THE holiday season has begun in earnest and sunseekers are finding real bargains as travel firms slash last-minute prices by up to half. The Costa Brava and Costa Dorada in Spain, and the Greek island of Corfu, offer some of the cheapest budget breaks with prices from as low as £125 per person
These prices are available to those travelling this month, but charges quickly double for those who can only get away during the school summer holidays.
It is easy to compare prices by searching online.
This can include sites such as expedia.co.uk, OnTheBeach.co.uk holidayhypermarket.co.uk, LateDeals.co.uk, Kayak.co.uk and TravelSupermarket.com.
Prices change constantly and depend on variables such as date of departure, choice of airport, and whether you prefer self-catering, half-board or all-inclusive, as well as your chosen destination and resort.
BUDGET BREAKS
At the time of writing seven nights’ self-catering at the two-star Camping Playa y Fiesta resort on the Costa Dorada for just £127 per person featured on TravelSupermarket, departing on May 9 from either Birmingham or Glasgow Prestwick.
The same resort costs £158 flying from Newcastle and £179 from Bristol.
Seven nights room-only at the three-star Bolero Park in Lloret de Mar, Costa Brava, start from £136 departing Glasgow Prestwick and £147 from Bristol on May 15.
Seven-night budget breaks in Corfu departing mid-May from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh or Leeds Bradford range from £143 to £207 per person.
Emma Coulthurst, resident travel expert at the site, said prices are low for those on super-tight budgets: “I can remember paying similar sums for a comparable holiday in May more than 20 years ago.”
Prices on the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada have fallen by around 25 per cent in the past year, while prices on the Costa Blanca, including Benidorm, are down more than 50 per cent, as Spanish resorts battle to lure back lost holidaymakers.
She added: “Last summer, Britons returned to Greece and Turkey, attracted by all-inclusive holidays under £200 per person for one week.
“Now the Costas are hoping a similar pricing strategy will work for them.”
These breaks only offer basic accommodation with no food or drinks.
You can expect to pay up to double this amount for resorts with a wider choice of food and better facilities.
Prices soar during the school summer holidays, but a family of four with two school-age children can still get seven nights in the Costa Brava from around £250 per person.
This rises to around £300 in the Costa Dorada, Corfu and Alicante on the Costa Blanca.
Ms Coulthurst added: “Packages at Turkey’s Marmaris and Içmeler on the Turquoise coast start from £400.”
TOP HOTSPOTS
British holidaymakers with more money to spend are making a beeline for the Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos, where prices start from £577 per person a week.
She said: “Santorini offers some of the best sunsets in the world while the jet set and celebrities love the party atmosphere at nearby Mykonos.”
Prices on the Greek island of Skopelos and in top resorts in Cyprus, including Ayia Napa and Limassol, start from around £540 per person, with the islands of Corsica, France, starting from £513, and Ibiza, Spain, from £485.
WATCH THE EXTRAS
Almost one in three Britons will travel all-inclusive on their foreign package this summer to help them manage their travel budgets better.
However, four out of five report paying an extra £112 each on international brand alcoholic drinks and extras in the hotel, and £136 in shops and bars outside, according to Post Office Travel Money’s Andrew Brown.
He said despite good intentions many people on all-inclusive packages go way over budget: “The cost of extras has risen for the fifth year running, catching people out.”
