The late-winter escape: where February is reliably warm and bright. 66 seaside holiday towns and cities in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean were scored in February, and 35 rate Good or better. The 14 below lead, spread across the region.
The list
- 181 · IdealRoad TownBritish Virgin Islands
Midday in February feels like 28°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 81, Ideal, for sunbathing. Good weather here runs from November to July, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 279 · GoodWillemstadCuraçao
A typical midday in February feels like 29°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 79 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about nine and a half months, from November to early August. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 379 · GoodScarboroughTrinidad and Tobago
Rated 79 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 29°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from November to July, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 479 · GoodGeorge TownCayman Islands
Midday in February feels like 29°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 79, Good, for sunbathing. The good spell lasts about six and a half months, from late October to early May. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 577 · GoodMontego BayJamaica
A typical midday in February feels like 28°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 77 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from October to mid August, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 671 · GoodPanama CityPanama
Rated 71 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 32°C, with partly cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from late December to March. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 770 · GoodSan Juan del SurNicaragua
Midday in February feels like 30°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 70, Good, for sunbathing. Good weather here runs from late November to March, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 870 · GoodPuerto EscondidoMexico
A typical midday in February feels like 31°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 70 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about five and a half months, from mid November to April. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 968 · GoodCozumelMexico
Rated 68 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 28°C, with often cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from late January to April, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 1068 · GoodIsabelaPuerto Rico
Midday in February feels like 27°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 68, Good, for sunbathing. The good spell lasts about eight months, from October to May. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1167 · GoodManzanilloMexico
Rated 67 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 30°C, with mostly clear skies. The good spell lasts about five and a half months, from late December to May. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1262 · GoodZihuatanejoMexico
A typical midday in February feels like 31°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 62 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from February to early May, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 1361 · GoodBocas del ToroPanama
Midday in February feels like 31°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 61, Good, for sunbathing. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1461 · GoodPuerto VallartaMexico
Rated 61 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 26°C, with mostly clear skies. Good weather here runs from late January to mid June, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
How this list is worked out
The data
Every figure comes from a decade of weather-station observations, blended into one typical year and read at midday, local solar time. Scores here are averaged in February; a city missing a reading for any part of that stretch is left out rather than scored on part of it.
The rating
Sunbathing: Warm feels-like gates the score — best 26–32 °C. Dry air, light wind and clear skies each lift it; none alone rules it out. A place is also left out when its typical readings contradict its own rating, for example a high score alongside frequent rain.
The spread
To keep one warm corner from filling the list, entries are at least 150 km apart, no more than three sit within 1,000 km of each other, and no more than three come from one country unless the list would otherwise run short.
Only seaside places
Towns and cities within 12 km of the coast, with beaches and plenty of hotels, resorts and holiday lets within 10 km for their size. That keeps out hot inland towns and busy ports that nobody visits for the beach. Places to stay are counted from Overture Maps Places, an open dataset, so a resort missing there is missing here.
The dotted links open the map at that place and time of year, on the same layer. The map remembers the time of day you last chose there; set it to midday to see these exact numbers.