Subtropical beaches are in abundance in Cape Verde (or Cabo Verde), an archipelago of 10 different islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
Although January is the coldest month in Cape Verde, that's all relative — it's still enjoying average daily maximums of 25 degrees, along with six hours of sunshine. The sea is warm enough to swim in, and there's hardly any rain either, with an average of 3 mm across the month.
It takes six hours to fly direct from the UK to Cape Verde, and it's one hour behind the UK.