After a dismal summer we're all craving some winter sun, but how can you bag the best deals? Get your timing and your destination right and you can notch up significant savings.

For many long-haul resorts the two weeks before Christmas is a brief low season: Families don't travel as schools haven't broken up yet. Similarly, prices dip in the first week in January, when everyone's back to school or work is a dead period.

Also take advantage of the change of seasons in Thailand and the Caribbean in November and early December, when the weather gets better, but prices lag behind. And if you want to make your pounds go further, consider destinations such as Sri Lanka and Kenya, which must work harder to attract tourists. Here are some of the best-value getaways from the gloom.

Dubai

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The Middle East is a shoo-in for guaranteed winter sun. The problem is that it is peak season for the region's hotels, so their nightly rates tend to be higher. But if you can travel pre-Christmas, there are deals available.

Normally, a Trailfinders five-night five-star package to Dubai staying at either the swish Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort or Grosvenor House would cost £799pp based on two sharing, including breakfast and flights with Swiss via Zurich from London for stays from December 10-24. The same package staying from November 10 to December 10 is £1,089, so it's a saving of £290pp.

Details: 0845 050 5871, www.trailfinders.com

Thailand

Holidays to Phuket offer value in November because although the wet season ends in October, hotels stick to their low season rates until December. Plus, Thailand was rated one of the world's top three cheapest places to stay by the Post Office earlier this year. At £28.58 for ten holiday commodities, including drinks and meals out, Thailand weighed in at well under half the average price of the shopping basket across the Eurozone.

Tropical Locations is offering a discount of £230 per person on a seven-night stay at the new SALA Phuket Resort and Spa on Maikhao Beach for travel until December 9. It costs £971pp, including flights from London Heathrow, transfers and accommodation in a deluxe balcony room.

Details: 0845 277 3310, www.tropical-locations.com

Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a family winter sun favourite for good reason. It's only a four-hour flight, it doesn't get too hot and living costs are reasonable. In mainland Spain almost everything is subject to a tax of 16.5 per cent, but in the Canaries the tax is only 4.5 per cent, making food, drink, fuel and so on all cheaper.

Vivid Canaries has villas with pools across the islands, including Lanzarote, Fuerta Ventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Villa Casita Bouganvilla in Costa Teguise on Lanzarote is a two-bed/two-bath villa with private pool right on the seafront and costs £406 during the Christmas holidays and February half-term. Flights are extra and can be arranged from about £130pp.

Details: 0871 8551 565, www.vividcanaries.co.uk

Sri Lanka

Continuing political unrest in the north of Sri Lanka hasn't done the island's tourist board any favours but the areas in the southwest where holidaymakers stay are unaffected and packages are often excellent value for money. Hotels are pleasant, informal and family friendly rather than luxurious, however.

Fleewinter is offering seven nights B&B at the three-star Serendip Hotel in Bentota for £762. The price includes flights and two and a half hour airport transfers.

Details: 020-7112 0019, www.fleewinter.co.uk

Caribbean

The hurricane season in the Caribbean finishes at the end of October, but hotels keep their prices low to entice guests before the high season starts in mid-December. As many properties use the low season to refurbish, you can enjoy balmy weather, avoid the crowds and see the resorts at their best.

A seven-night package to St Lucia staying at the three-star St Lucian by REX Resorts costs £649pp, including flights and transfers from London for departures from November 15 to December 9. The hotel has a beachfront location at Rodney Bay, probably the best beach on St Lucia.

Details: 0845 050 5871, www.trailfinders.com

Port Ghalib

Diving enthusiasts looking for a quieter alternative to Sharm El Sheik as a base for exploring Red Sea sites will pay £431 for a week at the four-star Sahara Sun Sands Hotel in Port Ghalib with Thomas Cook if they depart on January 5. The new marina of Port Ghalib, near the airport in the remote resort of Marsa Alam, will eventually be one of the largest in the Middle East. Phase one of the development is complete and there's now a choice of bars, shops and restaurants along the corniche.

Details: 0844 412 5970, www.thomascook.com

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