After investing in garden furniture and writing multiple staycation features advocating for the Great British summer, Blighty came back to bite me.
We were robbed of a sun-drenched summer and, while we’re no strangers to capricious weather, this really did cross the line. Barbecues sat neglected in soggy green coats, park picnics were a dicey affair at best, and suncream tubes remained plump. So we deserve some well-earned heat.
Autumn has long been holiday season for the savvy traveller, when the swarms have scuttled back to their office chairs and families are summoned home for term time. Europe remains (smugly) balmy and restaurants clang and tinkle on without the bunfight for a table and the summer circus. North Africa is back on the radar as the oppressive summer heat abates and cities such as Marrakech spring back into riad-and-roof-terrace action. Those looking for short-haul foodie-themed breaks are in their element, with harvest season pulling in a rich array of land and sea bounty.
From surreal islands scattered off Sicily’s coastline to the Moorish maze of Seville, here are 10 short-haul destinations to book for autumn.
Marrakech, La Farnatchi + Olinto
Autumn temperatures: 15°C - 29°C
Few dare to brave Marrakech from June to August, but October and November are the perfect time to visit after a deplorable British summer. As the UK tips into red wine season, Marrakech’s roof terraces and riad pool scene are in full swing. The light still slices through the city’s old mashrabiya, rewarding you on wanderings through the shaded souks which are filled with hand-crafted treasures. Enjoy balmy, al fresco evenings enveloped in the mesmerising hum of the call-to-prayer.
With its artisan-carved woodwork and quiet, citrus tree courtyards, La Farnatchi perfectly embodies the Marrakech of yore, before the influencers invaded, when the ancient city was an enclave of global writers, artists, and designers. Its restaurant, Trou au Mur, runs over several tiled floors culminating in a roof terrace, warmed with Old World lanterns and serving lamb tangia (book a table at Aussie joint +61 for Marrakech’s cool, modern crowd).
Having explored the labyrinthine streets of the Medina, it’s hard to resist the distant haze of the Atlas Mountains, where hiking adventures are as abundant as the olive trees carpeting Olinto, a peaceful refuge conjured by its owner, the Italian prince behind Marrakech’s legendary La Maison Arabe.
Book: Rates at Le Farnatchi start from £248 per night on bed & breakfast basis, based on two sharing (mrandmrssmith.com) from £240 per night and at Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat (olinto.net) from £600 per night.
Sicily
Autumn temperature: 8°C - 29°C
Sicily’s honey-hued Baroque towns have a mirage-like quality — a palazzo-aplenty vestige of its golden age, now wrinkled by the sun and softened with age. Within this antiquity lies independent boutiques, galleries, and shaded cafés brimming with cannoli and granita — all of which slow down for autumn, but delightfully so, with thinned crowds and warm winds blowing in from the Sahara.
Noto, Scicli, and Modica, in the island’s Baroque south-east, can be achieved in one week, with Dimora Delle Balze, in Noto’s prairie-like surrounding countryside, serving as a stylish and secluded spot to base yourself from.
Head into Noto for the jaw-dropping Roman Catholic cathedral, churches on every corner and, of course, Caffè Sicilia — an institution on Corso Vittorio with granita and brioche that are said to bring you close to the gods. The chocolate in Modica — ‘the town of 100 churches’ — allegedly has a similar effect, and is best tasted at Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, where the ‘cold’ crumbly chocolate technique was pinched by the Spanish from the Aztecs more than three centuries ago, during their occupation of Sicily. Try Rappa Enoteca at the very top of Modica’s hilly haze for laid-back Southern Italian food with Sicilian wines, or head to the equally easy-going Osteria dei Sapori Perduti for local wines and homemade pasta.
Book: Dimora Delle Balze from £114 for doubles (dimoradellebalze.com).
Valletta, Malta
Autumn temperatures: 14°C - 28°C
Along with its cultural tapestry featuring Arabic, Italian, and British weaves — the latter perhaps most striking, with British shops and holiday rituals featuring along many of the capital’s main limestone stretches — Malta provides a generous dose of autumnal vitamin D.
Valetta is the most picturesque harbour, with petite family palaces respun into boutique hotels and a head-turning food and back-alley wine bar scene that’s forming its own, unique identity among the raft of culinary influences (book onto the street food tours for an insider’s introduction).
The queues along the Medieval castles’ sun-bleached walls begin to dwindle as autumn stretches on, and the dramatic thud of cannons can be heard during the noon salute from the Knights of St John’s Upper Barrakka Gardens or surrounding restaurant terraces — a joyful alternative to the midday summer retreat into the shade — which are perched like birds roosting over the Grand Harbour. Visitors can wander through landscaped gardens and along bougainvillaea-framed terraces surrounding the Moorish palaces and forts, before cooling off at nearby swimming spot, Elmo Bay.
Under the amber glow of the maritime-style lanterns, evenings in Valletta are a magical affair — best spent on Michelin-starred Grain Street’s sprawling terrace with a spritz and lasagne nera with calamari, or the wine-led traditionalist bistro Legligin, where Maltese cuisine is at its home-baked best.
If a wow-factor pool area takes priority for an autumnal sun escape, book into swanky Phoenicia with all the palatial trimmings. Or when budgets aren’t quite as spicy but you’re still angling for somewhere that feels anchored in Valletta’s history and harbour, drop your bags at Domus Zamittello, a 16th-century palazzo-turned-peachy-hued-hotel overlooking City Gate and, to this day, owned by a count.
Book: Doubles at The Phoenicia Hotel from £202 per night (phoeniciamalta.com) and at Domus Zamittello (domuszamittello.com) from £166 per night.
Menorca
Autumn temperatures: 11°C - 28°C
Unlike its Balearic cousins, Menorca’s rustic heart remains largely intact, with shuttered, stone fincas lost in acres of citrus groves, and its scorched, brittle edges lapped by impossibly blue water and dotted with some of Europe’s most photogenic coves. Deliciously mild autumnal temperatures lure in the outdoorsy types for epic hikes, such as the El Camí de Cavalls 185 km trail around the island’s edges, which leads you up mountains with spine-tingling sea views and down to secluded coves, to cool off in the twinkling water.
Those in-the-know head to Cova d’en Xoroi, a make-shift bar-club chiselled into tiered caves, and known for its killer sunsets. The island’s burgeoning art scene has also recently ramped up with Hauser & Wirth’s open-air paean to contemporary art.
A reverential, provenance-first approach to architecture and design is showcased across a string of reimagined fincas and splendid townhouses, such as Menorca Experimental (with rustic character with kitsch accents) and Jardí de Ses Bruixes, Mahon (a heritage townhouse).
Book: Doubles at Menorca Experimental (menorcaexperimental.com) from 225 Euros per night and at Jardí de Ses Bruixes (hotelsesbruixes.com). Mahon from £147 per night.
Andalusia, Spain
Autumn temperatures: 10°C - 31°C
It may be a vast patch of Spain to recommend for an autumnal short-haul jaunt, but Andalusia’s beauty is too often overshadowed by the Costa del Sol. What’s more, its fierce summer heat burns out into something more manageable by September and positively lovely by October. Head to Seville at this time of year for its arresting mix of Moorish and Catholic architecture. It’s home to the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, the Archivo de la Indias, and the Alcazar palace, with its elaborate gardens comprising a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Grand terracotta courtyards scattered in palms, cacti, tiles, and wrought-iron furniture offer respite from the midday heat, and a scenic spot for cocktails or lunch (Hotel Alfonso XIII), while tapas bars such as Bar Alfalfa are the best way to peer into Seville’s cultural soul, where cured meat and seafood play a starring role.
The tiles-for-days Triana House Boutique Hotel in bohemian, canalside Triana (a neighbourhood known for its artisans and ceramicists) is a feast for the eyes and a tiled, muralled, marbled, maximalist paean to vibrant Andalusian design.
Having explored Seville’s trove of museums and galleries, spill into the Andalusian countryside to the remote and ravishingly rustic finca Kukutana, on the fringes of the wildlife-brimming Doñana National Park, for epic rides followed by Spanish glasses of red.
Book: Rates at Triana House start from £143 per night on a room only basis, based on two sharing (mrandmrssmith.com). Stay at Kukutana (kukutana.es) from 1,150 Euros per person, per night. Includes transfer from Seville airport, full-board accommodation, daily guided tours for horse riding, biking, trekking, and bird watching.
Cyprus
Autumn temperatures: 13°C - 32°C
Unlike much of the Mediterranean, Cyprus’s ‘Velvet Season’ continues well into October — courtesy of its position as the most southerly island in the Med and long, warm days that keep restaurant terraces and poolside scenes in full swing. While hotels have choreographed themselves around this insatiable British appetite for sunshine, with elegant pools offering lounger-side lunches and an easy saunter to a groomed beach, the island’s culture isn’t to be missed. This is, after all, the island Mark Anthony gifted to Cleopatra in 40BC. History courses through its veiny old streets, from the birthplace of Aphrodite (Aphrodite’s Rock), where a dip in the crystal-clear waters surrounding it naturally comes with a promise of eternal natural beauty, to the ruins of the ancient city of Paphos (a series of underground chambers) where visitors can marvel at the mosaic-clad Tombs of the Kings.
For a more modern, white sugar-cube take on Cypriot architecture, check into Almyra in Paphos, where sharp contemporary lines of roof terraces trace the blue horizon of the Mediterranean. For a more authentic, bijou guesthouse, Apokryfo lies in the go-slow village of Lofou in the scenic foothills of the Troodos Mountains. Renovated by an architect and designer duo, it’s the perfect setting for candlelit Cypriot suppers surrounded by pomegranate trees, and guests can unwind following day trips to nearby vineyards by a pretty herb-lined pool.
If you’re planning a trip with the whole family then it doesn’t get much better than Parklane — the Limassol resort which recently opened one of Europe’s largest kids’ clubs. It offers immersive experiences for children aged just four months up to 11 years with separate areas to suit each age’s needs with splash pools, sports facilities and secluded gardens. As for big kids, there’s three swimming pools and a gorgeous secluded 300-metre-long Blue Flag beach to dip into. It’s also got six restaurants and bars. Yes, it might be hard to tear yourself away for sightseeing!
Book: Doubles from £129 for Almyra, Paphos (almyra.com) and from £155 for Apokryf (apokryfo.com). Scott Dunn offers seven nights at Parklane, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa from £7,000 based on a family of four sharing on a half-board basis in two connecting sea view rooms, including return flights from the UK and private transfers. Prices in the Explorers Kids Club start from €10 per hour (scottdunn.com).
Salina, Aeolian Islands
Autumn temperatures: 12°C - 27°C
Long the secret of Italian intellectuals and keen sailors, the Aeolian Islands are a splendidly rustic volcanic island refuge, scattered off the coast of Sicily, where writers, artists, and poets would recalibrate and tune into the locals’ go-slow rhythms. Recently, the islands have peddled on well into early October before hibernating for long, lonely winters. September to October on the caper-carpeted isle of Salina is pure, sun-dappled delight.
Those staying at the family-owned Old World Hotel Signum can tuck into immaculately cooked island fare on terraces spun with jasmine and bougainvillea, with nearby Stromboli’s occasional fiery belch setting the Thyrranian view alight. When not lounging by the pool or nursing a Negroni along the dramatic tiered terrace, guests can saunter into the town of Malfi, or hop on a scooter for volcanic Pollara Beach (where the Italian classic Il Postino was filmed and where fishermen’s houses are chiselled into the cliffs).
Another spot worth riding a scooter for, past Malvasian vineyards and chipped-paint blue-and-white houses, is La Pinnata del Monsú. Enjoy home-cooked pork belly with aubergine parmigiana, Sicilian and Etna wine, and a reddish, angry sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Book: Doubles at Hotel Signum from £172 per night (hotelsignum.it)
Alaçatı, Turkey
Autumn temperatures: 14°C - 27°C
Turkey has long been known for its shoulder season promise come autumn, when the crowds have dwindled and the climate lends itself well to cultural jaunts and terrace lunches. Yes, you can hot-foot it to Six Senses Kaplankaya in Bodrum, where wellness sits front and centre, along with achingly good-looking design that is stitched seamlessly into the pine-studded coastline. But if lifting the tourist veil and stepping into Turkey’s artisanal, home-spun pockets is your aim, head to the beach town of Alaçatı, not far from Izmir on the Aegean coast. Yes, it’s been ‘discovered’ but, by autumn, it feels wonderfully easy-going and authentic.
A predominantly Greek history features across Alacati’s restaurant menus and architecture — think cobbled streets and white shuttered houses — and having sauntered up to the 19th century windmills overlooking the town, and down to the Alaçatı marketplace mosque via antiques shops and galleries, it’s worth diving into its vibrant coffee culture.
On Saturdays, the market is the place to head with an empty straw bag for pretty jewellery, trinkets, olives, and ceramics and, after a mezze lunch at Eflatun or in Hoshaff’s earthy-chic courtyard, make a break for the beach (Alaçatı Halk Plaji is particularly beautiful, with its milky sands and rock formations).
Tas Otel is a rustic, country-style guesthouse with whitewashed rooms and a pool-dominated garden brimming with purple flowers, banana plants, and olive trees.
Book: Doubles at Tas Otel from £93 per night (tasotel.com/en) and at Six Senses Kaplankaya from £291 per night (sixsenses.com/en/resorts/kaplankaya).
Dhërmi, Albania
Autumn temperatures: 9°C - 26°C
Albania may not feature on your holiday bucket list, but with its sweeping buttermilk beaches and dramatic mountainous backdrop of Dhërmi, it should. This quietly pretty village, with its faded 17th century houses and Greek community, staggers down from the old town to meet the beach clubs, restaurants, and hotels lining a vast, photogenic beach.
Dhërmi is the home of seven-day music festival ION, which lights up the shores to start the season in September. The month then stretches into October with long, languid days and a balmy, twinkling sea to wallow in. Its sunsets are renowned — theatrical tangerine performances that draw out the silhouettes of the surrounding mountains and the rock formations flanking the beach. These are best viewed from one of the seafood restaurants lining the beach, or with a smooth lounge vibe and cocktails at Dhërmi Beach Club.
One day here must be spent hiking along the canyon of Gjipe, an epic two-hour walk rewarded with the surreal water at Gjipe Beach and a boat ride back to Dhërmi beach via the mythical Pirate’s Cave. And while not necessarily zhuzhed up by an international designer or decked in marble bathrooms, Gogo’s Boutique Hotel anchors guests in its church-on-every-corner old town location, with its olive tree-shaded courtyards suspended high above the Ionian Sea for those legendary sunsets.
Book: Doubles at Gogo’s Boutique Hotel, Dhërmi, from £49 per night (gogoshotelDhermi.com).
