The cheapest summer holiday destinations 2017

If you haven’t booked your summer holiday yet read on to find out where your money will go the furthest.

Holidaymakers should book a trip to Bulgaria this month if they want to keep their day-to-day spending to a minimum.

Sunny Beach in Bulgaria has held the top spot as the cheapest summer holiday destination for the fourth year in a row.

Savvy travellers heading to Sunny Beach would spend just £37.33 for ten holiday staples, including a glass of wine and sun cream.

Prices in this resort are more than half what you’ll pay if you head to Zante, Greece where the same items would cost £82.36, according to the Post Office’s latest Holiday Costs Barometer.

“Tour operators have already reported that holidays to Bulgaria are selling like hot cakes and our research makes it clear that Sunny Beach will offer cash-strapped holidaymakers unbeatable value this year,” says Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money.

Price drops

Prices in Sunny Beach have fallen by 10% since last year despite the weaker pound.

An evening meal for two with wine costs less than £20, while lunch for two will set you back less than £6.

“Meal costs are really the deciding factor in Bulgaria’s favour,” says Brown.

“Over the course of a week’s holiday, lunch and evening meals for two will cost less than around £175 in Sunny Beach, but this could mushroom to over £600 in more expensive resorts in France or Italy.”

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Other top value destinations

If you want to stay within the EU then book your flights to the Algarve in Portugal, which takes second place this year.

It may cost 56% more than Bulgaria but it is still fairly easy on the wallet with lunch for two costing just over £13 and dinner £26.

Anyone considering Greece should choose their resort carefully as the research revealed that prices for your holiday staples vary by as much as 10% depending on which island you visit.

Crete is the cheapest of the four islands surveyed with a total cost of £81.84 whereas holidaymakers heading to Corfu would pay £90 for the same things.

“Greece is looking very popular this year with tour operators reporting increases of up to 40% in bookings but it will pay bargain hunters to factor resort costs into the overall price they pay for their package,” says Brown.

“Swapping resorts could save a lot of money and this applies to popular resorts all over Europe as well as to Greece.”

The most expensive resort that the Post Office surveyed was Ibiza where a three-course meal for two will set you back £65.52 and sun cream costs a staggering £15.72.

Top 10 best value holiday destinations

Here are the top 10 best value summer holiday destinations according to the Post Office research.

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