When did you last fly long-haul for a spot of winter sun? You’ll probably remember because it isn’t easy to forget 12 hours with your knees up to your chin (that is unless you could afford a £2,000 business-class ticket).

There is a shortage of winter sun resorts that can be reached from the UK in less than six hours — and most people are reluctant to spend more time in the air, especially when travelling for only a week or less. We would all love the white sands of the Turks and Caicos islands or the turquoise atolls of the Maldives on our doorsteps, but what is so off-putting about these places is the jet lag and torturously long flight, which can cancel out the benefits of time in the sun. Neither does it make environmental sense to fly so far for a short break.

Short-haul options have problems, too. Resorts within five hours’ flying time have a lot of question marks. Hot weather in the Canaries is patchy and some resorts would benefit from a makeover. The same goes for Cyprus, which can get much colder, but tries to make up for this by offering expensive spas to while away your time.

Scan the atlas and where else can you go? The concrete resort of Eilat in Israel isn’t everyone’s cuppa, while the Red Sea “Riviera” in Egypt has done well in recent years with superb five-star resorts — built mainly on the back of guaranteed sun.

But if you’re heading to Sharm el Sheikh this Easter I challenge you to find a good beach. The diving and snorkelling are astonishing, but the beaches are mainly small and stony unless bulldozers have been used to make improvements. Unsurprisingly, Dubai, with its white beaches, reliable sun and just seven hours away, has done well, despite — or perhaps because of — the Footballers’ Wives factor. Nearby Oman is hot on its heels, so to speak.

So it is interesting to hear about a new place joining the under-six-hour winter sun league. Enter Cape Verde, the group of ten Portuguese- language islands off the coast of Senegal.

Germans, Italians and Portuguese have long frequented the islands for their steady 25C (77F) winter temperatures, volcanoes, beaches and music. But from November 1 a direct charter flight will take Brits there in 5 hours 55 minutes from Gatwick. Yippee! No jet lag — there’s only a one-hour time difference. No nasty anti-malaria pills, either — unlike The Gambia, also six hours away.

Next winter, sun, sea and sand are just six hours and £600 away from Blighty.

Holiday Options (0870 4208372, www.holidayoptions.co.uk) has seven nights at the four-star Hotel Odjo d’Agua, on Sal, from £599pp, with flights from Gatwick, transfers, B&B based on two sharing and visa.

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