MAURITIUS | October is one of our favourite months in Mauritius on the west & east coasts. Due to reopen its borders to UK tourists from 1st March 2021, this Indian Ocean island is a fairly secure bet for guaranteed sunshine & unspoilt beaches. All of our preferred hotels are offering very flexible terms for October half-term bookings, refundable until 6 weeks prior to departure. And with early bird discounts offering 20-30% off their standard rates, Mauritius is a brilliant value option for the Autumn.

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BHUTAN | This small Kingdom bordering China to the north and India to the south closed its borders very early-on in the pandemic and has been widely applauded for its approach. Whilst there are no set dates for borders re-opening, we are optimistic that an Autumn break in this quiet Himalayan haven will be possible, and October is an ideal time of year to visit. Your mornings will be spent hiking, biking, rafting and visiting monasteries, with lazier afternoons spent by the pool, learning the skills of archery, camp craft, Bhutanese art techniques and fly fishing.

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BAWAH RESERVE | Private islands are very appealing at the moment and this Indonesian retreat is one of our favourites. Reached via a seaplane from the island of Batam, off Singapore, we’d recommend a few nights in the Garden City first assuming borders are open. Once you reach your island retreat, you’ll have five lush jungle-covered islands, three sapphire blue lagoons and thirteen brilliant white beaches to explore. Deposits are payable only 30 days prior to arrival. And did we mention that a daily spa treatment is included in your room rate?

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MEDITERRANEAN | If you prefer a short-haul flight and have a more relaxed approach to Autumn temperatures, the southern Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Crete are excellent options in October, as is Puglia in the heel of Italy. The adjacent sister properties, Annabelle & Almyra, are offering complimentary Half and Full Board upgrades for children under 12, for bookings made during the month of March. And Masseria Torre Maizza in Puglia is offering 15% off all stays and €150 in-resort credit.

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NEW YORK | A family trip to New York in the Fall makes a lot of sense to us. Central Park will be at its absolute Autumnal best and your packed sightseeing schedule will be that much easier in this temperate month. We love the stylish Ludlow Loft rooms offering a separate living/bedroom for the kids, and floor-to-ceiling views over Manhattan. If a pool is a must, the Park Hyatt just two blocks from Central Park would be another hotel to ask us about. To escape the city for a few nights, head north to the Hudson Valley - home to fabulous wineries, hip market towns and plenty of opportunities for a morning of river kayaking, forest hiking, pumpkin-picking or fishing.

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OMAN OR DUBAI | If a direct, short flight & guaranteed high temperatures are top of your tick list, you can’t go wrong with a quick & easy week on the beaches of Oman or Dubai. And if you want all of the above with an additional hit of adventure, a few nights in the Hajar Mountains & an Arabian night under the desert sky will create lifelong memories. As Four Seasons Preferred Partners, all of our clients booking suites at the Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach will receive in-resort credit for their stay.

If your children, like ours, are already budding eco-warriors, look no further than Ibiza for a holiday with an eco-conscience. We’ve teamed up with a brilliant local foundation to offer our clients the opportunity to clean up the ocean themselves whilst discovering local coves, the neighbouring islands of Tagomago and Formentera, dolphin-spotting and all on an emission-free, solar-powered catamaran! The villas we represent in Ibiza are superb, as are the hosts that look after them; and can be fully hosted for the week with chef & housekeeper or you can choose to have a guest chef in on a few nights. On other days, take a guided walk along Ibiza’s beautiful coastline and we’ll provide a locally-sourced, fresh picnic to keep those energy levels where they need to be! We love Ibiza during the May & October half-terms, but the summer months are also sublime.

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For footie-mad girls & boys, a week at Rocco Forte’s Verdura resort in Sicily will see them training every morning with Juventus players. Having tried & tested this resort in May half-term a few years ago, we know that it works; the interconnecting rooms provide enough space & privacy for all, complimentary bikes of all sizes make for fun journeys to breakfast each morning, there are golf clinics for the little ones & tennis lessons for those who want to hit some balls, and enough variety of restaurants to keep you brilliantly fed. For Chelsea fans, Forte Village in Sardinia runs training academies for 4-14 year olds through May half-term and the summer months. Ask us which hotel in this resort would suit you best as there are seven to choose from. We love the private villas as you have the benefits of the resort and the privacy of your own pool, garden & home-from-home.

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There can’t be many better places in the world to learn to ride than Montana; nor are there more authentic places to stay than on a working cattle ranch. After a few private lessons in the riding arena, venture out on a guided horseback ride through Yellowstone National Park seeking out their big five - elk, grizzlies, black bears, bison, and wolves. When you fancy a day off the saddle, try your hand at fly-fishing for trout in some of Montana’s Blue Ribbon rivers - the Gallatin, Yellowstone & Madison. The quiet stretches of these rivers are also ideal for family canoe trips, or rafting further downstream on the white waters. Sundowners, toasted marshmallows, and a roaring campfire will bring your evenings to a close.

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To experience one of the world’s finest outdoor playgrounds, consider a week on Hawaii’s second-largest island, Maui. Learn to surf, paddle an outrigger, swim in the island’s seven sacred pools (& waterfalls), snorkel, dive, join the ‘Morning Ocean swim clinic’ if you’re an early-riser! We’re excited about the brand-spanking new Auberge Maui Lani; their 2 bedroom beachfront bungalows with private pools are hard to beat for families. The keiki-only explorers club is an outdoor base camp designed like a rustic tropical hideaway with tree swings, hammocks and a big sandbox for shell hunting. Young kids will spend their days involved in sandcastle-building contests, beach bonfire storytelling and s’mores. For older children, there are fabulous mountain bike tracks, hikes, kayaking, and beach yoga & cross-training for the fitness fanatics. We’d recommend spending a few nights in Vancouver on the way out (a direct, 9-hour flight from London) and San Francisco on your way home.

And a final, festive point…if you missed this week's top pick of Christmas presents for wanderlusters, consider these new travel cosmetic cases from NotAnotherBill; a stylish way to glide through airport security and a brilliant alternative to plastic. With leather edging and matching personalisation patch accompanied by a contrasting coloured zip tape, the black & navy is My Native's favourite. For a 10% discount, use NATIVE10 at checkout.