Night-snorkelling, island-hopping and the turquoise Indian Ocean lapping onto ice-white shores… when it comes to the Maldives the travel clichés flow as freely as the cocktails.

Temperature: 30☌ high 27☌ low Season: dry Travel time from UK: from 10 hours Time difference: GMT +4

For more options, check our Madrid hotels roundup. If you're travelling with a group, this airy Airbnb apartment sleeps six and is within walking distance of Madrid's top attractions. If you're after a view, reserve a room at The Principal Madrid Hotel, where the rooftop terrace overlooks the angel-topped dome of the city’s famous Metrópolis building. Where to stay: Family-owned 7 Islas – half hotel, half gallery with polished-concrete floors and whitewashed walls. Just don't plan anything more than a siesta afterwards. There's great traditional tapas to be had, but leave time to try the city's newer breed of stylish gastrobars. Temperatures stay around 20✬ (far more gentle than the capital's sizzling summers), meaning you can explore its world-class galleries, belle-époque mansions and designer boutiques without breaking a sweat. Madrid's expansive parks burst into bloom and locals tumble out onto the streets to sip caipirinhas and dance till dawn. When the clocks go forward, as if by magic a wave of warmth sweeps the city and loosens up its reserved exterior. Temperature: 16☌ high 6☌ low Season: spring Travel time from UK: 2 hours 25 minutes Time difference: GMT +1īarcelona's big sister sheds her winter skin in March. If you prefer an Airbnb, check into Studio Grace, a self-contained apartment that's connected to a larger chalet, but with its own private outdoor terrace. Where to stay: Retro Americana RockyPop is a great affordable option with fun communal areas (think table football, table tennis, games consoles, live music) and an excellent in-house ski rental shop. You can still catch the last of the winter snow and accommodation is easier to find, whether you're after a romantic Airbnb for two or a cool new ski hotel for a post-piste party. By March the serious skiers have left to find cooler climes and the weather is warm enough for lunching al fresco. Set on a mountainside below Mont Blanc, the ski resort town of Chamonix has bags of storybook appeal: churches sparkle under a frosting of snow, the windows of picturesque chalets glow with firelight, and shimmering pine trees look as if they've been plucked straight off a Christmas card.

Temperature: 6☌ high 1☌ low Season: winter Travel time from UK: 1 hour 40 minutes Time difference: GMT +1

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