I went on best value all-inclusive ‘weather-proof’ break in UK for £30-a-night… it’s perfect for families in September

IF your summer holiday already feels a distant memory and you are planning your next all-inclusive break, the best value isn’t found in Spain or Turkey… but Bognor, Minehead or Skegness.

Families can find an all-inclusive, resort-style holiday without the expense or hassle of flying off abroad at one of Butlin’s three premier resorts in the UK.

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Some of Butlin’s best value breaks can be found from September onwards, where a family of four (with children under five) can enjoy four nights’ accommodation, unlimited breakfast and dinner, unlimited drinks including cocktails and Costa Coffee for £25 per person, per day.

But the best part is that children will be kept entertained around the clock with unlimited fairground rides, access to the brilliant Splash Waterworld complex with wave pools and slides, playgrounds and top-notch shows.

Tots on the term-time breaks can enjoy shows which also feature on the London stage, including Peppa Pig and from 2026 The Dinosaur that Pooped a Rock Show based on the smash hit kids book by McFly’s Tom Fletcher.

Next year also sees kids TV favourite Mister Maker appear with a brand new show aimed at younger children.

The resorts in Minehead and Skegness can also enjoy for free the incredible Skypark adventure playgrounds, which offer different zones, intertwining slides and trampolines.

The Bognor Regis resort boasts the brand new high-tech Playxperience complex – which does come at an extra cost – but is fully decked out with high-tech interactive digital games, glow-in-the-dark golf, ping pong, plus interactive games and even escape rooms which can be played by children as young as four.

Butlin’s most reasonable all-inclusive bundle, which costs £399 for a four-night stay at one of the resorts, is only available for those with a Showtime Term-Time booking, so it is best for those with pre-schoolers.

It is based on a family of four (two adults and two children aged five and under) sharing a two-bedroom Comfort Room, with Food Court dining and an all-inclusive drinks package.

When you arrive, you are given a wristband with a number on showing how many adults are in your party, a clever idea which means it only needs one of you to fetch drinks for your group rather than all having to show your bands.

The package includes draught beers, including my husband’s favourite Guinness, wine, spirits and a decent list of cocktails.

But it also includes unlimited hot drinks from Costa concessions around the resort.

Kids’ packages include soft drinks and hot drinks.

With coffees on resort priced around £3.85, glasses of wine and pints at around £5.85 and cocktails at £7.75 a glass, all-inclusive represents great value during your stay.

Great value

Drinks wristbands and pre-arranged dining also make for a seamless experience at the resort and mean you aren’t constantly rooting around for your wallet when you are asked, ‘Can I have another one?’.

Whilst the cheapest all-inclusive offerings can be found when in term time, during the holidays there is still great value to be found at a Butlin’s resort if you opt for all-inclusive packages.

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I have been coming for years with my three kids, and recently tried out the all-inclusive drinks package for us all for the first time to squeeze more value from our break.

I also always opt for a family dining package, meaning our food is all budgeted for before we travel, which really helps spread the cost of our break.

I always opt for the buffet options, and my three love helping themselves, and they can fuel quickly for our activity-packed days. And the unlimited self-serve ice cream is a huge hit!

Alternatively, the ‘Dine-around’ option allows you to pre-pay for dining in the resort’s table-service, diners, pubs and stand-alone restaurants like Papa John’s pizza.

I recently visited Butlin’s Bognor Regis resort, where an all-inclusive drinks package for a family of four for a four-night break in the school, holidays is £331.60. We also opted for the buffet dining option.

I love that in the evenings, buffets open as early as 4.30pm – ideal if you have a little one like me – and it is also a quiet time to eat before the rush. Food is plentiful and fresh.

Spread the cost

For families like mine, the best part of a Butlin’s holiday is that the price of your accommodation also includes all shows and activities, with free flow access to the brilliant swimming complex, which has rapids, slides, lazy rivers and a tots area to appeal to all ages.

With unlimited access to brilliant soft-plays – Bognor boasts a brand new one – and fairground rides, it feels like you are getting multiple, expensive days out that you would pay for during school holidays rolled into one.

A few days at home with the kids in the half term, with the price of train fares, cinema, bowling and a meal at a chain restaurant, easily comes in at £200 for a family of four these days.

And there is even more adventure to be found for small additional pay-as-you-go costs like pottery painting, art workshops, Laser Tag, Go-Karting, mini-golf, sports sessions and much more.

But you can make these activities cheaper by purchasing your tokens before your stay, as they are cheaper than on resort and again you can spread the cost.

Another bonus of a Butlins break… they are weather proof

At Bognor, the varied activities available a Playxperience can be paid for by digital tokens, which become cheaper the earlier and more you buy.

So it pays to think ahead of time about what you want to do at the resort, work out how many tokens you need to buy and book ahead.

Accommodation for a four-night stay in the forthcoming October half-term holidays, including special spooky themed Halloween shows and experiences, would cost a family of two adults and two school-age children sharing a two-bedroom comfort room at the Minehead resort just £126.

An all-inclusive Food Court dining package on this break would cost a family of four £239.40 for four nights.

Totting all of this up, if you opted for the all-inclusive drinks and a dining package on top, it is possible to build a pre-paid, all-inclusive style holiday at Butlin’s for just UNDER £700 in the school holidays.

Considering the average cost of an all-inclusive holiday in the October half-term holidays to a popular resort like Spain or Turkey would likely set a family of four back between £2,000-£6,000, albeit for 7 nights, Butlin’s offers an affordable alternative for the school holidays with no airports or long journey.

Another bonus of a Butlins break… they are weatherproof. There is plenty of indoor fun, shows and swimming, which means you aren’t nervously monitoring the weather forecast every evening.

But we all agree the best part about our Butlin’s holidays… the all-inclusive fun!

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