How the Algarve is our top bargain break in Europe
WITH its golden beaches and endless sunshine, the Algarve has long drawn British tourists.
And its appeal is set to soar further after the Portuguese region was named the best-value destination in Europe.
The Algarve overtook Sunny Beach in Bulgaria – often considered the cheapest summer resort – in this year’s Post Office Travel Money’s annual report.
Researchers surveyed 40 popular long and short-haul destinations and looked at the price of food, drink and numerous tourist items, including suncream and insect repellent.
Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt came in second place, followed by Sunny Beach, Marmaris in Turkey and Paphos in Cyprus. Hoi An in Vietnam was the cheapest long-haul destination, followed by Cape Town in South Africa and Mombasa in Kenya.
At the other end, Tamarindo in Costa Rica was the most expensive, followed by New York and St John’s in Antigua. The most expensive short-haul destination was Nice in France.
Although British holidaymakers continue to rate Spain as the best value destination, according to the report, the Costa del Sol was considered the country’s cheapest destination but came in at just sixth cheapest in Europe.
The report revealed that 90 per cent of the Post Office’s 30 bestselling currencies are currently weaker against sterling than a year ago, resulting in price falls in many of the world’s most popular destinations – especially longhaul resorts and cities.
Laura Plunkett, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: ‘The Algarve has always been great value, particularly for meals and drinks, but this year our barometer research found that local prices have remained steady and the strength of sterling means that visitors can expect to pay even less than last year.’
Going abroad may prove a good decision over Easter, with a combination of strikes, bad weather and rail closures making domestic travel an ordeal. Scots holidaymakers face chaos on the roads and the railways, where engineering works include major disruption to the West Coast Main Line near Glasgow.
ScotRail will use buses between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh, Shotts, Lanark and Motherwell
People making a trip to London will also have to rely on replacement buses between Milton Keynes and Euston on all four days of the Easter weekend.
Planned strikes between April 5 and 8 by train drivers at 16 firms will then affect passengers on Avanti West Coast and LNER cross-Border services. ScotRail services will not be affected by the drivers’ walk-outs.
The RAC said disruption on the railways will force people into their cars – but there will be more than 150 stretches of roadworks in Scotland. Spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘It’s a double whammy of back-to-back weekends with disrupted travel.’
Bad weather could also make driving tricky amid warnings it will be ‘unsettled’ with showers.