Are we all going on a Summer Holiday?

WHAT COUNTRIES OFFER THE BEST PACKAGE VALUE?

Recent trends indicate that Italy and Croatia are costly, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey are affordable, and Greece falls in the middle. But does this still hold true?

I explored the Mediterranean for a seven-night B&B stay in a four-star hotel, including flights departing on June 21. The most economical destinations matched expectations: Dalaman in Turkey, with a median price of £667; the Algarve, at £815 per person; and the Canary Islands, at £910 per person.

But there has been a shift at the top end of the table, where the Amalfi coast in Italy has dropped to second priciest, at £1,107pp, overtaken by the south Aegean - including islands such as Rhodes, Kos, Santorini and Mykonos - at £1,110pp.

Dalyan is a citrus-farming town 20 miles northwest of Dalaman airport, on the river joining Lake Koycegiz to the sea. The lost city of Kaunos and its Petra-like rock tombs are on the opposite bank, and a ferry takes you to Iztuzu beach.

Kaputas Beach is great for anyone who doesn’t want to just sit on the beach in the sun. Energetic kids will love this beach.

AND THE BEST FOR ALL-INCLUSIVE BREAKS?

Turkey is the reigning king of the all-inclusive deal but is struggling with inflation nudging 50 per cent. In November room rates had increased by 60 per cent from the same month in 2023 but operational costs were up 84 per cent, making further price rises inevitable.

However, for 2025 at least, Turkey is hanging on to its crown. The median price of an all-inclusive week in Dalaman has crept up to £955, but that's still cheaper than in Spain (£998), Portugal (£1,120pp), Greece (£1,194pp) or Croatia (£1,254pp, the most expensive).

WHAT ABOUT A VILLA IN FRANCE?

Predictably, the region - Provence, Alpes, Côte d'Azur - remains the costliest part of France in which to rent a villa, even if the absence of Russians has hit landlords where it hurts. Using data from holidayhomes.co.uk, which lists properties from various suppliers, I found that the median price of a modest two-bedroom villa with a private pool in the first week of August ranges from £2,714 in Alpes-Maritime (Nice and vicinity) to £1,655 around Perpignan in the Pyrénées-Orientales.

The best value in the southeast is in the blue-collar part of Le Var, west of Toulon, with a median price of £1,699; search around Sanary-sur-Mer and Bandol on the coast and the pretty villages inland from there.

On this pebble creek, in June 1943, scuba diving with an aqualung was born in Bandol. The town became the main place to discover the underwater world experienced by Cousteau, Taillez and Dumas.

Elsewhere, the lowest prices are in the north, with a median price for that August week of £1,216 in the Manche region, home to Cherbourg, St Lô and Mont St Michel.

On the west coast the cheapest properties are on the seaward side of Nantes in Loire-Atlantique, with a median price of £1,216. The further south geographically you go, the further north the prices go, from £1,604 in La Vendée to £2,309 in Landes.

WHERE ARE THE BEST GREEK VILLA DEALS?

I looked at the median price of a two-bedroom villa with private pool in the first week in August, not including flights or car hire, on 12 of the most popular islands in Greece.

I thought that Santorini and Mykonos would be the most expensive, but the results showed otherwise: Santorini was the fourth cheapest at £2,085; Mykonos ninth at £3,014. The Ionian island of Meganisi offered the worst value at £4,152, with Naxos 11th at £3,434. The top three cheapest in reverse order were: Corfu at £2,062, Kalymnos at £2,026 and Crete at £1,873.

Eastern Crete offers fabulous value at a fraction of the price of many other islands.

Voulisma Beach, Eastern Crete: For a fun family beach day

WHAT PRICE LUXURY?

I looked at the cost of flight-inclusive, seven-night B&B packages to five-star hotels in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey.

Struggling with those increased operating costs, Turkey is now the most expensive with a median price of £2,138pp a week. Italy comes next at £1,893pp, with Croatia third at £1,609pp. Then come Greece, Portugal and Spain at £1,590pp, £1,362pp and £1,231pp respectively.

You can do better, though: a week in June at the five-star Gran Melia Palacio de Isora in Tenerite - with eight restaurants and a Clarins spa - comes in at less than £900pp.

Average price for seven nights' B&B in a four-star hotel, including flights, departing on June 21, 2025

Destination & Price per person

Dalaman (Turkey) £667

Algarve (Portugal) £815

Canary Islands (Spain) £910

Amalfi coast (Italy) £1,107

South Aegean* (Greece) £1,110

*including Rhodes, Kos, Santorini and Mykonos

Holiday enquiry

Adapted from source: Chris Haslam, The Sunday Times January 26 2025