SUN AND FOOD
CAPE TOWN COOKING 25C, 10 hours of sunshine
South Africa is off the red list – great news for this immensely popular winter-sun destination and even better news for sun-loving foodies. They should head for Cape Town, which not only has the finest concentration of restaurants on the African continent, but also offers a stunning seaside location – and that, perhaps, is its culinary secret. The fish comes straight out of the South Atlantic, the meat from the fertile farmlands just inland, and the wine from the Cape Winelands, just a cork’s pop beyond Table Mountain. No wonder so many talented chefs find such inspiration in the city. It offers exceptional value for money, too – you can eat like a king here for £30 a head. Our Cape Town expert, Pippa de Bruyn, is your guide to the best, see telegraph.co.uk/ tt-capetownfood.
Trailfinders (020 7368 1200; trailfinders. com) offers stays at the four-star Kloof Street hotel from £1,099, B&B, including a private Constantia Wine Tour with lunch, Cape Town Food Tour, and Cape Point and Peninsula Tour. Departs on selected dates in February 2022
INDULGENCE IN DUBAI
24C, eight hours of sunshine Michelin doesn’t produce a food guide to Dubai, but many of the chefs to whom it awards stars in other parts of the world have set up restaurants here, or make guest appearances, and it has become the foodie epicentre of the Middle East, offering a huge variety of highclass menus: our latest guide to the best is at telegraph.co.uk/tt-dubaifood. After a searingly hot summer, winter is peak season here, both for locals and visitors, so book your tables early.
Tui (020 3451 2688; tui.co.uk) offers stays at the five-star Fairmont the Palm from £1,769, half-board, based on a deluxe room. Departs January 13 2022. Its Ossiano seafood restaurant is one of the city’s best
CRUISING THE CANARIES 21C, six hours of sunshine
Cruises are all about travelling of the most relaxing kind, about meeting people, enjoying the sun deck – and, for many passengers, they’re also about the food. We’ve picked a Cunard itinerary on the Queen Elizabeth, which departs Southampton in December, and includes stops at Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, La Palma, and also Lisbon and Funchal, combined with an enticing on-board menu. You might start one dinner with salmon gravlax with poached quail’s egg, and the next with croquette of suckling pig. For your entrées, maybe Dover sole meunière, or a chateaubriand steak. And, at extra cost, you could also try several different on-board restaurants. Cunard (cunard.co.uk) offers a 12-night cruise to the Canaries from Southampton, based on a Britannia balcony stateroom on board the Queen Elizabeth, from £1,789, full-board, including US$100 (£73) on-board spending money. Departs December 1 2021
FEASTING IN BARBADOS 28C, nine hours of sunshine
Of all the Caribbean islands, Barbados is surely the food-lover’s top choice. Its long tradition of catering for sophisticated winter sunseekers – many of whom come back year after year – has generated a thriving restaurant scene, from celebrity favourites to fried-fish shacks on the beaches. Covid has had an impact. The Cliff – the most famous of the island’s restaurants – closed in 2020. But it is expected to reopen in December under new ownership, while other top names such as Champers and the restaurant at the Coral Reef Club (see below) continue to thrive.
Elegant Resorts (01244 757558; elegantresorts.co.uk) offers stays at the four-star Coral Reef Club from £3,380, half-board, based on a superior junior suite. Departs December 4 2021