Ahead of the Algarve

Antalya ranked ahead of Portugal’s Algarve, Spain’s Costa Blanca, Cyprus and Majorca in the OTA’s list of the best-value destinations in Europe with a high number of Blue Flag beaches.

But there are signs that prices in eurozone resorts are rising; Post Office Travel Money found prices for the nine items rose in 11 of the 13 eurozone destinations surveyed, compared with 2017 – prices only fell year-on-year in Crete (£81) and Nice (£114).

Elsewhere, there has been a 17% rise for in-resort costs in the Algarve, with the items rising to £68, although the area remains the cheapest among eurozone destinations, just ahead of the Costa del Sol at £72.

The most expensive destination for in-resort costs was the southern Italian resort of Sorrento with the price of the nine items reaching £123, just ahead of Ibiza (£118) and Limassol in Cyprus (£117).

Outside the eurozone, there was a big disparity in the movement of resort costs in Croatia, with prices in Zadar falling 10% year-on-year to £98 but going up 8% in Porec to £106.

The biggest gap within a single destination was seen in Spain, where the highest costs were in Majorca at £108 for the basket of items – 51% higher than in the Costa del Sol.

The most expensive item in the survey was a three-course meal for two, including a bottle of house wine. Prices ranged from £39.24 in Sunny Beach to £64.22 in Limassol, Ibiza and Sorrento.

“The cost of eating out is always a big consideration for holidaymakers and this year we found meal costs in Sunny Beach and Marmaris are significantly lower than in any of the eurozone resorts surveyed,” said Brown. “On a week’s holiday, the cost of lunch and dinner ranges from £243 in Sunny Beach and £287 in Marmaris to well over twice as much in Sorrento. That’s why it will pay to do your homework before booking to find a resort that fits your budget.”