Sassafrass

Perhaps this will be useful to you.

https://www.guidetocanaryislands.com...and-in-winter/

One problem with giving you suggestions, besides the beach in winter, is you have not mentioned museums at all, and in winter, that could be a great focus in cities like Paris and London.

Rome, with Architecture, churches and ancient history could be a wonderful focus, and would be my first choice in Europe in winter!!!

However, given what you seem to wish,
Visit Spain for a taste of one country. See Seville and Granada (four nights in Seville to allow 3 days - one day for a day trip to Cordoba by train), then two nights in Granada, and if it surprises you and gifts you with a warm day, go to the coast for perhaps a day. It is hard to believe I am also suggesting this, because it will be cold, but for you, it might be fun. Include a day in Gibraltar to tour the caves, see the Apes, shop and try some English pub food. Then head to the warmest beach in the Canaries.

A couple of questions for you.
You are departing from Oman. Does Oman not have a number of beautiful beaches and isn’t it warm there in winter? Why not do your beach time there?
Where is your starting point for the trip?

By the way, if there is something you really want to experience, then you should do that, but I think your idea of sticking with a budget is overall very, very wise.

Someday, if you want just a beach vacation, head to the Caribbean.

balthy

Canary Islands have never appealed to me because of the mass tourism they have, at least the bigger more popular islands. I’m sure there is local culture somewhere as there always is but they are not a destination that jumps out for a honeymoon. I researched going smaller lesser known islands such as La Palma (which has a volcanic eruption at the moment) & La Gomera. La Palma certainly has very pleasant temps in winter. If I had to go to the Canaries these are the islands I’d look at if you want something more authentic & traditional.

Re: beaches in Oman in Feb. I have been to Ras al Khaimah twice, once in March another in April. The sea was too cold for swimming and beach area was cold. And to Sharm el Sheikh in Feb, sea was cold and it was windy, had to wear a wetsuit for snorkelling.

From Oman you can go east to Thailand, not expensive, loads of culture, beaches are beautiful around Phuket & islands.

Or to Mauritius or Seychelles, Kenya, South Africa.
l don’t know anything about COVID rules for these destinations.

shelemm

FYI, the level of vaccination in Portugal is outrageously high. If you add vaccinated to recovered, it's almost everyone in Portugal. Under the circumstances, I think it's the surest bet if you are considering it.

Heimdall

Batley wrote:

Exactly my feelings! I avoid travelling to package holiday destinations, and wouldn’t even consider one for a honeymoon. I have a feeling that most of the visitors to the Canaries in January will be retirees and others of older generations. Not the vibe I would want for a honeymoon.

BritishCaicos

89.7% of The Canariies is dire.

La Gomera is pretty enough but is it really worth the trouble of getting there?

I really don’t think it’s a honeymoon destination.

shelemm

I think there is profound misinformation here about the Canary Islands. Many islands to explore, and even the more popular islands you can get 'lost' in because they are mountainous or the coast is craggy and dramatic rather than tranquil and flat.. You'd be right to avoid the mass tourism found at the large port on Tenerife. But the Canary Islands have their own culture, cuisine, unique and dramatic landscape, everything you could want. For rugged and adventure travel, including trekking Spain's highest mountain (!), they are prime spots, not just a place for retirees.

HelenaFatima

I absolutely agree. I had a great time at Gran Canária. When you say "dramatic landscape", put dramatic on that!

Stayed at a very unexpensive aparthotel named Altamar (great views),at Porto Rico, but in my opinion the best place to stay is Gloria Palace Hotel, in front of Amadores beach. Amadores beach is lovely, I was with some kind of prejudice because it is an ariticial beach, but it is great! A lot of fish, shrimps, crabs, birds and even cats decided that beach was a place built for them, so they moved in.

Food is very good, and different.

shelemm

My favorite food from the Canary Islands is made from a toasted wheat called gofio which is milled there. You can make a vegetable soup and then add it a little at a time to thicken it into a stew. Unique, wonderful flavor. There are a lot of agriturismos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gofio

keegan2022

Thanks for your input everyone, I really appreciate it. I see there are different opinions on the Canary Islands and that is expected on the forum. I do agree, we should not expect this to be a beach weather and should be prepared for a winter honeymoon. This is the mindset we will be going with and so are also considering Andalusia + Barcelona as the honeymoon destinations. Malaga/Costa De Sol sounds like a good place to wind down and then head up to Seville, Cordoba and finally Barcelona. If Gran Canaria does work out, we will be doing a split of Gran Canaria and Barcelona. Excuse my indecisiveness, there is just so much to consider and I'm really confused. Let me know if you have any more thoughts on these two different destinations. We will gather all of the feedback so far on this thread (which has been super helpful!) and make a final call.

shelemm

Cordoba is one of my favorite places in Europe.