Holidaymakers seeking budget beach break ‘should do homework’

Post Office Travel Money found big differences in the cost of tourist staples at resorts across Europe.

Portugal’s Algarve was the cheapest out of the Eurozone destinations studied, due to average prices such as £1.57 for an ice-cream, £1.31 for a bottle or can of Coca-Cola, and £43.09 for a three-course family meal including wine and soft drinks.

Other bargain destinations include the Portuguese island of Madeira; Paphos, Cyprus; Costa del Sol, Spain; and the Spanish island of Majorca.

Typical prices in Nice include £3.06 for an ice-cream, £5.60 for a bottle of beer at a bar or cafe, and £14.86 for a half-day sun lounger rental.

A poll of more than 2,000 UK adults indicated that 44% of families planning to travel abroad this year will budget more to allow for rising resort costs and coronavirus tests.

The tests required to enable tourists to enter their destination and return to the UK can add several hundred pounds per person to holiday bills.

Nick Boden, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “After such a long wait, it is understandable that families want to head to European beach resorts for some summer sun.

“However, the big variations we found between costs in European resorts means it will pay dividends to do some homework before leaving home to get a realistic view of the holiday cash needed in the resorts they are considering.”

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