Beach holidays: Cheapest beach resorts in Europe mapped

The cheapest beach resorts in Europe have been unveiled in a new report by Post Office Travel Money, with Turkey taking the top place.

The tenth Post Office Travel Money Family Holiday Report has revealed that families heading to European hotspots can look forward to seeing their pounds stretch further in two-thirds of the destinations surveyed for the annual Beach Barometer cost comparison.

This found that prices for 13 family items will be up to 36 per cent cheaper than last July, although its consumer research suggests increased spending on meals and drinks and kids’ beach items may wipe out some of that benefit.

After comparing costs in 15 popular European resort areas, Post Office researchers found that prices have fallen since last July in Turkey, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, the Balearic Islands in Spain, South of France and Italy.

A drop in local prices and a small year-on-year rise in the value of sterling against the euro and other European currencies account for the increased spending power for UK holidaymakers.

The report studied the cost of a “barometer basket” which includes a family meal, drinks, suncream, insect repellent and beach items ranging from buckets & spades, lilos and ice-creams to pedalo and banana boat rides in 15 European countries.

Marmaris in Turkey came out the cheapest, with a bucket and spade costing just 82p, a pedalo £11.42 and a glass of wine £2.29.

In total, prices have fallen 36 per cent to £79.81 but to the huge slump in the value of the Turkish lira against sterling, making Marmaris this summer’s bargain buy.

In second place was Sunny Beach Bulgaria, where prices are down 4.4 per cent to £83.99.

The Black Sea resort offers by far the cheapest family meal price at £33.69 for two adults and two children. This is less than half the cost in nine other destinations including Majorca, the Algarve and Ibiza.

The Costa del Sol in Spain came third cheapest. There a bottle of beer costs £1.80, a family meal £40.72 and a half day sun lounger £4.06.

However overall prices were actually up this year by 5 per cent. It is the only top-six destination to show a price increase.

Greek islands Crete and Corfu took fourth and fifth place respectively. Costs in Crete are down by 1.1 per cent.

In the Eurozone, the biggest fall was Corfu (£132.04) where prices are down over 24.2 per cent.

Families will also find Paphos (£132.94) in a lot cheaper this year.

A 10.4 per cent fall in barometer costs makes the Cypriot resort the sixth cheapest destination.

Holidaymakers visiting Porec in Croatia (£143.37) and the Algarve (£139.19) will find that prices have risen significantly in both. In Porec, families can expect to pay 18.5 per cent more than last summer, while family costs have risen 12.4 per cent in the Algarve.

This makes prices in the Portuguese family favourite 43 per cent higher than in the neighbouring Costa del Sol.

The biggest rise recorded was in Limassol, Cyprus where prices are up by 31 per cent. At £158.97, prices are almost 20 per cent higher than in Paphos. The Post Office found similar price variations in other countries too. In Spain, for example, prices have dropped marginally in Ibiza (£213.13) but they are still 46 per cent higher than in Majorca (£145.74) and over twice as high as in the Costa del Sol.

Most expensive of all for the 13 Beach Barometer items was Sorrento in southern Italy. Despite a 6.7 per cent fall, the total cost of £230.45 was over twice the price in Marmaris, Sunny Beach or the Costa del Sol.