Family holiday at Butlin's for £36: how to vacation in the UK for less than a Happy Meal.

According to The Sun: As autumn sets in, when days grow shorter, there is still a chance to book a short trip.

Right now is one of the best times of year to find the cheapest holidays in the UK – you can find offers that cost less than a typical kids' meal at McDonald's.

The price of a trip to Butlin's midweek is less than £2.50 per person per day, which is a great option for families looking to vacation on a budget.

We spent a week at Butlin’s in Bognor Regis, on the south coast of England. Many people know that Butlin’s is an affordable resort for family holidays. Even during the summer holidays, four-day packages for a family of four start from £390.

It’s truly a good price considering all the amenities: attractions, a large indoor water park, live shows, and a large playground. And surprisingly, all these services are already included in the basic package price.

I was shocked when I found this same trip after the summer for just £36 for four days. That’s 90% cheaper than in the summer.

It should be noted that very cheap offers are available only midweek, which might be inconvenient for older children. But for those with little ones, it's hard to find a holiday cheaper than £2.25 per night per person – after all, for a Happy Meal you'll pay about £4.

Great opportunities for families

Finding a real holiday at a good price is one of my favorite activities. My son is five and my daughter is eight, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to entertain them.

Sitting by the pool isn’t one of their favorite pastimes, so traditional foreign resorts aren’t always my first choice. The deal I booked was for a family of four – two adults and two children, with accommodation in a Comfort Room.

At £36 for four days, it's just £9.75 per night for the whole family. I took advantage of a prep day for school, putting the kids in the car after school. It was a two-hour drive to Sussex, but we didn’t have to worry about airport queues and packing small bags.

I even took their scooters and a cooler with drinks and snacks. This was my first holiday at Butlin’s since childhood, so I didn’t know what to expect.

Check-in was very quick, and we immediately headed to the Skyline Pavilion for the Red Coat show at 6 PM. The atmosphere was great, and the children enjoyed the songs and dances.

You can choose a meal package at the restaurant which includes free breakfast and dinner with dessert, as well as unlimited tea, coffee, and juices. Although this was a good deal for us, adding this package would have cost £192, so we decided to forgo it.

In the end, we ordered pizza from Papa Johns, and dessert was brought from home. There are also promotions with free drinks, including alcoholic ones, but I didn’t take any for this trip.

I brought a reusable coffee cup and made tea in the room to take with me. The kids drank water and fruit juice.

In the morning, we got up early and went for a walk along the beach. Butlin’s in Bognor Regis is located right on the coast. Although there was no heat, it was still warm in September.

The kids swam while I decided not to dip in the cold sea. After lunch, which we prepared in the room, we headed to the huge indoor water park.

Named 'Splash', the water park is free for guests and has over 10 slides, an outdoor lazy river, a kids' water play area, and a large wave pool. Swimming in our leisure center costs £5 per person, so staying at Butlin's and swimming for free was much cheaper than going to our local pool.

And our pool doesn’t even have any slides!

For dinner, we went to McDonald's nearby. My daughter Isabel ordered a Happy Meal, and I found it funny that the small red box costs more than a night’s stay at Butlin's.

In fact, our entire dinner cost us twice as much as the accommodation. It really shows what a great deal it is.

There are also free shows, including family performances (next year Justin Fletcher from Cbeebies will have his residency) and evening entertainment programs where children can meet characters like Billy Bear and take part in workshops.

At Butlin’s in Bognor Regis, there is a modern playroom called Play Xperience, where you can book matches in mini golf, laser tag, and quests. This incurs additional costs: golf costs £7 and laser tag £9 per person, which is a good price.

If the weather is nice, the huge playground will also keep the kids entertained.

My kids found friends to play with at the playground, and the adults finally enjoyed a strawberry mojito in the sun. Thanks to happy hour, two drinks cost us £12.

Next, we headed to the fairground. Wooden slides, rides, lifts, pirate ships and bumper cars – all free. It's great as a budget parent to say 'yes' when the kids ask to ride again.

Although we only stayed three out of four nights, it was still great value for money. Before we left, they persuaded me to go back to the water park for a few more hours.

This is truly great value. If you have preschool-aged children, make sure to take advantage of this. The weather is still quite nice for walks, and even on a rainy day, there are plenty of entertainment options.

I suspected that Butlin’s would be affordable if you don’t have extra cash for a family holiday, but I didn’t imagine the prices would be this low. We'll definitely be back.