First family holiday, please help!

[Ohwhatfun]

I need help! My husband and I are not well traveled, been away once in 15 years, and I really want to take the children away next year. I have no idea where to go, what time of year, what sort of thinkno should be looking for. We are country bumpkins and this is all very new to us!

They will be 8, 6, and 5.

I’m thinking all inclusive so I can budget better, would likes a pool obviously, some kind of entertainment, hot but not OTT hot, shortish flight (my son is autistic so not sure how he will cope on the flight), maybe a play park???

Please help! Any suggestions!

Price wise I can probably afford £500 per person

We went to Portinatx in Ibiza beautiful little beaches and very quiet. My girls still talk about it now 6 years on

We've just come back from a week all inclusive at hotel sirenis in cala llonga in ibiza. Short flight and transfer, beautiful cove and hotel with a selection of noisy and quiet pools. Absolutely beautiful and loved it.

Someone we spoke to said the same resort in July and August is rammed with barely any beach visible and pools heaving. We had beautiful weather and it was spacious and relaxing so I definitely recommend considering not going in peak season for you.

Oct half term next yr is currently listed for £524 each at hotel we went to but you should get it cheaper if willing to go during school week

I'm pretty certain that Le Ruisseau in the south of France ticks all of your boxes. We've been a couple of times and can't recommend the site enough! You can book accommodation, flights and stress-free transfers from Biarritz airport with Eurocamp and it should work out under your budget. A 6-sleeping cabin costs about £1,300 for a week in August. The only thing is that meals and day trips are not included. The cabins are self catering but there are a couple of take away and dine in restaurants at the site. There's certainly enough to do on the site so you don't need to leave but there are several great places to visit without a car in the local area. Beaches handy too!

I would recommend Santo Tomas in Menorca. It’s a short flight from UK (about 2 hours), a 20 min transfer from the airport and has a lovely sandy beach. We stayed at Mestral & Lleiberg apartments in a 2 bed, modern apartment AI with First Choice for about £500 each. That was end of May/early June. I would recommend it for ease as it’s your first time away with the DC.

DH and I went to Menorca in September. We're hoping to go back again next year. The hotel we stayed at wasn't really set up for kids, but there's a TUI Family Life hotel not too far from the airport which looks great.

Another ideal place for kids is Majorca. We went to Cala D'Or a lot when our children were small.

First Choice have a range called Holiday Villages which are AI, pools and lots of children's clubs and entertainment, very easy, also have a Splashworld range, again AI, pools, waterparks and kids entertainment. Are in hot locations though but as its water based esp waterparks its OK. Lots of excursions available. Not the most adventurous holidays ever but very easy as everything is on site and you can do adventurous later. Normally have a beach. Easter is cooler and cheaper. I have an autistic DS and he was fine there and plenty of kids so don't need to worry about them being silly as lots of kids are going a bit wild.