School holidays package tips

[holidayfever2024]

As my new name suggests I am a bit over excited as having decided we had zero chance of affording a holiday this year we have had a windfall and are now looking for an August holiday ( late I know!)

We have typically done self catering type holidays with the DC but would like the full package holiday experience if we can this time- DC need more than just our company (11 and 13) and we would like to not have to cook / drive / plan many excursions !

Can anyone give any tips on how to spend our newly found money wisely ?

We are happy to share a room if it's properly geared up space wise for 4
Is AI a good idea?
I would choose Greece ideally but a friend said they aren't good at AI type holidays (is this true ?) - maybe it doesn't matter where we go if it's so reliant on what the resort offers ?
Budget is £5k we would really like 10 nights for this.
Looking more for top tips on how to choose a decent resort and any rookie errors to avoid as I know specific resorts may be all
Booked up by now.

I would look at somewhere like Holiday Village or Tui Blue that do family rooms with a divider. The kos holiday village has proper beds for the kids rather than sofa beds.

Not sure you would get ten nights though.

Where are you looking to fly from?

Thanks for replies will take a look!

We are nearest to Birmingham but can do Bristol or Heathrow / Gatwick if needs be.

I'd take a look at Mark Warner holidays. They are jam packed with activities and ideal if you can fly from London.

How exciting!

I would definitely say go AI for a proper rest but read trip advisor reviews focusing on comments on food in particular.

Turkey has lots of AI resorts.

Turkey is really good for good value AI resorts with water parks for the kids and multiple restaurants for the adults.

We also love Greece for AI but the ones with multiple restaurants tend to be more expensive than Turkey but cheaper than Spanish resorts.

If you find one you like, check Facebook to see if they have a Facebook group for the resort. You tend to get a lot more info from those then normal reviews (people only tend to leave bad reviews)

EasyJet package holidays seem to be really good value at the moment. Often the same resorts as Jet2 / TUI.

Look at tui magic life in fuerteventura, free child place available, ideal location next to sandy beach, lots of sports included, multiple restaurants included 7 nights is well under budget. There's another option there i haven't been to that has 10 nights with free child place.

Flights out of Birmingham, but you need to sign into the offers on the TUI app to get the better deal

Turkey is usually really good value and I think you could get 10 nights for 5k in August. Only thing is the heat... my friend was there last August and it was 38-42°C!

Free child place, water slides, all inclusive.

Thanks for sharing my excitement !
It is such a nice problem to have of course but now I feel a bit burdened by making sure we all have a great time.
My youngest DC can't remember his last time on a plane even.
It was 2017 I just realised !

Oh and I have the added tension that I am in the process of a passport renewal so that is also a worry!

Anyway appreciate all the ideas and am trying to enjoy the process of window shopping.

This is a concern of mine too ! My eldest doesn't live the heat though would love the pool and water slides etc .

If last 2 weeks of Aug look at flying from Edinburgh/Glasgow- my SIL has just saved hundreds doing this.

I think you can't go wrong with Spain, if you can get it within budget. Turkey will be unbearably hot (leaving aside their human rights issues, proximity to Syria and the fact I would not visit if you paid me, whole other thread) as Greece may be.

Friends of friends had a bargain holiday in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria but its very Brits abroad I think, depends if you mind that.

We are currently in Olympic lagoon Cyprus and it's great I would highly recommend!! We're in the Ayia napa resort but there is one in pathos too x

How exciting! I’ve only been one one AI holiday - it was fab. My recommendation would be to go to a resort that has a few restaurants rather than just one as think sometimes the ones with just one can become a bit repetitive over the course of ten days… and if not brilliant you’ve got it for every meal every day!

They might be outside budget, but I agree, great for kids of that age. Also Neil's on.

Another option to consider, a cruise? Lots of things to do on board the ship, all inclusive food and drinks packages and varied locations to visit.
I think you can get some great last minute deals in your budget.

Salou lots for kids

Jet Holidays. Good for families. Not sure about 10 nights AI in August though.

Ooh this is an interesting idea will keep that in mind !

Yes this is what has put me off in the earlier days of AI but it looks easy to find somewhere with a decent selection of options so will try to do that.

Thank you I assume you mean Jet2 and I am definitely looking there.
I am looking at Tui, easyJet and Jet2 mainly

I think mark warner and neilson are out of reach this time.

Whether AI is a good idea depends on what you value. If you want to not have to think about/choose where to eat each day and have unlimited snacks, ice creams, cocktails etc without worrying about the cost AI might suit.

But the food can be repetitive and is likely to be from a buffet for your budget (which is a significant amount of money, but a la carte AI, especially in the school holidays, is eye watering).

AI is less popular in Greece, because the alternative, ie self catering and eating out in little tavernas each day is more popular, likely to be cheaper unless you're complete gluttons and a much nicer experience IMHO. We always self cater, eat at local restaurants at least once a day and stock up on drinks and snacks from the supermarket too.

If you're flexible about where you go, you might get a good deal from Jet2holidays.

You could even try going into a local travel agent or a branch of Hays Travel, telling them what you're looking for and see if there are any deals on offer.

When searching jet2holidays, I always filter by Trip Advisor rating 4 and above, and check that the place is in walking distance from the beach, restaurants and a supermarket. If you don't want hot hot, you could look at north eastern Spain (Costa Dorada and Costa Brava) rather than Costa del Sol, Greece, Turkey or Malta. Or the Canaries. But anywhere around the Med could be scorchio in August.