As winter comes to an end and spring knocks on the door, thoughts turn to the beach, the sun and where we will manage to get away to. But for many people the thought of a beach holiday is nice if a little dull. So what if you could combine the relaxation and warmth of a summer holiday with the excitement and adrenaline of a winter holiday?

There are places across the globe where it’s perfectly possible to swim in the sea in the morning and then take to the pistes in the afternoon, with nothing but a bit of driving and certainly a change of clothes in between.

Morocco

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The glorious sandy beaches of Essaouira can be enjoyed all year round with temperatures in January in the low 20°Cs, reaching up to the mid 20°Cs at the height of summer. At such a close proximity to the Sahara, it’s difficult to imagine that you could be skiing by the afternoon but with a drive of about 4 hours you can be in the Atlas Mountains at the resort of Oukaimeden.

Image by Jørn Eriksson

This is not your typical resort, donkeys are the shuttle buses and the hire equipment has most definitely seen better days, but your friends will be amazed when you say you when skiing in Morocco!

Turkey

You have to travel in March or April to make the most of this location, but at only 50km away from the beach, Saklikent is a great skiing spot.

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The beaches of Antalya aren’t far away and the weather down at sea level is an agreeable early 20°Cs , with warm sea temperatures to match.

Hawaii

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Hawaii is a truly spectacular destination where not only can you ski and sunbathe on the beach on the same day, you can also swing by an active volcano for a quick peek into the crater as you travel between the two.

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Hawaii’s Big Island is no more than 100km across so wherever you’re staying to soak up the unique atmosphere there it can’t be far to go to take in these three sights all on the same day.

Spain

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Whilst the best ski resorts in Spain are found in the Pyrenees in the north, it’s the Sierra Nevada near Granada that’s near the beaches and will let you have that dual purpose holiday.

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You can’t enjoy the slopes of the Mediterranean all year round but April is the best bet for going from piste to beach, as the snow at Pradollano is well-maintained until the end of the month and the Costa del Sol will just be warming up.

New Zealand

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Christchurch is perfectly placed for all your adrenaline sport needs. There are so many mountain resorts to choose from under 100km from the beaches of New Brighton, with varying altitudes so the hotter the weather the higher you’ll need to head to reach the snow. New Brighton and the surrounding beaches offer plenty of lovely sunbathing opportunities but you might just want to swap the snowboard for a surfboard and take to the waves for the ultimate adrenaline-fuelled holiday.

Cyprus

Visiting Cyprus in winter is great, the weather is lovely and the attractions are almost deserted, and it’s the perfect time to catch some sun and swim in the warm Mediterranean waters and then head into the Troodos Mountains for some skiing too.

Image by Leonid Mamchenkov

Mount Olympus is the highest point on the island and the ski resort is centred on this peak, which is around a 90-minute drive from Paphos and slightly less from Limassol.

Dubai

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Whilst there aren’t any mountains here and it’s far too hot to experience snow, you really can sunbathe in the morning and ski in the afternoon in fine style with the new skiing centre, Ski Dubai. The ski centre caters for everyone, skiiers and snowboarders plus those who just want to mess about, go tobogganing or enjoy the àpres ski!

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You can even try your hand at bobsled if you want. At only a couple of kilometres away from the huge expanse of Jumeirah Beach this is certainly the easiest way to have it all.

Top image by www.metaphoricalplatypus.com