Holiday comparisons

Side-by-side comparisons to help you choose between destinations, board basis options and holiday styles.

• Maldives vs Dubai: which is better for your trip?

  The Maldives suits travellers who want private-island calm, overwater villas and a single resort that genuinely is the whole holiday — but it needs a longer flight and a longer stay to justify the trip. Dubai suits travellers who want restaurants, shopping and attractions, and works just as well for a short three- or four-night break as it does for two weeks. Both are visa-free on arrival for UK passport holders and both work for winter sun — the real decision is trip length and what you want to do once you've checked in.

• Dubai vs Turkey: which is better value?

  Dubai suits travellers who want premium hotels, restaurants, attractions and reliable winter sun, with an easy on-arrival entry for UK passport holders. Turkey suits travellers who want large all-inclusive resorts, bigger family facilities and a longer hot summer, also with no visa needed for short stays. The real swing factor is what's included in the price: Dubai hotels are rarely all-inclusive, so your spending continues well after check-in; Turkey's biggest resorts are built to keep most of your spending inside the gate.

• Beach resort vs city hotel: which should you book?

  The real question isn't which type of hotel is better — it's whether you want the hotel itself to be the holiday, or a base for exploring somewhere else. A beach resort wins when pools, direct sand access and doing as little as possible once you've checked in matter most. A city hotel wins when restaurants, culture and walkable nightlife matter more than lounging by the water. Several destinations on this site, Dubai most obviously, let you make this choice within the same trip rather than picking a different country entirely.

• Turkey vs Spain: which is better value?

  Spain generally wins on flight time, ease of booking and short-break flexibility — it's roughly half the flying time of Turkey and sits inside the EU's existing tourist framework. Turkey generally wins on all-inclusive resort value, larger family hotel facilities and a longer reliable summer season. One thing that's about to flip this comparison slightly: from late 2026, UK travellers will need an ETIAS authorisation to enter Spain, while Turkey — outside the Schengen Area — won't require one.