What to Do If Bad Weather at Your Resort Disrupts Your Holiday

What to Do When the Weather Turns Bad at Your Resort and Your Holiday Doesn’t Go to Plan

Some things are especially disappointing when they happen on holiday. You spend months looking forward to a trip to the sea, choose a great hotel, imagine a sunny week—and then arrive just before a spell of bad weather. The forecast starts with one cloudy day, then another, and soon it becomes clear that there was no point packing a swimsuit at all.

At first, it can be incredibly frustrating—especially when the sea is warm but the sky outside is grey. But even several unlucky days do not mean the whole trip is ruined. Sometimes, you simply need to adjust your original plans a little.

Don’t Keep Refreshing the Forecast

The most stressful habit in this situation is opening the weather app every half hour. In the morning, it predicts a downpour; a couple of hours later, the sun appears; by evening, there is another thunderstorm. As a result, part of your holiday is spent trying to guess what will happen next rather than relaxing.

It is much easier to focus on the next few hours. If it is pouring right now, there is little point sitting around and waiting for a miracle. Do something else, and when the clouds clear, make the most of the opportunity.

Don’t Write Off the Beach Too Soon

A cloudy morning does not necessarily mean you will be stuck in your room until evening. In some places, a heavy shower ends as suddenly as it begins. An hour later, the streets are still wet, but the coast is already getting brighter again.

So there is no need to remove swimming from the schedule altogether. If there is a suitable break in the weather, head to the shore, take a walk, or simply sit by the water.

But do not take risks during a thunderstorm. An open beach is not the place to find out how quickly bad weather will pass.

It’s a Great Time to Get to Know the City Better

Cloudy weather can be surprisingly perfect for walking around historic neighbourhoods. There is no scorching sun, so you can wander the streets at your own pace, admire the buildings, and pop into places you might have passed by in the heat.

A museum, small gallery, old fortress, or historic house can also save the day. Even if such places did not seem particularly appealing before, rain can sometimes change your perspective.

Then you can take shelter in a cosy coffee shop. Sitting by the window with a hot drink and watching passers-by dash for the nearest awning is not a bad way to spend a few free hours.

Plan a Food-Focused Day

If your beach plans have fallen through, why not devote a few hours to food? There is no need to look for an expensive restaurant, either.

Visit a market, find a family-run café, or ask a local where they like to have lunch. Try an unfamiliar dish, sample fresh pastries or fruit, or order a dessert you might not have noticed before.

Sometimes, a place you find by chance becomes one of the main memories of a trip. There was no eye-catching sign, nobody recommended it in advance—you just went in to wait out the downpour and ended up loving it.

See What’s Happening Beyond the Resort

If the bad weather has affected only the coast, it is worth checking nearby areas. Sometimes, travelling for just an hour can take you into a completely different atmosphere.

Hire a car, take a bus, or book a transfer. Even if you do not find clear skies, the change of scenery will still do you good. Along the way, you may come across small villages, scenic roads, markets, or places you would never have got around to visiting during a typical beach holiday.

And it can be amusing: you only meant to wait out a downpour, but ended up spending half the day in a completely different town.

If There’s a Spa, Now Is the Time

When it is pouring outside, it is especially nice not to rush anywhere. If your hotel has a sauna, spa area, or indoor pool, you can finally enjoy what might feel like a waste of time on a sunny day.

Some people will enjoy a massage, while others may simply want a few quiet hours. And if extra treatments are not in the budget, create a peaceful evening in your room instead: order food, put on a film, and go nowhere.

Sometimes, this kind of break is exactly what you need after a busy part of the trip.

Don’t Try to Save Every Hour

This is probably the most important point. When a holiday is not going as imagined, there is a temptation to fill every spare minute at once: a museum, restaurant, day trip, shopping centre, another excursion—anything to avoid doing nothing.

But this can leave you even more tired. And then it is not only the grey sky that becomes irritating, but everything around you.

Sometimes, it is better to accept that today did not turn into a proper beach day. That is okay. Sleep a little longer, read, watch a film, talk to loved ones, or simply lie down and make no plans at all.

You cannot persuade the weather to change. But you can turn one disappointing day into a perfectly good holiday day by letting go of the original plan a little. And sometimes, it is exactly these unplanned moments that you later remember with a smile.