Bag yourself a big value Brexit break
HOLIDAY HERO
EVERY week, our Holiday Hero
NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week, he finds the best post-Brexit bargains.
IT’S been a long time coming and has seen many people put their travel plans on hold. But Brexit has finally arrived – and it looks set to prove the pessimists wrong.
Planes still fly, travel insurance and driving licences are still valid, European health insurance cards are still honoured and mobile calls in the EU are still cheap.
Better still, bargains abound. The Post Office and others have compared the expected cost of this summer’s holidays with those of previous years and found postBrexit deals across the EU and beyond. Here are six of the best.
TURKEY
A WEEK on the Med need not break the bank if you choose Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. Super-yachts line the marina at Marmaris, cafes and restaurants cluster in narrow streets, and swimmers explore tiny coves and quiet bays close to the resort. A week at the self-catering High Life apartments costs from £772pp including flights (icelolly.com).
JAPAN
SOMETHING surprising is happening in Japan’s Olympic year: hotel vacancy rates are up, prices are falling and holiday extras such as meals and drinks cost less than they did 12 months ago.
Take advantage of the pre-Games lull in prices by booking a break in what is usually considered an expensive country. A nine-day Highlights Of Japan group tour costs from £4,249pp including flights, or prepare for a sporty summer on a 16-day Japan Cycle Tour from £5,349pp (exodus.co.uk).
BULGARIA
FAMILY holidays come alive on the sands of Sunny Beach where you can enjoy watersports, waterparks, promenades and day-trips to historic sites such as the ghostly ruined church in Nessebar. PostBrexit, your money should go further too. The Post Office says holiday essentials in Sunny Beach, such as the cost of a meal for two, a beer, a coffee, a bottle of water and sun lotion, have fallen by 15 per cent in the past year. A family of four can get a week at the Evrika Beach Club Hotel, including flights and transfers, from £849pp (tui.co.uk).
PORTUGAL
THE Algarve is never out of fashion and many of the rooms that had been reserved for customers of the now-defunct travel giant Thomas Cook are now back on sale for less. There are also great deals for sporting breaks. A golfing week at the Alvor Praia Beach hotel costs from £626pp (jet2holidays.com).
SPAIN
REMAINER pessimists said the ever-popular Costa del Sol would be off-limits to many Britons as travel insurance and other costs soared after Brexit.
In reality, the cost of a typical holiday shopping basket there is set to fall this summer – as it is in 33 of 42 of the most popular travel destinations, according to the latest Post Office report. Seven nights at the Hotel Albahia in Alicante costs from £286pp, including flights (haystravel.co.uk).
SOUTH AFRICA
IT’S an easy overnight flight to Cape Town or other South African cities (Johannesburg is best for safaris, while Durban scores highly for beach-lovers), and although some costs are rising, your holiday money still goes a long way. A week at the Lord Charles Hotel in the Cape winelands costs from £848pp including flights (ba.com).