Spend this Christmas by the beach with holiday deals from £289pp

ALTHOUGH holidays are usually extremely pricey this time of year, we've spotted the cheapest deals to help you spend this Christmas by the beach.

The deals come from , so they include return flights, hotel and baggage allowance.

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The secret is to search for trips that depart on or after December 21 and last for a minimum of seven nights.

• Check out the here

The destinations we've found are quite close to home too, with average flights between three and four hours.

For those looking to stay as close as possible, Portugal might be a good option - and also the cheapest.

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But it's worth keeping in mind that Portugal isn't usually considered a 'winter sun' holiday, as temperatures reach a maximum of 18C and some rainy days.

That being said, it should still be a lot warmer than the UK will be.

The cheapest deal we've found is Praia da Rocha, Algarve, with week-long stays costing .

The deal includes your stay at Club Amarilis on a self-catering basis.

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Portugal's island Madeira is slightly warmer - with daily average highs of 20C and lows never dipping below 16C and deals here start .

For highs in the mid-20s, you'll have to move further south.

For instance, still boasts sunny days with an average daily temperature of 23C.

Over the Christmas holidays, Brits could enjoy the golden sandy beaches of the Spanish island and roam around the town centres.

Although Tenerife shines during the summer, it's a year-round destination which means shops, bars and pubs will be open.

Plus, many restaurants also host Christmas dinners and parties.

Seven nights in Tenerife are available departing on December 21.

Elsewhere, a new flash sale has bucket-list tours to holiday destinations in Europe, the US and South Africa from £430pp.

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For somewhere closer to home, we found cheap Christmas and New Year UK breaks from £19pp a night, with festive dinners and themed activities.

And if you'd like to start planning ahead, Jet2holidays launched direct flights to four new tourist destinations in Greece, Portugal and Croatia.

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