Dear Reader

SOME people embrace winter; others do everything they can to avoid it. Today’s Escape pullout tries to do both.

That’s why we are featuring the Canary Islands, which have long been a favourite for those seeking respite from our wet winter nights, while the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao is rapidly making its pristine presence felt as an alternative to better-known islands in the region.

One of those is St Lucia, with its lush rainforests, dreamy beaches and those iconic Pitons that stick vertically out of the sea as if they’re from another planet.

Now there’s a chance to go there with our competition on page 12 and win seven nights at Stonefield Villa Resort, near the charming town of Soufriere, in the south of the island, with, yes, views of the Pitons from your private terrace.

Elsewhere, we suggest Morocco’s west coast as an enviable, sunny destination. But if winter for you means wrapping up warm and revelling in the cold, then look no further than pages 4-5, with a whole host of ideas, from skating in New York to staying in a Swedish ice hotel.

Hot or cold, we’ve got it covered.