pirate

THE view from the top of the High Temple at Lamanai is one you will struggle to find anywhere else. 

Most of the great Mayan sites, including Mexico’s Chichen Itza, stopped visitors climbing their pyramids years ago.  

Here, you can still haul yourself up the worn stone steps to the summit and look out across the treetops. 

It is one of many surprises in Belize, a former British colony, squeezed between Mexico and Guatemala on the Caribbean coast. 

Roughly the size of Wales, it packs in ancient ruins, thick rainforest and the second-largest barrier reef in the world. And English is the official language. 

I spent a week there, starting deep in the rainforest of the north before heading south to the beach. 

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My first stop was Chan Chich Lodge, on the Gallon Jug Estate in the north-west of the country, which is surrounded by a 30,000-acre private reserve.

Almost everything on the menu comes from the estate’s own organic farm, and I explored the grounds and saw the free-range animals that supply the kitchen. 

The estate grows its own coffee too. It was so good that I came home with a few bags stuffed in my case. 

The best way to see the surrounding rainforest is on horseback, on a guided ride along the trails around the lodge.

Braver guests can head out after dark on a night safari in open-top trucks, with a chance of spotting jaguars and tapirs, Belize’s shy, pig-like national animal. 

Lamanai, home to that High Temple, is a day trip from the lodge. It is two hours by road, then 45 minutes by boat up the New River. 

Its name means “submerged crocodile” in Yucatec Maya, a nod to the crocs that still lurk in the lagoon beside the ruins. 

People lived here for more than 3,000 years, far longer than at most Mayan cities. 

You wander past the Jaguar Temple and the Mask Temple, with its giant carved stone faces, before tackling the High Temple itself.

The steps are steep and worn smooth, with handrails on some stretches, but the view over the rainforest from the top is worth every puff. 

Then it was time to swap the jungle for the beach. I flew south to the coast with domestic airline Tropic Air.

The little propeller plane is half the fun. As you near the coast, the Belize Barrier Reef appears beneath you. 

My base for the second half of the trip was the Placencia peninsula, on Belize’s southern coast. I stayed at Naia Resort and Spa, a boutique hotel set in a 200-acre private reserve. 

Its pool, a few steps from the beach, is as warm as a bath. 

Come sunset, the sky turns orange and pink across the water. With a rum punch in hand, it’s hard to care about anything else. 

My beachfront studio opened straight on to the sand, and came with an outdoor shower for rinsing off under the open sky after a long day out. 

I ate well at 1981, the resort’s waterfront restaurant, and the cocktails were delicious too. 

The real highlight was a day of island hopping and snorkelling by boat from Placencia. 

First stop was Moho Caye (pronounced “key”), a speck of golden sand surrounded by clear blue water. I snorkelled alongside nurse sharks, docile bottom-feeders that pose little threat to swimmers, watched stingrays glide past and spotted hefty lobsters tucked into the reef. 

Before moving on, I sat down to a seafood feast on the beach, with fresh lobster, white fish and crab — all caught the day before by my guide Akeem from Cultural Experience Belize. 

Then it was on to the second stop of the day, King Lewey’s Island Resort, a quirky, pirate-themed private island 12 miles off the coast, where I jumped back in to explore more of the reef. 

Back on dry land, a rum punch rounded off the day. I can confirm it’s strong enough to make any pirate proud. 

On my final night, the local Garifuna community — people of African and Caribbean ancestry — laid on a beach dinner with drumming and dancing. 

Watching the dancers perform, I couldn’t think of a better way to say goodbye to Belize.

STAYING in the UK for October half-term sounds like the smart, budget-conscious choice… until you sit down and crunch the numbers.

Between filling the fridge, shelling out for soft play, buying fuel for days out and those innocent-looking theme park trips that somehow cost £50 before you’ve even passed through the turnstiles, you could easily spend hundreds in a week.

And that’s before the mental toll of cooking three meals a day, clearing up the constant mess and playing full-time entertainment director.

So, I did the maths on another option – cheap resorts with all-inclusive packages for October half-term, starting from £255pp or £51 a night.

With accommodation, meals and selected snacks and drinks included, as well as free childcare at some resort hotels, flying abroad starts to look like something worth pricing up against your half-term plans at home.

Here are the seven best-value resorts I’d be searching for this October half term – and someone else can handle the cooking.

7. Kusadasi, Turkey – from £433pp

Kusadasi gives families an all-inclusive holiday and a change of scenery from the usual Spanish resorts.

It also gives you plenty of scope for time outdoors, with an average October daytime high of 24C.

My pick of hotels for October was the Grand Blue Sky International.

It has pools, (including a children’s pool), play areas and a club advertised for children aged four to twelve.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served buffet-style as part of its All Inclusive programme, with a later breakfast option if the family pulls off the rare miracle of sleeping in.

At £408pp, this is the priciest of the seven, but it gets you five nights at a mega-resort, with flights and meals included. Not bad.

6. Albufeira, the Algarve – from £378pp

Albufeira is a good fit for an autumn break that mixes beach time with getting out and exploring.

The October daytime high is 23C, ideal for a walk along the beach or an afternoon in the brilliant bars of Albufeira’s old town.

Grand Muthu Forte da Oura is around 750 metres from Praia da Oura beach, with a main pool, children’s pool and playground.

And its stellar all-inclusive programme covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon snacks and selected locally produced drinks.

Lunch and dinner can be buffet-style or served from a set menu, but either way, having those meals accounted for makes your spending money easier to plan.

There is also free childcare year round – check availability before booking.

The five-night deal I found here was just £378pp, with flights, accommodation and all-inclusive food and drinks chucked in.

5. Callao Salvaje, Tenerife – from £330pp

As you’d expect, Tenerife has the highest October average on this list.

With an average daytime high of 27C in October, Callao Salvaje is a strong pick when maximum warmth is what you’re after.

I found a great deal at BLUESEA Callao Garden here.

The apartment-style accommodation has three outdoor pools and activities including mini golf and table tennis.

Its all-inclusive board includes buffet meals, so there’s less need to hunt for somewhere to eat whenever somebody gets hungry.

And for all of this – guaranteed October heat, all you can eat and drink, return flights and your accommodation sorted – you’ll only need to part with £330pp.

4. Benidorm, Costa Blanca – from £325pp

Benidorm makes family time in the sun easy – you’ve got massive beaches, promenades that aren’t a nightmare with a pushchair and plenty to see without committing to a full day’s excursion.

And the weather’s great too, with an average October daytime high of 25C.

I wouldn’t look much further than the highly-rated Hotel Cuco, just ten minutes’ walk from Poniente Beach.

Its buffet restaurant serves Mediterranean dishes with show cooking, and there’s a decent pool at the hotel too.

There’s a mini club for the little ones, as well as a rooftop pool bar which mum and dad might have more interest in exploring.

I found a deal for five nights this October for only £325pp, all-inclusive – that’s mega value for half-term.

3. Oropesa del Mar, Costa del Azahar – from £293pp

If your family wants proper entertainment rather than five quiet days by the pool, Oropesa del Mar could be the perfect pick.

With an average October daytime high of 24C, you get great conditions for getting out, topping up the Vitamin D and working on your tan.

And this hotel’s something special for both adults and kids too.

Magic Fantasy Hotel goes big on the family theme, with fantasy-inspired rooms and a Pirates Buffet serving Spanish and international food with a children’s section.

Over the October break there’s live entertainment, costume contests, and the waterparks fully open. 

At £293pp for five nights all-inclusive, you’re getting flights, meals and plenty to get your teeth into for the week before you’ve planned a single day out.

2. La Pineda, Costa Dorada – from £283pp

La Pineda makes family days super-straightforward.

Its long, flat beach gives everyone room to spread out, and the resort has an average October daytime high of 22C.

Not boiling, but that’s plenty of warmth for time on the sand, whether or not anyone fancies getting in the sea…

Gran Hotel La Hacienda is around 550 metres from the beach and has pools and a mini club for younger guests.

Meals are served buffet-style at its Riviera Maya restaurant, taking the daily “where shall we eat?” discussion off your hands, thank God.

PortAventura World is nearby too if you fancy a theme park day out, though tickets cost extra.

And the five-night all-inclusive package I found comes in at £283pp. Bargain.

1. Lloret de Mar, Costa Brava – from £255pp

My number one pick, Lloret de Mar, gives you beaches, coastal walks and a town to explore with the kids.

October’s average daytime high is around 22C.

That’s a comfortable temperature for a beach stroll or an afternoon exploring the Costa Brava without worrying about caking the kids in sun cream every ten minutes.

Guitart Central Park Aqua Resort has several pools, children’s clubs for different age groups and buffet restaurants serving Mediterranean, Italian and Catalan dishes, including loads of great options for children.

Its aquapark is the star of the show though with enough slides and features to keep the kids busy all week.

At £255pp, or £51 a night, this is the cheapest five-night all-inclusive deal I found too, and the one I’d personally be booking.