WHEN booking a holiday there are three specific factors you must consider that can completely change the cost.
Get one of them wrong and you could pay hundreds more for an almost-identical week away… however if you get all three RIGHT you’ve found what I like to call the holiday “magic equation”.
The three key ‘ingredients’ to getting the best deal are where you go, when you fly and how long you stay.
I’ve been digging through thousands of On the Beach holidays to find the best-value combination of departure date, destination and duration for every remaining holiday window before November.
I didn’t just pick whichever holiday had the lowest price, though.
My analysis also compared each option against similar holidays, prices from last year, hotel ratings, customer reviews and the number of hotels still available – and what I’ve been left with is four very specific recommendations.
There’s one for families escaping before the end of the school holidays, two for couples and families with toddlers who can travel outside term time, and one for the October half-term scramble.
So here are the four magic holiday combinations I’ve uncovered – plus a deal you can book right now for each one.
Fly to Tunisia on… August 20
If you’re still hoping to get away with school-age children this summer, August 20 is the date I’d be circling, especially for trips to Tunisia.
The best-value August combination in our analysis was a seven-night all-inclusive holiday to Mahdia, departing on August 20 and returning on August 27.
The average price was just £698 per person – 22.6% cheaper than similar holidays and 9.2% less than people paid last year.
That’s particularly impressive because it gets you back before the end of August too, so no breaking the school holiday rules.
Mahdia itself is a bit of an under-the-radar alternative to Tunisia’s better-known resorts.
It’s a historic coastal town with a beautiful old medina and long stretches of pale sandy beach.
The sea here is often wonderfully clear and shallow, while hotels tend to be large, all-inclusive and built around keeping children occupied.
In other words: much of what families book Turkey for, but frequently at a lower price.
I found a particularly good deal at the four-star Mahdia Beach & Aqua Park from £623pp (and it’s all-inclusive).
It’s a huge beachfront resort with several pools, waterslides, and children’s activities, as well as a high Tripadvisor score – more than 1,900 gave it 4.2 out of five.
Tunisia deal
Mahdia Beach & Aqua Park, Mahdia
- Seven nights
- All inclusive
- Return Liverpool flights
From £623pp. BOOK HERE
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Fly to Egypt on… September 23
September is where holiday prices start to calm down from the summer surge.
For couples and parents with children below school age, the best-value combination was a seven-night all-inclusive holiday to Nabq Bay in Sharm El Sheikh, departing on September 23.
The average holiday cost £709 per person, which was 12.3% below the price of a comparable break.
More importantly, it was a massive 22.2% cheaper than last year – the biggest year-on-year drop of any winning combination in the data.
Nabq Bay is one of my favourite recommendations for anybody wanting a proper fly-and-flop holiday in September.
Temperatures are normally still well above 30C, so the weather stays beautifully warm and the resort is full of enormous all-inclusive hotels with private beaches, waterparks and enough swimming pools to require a map.
And Nabq Bay is especially well suited to families with toddlers.
Most of the holiday happens inside the resort, so you’re not repeatedly folding a buggy into taxis or attempting a cultural walking tour at precisely the moment somebody decides they need a nap.
My deal is at the Parrotel Aqua Park Resort is all-inclusive for £450pp when flying on September 23.
As the name rather usefully suggests, the main attraction is its enormous waterpark, but there are also several pools, restaurants, children’s facilities and a private beach area.
Egypt deal
Parrotel Aqua Park Resort, Nabq Bay
- Seven nights
- All inclusive
- Return Stansted flights
From £450pp. BOOK HERE
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Fly to Turkey on… October 13
October delivered the strongest overall value score from all the data I sifted through, especially when flying to Turkey.
The winning combination, by far, was a seven-night all-inclusive holiday to Marmaris, flying on October 13 and returning on October 20.
This is just before the half term holidays so is suited for couples or families with little kids not yet in school.
The average price was just £537 per person – that’s 21.4% cheaper than similar holidays and 11.6% below last year’s price.
Marmaris works brilliantly in October because you get the best bits without quite so much of the summer chaos.
The resort wraps around a huge bay backed by pine-covered mountains, with a long waterfront, beaches, boat trips and a seemingly endless supply of restaurants.
Daytime temperatures are typically still warm enough for the pool and beach, although evenings are cooler and there’s a greater chance of rain than during summer.
It’s also a great month for exploring. You can walk the marina without melting, take a boat along the coast or visit Marmaris Old Town without needing to stop for emergency air conditioning every ten minutes.
The deal I found is at the three-star Supreme Hotel, a simple but well-reviewed base with a pool, restaurant and a useful location for reaching the centre of Marmaris.
The best deal I found was an all-inclusive week at the Supreme Hotel from £235pp when flying October 13. At £33.57 per person, per night – including your flights, hotel, food and drinks – that’s my standout bargain of the lot.
Turkey deal
Supreme Hotel, Marmaris
- Seven nights
- All inclusive
- Return Gatwick flights
From £235pp. BOOK HERE
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Fly to Greece on… October 25
If you’ve got kids, you’ll know that October half-term is always difficult.
Once every family in Britain needs roughly the same handful of departure dates, the chances of finding a bargain tend to disappear faster than the good flight times.
But the data did uncover one combination that stood above the rest: seven nights all-inclusive in Kardamena, Kos, departing on October 25.
The average price for a deal here was £740 per person – 13.4% cheaper than comparable half-term holidays and 13.2% below last year.
Kardamena is one of the livelier resorts on the Greek island during summer, but by late October it becomes considerably calmer.
You still have its long beach, waterfront and marina, while Kos Airport is only around a 15-minute drive away.
That short transfer here is a serious half-term advantage too – nobody wants to follow a four-hour flight with a two-hour coach tour of every other family’s hotel.
The weather is the slight gamble, as late October brings warm sunny days, but you might see some businesses closing for the season.
So, this is one where I’d choose a hotel with plenty happening on site.
Lucky for you, the deal I found does exactly that, which is an all-inclusive seven-night stay at Canvas by Mitsis Family Village, for £558pp when travelling on October 25.
It’s built on a hillside overlooking the coast, with pools, waterslides, family entertainment and access to a beach below, and it scores a very impressive 4.4 out of five from almost 2,500 Tripadvisor reviews.
That’s £181.60pp below the average price uncovered by the half-term analysis, and proof that the school-holiday premium can still be beaten if you get the date, duration and destination exactly right.
Greece deal
Canvas by Mitsis Family Villas, Kos
- Seven nights
- All inclusive
- Return Bristol flights
From £235pp. BOOK HERE
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