Prices and temperatures are for April and May

Tunisia 22C-24C

1 Chill out near Carthage
Five minutes’ drive from Carthage and half an hour from Tunis, the 13th-century village of Sidi Bou Saïd is home to Dar Saïd, a restored hilltop mansion with pool, Turkish bath and a garden terrace. There are 24 rooms with air-con and satellite TV. Four nights’ B&B after April 14, with flights from Heathrow or Gatwick and transfers, starts at £760pp.
Details 020-8994 1011, aspectsoftunisia.co.uk

Morocco 23C-24C

2 More-ish Marrakesh
Kasbah Tamadot is Sir Richard Branson’s stunning property in Asni, a small village about an hour from Marrakesh. The hotel has 24 rooms, including six tented Berber suites. There are indoor and outdoor pools, a hammam and a restaurant terrace with views of the Atlas Mountains. Three nights in April starts at £776pp, including breakfast, evening meals and transfers.
Details 0800 716919, www.virginlimited edition.com

3 Beach and surf
The relaxed hangout of Sidi Kaouki is 40 minutes from Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast. Its vast beach and strong winds make it popular with surfers. Stay at Rebali Riads, new riads that are 100m from the ocean, and have tennis courts, a hammam and swimming. Go before the end of the month and you’ll get a special B&B rate of £30pp with Fleewinter. Return transfers from Marrakesh cost £80pp.
Details 020-7112 0019, fleewinter.co.uk

4 Back to nature
The Ksar Massa is a hotel with just ten rooms on the edge of the Souss-Massa National Park and overlooks sandy beaches. It’s warm enough to stay outside, if you prefer, in one of its Beduin-style tents. A week’s half board costs £750pp, including flights to Agadir and transfers.
Details 0845 0264585, realmorocco.com

5 Rosy view
Head 25km southwest of Marrakesh and you’ll find a former farm with rose-pink adobe walls that is now a chic 15-room boutique hotel. Les Terres M’Barka has large suites, a pool, restaurant, bar, library, hammam and organic food shop plus views of the Atlas Mountains. Five nights’ B&B costs from £852pp, including flights from London and transfers.
Details 020-7401 1045, cvtravel.co.uk

Egypt 28C-35C

6 Tranquillity in Luxor
Warm up at the stylish Al Moudira Hotel, a boutique hotel on the West Bank of the Nile. Tranquil courtyards, fountains, palm trees and a pool mean you can escape the frenzy of Luxor (which is half an hour away). Seven nights’ B&B in April starts at £1,285pp, including return flights from Gatwick and transfers.
Details 0845 3651020, anatoliansky.co.uk

7 Nile on the quiet
Experience a Nile cruise with a difference on a riverboat trip that explores the river’s lesser-known southern reaches around Lake Nasser. See well-preserved antiquities that are off the beaten track. Leaving on March 29, the seven-night trip (four nights on the boat) costs £1,295pp, with flights and most meals.
Details 0844 4990901, explore.co.uk

Turkey 16C-24C

8 Great outdoors in Dalyan
For an active break for single travellers, head to Dalyan for trekking, a Jeep safari, canyoning and a “Turkish bath day”. Accommodation is in three-star hotels. Seven days’ B&B costs £629pp including flights, some meals and all activities.
Details 0800 6122202, adventura.com

9 Villa by the sea
The four-bedroom Villa Katmar is set on a hillside and has views of Kalkan, the Mediterranean and the Taurus Mountains. Kalkan, with its shops and restaurants, is a stroll away. A week costs £850 based on eight sharing between April 27 and May 11.
Details pureholidayhomes.com (ref 3216)

10 Tulip fever
See Istanbul’s tulips in bloom and stay at a self-catering restored Ottoman mansion, The Karamanyan, on Heybeliada, one of the Princes Islands that are 50 minutes from the city centre. Apartments cost from £650 a week and sleep up to six.
Details istanbulislands.com

Spain 20C-23C

11 Andalusian boutique
The sun’s out already in Andalusia, so head off to the Hacienda de San Rafael in the countryside, just 25 minutes from Seville. This is a pretty boutique hotel with 11 rooms, a courtyard and a pool. Four nights’ B&B costs from £923pp till the end of April, including return flights from London, car hire and dinner with wine.
Details 020-7593 2283, www.kirkerholidays.com

12 Majorcan mountains
The Monnaber Nou hotel offers hiking, horse-riding, tennis and a spa. In April stay for five nights from £764pp, including breakfast, four dinners, some activities and spa. Travel not included.
Details 0034 666 290307, spa-in-spain.com

13 Cottage in the hills
Sedes is a stone-clad country cottage with gated pool and fenced orchard garden in the foothills of the Campanet valley. Sleeps six, from £528 a week, self-catering.
Details 0845 8008080, mallorca.co.uk

14 Traditional Canaries
Explore volcanoes on the island of La Palma. Inntravel has self-catering properties converted from traditional buildings. A week’s stay costs £664 per couple, including car hire, but not flights.
Details 01653 617000, www.inntravel.co.uk

15 Walk in the sun
Enjoy three or seven-night short-break walks on Gran Canaria. You get self- catering accommodation and a hire car, then set out on self-guided walks. Three nights is £275pp, seven nights £535pp (excludes flights).
Details 01367 851111, uplandescapes.com

16 Budget break
Sunshine is guaranteed at Puerto de Mogán on the southwest coast of Gran Canaria. Leave on April 12 for seven nights at the three-star Hotel Puerto de Mogán. The cost is £652pp, half board, including flights.
Details 0844 4125970, thomascook.com

17 Málaga hideaway
Overlooking Málaga’s Old Town, the Parador de Málaga Gibralfaro has a pool, a terrace restaurant and balconies with harbour views. B&B from £52pp.
Details 020-7953 3020, keytel.co.uk

Croatia 18C-21C

18 Island solitude
The remote island of Vis is untouched by major hotel development. The Hotel San Giorgio in Vis has ten bedrooms and a week’s B&B costs £599pp, including flights from Gatwick and ferry transfers.
Details 0844 4779999, hiddencroatia.com

Portugal 22C

19 Algarve secret
The attractive town of Tavira is on the Algarve, 40km from Faro. Stay in the Pousada Convento da Graça, a 16th- century convent turned into a hotel. There’s a pool and a beach near by. A week in April is from £819pp, B&B, and includes flights and car hire.
Details 020-8758 4722, sunvil.co.uk

20 Hotel by the park
A new 38-bedroom hotel, the Martinhal, opens within the Costa Vicentina National Park on the western Algarve coast on April 12. Activities range from mountain biking to kite surfing. B&B doubles from £139 (based on three-night minimum stay).
Details 00351 282 620 026, martinhal.com

Greece, Cyprus 20C-23C

21 Mountain boutique
The Apokryfo is a new four-star hotel with 11 rooms created from a cluster of old stone houses on the edge of Lofou, a village near Mount Olympus on Cyprus. It has DVD players, wi-fi and king-size beds. Seven nights’ half-board costs from £1,117pp including flights from London.
Details 020-7401 1026, cvtravel.co.uk

22 Wind down in a windmill
Windmill Villa on Santorini is a two- bedroom property with its own windmill. It’s on a biological estate — a green option — has a private pool, and guests can enjoy organic fruit and vegetables from the land. Up to five can share for a week for £1,960, not including travel.
Details pureholidayhomes.com (ref 2322)

23 Run away to Rhodes
The six-bedoom Spirit of the Knights is an “eco-friendly boutique” at the highest part of the old town on a cobbled street, with a spa, library and outdoor whirlpool bath. Doubles from £135pp per night.
Details 0030 22 410 39765, rhodesluxuryhotel.com

24 Chill out in Cephalonia
The family-run, nine-room Cavos Inn (which doesn’t accept children under 16) overlooks the fishing village of Assos. Enjoy a break with lazy days and plenty of good food. Seven nights, including flights, transfers, car hire and B&B, starts at £389pp; depart April 24.
Details 020-8459 0777, ionianislandholidays.com

Malta 17C-18C

25 Get away in Gozo
A traditional stone house in the old village of Sannat on the tiny island of Gozo sleeps six, and has a sunny terrace with pool. It is 2km from a sandy beach and 500m from the ancient Ta’ Cenc cliffs. A week’s self catering is from £720.
Details 020-8780 6629, interhome.co.uk (ref MT2400.100.1)

Middle East 23C-37C

26 Café life in Israel
Tel Aviv has great beaches, cafés, restaurants, clubs and shopping. Black Tomato can organise a four-night weekend at the 12-room Montefiore hotel — its weekend brunch is a favourite with local bohos. £1,099pp, with flights and B&B.
Details: 020-7426 9888, blacktomato.co.uk

27 Books in Beirut
The Hay Festival (April 15-18, hay festival.com) is a literary event bringing together 39 young writers from across the Arab world. Stay for three nights at the Albergo hotel for £795pp, B&B, including flights.
Details 020-7978 7333, originaltravel.co.uk

Italy 17C-25C

28 South to Sicily
Casa Turchetti is a small guesthouse with six rooms in Taormina. A week’s stay costs from £965pp with breakfast and flights from Heathrow.
Details 01694 722193, long-travel.co.uk

29 Savour Sardinia
Stay in a small hotel, 50m from the beach, in Santa Maria Navarrese, on the east coast. It is has 12 refurbished rooms. Prices in April start at £399pp for a week, including breakfast, but not flights.
Details 01202 484858, justsardinia.co.uk

30 Peace in Puglia
Masseria due Torri is a 17th-century stone farmhouse with a pool, sun terraces and views of the sea. Double B&Bs cost from £80 a night; a self-catering apartment, sleeping four, is from £540 a week.
Details 01223 460100, essentialitaly.co.uk

All prices and average temperatures are for April and May

Compiled by Kate Quill, Will Hide, Jo Morris and Caroline Hendrie