Post Office reveals best value resorts for families
Families holidaying in the eurozone this summer will have 11.5% more spending money this year than last as the pound has hit a 12-month high against the euro, said the Post Office.
Its annual Family Holiday Report, published today, also revealed that Bulgaria, the Costa del Sol and Turkey are the cheapest of the popular summer destinations for holiday extras such as suncream, insect repellent, drinks, ice creams and meals out.
At £110.17 in Sunny Beach, £121.11 in Torremolinos and £129.29 in Marmaris, these three destinations were the ones least likely to bust the family holiday budget, it said.
The same items cost 72% more in Crete (£189.15), the most expensive destination.
Bournemouth, included in a Post Office barometer for the first time, came in fifth place at £147.23 for the 10 beach holiday extras.
Prices varied within countries as well. For example, in Spain, the 10 items cost over 30% more in Majorca than on the Costa del Sol – £157.96 compared with £121.11 – while in Javea on the Costa Blanca they cost £138.79.
However, if the cost of a water park visit is excluded, Javea was actually five per cent cheaper than Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol (£70.00, compared with £73.70).
Family Holiday Report Price Comparisons At A Glance:
·Drinks cost least in Portugal: A Coca-Cola costs just 86p in the Algarve but families will have to fork out more than double in Bournemouth (£1.75), Turkey (£1.95), Corfu (£1.94), Cyprus (£1.98), France (£2.16) and Crete (2.24).
·A chocolate-covered ice cream costs £1.29 in Portugal but will set parents back £1.98 in Crete, £2.76 in France’s Vendée and, surprisingly, £2.26 in Bulgaria
·Parents who forget to pack a lilo can pick one up for £2.26 in Bulgaria but will pay over three times as much in Corfu (£7.76), Costa del Sol (£8.53) and Italy (£8.62)
·The cost of a family visit to a water park varied from £41.63 in Bulgaria to £75.00 in the Vendée, France and £94.83 in Cyprus. Although a trip to a water park may cost more in Ayia Napa, when this is excluded from the Beach Barometer total, the country emerges as fourth cheapest.
Bulgaria, Corfu and Portugal are the cheapest places to eat out, at under £44 for a three-course meal including drinks, and Crete is the most expensive at £73.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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