TO ESCAPE the chaos of summer and enjoy the delights of quieter hotels, lots of us like to book holidays between September and November.
Those three months have lots of names like the ‘magic period’ or ‘shoulder season‘ and taking a break then can save you some serious cash.
Whether you want a quick trip to Spain or a holiday to African resorts for winter sun, there are some great deals out there, and lastminute.com have helped us find some of the best.
They told us: “Once the peak summer period has passed, travellers can often find significantly better value on flights and holidays, while still enjoying warm weather and everything a destination has to offer, proving that it is better to leave it until the last minute.”
The cheapest spot is Costa Dorada in Spain where on average holidays cost £79pppn.
The Costa Dorada is a region along the Mediterranean coastline and includes popular spots like Tarragona and Salou.
What’s even better is that you can definitely still spend time on the beaches too as in October there are average daytime temperatures of around 22C.
It’s also home to the enormous PortAventura World which is one of Europe’s biggest theme parks – and is home to Europe’s tallest and fastest accelerator coaster Red Force in Ferrari Land.
If it tickles your fancy, check into Hotel Best Negresco in Salou.
It’s a beach front spot with rooms that have views of the coast along with a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, sun terrace and spa.
A four-night stay for two with return flights to London Luton in October starts from £248pp – or £62pppn.
If you want to add half-board to have breakfast and dinner included it’s an extra £26pp.
The second cheapest destination for autumn is Sousse in Tunisia.
The coastal resort city is known for having bright blue waters and plenty of beach clubs.
Visitors can explore the Medina of Sousse – a historic walled quarter that is an open-air market where you can pick up ceramics, leather bags, shoes and jewellery.
With lastminute.com you can book to stay at the Hotel Royal Jinene Beach & Spa from £66pn – and it includes return flights and half board.
The hotel has an indoor pool, outdoor pool with a big slide, bar, restaurant and coffee house as well as activities like tennis and mini golf.
There’s also a spa and live music nights and a short walk away is the sandy Plage El Menchia.
A four-night stay for two people with half board and return flights to London Southend in October is £264pp – or £66pppn.
It’s back to Spain for the third cheapest destination in autumn which is the Costa Brava where on average a holiday is £87pppn – although there are cheaper deals to be found.
The coastal region in northeastern Spain has lots of beaches with cliff backdrops and coves.
The Costa Brava has 300 days of sunshine every year and is mild throughout September and October.
Hotel Tahití Playa & Suites 4Sup is right on the Mediterranean coastline and is just a few steps away from the beach.
It also has a swimming pool, restaurant with themed dinner nights, sun terrace, pool bar, activities like table tennis and yoga classes.
There’s also a spa as well as live performances and entertainment.
A four-night room only stay for two in October at Hotel Tahití Playa & Suites 4Sup including return flights to London Stansted is £153pp – or £38pppn.
The Albanian Coast is emerging as a cheap alternative to other coastlines – with white sand beaches, no wonder it’s loved by celebs like Dua Lipa.
Sarandë is known as the the ‘city’ of the Riviera.
It’s surrounded by the blue waters of the Ionian Sea with seafood restaurants and cheap beer, with pints as little as £1.30.
Here, you can book a stay in the four-star Bougainville Bay Hotel which is considered a gallery itself full of sculptures, paintings and mosaics.
The hotel is next to the sea and you can enjoy the views from its beautiful infinity pool.
It also has four bars, two restaurants and four swimming pools.
In October, temperatures in the daytime sit around 21C – although they do drop in the evening.
A four-night stay for two including breakfast in October at the Bougainville Bay Hotel including return flights to London Stansted is £229pp – or £57.25pppn.
Coming in fifth position for being one of the cheapest spots for a holiday in autumn is Hammamet.
The coastal resort town in northeastern Tunisia boasts golden beaches and there’s plenty of historical sites to explore if you fancy a wander.
Hammamet is a great spot for anyone wanting a dose of sunshine and heat as in October temperatures can be as high as 26C.
For Brits it’s ideal as it’s as little as three and a half hours away from the UK.
The Yocca Hotel Residence is slightly outside of the city with spacious rooms some of which have balconies, swimming pool, garden, terrace and restaurant.
A six-night stay for two at the Yocca Hotel Residence including return flights from London Gatwick is £308pp – or £51.34pppn.