Where to go in February

For a beach holiday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Costa Rica Pacific coast (Tamarindo) are joint top at 90/100, followed by Maldives on about 87 (an estimate); and Phuket, Thailand on about 86 (an estimate). In February, 11 of the 29 areas with a beach score reach 75 or more. In February, 2 areas tie on 90 for beach; ties are ordered by confidence, then sunshine, then fewer rainy days (for areas that show them), then alphabetically. Among the top 5 for beach, daytime highs run from 27°C to 35°C. Sea temperatures for the top 5 beach areas run from 22°C to 29°C; the coolest is Dubai at 22°C. In February, the beach list is ranked by the beach score, which is based on daytime high, rainy days, humidity (dew point), cloud and wind (tropical areas use daytime rain, total rain, humid heat and sunshine instead), and does not include sea temperature.

For a city break, Gran Canaria, Spain (Canary Islands) leads at 93/100, followed by Marrakech, Morocco on 92; and Fuerteventura, Spain (Canary Islands) on 92. In February, 19 of the 26 areas with a city break score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for city break, daytime highs run from 21°C to 27°C.

For hiking, Marrakech, Morocco; Algarve (Faro), Portugal; and Málaga, Spain are joint top at 91/100, followed by Majorca, Spain (Balearic Islands) on 90; and Gran Canaria, Spain (Canary Islands) on 89. In February, 9 of the 16 areas with a hiking score reach 75 or more. In February, 3 areas tie on 91 for hiking; ties are ordered by confidence, then sunshine, then fewer rainy days (for areas that show them), then alphabetically. Among the top 5 for hiking, daytime highs run from 16°C to 23°C and rainy days from 3 to 5.