Budget Short Break Ideas For 2026
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As we enter January, many of us will be looking for ways to book a holiday without spending too much money. Here are some budget short break ideas for 2026.
In the last two years or so I’ve been lucky enough to go on quite a few budget breaks to different resorts around the U.K.
While I do concede prices have gone up a lot in recent months (as the parks need to cover their huge increased costs for utilities just like the rest of us!) there are still some great budget breaks to be had if you know where and when to look.
For this post, I’m going to be focusing on U.K. breaks and holiday parks so I can share my exact experience. I know that in some cases opting for a holiday abroad, especially in Europe can be cheaper.
But, not everyone has a passport or wants the hassle of airport parking, arranging flights, finding boarding for their pets etc. Plus there are lots of booking sites that make it easy to compare holiday prices outside of the U.K.
Budget Short Breaks – Butlins
This year we spent the October half-term at Butlins. I’ll be honest I was a bit dubious before booking.
Butlins, (especially Minehead) has a bit of a reputation for being rundown. I hadn’t been since I was a child and wasn’t really sure how we would feel.
While usually, I don’t have an issue taking children out of school for a holiday, as it was Aubrey’s first term at school, I didn’t want her to miss anything or her settling-in process to be affected, so we booked half-term which did bump up the cost of our holiday.
However, when compared to prices at more upmarket resorts such as Center Parcs and Bluestone Wales, it felt like a more budget option.
For half term, we paid £575 for middle-range accommodation which included a kitchen and living space. Room-only options are much cheaper but didn’t suit our needs on this occasion.
As a quick comparison, the most basic Center Parcs accommodation would have cost £1800 for the October half term and Bluestone would have been £1200.
Related Post – When Do Center Parcs Reduce Prices?
Would We Return To Butlins?
We enjoyed our break so much we’ve actually booked to go back again this year in term time, which has saved us over £400.
The accommodation cost this year is £120 and we added a premium dining plan costing around £200 for the three of us.
Here are some reasons I think Butlins makes a great option for a budget short break:
- Range of accommodation options – Basic accommodation (room only) starts from as little as £49 for Mon- Fri in term time.
- Payment plan – you can pay a deposit when booking and then pay off the total in monthly instalments which finish around eight weeks before your break. This service is direct with Butlins so doesn’t use a credit service like Klarna.
- Lots to do for free – Butlins has lots of free activities, including swimming, fairgrounds, craft sessions, soft play, children’s play areas and loads of live entertainment and shows throughout the day. Even if you go in winter to take advantage of cheaper prices, there are loads of things to keep the whole family occupied.
- Dining Plans – This means you can pay for food upfront and if you want to, pay it off as part of the monthly payment plan. We used the Premium Dining which included breakfast and dinner served buffet style so you can eat as much as you like.
- Price Promise – Butlins will refund the difference if your holiday becomes cheaper after you book.
- Family Breaks Vs Adult Weekends – Butlins separate family breaks and adult party weekends which means no stag or hen dos running around when you have small children.
For the amount there is to do on-site for free, especially for children, I think this represents one of the best value breaks in the U.K. at the moment.
Budget Short Breaks: Parkdean Resorts
We stayed with Parkdean Resorts in March 2022 at their Torquay site.
Now, I must admit I had an issue after booking and was unable to log in to the site to book activities.
When I queried it I was told my booking didn’t exist despite the money having been taken from my bank account. It was eventually sorted but if I hadn’t wanted to book anything via the website I would have turned up to a non-existent holiday. Not a good start.
However, Parkdean does offer some super budget-friendly short breaks. We paid just £69 for three nights’ accommodation in March (obviously this wasn’t school holidays or Easter).
I’d read online the accommodation we’d booked (Totnes Apartment) was awful but we were actually really happy with it. It was clean, modern and spacious for a family of three although I think six adults might have been a squeeze.
There’s not a huge amount to do at this particular site as it’s on the smaller side but I looked at a few Parkdean resorts in different areas and there were budget accommodation options at most of them.
Would We Return To Parkdean Resorts?
Yes, but probably in the summer when we could do more locally. Restrictions for swimming pool use and lack of facilities mean this particular site wouldn’t be our first choice for a winter break.
We would however give other Parkdean sites a try.
Here are some reasons I think Parkdean makes a great option for a budget short break:
- Apartments and Chalets – these are super budget friendly and would probably be cheaper than a hotel or Air B&B.
- Perfect For Couples – Make a great cheap base for exploring the local area.
- Kitchens In Most Accommodation – This means you can save by cooking and taking your own food.
- Great Locations – Lots of options in popular seaside resorts.
You can read my full review here: Budget Break: 3 Nights at Parkdean Torquay £69
Budget Short Breaks: Haven
We booked Haven for a May Bank Holiday break in 2022. The cost for this break was £170 for three nights which we thought was reasonable for a Bank Holiday Weekend. This was an accommodation-only option which didn’t include swimming pool access or entertainment passes.
This price was for the most basic type of caravan at their Devon Cliffs site which is absolutely huge and was extremely busy.
One great thing about the Haven booking system is you can see prices for different dates really easily which makes figuring out the best dates for your budget a breeze.
Would We Return To Haven Resorts?
Yes, we would, but probably not this particular site mostly because of the very poor mobile signal and how big and busy it was.
That said this site does have its own private beach which was amazing! (Pictured below)
Here are some reasons I think Haven makes a great option for a budget short break:
- Stay Only Option – This means you don’t pay for facilities like the pool and entertainment if you won’t be using them – for our break we saved about £50.
- Basic Isn’t Too Basic – We stayed in the most basic caravan they offer and found it had everything we needed for our break.
- Caravan Parks All Over The Country – Has the most sites of all the resorts I’ve mentioned in this post so there should be one within a reasonable distance if you don’t want to travel too far.
Budget Short Breaks: The Sun £9.50 Holidays
So the title of these breaks is a little bit misleading as the £9.50 is per person and you’ll need to book for at least four people even if there are only two of you going, so the absolute cheapest holidays are around £38. These tend to be outside of peak season and definitely outside of school holidays.
Breaks during peak season carry a surcharge and then you’ll be expected to pay extra for entertainment passes to use some of the facilities and for bedding. All these extras can bump up the cost but there are still big savings to be had.
The great thing about the Sun Holidays is that they cover parks all over the country, you can specifically search for pet-friendly sites and there are even some European breaks included too.
With more people holidaying in the U.K. thanks to the pandemic and due to the cost of living, there are fewer resorts included now than in previous years – for example, both Butlins and Haven used to be part of these offers and now they are not.
You’ll need to collect several codes from the Sun Newspapers although these are widely circulated online so no need to buy the paper if you don’t want to.
Some of the U.K resorts included in the Sun 9.50 Holidays are:
Sometimes it can be cheaper to book with resorts directly so it’s always worth double-checking prices before booking anything.
Also, Pontins does not have the best reputation for their sites which is why they are cheap even during School Holidays. I’d advise doing plenty of research before you book as these breaks are non-refundable.
I wrote a full post about how to book Sun Holidays and our on-site experience which you can find here if you’d like to know more about the process: £9.50 Sun Holiday At Golden Sands Dawlish
Would We Do A Sun £9.50 Holiday Again?
Yes, we definitely would. We stayed at Golden Sands in Dawlish for our break which cost £170 after upgrading from a chalet to a caravan.
When I looked at booking the same break direct it was £348. Both the caravan and the park were lovely.
Here are some reasons I think Sun £9.50 makes a great option for a budget short break:
- Pay Only Dates – These dates mean you can bag a Monday-Fri break for £38 for four people which is an absolute bargain.
- Cheaper Than Booking Direct – Always double check but the whole point of these Sun Holidays is that they should offer a discount on the usual prices offered by holiday parks.
- Great For School Holidays – While you won’t get the cheapest rate during the School holidays, it can still be a great way to find a budget break.
- Transport Links – As there are so many sites all over the country, plenty have great transport links. For example, Dawlish is easily accessible by train.
Other Budget Short Break Ideas
I wanted to write about the resorts I’ve covered above as they are all places I’ve been to and experienced myself.
Of course, there are plenty of other budget short-break options out there, so here are a few more ideas.
Budget Short Breaks: Camping & Glamping
Camping can be an amazing and budget-friendly short break option. However, if you don’t already own sleeping bags and a tent and the myriad of other equipment needed then the initial outlet can be pretty hefty.
An alternative option could be glamping. While fancy bell tents and yurts can be pricey, a cheaper option could be camping pods which although small, provide a cosy base and often have the bonus of an electrical hook-up for charging phones and boiling the kettle.
As an example, here are some based in Somerset, Wall Eden Glamping.
Air B&B Budget Breaks
In all honestly, I’m yet to find an Air B&B break that comes in cheaper than any of the holiday parks that I’ve mentioned above. But it does depend on what you’re looking for in a budget break and Air B&B is often cheaper than a hotel if you’re looking for a city getaway rather than a country or beach getaway.
Hotel Sales
Lots of the big hotel chains have sales throughout the year. Travelodge often has rooms from around £35 and Premier Inn do rooms from £49. I find the best deals tend not to include Saturdays or are for hotels on the outskirts of cities which is why I typically wouldn’t use this option for a budget short break.
I find signing up for these companies’ email newsletters or following them on social media is the best way to spot when they have sales and offers coming up.
Budget Short Breaks: House Swap
For the ultimate budget break, you could consider a house swap with friends or family that live in a different area from you. Both of you would get a budget break although the logistics of everyone getting the same time off etc could be a little bit tricky.
Final Tips For Booking A Budget Short Break
Here are my final tips for booking a budget short break.
- Play around with your dates, you might find that a week one way or the other can make a big difference to the price.
- For school holidays, double-check your dates on the local authority as they can be different across the country, especially as many schools now have two weeks for the October half term. Wales also often has different dates than England.
- Don’t forget to factor in the cost of travel – for example, if you’re travelling by train it might be worth purchasing a Family & Friends Rail Card or splitting your tickets.
- Booking a break with family or friends could help save on the cost – for example, an eight-berth caravan will cost far less than booking two four-berth caravans.
- Sometimes booking direct with owners, rather than a resort may be cheaper, but you may have to pay extra for access to onsite facilities.
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