First family flight holiday - October half term

[Whackawhacka]

Can anyone help as I’m not sure where to start.

Looking to go on first flight with our kids (age 6 &4) so hoping to keep it short and from Bristol or Cardiff.

Looking for somewhere warm enough to use pool in October half term also all inclusive.

I haven’t booked a package holiday for 10 years after having some bad experiences (people drinking/smashing glasses in the pool, blocking sun beds, fighting in the room next door) we said we would never book a package hol again.

What agents or website should I use?
Is booking it all separately a bad idea when travelling with kids?

Not got a massive budget and can only be school hols due to my job, so keen to have any tips to ensure this goes well!
Thanks

Book it as a package to make sure you're covered if anything gets cancelled. You get value for money going to Turkey and it'll still be warm. We booked through easyJet holidays.

You may struggle a bit with the pool in the last week of October, anywhere in the Mediterranean. The nights will be getting cooler and the pools lose a lot of heat. Only a few places have heated pools (outside the spa area, where your DC may not be allowed) --- in summer, people complain about the pool being too warm...

The obvious place would be the Canaries, although it's a 4-hour flight. Tui or Jet2 can set you up with the works including flights. Look for a place that has a mini-club and generally looks kid-friendly --- the 16-hours-a-day drinking crowd tend to avoid those.

Pools will be colder, DD definitely didn't enjoy the pools in Cyprus and Lanzarote as much as she did when we went to resorts in Summer.

Be careful in research, lots of resort towns shut down in October and even AI resorts may restrict how many restaurants are open.
The Canaries may be your best option.

Weather will most likel be good but there could very well be a day of rain or overcast and you need layers in the morning and evening.

Canaries are the best bet for warmth at that time, but they are expensive in October half term, due to demand. Have a look on jet 2 or tui for a child free place. Also from Nov to Mach(most of our half term is in Nov) many hotels heat at least 1 of their pools. Look for one of these and check the reviews, some places it's more acclimatised rather than actually heated. We are off to Tenerife in December and have picked some where with a heated pool.

This may be obvious but check the passports now - and that they have enough time left on them in October. Also order GHIC cards now for yourself and the children if you don't have them

Tui are pretty good for packages. I'd go for the Canaries and try and find a hotel with a heated pool. Avoid Costa Teguise in Lanzarote as it's quite windy and might by chillier at that time of year.

The only difference between a package and booking yourself is the airline failure cover, which you can add to your own insurance.

This is just a guarantee to get you home if the airline dissolved.

Look at last min deals, pull the kids out the day before or a few days after.

Check on love holidays they give you ‘by month’ prices.