25 brilliant summer family holidays for £500 per person
It’s harder than ever to bag a bargain summer holiday. High inflation and rising flight prices – with airlines increasingly targeted by environmental taxes – mean that costs have been creeping up steadily since the pandemic. Conversely, holidaymakers are planning to spend less on going away, with more than a fifth of those surveyed in a recent Go Compare poll saying they would be cutting the cost of their break this year amid ongoing worries about the cost of living.
The good news is that a summer holiday for around £2,000 for a family of four is definitely doable. By using ferries or low-cost flights and thinking laterally, there are bargains to be had in both the UK and Europe – and we’ve unearthed 25 brilliant holidays to prove it.
Generally speaking, you’ll get more for your money if you save your break for the final week of the summer holidays, when air fares and villas tend to be cheaper and even hotel prices dip. You’ll also save on flight costs if you head for places more traditionally viewed as winter destinations such as Scandinavia or the Alps. With the Mediterranean hit by stiflingly hot weather during the last few summers, it offers a further reason to consider northern Europe, rather than the south.
From lakeside sojourns in cosy inns to chic cabin getaways on fashionable French islands and Scandinavian city escapes for restless teens, the holidays below offer something for everyone. At these prices, you’ll trade chain hotels and all-inclusives for off-the-radar villas, farm stays and enticing chambre d’hôtes. And while that generally means less of the fancy add-ons such as gyms and kids clubs, it’s also likely to lead to more chance encounters and, perhaps, an unforgettable family adventure.
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UK breaks
A lakeside stay
A ten-minute drive from the arcades and amusements of Great Yarmouth, Fritton Lake in Norfolk is an unexpectedly serene stretch of water surrounded by woodland. Hidden amongst the trees, you’ll find sleek cabins and the Clubhouse, a restaurant and hotel which is great value for money. There’s plenty to do here, from tennis and stand-up paddleboarding to Jeep safaris through the woodland and there’s an onsite swimming pool too (though good swimmers can make straight for the lake). A week in Mr Kittles, the Clubhouse’s family suite, costs from £1,732.50, room only (01493 484008).
Glamping by the sea
Fforest is famous for its original farm campsite, to which a slice of London decamps during the school holidays to heat up in the sauna and drink by the campfire. Its second camp by the sea is more basic and affordable – though you still get the same geodesic tents and log cabins as well as a sauna and firepit. It’s a 15-minute walk to the white sand beach at Penbryn, on the Ceredigion coast, and the cafe alongside it. A week costs from £1,300 in a dome tent or £1,400 in a cabin, room only.
Messing about in boats
Nostalgia is all the rage, so re-live family holidays of yore with a trip on a canal boat. Black Prince has one that’s especially good for families – a week-long meander along the Llangollen Canal as it wends its way between Shropshire and North Wales, including a nail-biting crossing of the world’s tallest aqueduct and a crawl through Wales’s longest canal tunnel on route. On shore, there’s the atmospheric medieval ruin of Castell Dinas Bran to explore. A seven-night break costs from £1,699 (diesel is £18 extra per day; 01527 575115).
A classic bucket-and-spade holiday
For an old-fashioned beach break with a kid-centric slant, Newquay’s Esplanade Hotel is a safe bet. Overlooking the great sandy sweep of Fistral Beach (where you can ride the waves with the attached Quicksilver Surf School), its modern take on the seaside theme should please adults, with rope lights and moody photos of waves. Kids, meanwhile, will think they’ve struck gold: they get goodie bags on arrival, a soft play area in the restaurant and hot chocolate stations in the rooms. From £1,710, room only (01637 873333).
Break in the Borders
Facades don’t come much grander than the great white hulk of Peebles Hydro, a four-star hotel lost in the countryside of the Scottish Borders. Inside, however, it couldn’t be less unstuffy: this is a place where you can bring your dog as well as your kids (and all get muddy without anyone caring). Bedrooms cater for families of up to six but it’s the activities that make this a firm family favourite – from air-rifle practice and archery to racing around the mini Landrover track (for kids aged 3-12). From £1,492 B&B.
Classic Med escapes
Spanish sands
You don’t need a pool on the slice of Costa Brava near the town of Begur. There are so many little coves on the stretch between Palamos and Platja de Pals that you can bask on a new beach every day. In a whitewashed terrace one row from the sea at Sa Riera, Hostal Ses Negres has breezy family rooms and apartments, as well as an excellent beachside restaurant serving up local specialities such as Girona steak with padron peppers. From £1,717, B&B (00 34 649 715171). Vueling flies from Gatwick to Barcelona (around an hour and a half’s drive away), from £104pp.
The other French Riviera
St Tropez and its surrounds might be out of budget, but the slice of French Riviera that stretches from Marseille to Toulon isn’t just cheaper – it’s more fun too. Kids will love cowboy-inspired theme park OK Corral and the flamingos and talking parrots of Zoa Parc, while parents should enjoy the boho beach clubs lining the coast. Stay at Maison Chaban in Sanary, a chambre d’höte with chic cabanas and a swimming pool hidden among the olive trees (00 33 6 09 422 888). From £1,625, room only. Ryanair flies from Stansted to Marseille, from £82pp.
A chic cabin
The laid-back French island of Île de Ré is around a three-and-a-half-hour drive from St Malo ferry port, which keeps travel costs low. Sometimes known as Paris-on-Sea, it’s a popular spot for city dwellers on their summer holidays so accommodation can be pricey. But the beachside cabins at relaxed, four-star “open-air hotel” Le Phare are a bargain, even though they’re chic enough to appeal to all those Parisiens. There are indoor and outdoor pools and kids clubs too. From £1,225, room only (00 33 5 46 29 56 82). Brittany Ferries has crossings from Portsmouth to St Malo from £305 return for a family of four with car.
A steal in a Cyprus
The astonishingly good value of the four apartments at Archondia House in the sleepy village of Kalavasos make Cyprus just about affordable in the summer holidays, despite high travel costs. Set in a beautifully renovated 300-year-old pile and with a pool bordered by cheerily striped sun loungers, they’re a lovely place to spend a week, while the beach and tavernas of Zygi are a 10-minute drive away. From £782, room only (cyprusvillages.com.cy). Flight prices are rising fast but Wizzair has tickets from Luton to Larnaca, from £315pp.
La isla bonita
Mallorca is becoming more and more fashionably expensive. Luckily, S’Hort Can Capità, just outside the untouristy inland town of Ariany, remains a well-kept secret. Set among fields and farms, its 10 apartments hide behind pretty, shuttered frontages overlooking the pool, burgeoning gardens and town beyond. For small children, this is paradise: cots and high chairs are available on request, there’s a little playground and the rooms come with portable sun umbrellas for trips to the beach. From £1,232 (00 34 606 000 436). Easyjet has flights from Gatwick to Palma from £130 per adult in August.
Big family break on the Algarve
The Algarve is the best value destination in the Eurozone according to the Post Office – and the four-star Magnolia Hotel might be the most notable bargain of all for larger families thanks to its affordable bungalows sleeping up to six. A 10-minute drive from the beach at Vale do Lobo, it comes with pastel exteriors, palm-frond wallpaper and a pool surrounded by striped sun umbrellas. There’s a kid-friendly menu with nachos and burgers too. From £1,875, room only (£312.50pp for six; 00 351 289 005 301). Ryanair flies from Cardiff to Faro, from £104pp.
A free-range Tuscan getaway
Italian company Posarelli Villas has a brilliant selection of affordable self-catering properties in Tuscany, including the apartments at Podere Romano, a revamped farmhouse near Lake Trasimeno. Here, decor strikes the right balance between ancient and modern, there’s a swimming pool with plenty of shade and kids can run around in the garden while you admire the views of seemingly endless Tuscan hills. The estate also makes its own wine and olive oil, available for guests to buy. The Bandita apartment costs from £1,161, room only (01223 919620). Easyjet flies from Gatwick to Pisa from £155pp.
A Languedoc fairytale
Parents will score major Brownie points with the Pointed Roof Mill, a squat, 13th-century tower near the medieval city of Carcassonne. It’s straight from Rapunzel (though any lucky prince need only climb one level to reach his true love). Dollshouse size rooms add to the appeal and there’s a solar-heated pool shared with the two other houses that make up La Couscouillette (one of which is another minute mill, also available for rent). From £818, room only (01580 819303). Ryanair flies from Stansted to Carcassonne from £92pp.
A cheap-n-cheerful Greek package
Olympic Holidays is hard to beat on price if you’re planning a summer trip to Greece. In Corfu, its best bargain is the three-star Paleo Studios, hidden on a hill a stone’s throw from the resort town of Paleokastritsa. Rooms are basic but views – past squiggles of olive trees towards the sea – are the stuff of holiday photo dreams. Supermarkets and restaurants are a stroll away, while it’s 25 minutes to the sea. From £1,866, room only, including Easyjet flights from Gatwick (020 8492 6868).
The Italian Riviera
Even the middling three-stars of the Italian Riviera inflate their prices like overblown lilos in the summer holidays, when the jet set flock to Portofino. The agriturismos slightly away from the action offer better value, including Le Pale in the hills above Bogliasco, a seaside town along the coast towards Genoa. Its two rooms have an agreeable air of faded grandeur while a pool in its terraced garden with incredible views out to the Mediterranean. From £1,616, room only (00 39 010 3470388). Ryanair flies from Stansted to Turin (two hours’ drive away), from £51pp.
Something a bit different
A strategic Swiss escape
Away from pricey Lake Geneva or Verbier but just half an hour from both, the town of Martigny has a lively market, the excellent Pierre Gianadda art museum and two particularly kid-friendly attractions: the mazes and inflatables of Labyrinthe Aventure and the ziplines and mini-golf of Western City. Accommodation here is good value, especially at four-star Hotel Vatel, part of a campus for hotel school students. Don’t let the unremarkable exterior put you off: it has swish interiors, a sunny terrace restaurant and, of course, exceptional service. From £1,616, B&B (00 41 277201313). Easyjet flies from Gatwick to Geneva, from £56pp.
A different side of the Canaries
A world away from Lanzarote’s brasher resorts, the whitewashed town of Arrieta is a serene place where cerulean shutters mirror the waves and fishing boats line the path to the beach. It’s home to Finca de Arrieta Eco Village, a collection of yurts, cottages and luxury houses that share a solar-heated pool. A stay here is a chance to immerse yourself in the local way of life: join Arrieta’s communal paella evenings on Monday nights and take surf lessons with the beachside school. Its surf shack costs from £998 (00 34 928 826720). Ryanair flies from Edinburgh to Lanzarote, from £173pp.
An Irish adventure
The wild coast of West Cork makes a great base for outdoorsy families, who can pedal along the Beara Peninsula, hike the wild trails of Gougane Barra and swim at wide, Blue Flag beaches such as Inchydoney. A sister property to much-loved Blairscove House (an acclaimed restaurant and set of apartments set around a grand Georgian Mansion), Dunmanus Pier is a painstakingly renovated old stone cottage with its own fishing pier where kids can try their hand at catching crabs. From £1,120, room only (00 353 27 61127). Ryanair flies from Stansted to Cork from £50pp.
The wild side of Portugal
Wild horses, roe deer and even Iberian wolves wander the forests of the Peneda-Geres National Park in northern Portugal. Though it’s well off the tourist trail, its streams and lagoons are perfect for paddling and there’s biking and horse riding on offer too. Lost in the landscape, Lamosa Farm has two stylish self-catering properties with shared use of a saltwater pool. Bookable through Responsible Travel, each costs from £1142 (01273 823700). Both Porto and Vigo airports are around an hour and a half away, with Ryanair flights from Liverpool to the former from £53pp.
A Flemish farm stay
Reliably brilliant for little ones, Featherdown Farm’s glamping sites across Europe are also good for grown-ups, with proper beds, hot showers, private toilets and wood stoves. At its Hoeve Brugge outpost in Flanders, tents come with views of cows and horses and there’s a corn maze and play barn, while the chocolate capital of Bruges is a short drive away – as is the huge outdoor pool of Lago Brugge Olympia. The farm is less than a two hours’ drive from the Eurotunnel terminal at Calais, with crossings costing from £230 for a car and family of four. From £927, room only (01420 80804).
Blissful views in Bled
Set among a tangle of barns and chalets five minutes’ walk from Lake Bled, Old Bled House is a renovated farmhouse that’s retained its characterful interiors (making it the antithesis of the bigger, bland hotels on the water). The best room in the house is the ‘superior family’ one, in the attic with knock-out views over the lake and mountains. Take a boat to Bled island, explore its castle or hike past the waterfalls of the Vintgar Gorge. From £1,058, room only (00 386 31 840 225). Wizzair flies from Luton to Ljubljana, from £125pp.
A Scandi city break
Scandinavia may be expensive, but getting there isn’t: Ryanair flights from Stansted to Aarhus start from £52 per adult in August. That’s great because Denmark’s second city is perfect for tweens and teens with urban beaches, a coffee-shop-heavy Latin Quarter, the sprawling Nicolinehus food market and a plethora of museums. Stay at Hotel Oasia, an appropriately Scandi-chic three-star in the centre. From £1,571, B&B (00 45 87 32 37 15).
A Center Parcs alternative
A week at Center Parcs in the UK will set families back more than £2,300 in summer, so alternatives across the Channel can be cost-effective. Landaal GreenParks’s De Reeuwijkse Plassen, in farm-scattered countryside near Rotterdam, has lodges set on canals where guests can paddleboard, fish or cruise along by electric boat. Indoor and outdoor play areas, a pool and lakeside beach add to the fun. From £1,300 (00 31 88 205 9000). The overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland costs from £675 for a family of four and car, including a cabin.
Bucolic bliss
Life is wonderfully wholesome at Hofgut Hügle, an adventure farm set among fields around 20 minutes’ drive from Germany’s Lake Constance. Stay at one of its bright apartments with sunny private terraces and pick your own cherries, run through the corn maze, take to the spa for a parents and kids relaxation session or hire e-bikes and make for the lakeside beaches. There’s a restaurant and bakery too. From £1,001, room only (00 49 0751 1895000). British Airways has flights to Zurich (around an hour and a half’s drive away) from £86pp.
An Atlantic-view apartment
Hiking trails through a mountainous interior, dolphin watching trips along the coast and the teeny but buzzy capital of Funchal make Madeira fun for the five pluses. A 10-minute drive from the action near the protected beach at Garajau, the apartment Atlantic Mist has an idyllic private garden with sublime sea views, as well as three bedrooms (great for kids who don’t want to share). From £798 through Plum Guide. Ryanair flies from Manchester to Madeira from £107pp.
All accommodation prices are for a family of four during the state school summer holidays, unless otherwise stated. The £500pp budget includes accommodation and international transport but excludes on-the-ground costs such as car hire. Flight prices are for one adult on the cheapest route from the UK, with children often benefiting from slight discounts.
