shoes?
• If you’re determined to sample some of the restaurants at your destination, try those that are not near the main tourist strip. This is where you will be charged double or even triple what your meal is really worth because it is where everyone goes. Go for the little local restaurants instead, where you will no doubt learn a lot more about the local area and people, and get a bargain meal.

For more holiday money-saving tips, click here.

Useful links

• Lastminute.com
• Expedia
• Hotels.com
• Virgin Holidays
• Thomson