If you’re still looking for somewhere to go when the kids break up, the best value half-term holidays are on the Costa del Sol, according to the Post Office.
Their research shows that the pound is down 5.2 per cent against the euro, meaning those heading to Europe will get £27 less in euros than a year ago, but that the Costa represents the best value when one takes into account the cost of the holiday and costs in the resort.
The Post Office Travel Money Half-Term Barometer looked into the combined costs of a holiday for two adults and two children, with meals and drinks for one week. The report found that the Costa del Sol (£1,108) was cheapest of six popular European half term destinations. The Algarve (£1,137) was close behind, just £29 more expensive. The other four destinations surveyed – Majorca, Marmaris, Ayia Napa and Tenerife – cost between £1,210 and £2,186 for a family of four.
The Costa del Sol was cheapest overall with the lowest package prices and resort costs, but the Post Office found that prices for meals and drinks were also low in the Algarve and Tenerife.
Eating out costs more in Marmaris, but lower package holiday prices make the top Turkish resort less expensive (£1,395) than Ayia Napa (£1,619) or Tenerife (£2,186). Families planning a half term trip to Marmaris will also find their pounds stretch further as the pound currently buys 7.6 per cent more Turkish lira than a year ago – the equivalent of over £35 on a £500 exchange.[1]
Elsewhere in Europe, while meals and drinks cost only four per cent more in Tenerife than in the Algarve, higher half term package prices push the winter sun favourite into sixth place – 35 per cent more expensive than Ayia Napa and almost twice as much as the Costa del Sol.
