October half term is an awkward little week. Too late for the easy certainty of a European summer, too early to disappear for Christmas, and just long enough to warrant going somewhere fabulous.
Travelling with children also changes one’s definition of luxury. A beautiful suite is all very well; a beautiful suite with a closing door between your bed and theirs is better. Add a crèche that takes babies, a pool close enough for nap-time diplomacy and someone excellent to babysit while you order dinner, and we’re listening.
For bigger families, the wish list grows. Proper bedrooms for grandparents. Space for a nanny that doesn’t involve relegating them to the smallest room. Villas where everyone can gather for breakfast and disappear again afterwards. Children’s clubs with enough imagination to keep them engaged.
With that in mind, these are the places we’re looking at for October half term.
Dubai
October is when Dubai gets its groove back. The worst of the summer heat has passed; afternoons belong to the beach again, and seven hours in the air buys you almost guaranteed sunshine without losing half-term to jet lag.
It is also exceptionally easy with children. Waterparks, desert trips, brilliant restaurants, beaches and enough spectacle to impress even a teenager; plus hotels where family accommodation means more than unfolding a sofa bed. For a week when time is limited, Dubai can be deliciously uncomplicated.
Where to stay
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is our glamorous newcomer, with a private beach, Family Club and seriously generous accommodation: the Two Bedroom Marina Family Suite gives you 177m², while the Presidential Suite has its own nanny room, kitchen and private plunge pool. Atlantis The Royal turns the dial considerably higher for children, with Aquaventure next door, an Explorers Club for four- to twelve-year-olds, a separate teen space and professional babysitting from seven months. For older children, we love The Lana, Dorchester Collection: more city hotel than family resort, with connecting rooms and suites, the Dior Spa and a rooftop pool high above the city.
Greece
Greece in late October comes with a small caveat: this is not August with cheaper flights. Evenings are cooler, the weather has more personality, and you need to choose your island – and hotel – carefully.
Crete is one of our favourites for squeezing the last warmth from the Mediterranean, while Corfu has some excellent family resorts operating into October. Or skip the island question altogether and combine Athens with a few days on the Riviera: temples and tavernas followed by an afternoon beside the Aegean is a rather good half-term rhythm.
Where to stay
On Crete, Daios Cove is exceptionally good for younger families. Its Worldwide Kids crèche accepts babies from four months; the complimentary kids’ club covers ages four to twelve; babysitting can be arranged, and private-pool suites mean nap time doesn’t sentence everybody else to an afternoon indoors. Ikos Resorts are our pick when parents want the holiday admin stripped back: excellent all-inclusive dining, childcare from six months, teens’ programmes, babysitting and a Supper Club where four- to twelve-year-olds can have dinner and activities without you. In Athens, Four Seasons Astir Palace brings a different energy entirely, with private beaches, sea-facing bungalows, Kids For All Seasons and the Acropolis within striking distance.
Cyprus
Cyprus earns its place on the October list by being wonderfully straightforward. You can still find proper warmth without committing to long-haul travel; Paphos and Limassol are easy to reach, and there is enough beyond the resort – villages, archaeological sites, mountains, tavernas – to stop a week from becoming an endless rotation between breakfast and the pool.
It is also a very good option when several generations are travelling together. Villas and larger suites are easier to come by, transfers are manageable and nobody needs an elaborate itinerary to have a good time.
Where to stay
Jonas spent October half term at Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort last year and loved it. The 114m² Cap Family Suite has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and sleeps up to six, while Happy Sealz Kids Club looks after children from three to twelve and babysitting can be arranged. Over in Limassol, AMARA is sleeker and more grown-up, but extremely well prepared for small guests. Its complimentary club takes four- to twelve-year-olds, and the hotel can arrange everything from car seats and baby baths to bottle warmers and sterilisers. Not glamorous, perhaps, until you realise you don’t have to pack any of it.
Hong Kong
For families whose children are beginning to outgrow the resort holiday, Hong Kong is tremendous fun.
Ride the Star Ferry because it costs next to nothing and still delivers one of the great city views. Have dim sum for breakfast. Take the Peak Tram, wander through markets, spend an afternoon at the pool and concede a day to Disneyland or Legoland. Jet lag may even work in your favour: Hong Kong is an excellent city in which to be hungry at all times.
It works especially well with older children and teenagers because nobody has to manufacture entertainment for them. The city does that effectively itself.
Where to stay
The Peninsula Hong Kong is a classic: white-gloved service, harbour views and a real treat for the senses. Its 86m² Superior Suites can connect to another room, and Peninsula Time offers flexible check-in from 6 am and check-out as late as 10 pm where available – glorious after a long-haul flight with children. Across the harbour, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong puts you right in Central and works beautifully as a base for families who want to spend their days out in the city rather than inside a children’s club. Connecting rooms and thoughtful children’s amenities make the practical side easy; Hong Kong supplies the rest.
For younger families, Island Shangri-La has done something rather brilliant. An entire floor, Level 45, has been given over to families, with rooms inspired by everything from trams and treehouses to submarines. Some come with bunk beds and slides, but the clever bit is everything surrounding them: The Hangout is a shared living space with games and activities, while The Pantry is stocked with the things parents usually end up squeezing into a suitcase, including baby food and children’s essentials. There’s even a dedicated Family Concierge. It’s playful without asking parents to compromise on a very polished Hong Kong hotel — and the sort of room children will still be talking about when they get home.
Mauritius
Mauritius comes into its own when the family WhatsApp group starts expanding. Grandparents are coming. Perhaps the nanny is too. Suddenly the search isn’t for a hotel room at all, but for four or five bedrooms, a private pool, somewhere everyone can have breakfast together and enough territory that eight people don’t need to spend every waking hour in one another’s company.
Add warm Indian Ocean days, snorkelling, sailing and hotels that have been doing multigenerational travel beautifully for years, and the longer flight starts to look rather worthwhile.
Where to stay
One&Only Le Saint Géran has one of our favourite solutions: its Four-Bedroom Private Pool Villa comes with four bedrooms, a heated pool, kitchen, wine cellar, dedicated host and a separate nanny’s room. That last detail tells you plenty. At Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, residences run from two to five bedrooms with private pools and gardens, alongside Kids For All Seasons, a teens’ programme and babysitting. And Shangri-La Le Touessrok is excellent for children who want plenty happening around them: its kids’ club runs from 9am until 10pm for four to 11-year-olds, teenagers have their own programme and babysitting is available. We’re not suggesting leaving them there for 13 hours. It is simply comforting to know the option exists.
Where will half term take you?
A nine-month-old requires a very different holiday from a nine-year-old, and older children usually want a little more independence of their own. Grandparents might happily take over for an evening, but would probably prefer their own bedroom and bathroom while doing so.
This is why we spend as much time thinking about the mechanics of a family trip as the destination itself: which rooms actually connect, where the nanny sleeps, whether the crèche takes babies, how far the villa is from the main hotel and whether a babysitter can be waiting when you have dinner booked.
Speak to the RASK team about October half term, and we’ll design the trip around your family, from the right rooms and childcare to flights, transfers, restaurants and everything in between.
