IF you love surfing but can’t quite make it as far as Hawaii, there is a place in Europe that might be just as good.

Denmark’s fishing village of Klitmøller has been transformed into a prime surf location in the last few years, leading to its nickname “Cold Hawaii”.

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The stretch of coast in North Jutland in Denmark gained the moniker thanks to its wind conditions making it a prime surfing location.

There are 31 other surf spots in this part of Denmark, including places like Agger and Hanstholm.

The nickname of Cold Hawaii came from a 1994 windsurfing documentary, the BBC reports.

Located in rural Jutland, Klitmøller hosts several surf competitions throughout the year like the Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup where 32 surfers compete for the cup.

Its most famous spot is known as the Reef where surfers can test out their skills on more challenging waves.

Beginners can stick to the more sheltered bays that provide more manageable conditions.

And lining the beachfront are surf shops, co-working sites and cafes, and even some saunas to warm up in.

Local Casper Steinfath said that while surfing is a huge part of the area, it still remains relatively quiet.

He told GQ: “My dad says it reminds him of what California was like back in the 60s and 70s. It still feels untamed.”

Just don’t expect the warmer weather of Hawaii – Denmark reaches around 2-3C in winter, while Hawaii is closer to 24C.

If you’re a surfer, the best time to visit Cold Hawaii is between September and November, as this is when the best waves are.

Even though surfing is the area’s main draw, there are plenty of other outdoor activities for holidaymakers to try, including kite surfing, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding.

Fishing is another popular activity in the area.

For holidaymakers who prefer to stay on land, there’s also the nearby Thy National Park that’s home to hiking and cycling trails.

What it’s like to explore Cold Hawaii

The Sun’s Jacob Lewis previously visited – here’s what it was like.

My home for the weekend is Niels Juel, a thatched-roofed fish restaurant and B&B with panoramic sea views and a wood-burning hot tub, run by Jesper and Helle Birch.

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Taking full advantage of the waves is Westwind, a surf school and shop staffed by absurdly chiselled, sun-tanned, blonde instructors.

I’m paired up with Kristine. A confident teacher who speaks perfect English, she helps me catch a few waves, while I whine about feeling seasick in the choppy conditions.

After a mouthwatering seafood platter, Jesper, a friendly face with an easy laugh, cracks open the homemade herbal akvavit.

Birch For Homesickness or Hawthorn For Seasickness — I go for an extra measure of the latter.

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The locals were so warm I felt I’d made friends with the entire town.

Klitmøller located is then a four-hour drive from Copenhagen.

Denmark is home to plenty of other lesser-known stretches of sand, including Hornbæk, which is located within the Danish Riviera in North Sealand.

The seaside town of Hornbæk is just under an hour away from Copenhagen (Denmark’s capital city), and it is also home to the largest beach on the Danish Riviera.

Hornbæk Beach is a Blue Flag beach with stretches of soft sand.

Meanwhile, this affordable city break destination has been tipped to be big this year.

And these cheap city break deals are on offer this year.

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A DUBAI travel expert has revealed how to save money on restaurants and bars – plus how to find the best hidden gems.

Dubai is a luxurious travel destination in the United Arab Emirates, boasting both architectural masterpieces and sandy beaches.

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The scorching temperatures of up to 43 degrees in the summer months may deter tourists until the winter as temperatures drop to a milder 24 degrees.

But waiting with the crowd to then push through them in the winter months can make hidden gem discoveries a bit more difficult.

Luckily, an exclusive guide to Dubai’s hidden gems has already been created by top Dubai Travel Experts.

Anuja Bhagat, Marketing Manager at Away Holidays says: “With this insider’s guide from our Dubai Travel Expert, travellers can experience Dubai beyond the typical tourist spots, discovering hidden gems and experiencing the city through a local lens.

“For those looking to book a holiday to Dubai, we have a variety of packages to choose from, catered to a variety of interests and budgets.”

Where are the hidden gems?

Dubai Travel Expert, Neela Goyal suggests visiting Alserkal Avenue.

It’s both a cultural landmark and arts hub in Al Quoz, with art galleries, indie cafes, and creative workshops.

Meanwhile, hidden in the winding lanes of AI Fahidi Historical District is the Coffee Museum.

It offers an escape from the crowd and is a place where visitors can relax and learn about the roasting and brewing styles of coffee.

Continuing with cultural recommendations is Dubai’s Heritage Village near Dubai Creek.

The area is free to visit and you will be able to experience traditional markets, or visit mosques such as Jumeirah Mosque – open to non-Muslim visitors.

Experts also recommend the Dubai Opera in Downtown Dubai where visitors can dine in and experience theatre, opera, ballet, concerts, conferences or exhibitions.

Or visit the Dubai Museum, based in Al Fahidi Fort, also the oldest existing building in Dubai, showcases traditional emirate life.

Moving onto outdoorsy recommendations, is the Ras AI Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, it’s free of charge, and home to a large number of flamingos

AI Qudra Lakes is great to visit in the winter months as it’s all vast desert land – surrounded by artificial lakes.

It’s hard to believe you are near one of the biggest cities in the world when you visit this surreal landscape.

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How do I save money?

To get buy-one-get-one-free deals on dining, attractions, and other activities, experts suggest downloading the Entertainer App.

It could be a great way to save money if you are keen to immerse yourself in Dubai.

Another suggestion, is to keep an eye out for happy-hour deals.

Traditional market places can be wallet friendly too – plus spending money on them can keep independent businesses afloat.

Some of these recommendations include the Gold Souk and Spice Souk both situated in Dubai’s business district, Deir.

Look out for Mandi, Khuzi, Falafel, and fresh juices in these traditional Emirati street food markets too.

Another big way to save money is avoid taxis.

Instead, experts suggest using the Dubai Metro.

It’s a quick and easy metro service and you can spend the spare change on more recommendations. from this guide.

THE energy is high as my fellow party-goers, dressed in blinging club gear, and with their faces covered in glitter, fling their hands towards the sky.

Club classics are echoing around the room while powerhouse singers belt out melodies and podium dancers twist their bodies in time to the music.

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This could easily be a thumping club night in Ibiza, but instead of heavy beats in a warehouse, we’re listening to club tunes played by stringed instruments and saxophones in a countryside setting.

I’m at Warner Leisure’s Heythrop Park for an Ibiza Sunsets break that proves you really don’t need to fork out on flights to the White Isle to party like you’re there.

For this weekend, the Oxfordshire countryside retreat was hosting DJ sets from dance aficionados Dave Pearce and Vernon Kay, reimagined anthems from 16-piece orchestra Ibiza In Symphony, and even an old-school neon party, complete with glow sticks.

Heythrop Park, a Grade II-listed former stately home, is more reminiscent of Downton Abbey than the super-clubs of San Antonio.

Although the musical welcome from a saxophonist immediately conjured up memories of the party island.

I was staying in a spacious superior room with large windows offering amazing views of the parkland and countryside setting — a little different to the seaside surroundings of many Ibiza hotels.

A more typical Warner weekend is usually itinerary-led and packed with activities, but an Ibiza Sunsets break is a more chilled affair.

There is evening entertainment spread across the three-day weekend, including DJ sets inspired by legendary San Antonio nightspot Cafe Mambo.

But the rest of the time can be spent at leisure, taking advantage of activities such as archery and clay pigeon shooting or yoga.

The first day involved a peaceful stroll around the grounds where I stumbled across a silent disco in full swing in the beach club-like Moroccan Garden.

We were ushered to join in with the stomping feet, but it turned out to be just as much fun watching the crowd quietly cutting some shapes.

With all that partying, there’s bound to be a few sore feet — and heads — so when you’re not swaying to melodies, you can fill your time with a visit to the onsite spa.

I opted for a dip in the pool and a sauna for as long as I could withstand the heat, before heading to the outside hot tubs.

Unusually for British summer time, the weather was glorious when I visited.

And without a cloud in the sky, I could almost believe I was in the Balearics.

For those in need of real TLC, optional extras at the spa include facials, mud wraps and reflexology treatments.

Stomping feet

I’d booked in for a Drift Away full-body massage which certainly eased my aching limbs and put me into a zen-like state.

Ibiza Sunsets packages include breakfasts and three-course dinners, so you will never go hungry.

The hotel’s poshest restaurant, Brasserie 32, serves refined pub fare including fish pies, beef short rib and risottos.

Or there’s the Market Kitchen, a buffet-style restaurant in the pretty orangery.

I ate there on my final evening and was serenaded by a flamenco guitarist.

Outside of the main restaurants, visitors can party the nights away in the Late Lounge bar which got everyone on their feet dancing to anthems during my stay.

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If you prefer a more cosy atmosphere, the resort’s pub, The Travelling Duke, serves spirits, ales and ciders as well as steaks, and fish and chip dinners.

With the sun still beating down, it seemed rude not to have a drink outside on the terrace where a DJ was playing chilled Ibiza sounds that channelled the energy of the famous sunset sessions at Cafe Del Mar.

Then it was time for the final evening event — the one we had all been waiting for — as celebrated dance DJs Dave and Vernon took to the decks to transport us back 30 years to the Nineties.

And they certainly didn’t disappoint!

The Late Lounge erupted to the exhilarating sounds of Robert Miles, Darude, Faithless and many more, amid an atmosphere that could only be described as electric.

I couldn’t have been more grateful for my ultra-comfy bed at the end of the night.

Partying that hard in your fifties can be exhausting, but not when you have access to Heythrop’s plush facilities.

I could get used to this.

IT WAS while standing under the darkened desert sky in the beautiful Neon Museum that Las Vegas finally clicked for me.

The museum’s director Aaron Berger recalled visiting the towering Luxor Hotel as a child with his father, who asked why he thought it contained the world’s first diagonal lifts (yes, you actually ascend to your room on a 35-degree angle).

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When young Aaron gave up on guessing, his dad simply replied: “To delight you”.

And that perfectly sums up the spirit of this city — every aspect of it is geared towards joy and excitement.

Those whose only experience of Las Vegas is what they’ve seen on the cinema screen will think of vast casinos, strip clubs and heaving bars.

But there is another side to Sin City just beneath its glitzy exterior, waiting for those willing to look for it.

Take the Neon Museum as an example — at first glance the signs that make up its exhibits seem to be the glowing altars in this temple to tackiness.

Yet taked a guided tour and you discover they are the mile markers of the city’s fascinating history, shining a light on everything from Vegas’s connections with the Mob to one hotel’s brave decision to shatter the colour bar in the 1950s.

Back in the present day, though, there’s only one way to properly explore this desert oasis — and that is by eating your way around the city.

Vegas loves to borrow the best bits from around the world (see the half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower or the actual canals in the Venetian) and its culinary scene is no different.

Highlights for me included a delightfully authentic, and gut-busting, Italian feast at Esther’s Kitchen in the Arts District, and some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever tasted at Mott 32 — think a Friday night takeaway but with a Michelin star.

And for a real taste of the city’s soul, I’d recommend letting Secret Food Tours whizz you through a mystery selection of restaurants, each with their own unique role in its history.

Over the course of an afternoon, you can enjoy a selection of treats from lesser-known eateries to give you a true flavour of the place.

As for where to stay, there are endless glitzy hotels, with owners famously fond of blowing up underperforming sites and rebuilding in their place.

Indeed, during my stay alone I heard of two that were scheduled for demolition in the next few months.

For the classic Las Vegas Strip experience, you can’t go far wrong with Caesars Palace.

An institution here since it opened in 1966, Caesars won’t break the bank (with rooms from around £70 per night) and it’s only a 15-minute walk from just about anything in the city centre.

It boasts a host of restaurants, including branches operated by star chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay, as well as a stunning, Greek mythology-themed shopping mall.

And for some variety you can always stroll to other nearby hotels for a bite, all home to equally impressive restaurants, as well as next door to watch the world-famous Bellagio fountain display.

Guests of Caesars can also take advantage of a well-equipped gym, a spa, Roman baths and a wellness centre — you can even have some light cosmetic procedures done if they take your fancy.

Just bear in mind that some of these cost extra and there were a couple of payment mishaps while I was there (including one person in my group being incorrectly charged more than £650) but these were handled professionally and, as far as I’ve heard, refunded promptly.

Get out and go wild

However, if you fancy stationing yourself Downtown instead — where many of the older, original casinos sit — the Main Street Station Hotel is a top pick.

It’s built on the site of the original railway station and its former owner had a fascination with antiques and interesting knick-knacks, leaving it as a sort of residential museum today.

Highlights include Sir Winston Churchill’s snooker table, a Pullman railway coach converted into a cigar lounge and a section of the Berlin Wall set behind the urinals in the gents’ loos.

Sitting right at the heart of the busy Freemont Street, the area is a firm favourite with Vegas natives — as a nightlife hub at more affordable rates than you might find on the main strip.

The main thing to know about Vegas is that there’s always something happening, some reason to get out and go wild — but what about those looking for a bit more peace and solitude?

Well, you can get that here too.

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It’s one of the perks of a city built in the middle of nowhere.

A short ride out of town and you’ll hit the gorgeous wilderness of the Old West.

What happened in Vegas isn’t necessarily staying there, but after seeing those landscapes I sure wish I could

Firms such as Pink Jeep Tours will take you out to the Valley of Fire State Park, named for its towers of blazing red sandstone.

Standing out in the Mojave Desert, you could almost have no idea that one of the world’s most densely populated cities is a matter of miles way.

It is the perfect break from the hubbub of central Las Vegas, as you take in sights such as the eerily beautiful petroglyphs carved into the rock by native tribes, some of which are estimated to be thousands of years old.

And on cooler days, you can even make your way along a trail to a model Spanish town used as a set in the classic 1966 film The Professionals.

What happened in Vegas isn’t necessarily staying there, but after seeing those landscapes I sure wish I could.