Family holiday ideas
🍂October half term family holidays in the sun
One week, warm weather, and hotels that still have their kids club open. The autumn-break escapes worth booking now.
The autumn half term is the last easy sun of the year, and the good family hotels sell out early because everyone wants the same week. These stays still run their kids club into late October, keep the pools warm, and sit a short transfer from the airport, so a single week actually feels like a holiday. Book by late summer for the pick of the rooms.
Our picks
in Costa del Sol
Kempinski Hotel Bahía
Spacious, genuinely luxurious rooms and family suites with fine linens and marble bathrooms. Baby equipment and bottle sterilisation come on request, so travelling with little ones is properly catered for.
in The Algarve
Vila Vita Parc Resort and Spa
Some of the Algarve's finest rooms, suites and private villas, spread over lush clifftop gardens. Family suites and villas give generous space and, in the villas, private pools. This is polished luxury, priced accordingly, with service to match.
in Tenerife
GF Victoria
Every room is a suite, most with a separate lounge and a sofa bed, so a family of four never has to share one open space. Junior suites suit couples with a baby, and the larger suites give teens their own corner.
in Tenerife
Royal Hideaway Corales Suites
The reason to book: 114 designer apartments from one to three bedrooms, each with a full kitchen and sea views, some with a private hot tub or plunge pool. Genuinely the smart choice for families who want space plus a five-star address.
in The Algarve
Pine Cliffs, a Luxury Collection Resort
A big spread of options: hotel rooms in the main Ocean building, plus self-catering suites, apartments and villas in the Residence and Gardens. Interconnecting rooms and one and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens make this genuinely workable for families who want space and their own fridge.
in Crete
Domes Zeen Chania, a Luxury Collection Resort
Low-slung bungalows and suites arranged around a leafy central agora, many with a private or semi-private pool a step from the terrace. The Family Bungalows and Open Plan Suites add a separate living area, so you can put little ones down and still have your own space and your own plunge pool for the evening.
in Tenerife
Iberostar Selection Anthelia
Comfortable, classic rooms with balconies, and family rooms that sleep four without feeling cramped. Ask for a garden or pool view rather than the road side.
in Crete
Grecotel Creta Palace
One of the widest family line-ups on the island: garden and sea-view rooms, family rooms and two-bedroom bungalows, plus villas with private pools. Many families pick a bungalow with direct garden access, so children can potter outside while you keep an eye from the terrace.
in The Algarve
Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Algarve Resort
Modern rooms and suites, with a growing choice of family rooms and suites: several have separate living areas and the Family Junior Suite adds a pull-out bed. Ask for a marina or sea view; the marina buzz is part of the appeal here.
in The Algarve
Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort
A big resort with 491 rooms and suites across lush gardens, including plenty of family rooms and connecting options. It is an all-inclusive property, so the room is really your base between pools, buffets and the beach shuttle rather than somewhere you will spend long days.
in Costa del Sol
Higuerón Hotel Málaga, Curio Collection by Hilton
Polished, contemporary rooms with quality beds and generous family options that comfortably take two adults and two children. Higher floors get the sea views that define the place.
in Crete
Creta Maris Resort
A huge estate of village-style bungalows and rooms spread through gardens down to the beach, with family rooms and connecting options. Bungalows near a pool suit families with small children; the trade-off is a large site where you will walk a fair bit between your room, the buffets and the water park.
October half term family holidays in the sun
| Hotel | Score | Kids club | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kempinski Hotel Bahía | 90 | ✅ Free kids club | 340€ |
| Vila Vita Parc Resort and Spa | 89 | — | 520€ |
| GF Victoria | 88 | ✅ Free kids club | 320€ |
| Royal Hideaway Corales Suites | 88 | ✅ Free kids club | 380€ |
| Pine Cliffs, a Luxury Collection Resort | 87 | — | 460€ |
| Domes Zeen Chania, a Luxury Collection Resort | 87 | ✅ Free kids club | 420€ |
| Iberostar Selection Anthelia | 86 | ✅ Free kids club | 240€ |
| Grecotel Creta Palace | 86 | ✅ Free kids club | 340€ |
| Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Algarve Resort | 84 | — | 240€ |
| Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort | 84 | ✅ Free kids club | 210€ |
| Higuerón Hotel Málaga, Curio Collection by Hilton | 84 | — | 245€ |
| Creta Maris Resort | 84 | ✅ Free kids club | 230€ |
Parents also ask
Where is warm at October half term?
Tenerife is the safest warm bet in late October. The Algarve, Costa del Sol and Crete are usually still mild and sunny, with the sea warm from summer.
Will the kids club still be open?
At the bigger resorts, yes, though hours can shorten out of peak season. We note club status on each hotel so you are not caught out.
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