THE BEST HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS IN OCTOBER
October can be many things. It can be the dreamy scent of bonfire smoke on restorative air; pumpkins on porches; or blazing leaves. Or, Down Under, it might be the abundance of spring – and a fine time to explore new Aussie cooking. In much of Asia, rains and humidity are abating, so both riotous cities and off-grid escapes are at their best. And with the steamy, congested summer a distant memory, it’s the savvy traveller’s time for a classic California road trip or an in-demand beach break. For more, see our guide to where is hot in October.
Cyprus
Temperature: 27°C high; 16°C low
Perfect autumn beach destination: Europe, a Mediterranean island, but so far south-east it has the climate of the Middle East. Enter Cyprus. A rich history and eclectic culture, a blissful climate and fantastic beaches. Away from the dramatically beautiful coastline and the beachfront hotels is the lesser-explored interior, the Troodos mountains – the Cotswolds of Cyprus – with their vineyards and hillside villages and friendly tavernas.
Temperature: 33°C high; 23°C low
Beachy Eden ‘Cabo’ is all about switching off in style. This sun-drenched spot is always hot hot hot. In winter, all and sundry come for the weather (it rains in summer). Praise be for October, then, when the mercury’s high but occupancy low. Los Cabos is actually two towns at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula – Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. The latter retains the more traditional charm and has the chicest hotels: mid-century fans will love Thompson’s The Cape.
Mauritius, Indian Ocean
Temperature: 25°C high; 20°C low
It’s springtime in Mauritius in October; the weather is warming up after a long, warm winter. But it’s not yet humid or rainy.
Provence, France
Temperature: 20°C high; 12°C low
Everybody goes to Provence in summer. But for food, for tranquillity, for scenery, October is deeply delicious, its vineyards a vibrant ochre, morning mists shrouding the glades of the Luberon at dawn. Autumn is the season of wine and truffles and food festivals, when Provence’s slow-paced villages are uncrowded except for locals, markets heaped with harvest spoils. And the weather is still largely warm and dry – ideal T-shirt weather for country walks and bike rides.
Málaga, Spain
Temperature: 24°C high; 15°C low
On Spain’s sunniest costa, Málaga’s exuberant young crowd has injected a fresh energy into this little seaside city, earning it a reputation for being a pocket-sized Barcelona, where you’ll find sizzling art and food scenes and late-summer heat. Its charming old town, though small, is packed with buzzy little restaurants and boutiques selling artisan-made fashion and homewares; there’s a museum dedicated to Picasso and a theatre run by Antonio Banderas, both Málaga natives. More modern kicks are found at the regenerated port with its Rubik’s-Cube-like Pompidou Centre.
The Greek Islands, Greece
Temperature: 24°C high; 16°C low
The more southerly of the small Greek Islands – the Dodecanese and the Cyclades – are still hot and sunny well into October – and there are some sensational beaches on which to enjoy it. Rhodes, with the lovely cobbled Lindos and parties in its ancient ruins. Milos, which has some of the best beaches in the Greek Islands.
Temperature: 20°C high; 9°C low
The masses might go mad for cherry blossom season, but arguably Japan’s most arresting sight is its Alps in autumn. Vibrant reds, oranges and yellows sprawl across the ranges, reflected in jade-green lakes and rivers. Hiking trails get very busy, but the outstanding vistas more than make up for it, and the ever-organised Japanese excel at high-altitude mountain huts, where you can get a private room and bento box-style dinner. Afterwards, the spa towns around Takayama are adept at soothing aching limbs. Upmarket ryokans, such as Fukuji Onsen’s Yumoto Choza, offer both outdoor and indoor hot-spring baths, fine-dining kaiseki dinners and gorgeous traditional rooms with tatami mats and sliding paper screens.
Austin, Texas
Temperature: 27°C high; 14°C low
Austin’s other festival happens in October: Austin City Limits, in Zilker Park – an altogether easier shebang to negotiate than SXSW if you’re not in the industry. And autumn brings glorious weather to Texas – blue skies, mild warm days, low humidity – which is just right for a road trip out of the USA’s coolest, weirdest state capital across the high Texan desert to find historical charm in San Antonio and more weirdness, along with knockout art and sensational food, in Marfa.
Hawaii
Temperature: 29°C high; 24°C low
With the summer crowds gone, low rainfall and mellowing prices before the winter holidays, what better time to head for Hawaii? Of course, there’s more to the archipelago than Big Island: Kauai for secret swimming holes and charming local bars; Oahu for top food and surf; and even Maui, with its ever-popular 30 miles of beach, has some hush-hush stuff up its sleeve – seek out the rural artists’ community at Makawao, or go on an agri-visit to Surfing Goat Dairy, a farm on the slopes of a volcanic crater.
The Galapagos Islands
Temperature: 25°C high; 19°C low
Out of this world all year round – there is no other wildlife like this on earth. However, for maximum nature shows, it’s peak season for fish and birds from June until the end of October in the Galápagos Islands. It’s also when there’s least rain. Wait until October and most of the other tourists will have gone back to work; plus, the sea should have warmed up a bit in case you were thinking of taking a dip (and you should) to get up close to the phenomenally varied marine life.