Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on where to go on holiday in October

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Oman's Yiti beach, near Muscat, may be too hot for some in October (Shutterstock / Ivan Pavlov)

Q Where to go in October? Mexico or Dubai? We went to Thailand last October and got too much rain. This year we would like sun.

Katie O’Halloran, Lincoln

A With respect, you have asked two separate questions.

The first is: “Where to go in October for a sunny, rain-free holiday?”

The second is: “If the choice for an October holiday is between Mexico or Dubai, which should we choose?”

The three candidates that provide the most sun-sure answer to the first question are Egypt, Oman and the US states of Arizona and Nevada. The south-western gateway cities of Phoenix and Las Vegas were the leaders in my analysis of the sunniest places on earth that tourists might want to go to. They offer the likely prospect of unbroken sunshine, together with the opportunity to explore wild landscapes and frontier towns. But the sea is a long way away. Assuming that’s a consideration then the Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Marsa Alam offer reliable and good-value solutions. By October, Sharm-el-Sheikh airport may be open to UK airlines once again, and to bring business back to Egypt’s premier resort you can expect plenty of tempting deals to be offered.

On the Arabian peninsula, Oman is more scenically and culturally rewarding than the other states. It is also reliably sunny and dry. If anything, though, it is too hot, with average October temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius (or the mid-90s Fahrenheit). Personally I’d take a chance on Crete, particularly in the first half of October, for warm days, sunny skies, relaxed ambience and – if you can tear yourself away from the beach – extraordinary heritage.

Looking at the Dubai vs Mexico question: the former is much easier and cheaper to reach, but I would make the extra effort to reach the west coast of Mexico (the eastern coast, in particular the Mayan Riviera south of Cancun, being too stormy in October). Thomson has a tempting deal for a week, departing 14 October to Puerto Vallarta, staying at the four-star Canto de Sol hotel for £925 including flights from Manchester (or, for £100 more, the following day from Gatwick).

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder