October half-term has had a nasty habit in recent years of making holiday prices go even more silly than usual.
With summer getting more and more expensive, you end up competing with thousands of other families for the same handful of dates, the same flights and the same hotels that properly cater for families and children.
So I went digging through our booking data to see where families were still getting decent value for the October school holidays.
And, as a dad of two young kids myself, I asked myself one more question: would I actually book it?
For me, a cheap family holiday isn’t much of a bargain if the flight times are horrendous, the hotel has nothing for the kids or you’ve got to spend half the holiday buying meals and snacks on top.
Every deal I found falls inside the school holidays, is all-inclusive for a family of four, still has availability for October half-term and comes with direct flights.
9. Melia Durres Albania, Albania – from £510pp
I’ll start with the most expensive hotel on the list, but probably one of the best examples of why I wouldn’t judge these deals purely on the number at the bottom.
Melia Durres is a proper five-star resort, and it feels much more expensive than the price I’ve found.
You’re getting that big, contemporary resort feel, a huge pool running through the heart of the hotel and a beachfront location rather than a basic base for exploring.
Albania is also one of the destinations I’d be watching closely for family holidays.
It doesn’t yet have the familiarity of Spain, Greece or Turkey for British families, and that can create some really interesting value when the obvious half-term destinations become expensive.
At £510pp all-inclusive during the school holidays, I think this is the one for parents who were already expecting to spend a little more but want something that genuinely feels like an upgrade.
The direct Stansted flights also work nicely: out on Sunday 25 October and back on Friday 30 October, so you’re getting the break firmly inside half-term without eating into school days.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Melia Durres Albania from 25 October, with direct return flights from London Stansted, for £510pp.
8. Duja Didim, Turkey – from £420pp
Turkey has become one of my go-to recommendations when families ask me how to make their budget work harder – and this is exactly why.
Duja Didim is a five-star ultra-all-inclusive resort with eight swimming pools, separate areas for children, a kids’ club for four to 12-year-olds and its own 250-metre private beach.
And even in October half-term, you can bag all of that for just £420pp.
This is the sort of hotel where, once you’ve checked in, you don’t really need a plan: pool, food, kids’ club, beach, another pool, repeat.
And that matters to me with young kids, because there’s a huge difference between a hotel that accepts families and one that’s been designed around keeping them occupied.
Didim also gives you another advantage at this time of year: you’re heading considerably further south than many of the other options on this list, which is worth bearing in mind when you’re chasing the last bit of proper heat before winter.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Duja Didim from 25 October, with direct return flights from London Stansted, for £420pp.
7. Marrakech Ryads Parc & Spa, Morocco – from £410pp
I love a wildcard holiday, and for this list, this is it.
When people think October half-term, I suspect plenty immediately start searching the Canaries, Spain, Portugal… but I wouldn’t ignore Marrakech.
For one thing, you’re buying yourself a much better chance of proper warmth without going long-haul.
And this hotel, Marrakech Ryads Parc, works particularly well if you like the idea of Morocco but aren’t quite ready to drag the kids around the medina from breakfast until bedtime.
It’s a resort-style property away from the busiest part of the city, with a big outdoor pool, kids’ club, daily activities, sports and all-inclusive food and drink.
So you can have the easy family resort holiday and still have Marrakech sitting there when you fancy actually going out and seeing something.
The other thing I like is the flight: direct from Manchester, with an 18:40 return flight, meaning you get a full extra day exploring Marrakech – a perfect pick for families with older kids.
At £410pp, I think this is a very strong half-term alternative to falling into the same trap of booking Spain again.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Marrakech Ryads Parc & Spa from 27 October, with direct return flights from Manchester, for £410pp.
6. Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort, Portugal – from £410pp
This one’s the same price as Morocco, but for a very different holiday.
Tivoli Alvor is the hotel I’d show someone who says: “Yes, we need somewhere brilliant for the children, but I’d quite like it to feel like a holiday for me as well.”
This is a five-star all-inclusive resort with six swimming pools, four restaurants, two bars, a junior club, wellness centre and a shuttle into Alvor.
Some brilliant family hotels are essentially enormous children’s entertainment centres with bedrooms attached, but Tivoli feels far more suited to adults too, without sacrificing the things that make a family holiday easy.
Alvor itself is another reason I’d choose it, because you’re not trapped in an isolated resort: you’ve got a lovely Algarve town nearby if you fancy getting out for a wander.
And at £410pp for a family of four for a five-star all-inclusive school-holiday break, I think the hotel quality you’re getting for the money is excellent.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort from 24 October, with direct return flights from London Stansted, for £410pp.
5. Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi, Corfu – from £368pp
This is probably my personal favourite pick on the list.
Beach, pools, slides, an all-inclusive wristband… very little thinking required.
Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi has four outdoor pools, three children’s pools, a mini aquapark with waterslides and a kids’ club for four to 12-year-olds, alongside its beachfront setting.
That’s exactly the kind of combination I look for when I’m comparing family hotels because it gives you options.
If the children are bored of the main pool, there’s the aquapark.
And if they’re bored of you, there’s the kids’ club.
Or if everybody’s had enough of chlorine, you’ve got the beach.
And £368pp is where this list starts getting particularly tempting.
In the deal I found, you’re flying direct from Gatwick on Tuesday 27 October and returning Sunday 1 November, staying at a four-star Greek all-inclusive hotel – all for under £400pp.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi from 27 October, with direct return flights from London Gatwick, for £368pp.
4. Puente Real, Torremolinos – from £330pp
This is one I’d call the safe pair of hands.
Torremolinos isn’t going to win any prizes for being an undiscovered holiday destination.
But sometimes, particularly when you’re travelling with kids, being a known quantity is a selling point.
Puente Real sits right by the beach and has the stuff families actually use: pools, children’s entertainment and a kids’ club for ages four to 12.
Its all-inclusive package also includes meals, local drinks and snacks between restaurant sittings.
And because you’re in Torremolinos rather than a purpose-built resort in the middle of nowhere, you’ve got plenty around you when you fancy getting out.
The price is the headline for me, though: £330pp in October half-term, all inclusive, with direct Bristol flights.
Once you start looking at what families can easily spend on a UK break during the same week – before you’ve bought three meals a day – this deal starts to look very, very sensible.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Puente Real from 27 October, with direct return flights from Bristol, for £330pp.
3. O7 Be Klub, Alcudia, Majorca – from £283pp
This is our first hotel to come under the £300pp mark, so it’s officially time to start taking notes.
You might recognise this hotel by its old name, Bellevue Club, but it’s now O7 Be Klub – and the sheer scale of this place is a big part of the appeal for families.
The resort covers around 250,000 square metres and has 11 swimming pools, including pools specifically designed for babies, plus two children’s waterpark areas with slides, fountains and playgrounds.
That’s worth knowing because a three-star rating can sometimes make people scroll straight past a hotel, but I wouldn’t here.
If your priority is having loads for the kids to do rather than marble reception desks and fancy toiletries, this is exactly the sort of place where the star rating tells you less than the facilities list.
You’re also based in Alcudia at this hotel, which remains one of my favourite easy recommendations for families in Majorca because of the huge sandy beach and very family-orientated resort.
For £283pp all-inclusive in the school holidays, this is seriously cheap.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at O7 Be Klub from 27 October, with direct return flights from Birmingham, for £283pp.
2. Magic Sports, Oropesa del Mar – from £268pp
This is the hotel I’d expect kids to pick themselves.
Magic Sports is Spain’s first sports-themed hotel, with rooms themed around sports including football, basketball, tennis and motorsport, plus a sports-themed waterpark with some properly substantial slides.
And Oropesa del Mar is an interesting resort to pick too.
It doesn’t have the same instant name recognition as Benidorm, Salou or Alcudia, which is probably part of why bargains can still appear here.
But for families, there’s a huge resort and a long beachfront – without you paying purely for the destination name.
I’ve previously flagged Magic Sports as one of those under-the-radar Spanish family hotels worth knowing about, and this price only reinforces it.
Because I found a deal for a family of four, all inclusive during October half term, for just £268pp.
That’s flights and hotel for less than plenty of families could spend on accommodation alone for a UK staycation during a school holiday week.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Magic Sports from 27 October, with direct return flights from London Gatwick, for £268pp.
1. Ohtels La Hacienda, La Pineda – from £263pp
I’ve been banging the La Pineda drum for a while now, and this hotel shows exactly why.
Ohtels La Hacienda is a four-star hotel in La Pineda, just 250 metres from the beach, with its own children’s waterpark, outdoor pools, spa, football and padel facilities.
And there’s another reason I really like the location for families: PortAventura World is less than three miles away.
So if you’ve got older children who need more than five straight days around the pool, you’ve got one of Europe’s biggest theme park resorts practically on your doorstep.
You don’t need to do it, obviously – the hotel has enough going on that this still works perfectly well as a straightforward all-inclusive break – but having the option is a massive plus.
A family of four can get away for £1,050 in total (£263pp), with direct Gatwick flights, during the school holidays.
That is the sort of half-term price I’d personally stop scrolling for.
Book a five-night all-inclusive stay at Ohtels La Hacienda from 27 October, with direct return flights from London Gatwick, for £263pp.