6 sizzlers for early birds

Fancy recharging your batteries with an early sun holiday? ALANNA GALLAGHERhas half a dozen offers, from Florida to Sicily and from Turkey to the Caribbean

NOTHING BEATS the simple feeling of warm sun on your bones. As the mercury rises, it lifts our spirits with it. Book an early sun holiday and you benefit from better rates, more moderate temperatures and not-yet-jaded staff.

“The sun takes us out of ourselves, makes us active and frees us from our usual shackles, making it easier to mix with others and strike up conversations,” says Ian Gargan, a psychologist who is still radiating from a recent holiday in Lanzarote. It’s not just plants that flourish in the sunshine, he adds. “Our biological processes do too. We get to recharge.”

Mid May is the ideal time to get early summer sun, says Roz Walsh of Stein Travel. “If you’re budget-conscious, prices can be up to 50 per cent cheaper than in high season.”

Here are six great early sun deals.

1 Sunshine state of mind

Florida is the sunshine state, and its best beach offers are on the Gulf Coast. Soak up the rays at St Pete Beach, which serves up a potent cocktail of white sandy beaches, warm Gulf water and tiki bars. The Tradewinds Sandpiper has direct access to the beach, where guests can use free cushioned cabanas. Seven nights at the hotel costs from €676pps through American Holidays (01-4331076, americanholidays.com), room only, departing on May 5th. You’ll fly with Continental Airlines from Dublin to Tampa via Newark. You’ll also have to pay for your 25-minute transfer to the hotel, at about €18 each, one way. All-in car hire costs from €22 per day.

Sandpiper Hotel and Suites, St Pete Beach, Florida, 00-1-727-3605551, tradewindsresort.com

2 Eternal sunshine for the cultured mind

Taormina, on Sicily’s south coast, is a classy old-style resort that has been welcoming tourists since time began. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards have all visited, as shown by local architecture. The town, set on the side of Monte Tauro, offers sweeping vistas across almost 160km of Mediterranean Sea, as well as Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna. In the 1960s the town found favour with the jet set, and it remains urbane, as well as being compact enough to explore on foot. There are plenty of museums and oodles of chic shopping. Monte Tauro Hotel is a well-located establishment built into the hillside. All rooms have a private terrace, and a glass lift takes you down to a large pool and sun terraces. Seven nights’ BB in May costs from €1,089pps with Sunway (01-2886828, sunway.ie); 14 from €1,699.

Monte Tauro Hotel, Via Madonna delle Grazie, Taormina, 00-39-94-224402, angalahotels.it

3 Red hot roast

If you like to roast your bones, then head to the Red Sea Riviera. Sharm el-Sheikh sits on the southern tip of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. It’s a region steeped in history, but it is its classic combo of sun, sea and sand that has sun-seekers thronging the resort. Seven nights’ BB at the Marriott Naama Bay costs from €619pps through Travel Counsellors (021-2309378, travel counsellors.com). This includes flights, transfers and all taxes and charges. The Marriott has a private beach, three pools and a kid’s pool – plus a waterpark if the children get bored with that. With up to 10 eateries to explore, it’s more likely your girth rather than your mind will expand on this break.

Naama Bay, Sharm el Sheikh, 00-20-69-3600190 ,marriott.com/hotels

4 Tropical toasting

For a tropical feel, head to St Lucia, fast becoming the hippest place in the Caribbean. Lying in the sun is a way of life here. Lounge on golden sandy beaches and swim in some of the clearest water in the West Indies. The St Lucian, by Rex Resorts, is on Reduit Beach, one of the island’s most popular stretches of sand. Seven nights at the three-star hotel costs from €739pps via Trail finders (01-6777888/021-4648800, trailfinders.ie). This room-only offer includes return flights from Dublin or Cork with British Airways, return transfers, taxes and charges, with discount savings of €99 per person. You can upgrade to BB for €11 per person per day, to half board for €41 per person per day or to all-inclusive for €46 per person per day. Departures between May 19th and June 30th. Book by April 17th.

St Lucian, Reduit Beach, Castries, St Lucia, 00-1-758-4528351, rexresorts.com

5 Gran old time

The Canaries is our go-to destination for all-year sunshine. Gran Canaria is a favourite for those insearch of basic holiday highs of sun and sand.

Puerto Rico is a large resort reputed to be the sunniest spot on the island. In May, holidaymakers still have room to manoeuvre, and the weather is a perfect 25 degrees. The central Marina Suites aparthotel has excellent views of the sea and the town’s marina. Through Falcon Holidays (1850-453545 falconholidays.ie), seven nights’ half-board costs €609pps from Dublin and €619pps from Cork. Early offer prices, based on four adults sharing, are from €539pp from Dublin or Cork. Prices are for a departure date of May 22nd.

Marina Suites, 00-34-902- 996093, marinasuites grancanaria.com.

6 No-frills sunshine

If no-frills sun is what you’re after, try Alanya, in Turkey, where the main draw is the stunning beach. The Kleopatra Dreams Beach Hotel is clean and cheap. The two-hour transfer from Antalya airport might be off-putting, but Sunworld (0818-200400, sunworld.ie) has a deal costing €359pps half-board, departing Dublin on May 2nd and 9th, which is hard to beat. A family might prefer Fougère Apartments, for €1,495, also departing May 2nd and 9th.

Kleopatra Dreams Beach

Hotel, 00-90-242-5118650, dreamshotel.com; Fougère Apartments, 00-90-242- 5192335, fougerehotel.com