‘On this fantastic journey we travelled through an area that no human had visited’

We asked for your best alternatives to a fly-and-flop winter escape and you offered plenty of inspiration

THAI MESSAGE

Setting off on a chilly but blue-sky January morning, it was disappointing to find a murky pea-souper fog awaiting us at Bangkok. However, away from the city the sun appeared and shone throughout our stay in Thailand. At Elephant Hills in a safari-style tent surrounded by rainforest, we enjoyed luxury camping. Out and about on day trips we become acquainted with elephants, feeding them bananas and guavas. Boatmen paddled us along the tranquil Sok River in inflatable canoes, pointing out snakes and camouflaged frogs. On another day, a longboat took us at speed to floating pontoons supporting bathing huts on a 37-mile lake, where only the intrepid swim. Margaret Reed, Wiltshire

SWEET AND SOUR

The only good thing about February is that it is shorter than the other months. So one year we took the train to Nice to go to the Menton Lemon Festival, which is held annually at the end of February. There were museums dedicated to the works of Matisse and Chagall and we went to Monaco and walked the Grand Prix circuit and climbed up to the royal palace. Another train then took us to Menton and we were entranced by the models of buildings, cars and people (des motifs d’agrumes) in the Jardin Bioves, all made with local oranges and lemons. In the afternoon there was a magnificent parade of many more clever floats. So much to do and see.

Joan Richards, Kent

GOOD AND BAD

Four decades ago we spent our honeymoon in Sierra Leone – and it was an eye-opener. There was a growing tourist industry with hotels offering the same facilities as those around the Mediterranean. Alongside were the most amazing empty beaches framed by lush jungle. But then there was the hardship of the majority of the population who lived very simply with very few, if any, of the amenities enjoyed by tourists. Sierra Leone was a country rich in diamonds but these riches were not filtering down to the people. Although my husband and I were very happy there, it was nevertheless a honeymoon filled with contradictions and social unease.

Judith Skilleter, East Yorkshire

AMMAN, A PLAN

We were stuck in a cockroach-infested hotel in Amman in Jordan for a few days while all European airspace was closed due to the eruption of an Icelandic volcano. Having already visited the captivating sites of Petra and Wadi Rum, we decided to visit the ancient ruins of the Citadel and the Roman temple of Hercules. Then, with no end to our unexpected holiday in sight (and much to the children’s delight), we ventured further afield. We visited Jerash, where we were entertained by (acting) gladiators; climbed to the top of Mount Nebo, where Moses first saw the Promised Land; and bathed in waterfalls from a hot spring in the middle of the desert. What could have been a nightmarish time turned into a fascinating and educational experience.

Emma Hearing, Hampshire

OUT AND ABOUT IN OZ

In 2007 we honeymooned in Australia and planned to visit the Hunter Valley. We were taken by boat to Rose Bay, a short trip from our hotel in Sydney harbour, where we boarded one of the famous seaplanes. I soon forgot my initial apprehension, as we rumbled across the harbour (I remember it being quite noisy!) before taking in the stunning bird’s-eye views over the Northern Beaches and Lake Macquarie. After an hour, we arrived in Cessnock, where we were met and taken on a private tour of some of the famous vineyards, one of which was run coincidentally by someone from our village in the UK. After a wonderful lunch, accompanied of course by some more wine, we boarded the seaplane for our return, this time flying over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House for more bucket-list views.

Kate Lynskey, Hampshire

JANUARY JOY

A month after South Africa’s peak season of Christmas and New Year, we are working our way through the Cape National Parks and nature reserves, where we can ramble in full sunshine and blissful solitude. Cederberg is a favourite, with its boutique vineyard nestling in the rugged hills, as well as De Hoop for estuarial bird life, and the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve for serious walking among wooded hills. We stay in guest houses in Dutch Colonial Tulbagh or Swellendam, or vineyards. Our last ramble is always in Newlands Forest, behind Table Mountain. The view from the King’s Blockhouse over Cape Town, Robben Island and Bloubergstrand ensures we will return next year. “Come to the Cape in your autumn for the flowers,” they say. “No thanks,” we reply. “Late January suits us fine.”

David Syme, Edinburgh