How to get a cheap last-minute holiday cottage (and why it’s not too late for a half-term booking)

It’s usually cheaper to book holiday cottages in advance but, if you want an October half-term break, there are bargains available.

We’ve looked at thousands of prices from the biggest holiday cottage providers and found that booking a week’s break next summer – even 10 months in advance – will cost £1,018 on average.

But if you’re inspired by October’s unseasonal sunshine – or like the idea of an autumnal forest break – a last-minute booking could cost £798 on average, saving you £220.

Because half-term holiday dates vary around the UK, you can also save money by travelling to a region with different school dates.

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Where are the cheapest UK cottage breaks?

If you want to book a holiday cottage for a week next summer, Wales is the most expensive part of the UK. Cottages cost £1,148 on average. 

However, if you choose a last-minute booking for a week from Saturday 21 October, you’ll pay £756 on average – that's a saving of almost £400. 

Northern Ireland is the cheapest UK region for a holiday cottage. A week’s booking for the middle of next summer will cost £935 – compared with £993 in England and £957 in Scotland. But if you book last minute for the same week in October for Northern Ireland, you could save £330 on average, compared with the summer.

Why is Wales more expensive for summer 2024?

Some areas of Wales, such as Abersoch in Gwynedd, are well known for their high-end luxury properties.

It’s also possible that recent changes to the rules around council tax for second homes have meant that some property owners have sold up, reducing availability and increasing prices.

The Welsh government has introduced legislation allowing local authorities to add up to 300% of council tax premium on second homes, in an attempt to preserve housing for local people.

While no authority has set this as high as the maximum 300%, several authorities have introduced premiums. In Gwynedd, the premium is 150%.

Where are the cheapest holiday cottages for summer?

Tourist hotspots such as the Lake District and Cornwall are typically much more expensive than the rest of the UK.

When we looked at last-minute prices at the start of August this year, we found that Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire all had average prices of less than £600 for the busiest summer weeks. The cheapest destination of all was the area around Durham and Tyne and Wear, where average prices were just £544 for a week. 

If you’re thinking of waiting before you book, take a look at our research on the cheapest regions for a last-minute summer holiday cottage. 

Who should I book my holiday cottage with?

Our average-price research is based on looking at prices for the three biggest cottage providers – Cottages.com, Holidaycottages.co.uk and Sykes – who between them have thousands of cottages throughout the UK.

We found that Sykes cottages were generally much cheaper for half-term bookings than they are next summer – between 37% cheaper for England and 38% cheaper for Wales. 

Holidaycottages.co.uk were a little more expensive at half term than next summer in England (1%) but much cheaper in Wales (44%) and Scotland (11%).

Cottages.com, although the cheapest overall, was the only provider whose cottages were all a little more expensive if you book last minute – between 3% and 6%.

The best holiday cottage companies are Landmark Trust, Classic Cottages, Sally’s Cottages, National Trust and Rural Retreats. They’re all Which? Recommended Providers, which means they’ve been rated highly in our survey and scored five stars for value for money.

 See our guide to the best and worst holiday cottage firms.

How can I save money on a holiday cottage break?

The easiest way to save money may be to just drive a few miles down the road. In the summer, we found that crossing from Norfolk to Suffolk could save you £184 for a week.

We found similar savings by heading just outside the Lake District to the rest of Cumbria, or choosing Devon instead of Cornwall.

Other tricks include contacting the cottage owner directly (but only if you’re 100% sure it is them, and not a scam. Never pay by bank transfer). Some cottages will be listed on more than one site, so shop around.

But if you’ve got your heart set on a particular destination, the best savings might come from taking advantage of different term times throughout the UK.

How knowing half-term dates can save you hundreds

It’s always much more expensive to book a holiday cottage in the school holidays but dates for these vary – not just by country but by city, and even within some cities. 

It’s likely that at least half of all British children are on holiday from 23 - 27 October. That’s the majority of children in London and the South East, Eastern England, the South West and many other areas such as Manchester and Sunderland.

Families in these regions are likely to be better off if they travel to areas such as Wales or Northern Ireland, where children are still at school.

How families can save on half-term holidays

There are many anomalies that might make holiday travel cheaper for parents in some cities than others. In Leicestershire, half term is 16 - 23 October, which means families are free to travel when others can’t.

In Nottinghamshire, children have two weeks for October half term – from 23 October to 3 November.

If you live in one of these regions, it’s probably cheaper to travel when children in highly populated areas such as London and the South East are still at school.

In Northern Ireland, there isn’t a full week’s half term in October – just 31 October and 1 November. 

Our research

On 4 October, we looked at the prices of 57,043 cottages still available for a week’s stay, on or around 21 October, from the UK's three biggest providers – Cottages.com, Holidaycottages.co.uk and Sykes. We compared them with prices for a week on or around 10 August 2024.