It’s been a bad year for the pound. Over the past 12 months, it has slumped in
value against the euro by 18%.
Last summer, a €20 meal would have set you back £14. Now it would be £16.50.
Which means, this year, it looks like you’re sharing pudding.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you should shun Europe, though – just that you
need to be a bit more savvy. This could be the summer to forget the
whitewashed villa in Ibiza or the converted farmhouse in Tuscany, and think
instead about countries in Europe that lie beyond the eurozone.
Even though some, such as Hungary and Slovakia, have currencies linked to the
euro, the cost of living is so low, there are still bargains to be had. Then
there’s America or the Caribbean, where the pound in your pocket buys two
big fat Yankee dollars.
Here, then, are the bargains – in the eurozone, in the rest of Europe and
further afield.
Unless stated, prices are per person and include flights from London. For
Irish and regional options, contact the operator
Turkey looks the favourite if you can’t bear to forgo your annual dose
of Mediterranean sunshine. The beaches are as good as you’ll find in Europe,
the food is outstanding and sunshine is pretty much guaranteed. Although the
pound has fallen slightly over the past year against the Turkish lira,
prices on the ground are still astonishingly low compared with those in its
eurozone rivals.
Families who want to keep an eye on costs should consider going all-inclusive.
In the small resort of Kemer, which overlooks Antalya Bay, the four-star
Hotel Mirada del Mar has watersports, tennis courts, archery, mini golf,
water slides and a supervised children’s club (ages 4-12). A week, departing
on July 27, costs a total of £2,073 for a family of four, with Cosmos (0871
423 8560, www.cosmos.co.uk).
Jewel in the Crown (0870 067 2352, www.jewelholidays.com),
a Turkey specialist, recommends the four-star Blue Bay’s Hotel, near the
beach in Marmaris. A week, all-inclusive, departing on August 1, costs a
total of £2,176 for a family of four. Or try the Safir Hotel, near the beach
at Bitez, where a week in July costs £435, all-inclusive (children from
£359), with Olympic Holidays (0844 499 4448, www.olympicholidays.com).
If you aren’t tied to school holidays, September is even better value. At the
Dionysos, a charming boutique hotel overlooking Kumlubuk Bay, facilities
include an infinity pool, a tennis court, a spa and a private beach club. A
week starts at £550, B&B, with Exclusive Escapes (020 8605 3500, www.exclusiveescapes.co.uk).
It’s a short stroll to Amos Bay, where lunch for two on the beach will set
you back less than a tenner.
Croatia isn’t quite the bargain it was 10 years ago but it still
compares favourably with its neighbours in the eurozone, particularly when
you factor in the unspoilt islands, the pine-shaded beaches and the freshly
caught seafood. The villa specialist Vintage Travel (0845 344 0420, www.vintagetravel.co.uk)
recommends Istria, where the stone buildings, vineyards and olive groves
remind many visitors of Tuscany. It has a four-bedroom house, Cardaria, that
is ideal for two families sharing, with a private pool and lawned gardens. A
week’s rental starts at £1,895 in August, villa-only. The operator can
arrange car hire and flights.
On the coast of Istria, the four-star Hotel Sol Aurora, in Umag, offers a raft
of activities, including riding, tennis, beach volleyball and mini golf. A
week, departing on July 1, costs £529, half-board (children £252), with
Thomson (0870 550 2555, www.thomson.co.uk).
Alternatively, escape to the tiny car-free island of Lopud, an hour’s ferry
ride from Dubrovnik, and bag one of the six stylish rooms at La Villa, a
16th-century seafront villa. A week starts at £250, B&B, in high
season, with i-escape (0117 942 8476, www.i-escape.com).
Flights are extra: Flybe.com and Thomsonfly.com both serve Dubrovnik.
Transylvania is another hot destination in the new Europe. Set amid
private parkland at the foot of the Carpathians, the Machine House, in
Zabola, is a communist-era office building that has recently been turned
into a stylish six-bedroom guesthouse. It looks out over rolling hills, a
15th-century castle and fields where shepherds tend their flocks. A week
starts at £599, B&B, with Black Tomato (020 7610 9008, www.blacktomato.co.uk).
Poland’s untamed northeast is the backdrop for a group cycling tour
that offers the chance to track wolves and bison in the forest of Bialowieza
and to explore the Narew marshlands by punt. A week, departing on August 16
or 30, starts at £650, B&B, including bike hire, with Explore (0844
499 0901, www.explore.co.uk).
In the Polish region of Mazuria – known as the land of a thousand lakes – a
network of waterways cuts through forests of pine, oak and silver birch,
populated by lynx and wild boar. Rent a Pénichette – a small motorboat – and
you can spend a week cruising between historic towns and gothic castles. A
week for two in summer starts at £954 with European Boating Holidays (0845
450 5229, www.europeanboatingholidays.co.uk).
Airlines flying to Warsaw include EasyJet (www.easyjet.com),
Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) and Central
Wings (www.centralwings.com).
Tunisia, just a short flight south, is the place for those who like
their beaches scorching hot. It’s a simple formula: flop on the sand all
day, taking regular dips in the sea, then head out in the evening to cruise
the shops and bars. In the purpose-built resort of Port El Kantaoui,
Airtours (0844 800 7978, www.airtours.co.uk)
has a week’s self-catering at the three-star Vincci Kantaoui from £515,
departing on July 30. Grocery shopping is cheap: a loaf of bread costs 12p.
In Hammamet, the five-star Hotel Sindbad has two swimming pools, four
restaurants, a spa and beach dining. A week in July starts at £450,
half-board, with Lastminute.com (0871 222 5969, www.lastminute.com).
Hungary is expected to join the eurozone by 2012. The forint is already
linked to the euro, but you can still enjoy a three-course dinner with wine
at a top restaurant for about £20. Bukk National Park, in the eastern wine
region, is great for walking, with ancient forests, high meadows, vineyards
and lakes. An independent tour, staying at four-star hotels, starts at £869
for a week in peak season, including most meals, with Headwater (01606
720199, www.headwater.com).
Bulgaria is in a similar position, with the lev linked to the euro for
protection. There are still bargains to be had, though (even if it’s best to
take the star ratings with a pinch of salt). In the busy resort of Sunny
Beach, the Barcelo Royal Beach hotel is set in spacious gardens with two
pools, a spa, a health centre and a children’s pool. A week, departing on
August 4, costs £634, half-board, with Balkan Holidays (0845 130 1114, www.balkanholidays.co.uk).
Families can opt for a self-catering apartment, which costs a total of
£1,662 for two adults and two children.
Alternatively, head to Pirin National Park, where you can combine
mountain-biking, fishing and climbing. A week at the Melia Hotel Grand
Hermitage, in Bansko, departing on August 19, starts at £589, B&B,
also with Balkan Holidays.
With the price of oil soaring and airlines regularly hitting passengers with
new fuel surcharges, you might not expect to find any long-haul bargains.
But they do exist.
Kenya, where hoteliers and tour operators are slashing prices to
stimulate demand after the recent political instability, has some great
deals. Summer is a good time to be on the Indian Ocean coast: the rainy
season has passed, the sea is warm and the temperature hovers at about 28C.
On Kilifi Creek, the three-star Mnarani Club offers simple beachfront
accommodation set in tropical gardens. A week, all-inclusive, departing on
July 15, starts at £515 with First Choice (0871 664 9020, www.firstchoice.co.uk).
For families, Hayes & Jarvis (0871 664 0246, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk)
recommends the four-star Voyager Beach Resort, on Nyali Beach, near Mombasa,
which has plenty to keep children amused, including water polo, volleyball,
coconut bowling and swimming Olympics. Eight nights, all-inclusive,
departing on August 24, cost £799 (children £429).
Divers should head to the Travellers Beach Hotel, on Bamburi Beach, which has
its own house reef, as well as windsurfing and deep-sea fishing. A
fortnight, departing on August 25, starts at £833, half-board, with Somak
(020 8423 3000, www.somak.co.uk).
New England is usually associated with the fall – when the roads are
clogged with leaf peepers – but is arguably at its best in summer. With the
dollar struggling, prices are keen. Head to the White Mountains, in New
Hampshire, where the Alpine Village, in North Woodstock, offers hiking,
cycling, riding and tennis. A week, self-catering, in a two-bedroom
apartment costs £785 (children £645) between July 10 and August 22,
including flights and car hire, with Bon Voyage (0800 316 0194, www.bon-voyage.co.uk).
Or hit the road and explore the beaches and coastal paths of Cape Cod and
Rhode Island. Four nights at the Cape Codder Resort, Massachusetts, with a
further three at the Hotel Viking, in Newport, cost a total of £665,
including flights and car hire, with America As You Like It (020 8742 8299, www.americaasyoulikeit.com).
The Caribbean is worth considering, so long as you avoid the French
islands, where prices are quoted in euros. To reduce your chances of being
hit by bad weather, head south, below the hurricane belt.
Grenada ticks all the right boxes and is served by XL, one of the few airlines
not to introduce fuel supplements for flights to the region. Stay at the
Grenadian by Rex Resorts, which sits in 30 acres of gardens on Tamarind Bay,
the island’s most beautiful beach. A week, all-inclusive, between August 25
and October 12 starts at £899 (children £499), with Tropical Sky (0870 907
9600, www.tropicalsky.co.uk).
St Lucia is one of the region’s most beautiful – and friendly – islands. At
the four-star Almond Smugglers Cove, the all-inclusive package includes
water-skiing, sailing, windsurfing and kids’ clubs. A week, departing on
August 6, costs £999 (children £499) with Hayes & Jarvis (0871
664 0246, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk).
Alternatively, go diving in Tobago, where a week in June at the charming,
low-key Nabucco Speyside Inn costs a risble £579, B&B, with
Regaldive (01353 659999, www.regaldive.co.uk).
Bargains inside the eurozone
Not everywhere in the eurozone is expensive. Take Slovenia, which
traded in its tolars back in January 2007, but where the cost of living is
still low. In the Soca Valley, near the Italian border, a two-course meal of
prosciutto and mushroom risotto typically costs £6. Even at the country’s
finest restaurant, Hisa Franko, the eight-course tasting menu comes in at
less than £50.
To work off the calories, go whitewater-rafting on the Soca River,
mountain-biking, canyoning, hiking or riding. The place to arrange
activities is Bovec, where a week in August at the three-star Hotel Alp
costs £514, half-board (£364 for a child sharing an adult room), with
Crystal Active (0870 888 0266, www.crystalactive.co.uk).
If that all sounds too strenuous, escape instead to the pretty hamlet of Stara
Fuzina, in the hills of Triglav National Park. At the Mavrica Apartments,
your host, Edi, will welcome you with blueberry schnapps and help you to
plan days out. A week, self-catering, in September starts at £399 with Just
Slovenia (01373 814230, www.justslovenia.co.uk).
The Canariescan be surprisingly good value. Because our summer months
are low season there, the accommodation is fairly priced. Local taxes are
lower than in mainland Spain (5% rather than 16%) and, for political
reasons, many imported items are heavily subsidised by the government. For
instance, a bottle of Mahou beer, brewed in Madrid, costs £1.25 in the
capital but £1 in the Canaries.
Take advantage of this by going self-catering. Try Villa Marlin, in the resort
of Playa Blanca, on Lanzarote, one of many properties in the Canaries
featured by Premier Holidays (0800 047 0400, www.premier-holidays.com).
With two bedrooms, a private pool and barbecue, it’s a steal in July at £733
for a week, villa-only: not bad between four people. Airlines flying to
Lanzarote include EasyJet, XL.com,
Flythomascook.com and Thomsonfly.com.
If you want something more chic, try Finca Malvasia (00 34 928 173460, www.fincamalvasia.com),
which has four self-catering apartments overlooking vineyards in the rural
heart of Lanzarote. A week for four in summer costs a total of £920,
excluding flights.
Italy can still be cheap if you rent a self catering apartment. Try Marche instead of Tuscany - every bit as pretty and ristorante at a fraction of the price. Six of us recently had 4 courses with wine and coffee at a traditional osteria for 99 euros for all 4 of us - and very good it was too.
c chapman, corridonia, italia
Don't forget the rain forest in Puerto Rico!
JG, Baltimore, USA