Family holiday costs in resorts in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans can be under half those found in more expensive destinations in the west of Europe, a new study shows.
Prices for 12 typical beach holiday extras vary dramatically in 15 European resorts surveyed for the annual Post Office Travel Money Family Holiday Report.
Marmaris was identified is the resort with the lowest costs due to a 24% slump in the value of the Turkish lira against sterling since last summer.
Families can expect to receive £96 more in Turkish lira on a £500 foreign exchange transaction at the Post Office.
At £57.37 for the 12 items, the Turkish resort is one of five in the eastern Med and the Balkans where costs will have the least impact on the holiday purse.
The others are Sunny Beach, Bulgaria (£63.56); Crete (£69.88); Limassol, Cyprus (£69.90) and Porec, Croatia (£73.75).
The only western European resort to come close was the Costa del Sol (£63.11) – the cheapest in the eurozone.
This compares with Ibiza (£97.12); Sorrento (£114.17) and Nice (£117.78).
The report found that pester power by children sets parents back £184 on their last holiday, which explains why two-thirds of families who set a budget overspent by nearly a quarter.
As many as 92% admitted spending almost £39 on ice creams, up 28% year-on-year, while other budget busters were water park visits (£61), pedalo rides (£31) and beach gear like buckets and spades, swimming goggles and lilos (£53).
However, prices have fallen 5.4% in Crete, 4.6% in the Algarve and around half a per cent in both Sunny Beach and the Costa Blanca.
The consumer research also found that 44% of families forgot to pack a range of holiday items and ended up paying out for these while abroad. More than one-in-eight left their suncream at home – this could cost them as much as £16 in Ibiza or £13 in the Costa Blanca.
Resort meals and drinks could be another potential pitfall for parents hoping to keep holiday costs down.
Sunny Beach remains the cheapest option, costing £35.73 – a fall of 1.5% year-on-year – for a snack lunch and evening meal with drinks as well as a coffee, beer, wine and cola. But the same items could cost three or four times as much in other resorts.
Families visiting five of the 15 resorts surveyed can expect to pay more than £100 for the food and drink items – Majorca (£100.70), Corfu (£116.91), Nice (£138.13), Ibiza (£144.86) and Sorrento (£163.20).
Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, said: “The clear message is to plan ahead – pack what you can to avoid forking out cash on basics like suncream and insect repellent and squeeze last year’s beach gear for the kids into the suitcase.
“The Beach Barometer reveals just how much these items can cost – especially in some of Europe’s more expensive resorts.
“For those who haven’t already booked, it is worth checking what late deals are available to the best value resorts in our survey.
“Marmaris, Sunny Beach and the Costa del Sol all look good value and the general message is to head east for lower prices.”
Brown added: “With the evidence of overspending revealed by our consumer research, the best advice to families heading overseas is to do their homework on prices and set a realistic budget for the resort they are visiting.
“Buy currency before leaving home to avoid poor airport bureau rates and take enough to avoid incurring hefty charges for using credit and debit cards abroad.”
Post Office family holiday report 2017
Beach barometer
1 Turkey – Marmaris
2 Spain – Costa del Sol
3 Bulgaria – Sunny Beach
4 Greece – Crete
5 Cyprus – Limassol
6 Croatia – Porec
7 Majorca – Palma Nova
8 Malta – Sliema
9 Spain – Costa Blanca
10 Cyprus – Paphos
11 Portugal – Algarve
12 Greece – Corfu
13 Ibiza
14 Italy – Sorrento
15 France Nice
Food and drink barometer
1 Bulgaria – Sunny Beach
2 Spain – Costa del Sol
3 Portugal – Algarve
4 Spain – Costa Blanca
5 Malta – Sliema
6 Croatia – Porec
7 Greece – Crete
8 Cyprus – Limassol
9 Turkey – Marmaris
10 Cyprus – Paphos
11 Majorca – Palma Nova
12 Greece – Corfu
13 France – Nice
14 Ibiza
15 Italy -Sorrento
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