October half term in the sun?

[Triffid1]

We are quite keen to go away for October half term. Somewhere sunny and nice but we don't need it to be blazing sunshine - just nice enough that we can sit outside, wander around, maybe have a swim if the weather is especially good etc.

As a rule, we prefer self catering but v happy with either resort style or more independent as a rule, although am leaning towards convenience of a resort.

We like somewhere with shops/restaurants etc but we don't want a city break - definitely more about finding time to swim, walk, cycle, chill etc. Kids can both swim so either an individual or resort pool is nice and it doesn't have to be fenced off.

Budget is tricky - all in I think probably about £3000 for between 4-7 nights. So not massive. 2 adults, 2 kids.

Any ideas?

[dameofdilemma]

Try the Canary Islands. We usually go to Tenerife Oct half term but some of the other islands might be a bit cheaper (Lanzarote/Fuerta). There's a range of accommodation but its the flights that are really expensive.

By Oct in my exp its pot luck whether elsewhere in Europe would be warm and (crucially) dry enough. Other posters might have had a better experience tho.

[GiantKitten]

We had Oct half term in S Spain once - weather was good, actually too hot for me a couple of times.
Kids swam.
And a big plus was the first snowfall in Sierra Nevada (Granada-ish) - we went up for snowball fights after beach in the morning!
This was about 15 years ago, and the weather there seems to be a bit less reliable than it used to be; although we also went 7 years ago - slightly earlier in October - and it was the same, including the snow.
Worth a look though. Lots of cheap flights to Malaga, and lots of cheap accommodation too.

[GiantKitten]

Have a look at Nerja
weather-and-climate.com/nerja-October-averages

[Triffid1]

Thank you so far. I am interested in Canary Islands but see the flights are a bit tricky and/or expensive. Will have to do more research.

[fussychica]

We are almost always in southern Spain for October half term, weather can be a bit hit and miss. Last year our teacher son and his partner joined us for a few days and it was mixed, warm but cloudy and windy. Bit rotten for them as before they arrived and as soon as they left it was fabulous!

[Triffid1]

@fussychica do you mean somewhere like Malaga or Gibraltar? It's probably worth looking at but as you say, might not be great weather. Having said that, we're not looking for a holiday by the beach so we certainly don't need perfect weather.

[Triffid1]

Can anyone recommend resorts they like?

[Ilikewinter]

what about Cyprus, ive only been late September but the weather was perfect could be worth a look?

[pastaandpesto]

We are going to Essaouira in Morocco. Have booked a stunning 4 bed private villa with heated private pool and a chef (yes that's correct) for £1500. Flights another £1400 for five of us. Will be taking family surf lessons, exploring, and generally chilling!

[JubileeQueen]

We went to Portugal (Carvoiera) in October half term and it was lovely- warm and sunny!

I would book somewhere with a heated pool if you want to swim though - most pools were unheated and absolutely freezing!

[Shangrilalala]

We did Cyprus last October/November and it was lovely. We swam every day in both heated and unheated pools and had many lazy meals outside. It was perfect. We’re Paphos fans and have returned many times but this was the first out of high season.I’d highly recommend.

[RandomUsernameHere]

We are thinking of going to one of the Greek islands as still nice weather at that time.

[Anotherusernamethisweek]

We always do Turkey in October half term. Some years it's 24-26 degrees and some years it's 28-30 degrees. We go all inclusive and this October we've booked 4 kids and 2 adults for about £2600.

[CottonSock]

I've done algarve twice and weather was mixed. Some days of full rain.
So I'm going to lanzarote. Flights were £1100. Villas available for all budgets. I got a heated pool and hot tub for £1k so your budget is definitely doable. Car hire 200 ish.

[Roselilly36]

Lanzarote is fab, been many times pre covid, PDC is our favourite resort, so much to see on the Island.

[reluctantbrit]

Cyprus - we went in the last week in October and while it was fresh in the evenings and we had the odd overcast time with rain showers, it was definitely great.

But you need to check carefully, several resorts shut down 31st October and already cut down on restaurants and services offered.

[liveeverysecond]

@pastaandpesto can I asked who you booked through please? That sounds amazing!!! Like the idea of villa and chef. I love villas but the only downside is the cooking 😂

[pastaandpesto]

@liveeverysecond@liveeverysecond

[pastaandpesto]

Gah sorry posted by accident!

I found the villa on airbnb and then booked it independently.

www.babeloued-essaouira.com/fr_babargane.php

Can't wait!

[minipie]

Cyprus. Or Marrakech, but Cyprus sounds more like what you’re after.

[Triffid1]

Thanks all. Embarrassed I didn't think of Cyprus myself. Turkey would be great but DH isn't a fan of Turkey due to some convoluted childhood thing - I might raise it again as I keep getting told about fabulous resorts and holidays out there! Morocco I am saving because I have a plan for me and the kids when they are older.

Still open to any specific resort ideas. I'm going to spend some time this weekend researching and seeing what our options are.

[minipie]

I think quite a lot of places will be booked up so rather than specific recommendations you might be best off looking on booking.com or similar and seeing where has availability.

I would look at the Limassol area ?

[Triffid1]

Already all booked? Blimey, I thought doing it now was okay. It's hard to pre-plan as we have a lot of moving parts including cash flow.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to take a look over the next week or so and try get something firmed up. lots of ideas on here I'd never thought of so that's helpful already!

[purpleboy]

www.altalomacosta.com

We've stayed here a few times, great terrace, pool, on the beach with a free train that takes you there, fuengirola town about 5 minutes in the car, and Marbella about 30 mins on a bus.
Flights to Malaga are really cheap and from most uk airports. The place is about 15/20 mins from the airport.
It's self catering and well within your budget.

[veiledsentiments]

I live in Cyprus. My sisters and parents came last October half-term. Weather was mid 20s during the day. You will need a sweater in the evenings.