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Now the weather is getting cold in the UK, all I can think about is where to have my next holiday. October half term holidays are much cheaper than going abroad in the summer holidays, so check out my favourite places to go in Europe over the next 3 months. Most of these can be found among various Europe tour packages, so it’s worth taking a look there as well.
We absolutely love having family holidays and are always looking at new places to go.
We are thinking of having a cheeky week in Europe for our October half term holiday, so thought I would check out the best hotels and the best times to go.
As we home educate there is no need for us to go on holiday in October half term, but I have put a guide price for each of my favourites in and out of the school term time.
**Disclosure, this is a collaborative post with On The Beach, all views are my own. There may be affiliate links included.**
All of these hotels listed are all 4 star rated, and the prices are based on all-inclusive, however, other board types are available. If you are looking for the best beaches in Europe check out this great guide.
Fuerteventura, Spain – average temperature 23°
Gran Canarie, Spain – average temperature 23°
Tenerife, Spain – average temperature 22°
Paphos, Cyprus – average temperature 22°
Costa del Sol, Spain – average temperature 19°
This depends largely on your council, however, most children break up on 28th October and return to school on 1st November 2019. Leicestershire for example, break up as early as 14th October for a week, and some parts of London break up on 21st October. So make sure you check before booking your October half term holidays.
Fuerteventura, Spain
The weather in Fuerteventura is the warmest in Europe at this time of the year with temperatures remaining in the low 20s all year round. This is the second largest of the Canary Islands and is renowned for its beautiful white sandy beaches. This would be a perfect destination for your October half term holidays, but be aware, the reason this is so warm is due to the wind. Fuerteventura literally means strong wind!
The Pierre & Vacances Village Club is a wonderful hotel, and definitely great for families. This is a 4 star resort and gets 4 stars from Trip Advisor as well, which is no mean feat. Check out this kids water play area. This hotel also has a kids club, just in case either your children enjoy making friends, or you want to have a few minutes peace!!
The prices vary massively as can be seen below, and October half term family holidays are about £826pp (all-inclusive). If like me you homeschool or are happy to take your children out of school then the cheapest week in this hotel is 12 Dec – 19 Dec at only £292pp!
Book your holiday now at Pierre & Vacances Village Club
Flight Time: 4:20 hours from London
Average Annual Temperature for Fuerteventura
Average Annual Rainfall for Fuerteventura
Gran Canaria, Spain
Another of Spain’s Canary Islands, Gran Canaria must feature on this guide. It has 60 kilometres of beaches and the weather is very similar to Fuerteventura, just with slightly more rainfall.
Mogan Princess & Beach Club is a beautiful 4 star resort in Playa del Inglés. The beach is only 1km away from this amazing resort. There is a kids pool and a kids club so this is definitely a family-friendly resort.
The prices vary a lot from over £700 for a week per person (all-inclusive) in October half term breaks to as little as only £291 in December.
Book your holiday now at Mogan Princess & Beach Club
Flight Time: 4:30 hours from London
Average Annual Temperature for Gran Canaria
Average Annual Rainfall for Gran Canaria
Tenerife, Spain
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and is a great place to have a holiday. The weather is slightly colder than the other two above but it is equally beautiful. It’s dominated by Mount Teide, a dormant volcano that is Spain’s tallest peak. The last time I went to Tenerife was I am ashamed to say over 20 years ago, in fact, it was my first ever girls holiday when I was 17. The nightlife in Playa de las Américas is great, but Tenerife is also a great place to travel with the family.
Aguamarina Golf Hotel is another 4 star resort that offers all-inclusive packages, which is great for families. It also has a kids club, and literally on the pebble beach. In Tenerife, there is an amazing water park called Siam Park and claims to be the most spectacular water attraction in Europe, which is only 20 minutes away from this hotel.
The prices in October half term are £781pp (all-inclusive) if you have children in school, however, if you have younger children or homeschool the cheapest time to go is the end of November to mid-December with a price of only £278pp.
Book your holiday to Aguamarina Golf Hotel
Flight Time: 4:30 hours from London
Average Annual Temperature for Tenerife
Average Annual Rainfall for Tenerife
Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos in Cyprus situated on the south-west coast of Cyprus has lots of historical sites relating to Aphrodite. There is loads to do in Paphos, from visiting lots of ruins and churches to water parks, and there is even a zoo.
Aloe Hotel in Paphos is another 4-star family-friendly resort. There is a kids pool, a kids playground, but no kids club, although they do offer a babysitting service. There is also an indoor swimming pool, so if the weather isn’t too kind you can still have a good splash about.
This hotel has 2 weeks of half term, with prices starting at £832 increasing to £1002 (all-inclusive) within these 2 weeks. If like me you can go out of half term though you can pick up a really great deal in November at only £452pp. On the Beach don’t operate this hotel in December, but the other hotels I recommend on this page all have availability in December.
Book your holiday to Aloe Hotel, Paphos now.
Flight Time: 4:30 hours from London
Average Annual Temperature for Paphos, Cyprus
Average Annual Rainfall for Paphos, Cyprus
Costa del Sol, Spain
Costa Del Sol literally translated as the Coast of the Sun is located on the south coast of mainland Spain. If you fancy getting out and about there is a sea life centre in Benalmedena, and I would recommend a trip to Ronda. Ronda is a mountaintop city in Malaga and is breathtaking. Check out some more amazing things to do in Costa Del Sol here.
Holiday World Resort has absolutely everything you might need for a holiday with the kids. We had a week here last summer, it is huge and definitely geared up for kids. There are lots of pools and plenty of kids pools.
This is the cheapest of the hotels mentioned in the list starting with half term week at only £634. The weather, however, is the coldest at only 19 degrees in October half term holidays. Although with London’s average temperature of only 13 degrees in the same month, it will certainly be hotter than being at home!
Book your holiday at Holiday World Resort now
Flight Time: 3 hours from London
Average Annual Temperature for Costa Del Sol, Spain
Average Annual Rainfall for Costa Del Sol, Spain
London, UK
As you can see that although none of these October holidays is in the scorching 30 degrees category, they are all significantly warmer than spending a week in the UK!
Average Annual Temperature for London, England
Average Annual Rainfall for London, England
If you are dreaming of a sun-filled Christmas check out this great post from Kelly.
There are lots of things you need to be aware of though if travelling to Europe. As although it is very similar to the UK there are things you need to know, check out these great travel tips to Europe
Where will you be spending your October half term family holidays? Let me know in the comments.
5 Comments
Some fabulous ideas – I’ve just returned from Pirates Village in Majorca and the temperature was still 26/27 every day so quite good – October Half Term and Halloween is supposed to be incredible there x
Wow that is amazing, I definitely need some more sun!!
I’d really recommend Cyprus off that list – so much to see around Paphos as well. It’s ideal as a lot cooler than August too. #mustseeplaces
We often go to Greece during Oct half term – but you can’t guarantee the weather! I think The Canaries are a better bet! #mustseeplaces
You are making me want to book a holiday. My husband is in Barcelona at the mo and it is lovely and warm #MustSeePlaces