10 Unexpected Sunny Destinations for Your Winter Escape

As the dark winter days drag on, the incessant cold has taken up permanent residence in our bones. Dreams of sunny destinations are swirling around our heads — clearly, it’s time to book that winter escape.

Whether it’s dashing off at a moment’s notice this season or hunting for Winter 2026 inspiration, these unexpected sunny destinations are just the ticket. Some of these unconventional winter escapes are close to Canada, while others are further afield, but all of them offer warm weather and a myriad of opportunities for exploration and relaxation.

*Note that flight times are calculated by distance and time spent in the air. They don’t account for flight connections or additional transport (e.g. taxi transfers) because those elements are always going to change!

Green Trees Near Body of Water Under Blue and Orange Sky during Golden Hour in Bermuda

Pexels/Brandon Morrison

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1. Bermuda

Flight times: 2.5 hours from Toronto; 7 hours from Vancouver
When to go: October–March
Average winter temperature: 24°C

Famous for its pink-sand beaches, pink shorts and legendary Bermuda Triangle, this mid-Atlantic archipelago is teeming with character. As a British Overseas Territory, the drivers stay left, the bright architecture is plentiful and the prices can be rather high (cost of living in Bermuda is on par with Switzerland).

Try: Rent yourself a Renault Twizy, an electric microcar (essentially a turbocharged golf cart) for getting about the islands with ease.

Aerial Photo of Buildings in Mexico City, Mexico

Pexels/Bhargava Marripati

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2. Mexico City, Mexico

Flight times: 4.5 hours from Toronto; 5.5 hours from Vancouver
When to go: Year-round
Average winter temperature: 22°C

Sitting at 2,240 metres above sea level, Mexico City sits in the basin of an ancient volcano that once cradled the island-capital of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlán. Later razed by Spanish conquistadors in 1521, this dynamic metropolis remains the cultural and political hub of the country.

Moving from high rises and highways to quiet village-like neighbourhoods and quaint colonial squares, Mexico City is full of contradictions. And museums… so many good museums (Museo Frida Kahlo, Museo Nacional de Antropología, and MUAC).

Try: Cruise through the flower-lined canals of Xochimilco, Mexico’s last remnants of the Aztecs’ ancient canal system, on a traditional flat-bottomed trajinera boat.

Beautiful Landscape During Golden Hour in San Juan del Sur, Rivas, Nicaragua as part of HOME Network's 10 Unexpected Sunny Destinations For Your Winter Escape

Pexels/Darren Lawrence

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3. San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Flight times: 5 hours from Toronto; 7.5 hours from Vancouver
When to go: November–May
Average winter temperature: 27°C

Located 140 kilometres south of the capital Managua, San Juan del Sur has long been a vacation hotspot for Nicaraguans. During Semana Santa (the Holy Week that precedes Easter), its beachside streets are flooded with visitors there to dance the warm nights away. Eat ceviche made with limes picked straight from the tree and fish caught the day of; drink ice-cold Toñas (a popular Nicaraguan beer); and dance to Punta (a beat-based music from the Caribbean-based Garífuna people).

Its proximity to relatively undisturbed, world-class surf breaks — we’re looking at you, Playa Maderas, Playa Yanke and Playa El Coco! — has also made San Juan del Sur a hit with the international surf/alt-lifestyle crowd.

Try: Order Flor de Caña — Nicaragua’s premium rum, founded in 1890 — and Coca-Cola table service for a true local experience.

Aerial View of the Pitons, Soufriere, and the Caribbean Sea near Saint Lucia

Pexels/Tharun Gowda

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4. St Lucia

Flight time: 5 hours from Toronto; 9 hours from Vancouver
When to go: December–April
Average winter temperature: 29°C

Running from stunning, golden-sand beaches and crystal-clear Caribbean waters to lush, palm-filled rainforests and dramatic slopes of the Piton Mountains, St Lucia is a stunner. The winter weather is low on humidity and rainfall, while high on sunshine and gentle breezes, making it an ideal island escape and a top sunny destination.

Try: Drive into a volcano — yes, seriously — and take a geothermal mud bath at Sulphur Springs St Lucia. Be warned, the smell is strong (sulphur!) but the experience is worth it.

Assorted Coloured Umbrellas Hanging Near Buildings in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Pexels/Reynaldo Brigantty

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5. San Juan, Puerto Rico

Flight time: 6.5 hours from Toronto; 8 hours from Vancouver
When to go: Year-round
Average winter temperature: 22°C

With its north and east coasts looking out to the Atlantic and its south and west ones facing the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has the best of both worlds. If endless surf is your style, stick close to the capital, San Juan, but if calm waters are more your speed, head south.

And don’t worry, Puerto Rico is small enough to do both, just make sure you give yourself enough time to soak in the beauty and culture of the capital. If hunger strikes while wandering the cobblestoned streets of Old San Juan, walk past the colourful colonial buildings toward the waterfront walkway, Paseo de la Princesa, to find food carts and live music.

Try: Experience the unique flora and fauna of the rainforest from the back of a horse on a trailride to the foothills of El Yunque National Forest.

Coast in Madeira, Portugal, as part of HOME Network's 10 Unexpected Sunny Destinations For Your Winter Escape

Pexels/Ad Thiry

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6. Madeira, Portugal

Flight time: 7.5 hours from Toronto; 10.5 hours from Vancouver
When to go: Year-round
Average winter temperature: 22°C

Made up of four subtropical volcanic islands sitting off the west coast of Morocco, Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal. The largest island, Madeira, is known as the “Island of Eternal Spring”, thanks to its unique biodiversity. In fact, Madeira’s Laurissilva Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the largest primary laurel forest on earth and close to 80 species of endemic plants.

Found uninhabited in 1419 by Portuguese explorers, Europeans began moving to its shores soon after, later becoming a popular holidaying destination for the well-heeled set.

Try: Head to Porto Moniz to take a dip in a series of natural swimming pools, carved out by the sea and ancient lava flows.

Gray Asphalt Road Towards Brown Mountain on Tenerife, Spain, as part of HOME Network's 10 Unexpected Sunny Destinations For Your Winter Escape

Pexels/Liam Anderson

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7. Canary Islands, Spain

Flight time: 8 hours from Toronto; 11.5 hours from Vancouver
When to go: Year-round
Average winter temperature: 22°C

If you were to board a boat and head due south for nearly 500 kilometres, you’d find yourself on the shores of the Canary Islands. This time, it was Spanish conquistadors in the 1400s who colonized it (and there were definitely people already living there!).

While the temperatures are similar to Madeira, the landscape could not be more different — the Canaries are arid, dry and dramatic. Think lava fields, desert beaches and otherworldly summit pine zones, where Canary Island juniper sprout from black volcanic soil 2,000 metres above sea level

Try: Stay at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the rim of the Taburiente National Park on La Palma and experience the stars like no other place on earth.

People Standing on Road Beside Market and High-rise Buildings in San Nicolas, CABA, Argentina

Pexels/Rafael Guimarães

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8. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Flight time: 11.5 hours from Toronto; 14.5 hours from Vancouver
When to go: Year-round
Average winter temperature: 22°C

The museums, the wine, the dancing: if you’re looking for a sunny city destination stuffed full of cultural interest, Buenos Aires is it. From the stunning French-inspired architecture of the Recoleta neighbourhood to the vibrant shops and clubs along the riverside in Puerto Madero, this sunny Argentinian city is worth the long travel time.

Try: Take in a show at the Teatro Colon, considered one of the world’s most beautiful theatres.

Ancient city in Bangkok Thailand, with a temple and large dragon sculpture in the water as part of HOME Network's 10 Unexpected Sunny Destinations For Your Winter Escape

Pexels/Kirandeep Singh

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9. Bangkok, Thailand

Flight time: 17.5 hours from Toronto; 15 hours from Vancouver
When to go: November–February
Average winter temperature: 27°C

For a completely different city experience, let’s head to Thailand and its capital city, Bangkok. The winter is the best time to visit this area of Asia, thanks to the slightly lower temperatures — sometimes too much of a good thing really is too much. Luckily, that’s not the case when it comes to the abundance of things to do in this massive, vibrant city that blends modern and historical elements so beautifully.

Tour ancient Buddhist temples, float along the city’s canal network and stroll through stunning statue-filled parks; fill up on pad Thai, som tum and mango sticky rice in between.

Try: Get a massage from a skilled student in a communal open-plan pavilion at the Wat Pho temple, the birthplace of Thai massage.

A stunning beach on Sumba island in Indonesia

Pexels/Maria Clariza Barba

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10. Sumba, Indonesia

Flight time: 19.5 hours from Toronto; 17 hours from Vancouver

When to go: November–April
Average winter temperature: 27°C

If Bali has always been on your sunny destinations wish list, then you need to meet her lesser-known sister island, Sumba. Perched on the western edge of the Savu Sea, just a few islands over from Bali, Sumba is twice the size with about one sixth of the population.

It is so undeveloped that you’re more likely to encounter wild horses on the beaches than other visitors. Traditional thatched-roof huts make up the island’s villages where locals hold to their Indigenous belief system of Marapu, worshipping the spirits of their ancestors.

Try: Buy stunning hand-spun Ikat fabrics, dyed with wild-harvested bark, turmeric and indigo leaves, from local artisans.