Majorca top choice for self-catering on a shoe-string
Families hoping to cut their holiday costs by dropping hotels in favour of self-catering stays will find shop prices lowest in Majorca.
As the holiday season moves up a gear, Post Office Travel Money’s Self-Catering on a Shoestring report reveals big variations in supermarket prices across the eurozone. A weekly shopping basket in Cyprus, the most expensive of 13 destinations surveyed, costs 68 per cent more than in Majorca.
When it comes to holiday costs, mums are twice as likely to worry about the family spending budget as dads. According to a survey of family holidaymakers conducted for the Post Office, 40 per cent of mothers had been disappointed that previous trips cost more than expected. This compared with just 21 per cent of fathers. Similarly, 40 per cent of mums were frustrated at not having enough money to spend on entertaining their children, compared with only 13 per cent of dads.
Outweighing these concerns, the Post Office research revealed that three ‘f’s’ – freedom, flexibility and fun time together – were the prime motivators for parents to choose a self-catering holiday. 56 per cent rated flexible mealtimes and having more freedom and space as the best things about self-catering, while 50 per cent said that spending quality time together mattered most. All three were rated higher than saving money by self-catering rather than staying in a hotel (42 per cent).
However, research on supermarket costs conducted for the Post Office by villa holiday specialist, Meon Villas, shows that families can make big savings when self-catering by picking a destination where prices are lower. Meon resort staff price-checked a basket of 16 food and drink staples in 12 eurozone resorts and found cost variations of up to 68 per cent.
At £44.23 for basic provisions for a one week holiday Majorca was lowest priced in the survey, followed closely by Portugal’s Algarve (£44.36) with Spain’s Costa Blanca in third place (347.28). Cyprus (£74.56) and Italy (£72.33) were the highest-priced.
The biggest variation was in Greece where prices in four islands – Corfu, Crete, Kefalonia and Zakynthos - were surveyed. Corfu emerged as best value (£50.22) but Crete (£67.56) was over a third more expensive (+34.5 per cent).
Post Office Travel Money also compared the cost of self-catering in the UK with the 12 eurozone shopping basket prices. At £63.63, Brighton took 10th of 13 places in the self-catering table but was the most expensive resort for wine and beer.
Sarah Munro, Post Office Head of Travel Money, said: “Self-catering can be a great way for families to save money on the cost of their holiday while at the same time offering them more flexibility and the freedom to come and go as they please. According to our research this is a big consideration for families. So too is the ability to bring the family pet! One-third of women and one in ten men rated this one of the best things about self catering.
“The wide cost variations we found mean that families will be well-advised to do their homework before booking and check eurozone shopping prices on our website. They can also avoid wasting money by buying currency before leaving rather than at the airport where they will get a poor rate. If using a credit card, it will pay to make it one like the Post Office Credit Card with 0 per cent commission on purchases abroad.”
Another consideration when budgeting for a self-catering holiday is the cost of drinks in resort cafes and restaurants. Research revealed that Spanish resorts are cheapest for coffee, soft drinks and wine and beer, while those in Greece are most expensive.
The Post Office research also revealed a big divide between the sexes in attitudes towards self-catering trips. Concerns about time spent cleaning and cooking varied dramatically between men and women. 37 per cent of mums were worried about spending too much time cleaning but only 22 per cent of dads considered it an issue.
Food can be a divisive issue on holiday. One-third (33 per cent) of the mums questioned were frustrated at the amount of time spent in the kitchen compared with a quarter of dads (25 per cent). Additionally, almost one-third of mothers (31 per cent) compared with 21 per cent of fathers complained about having to pay for meals out because no-one wanted to cook.
Families can obtain euros on demand in more than 8,500 Post Office bureaux de change branches, while 1,600 larger branches stock 25 of the most popular currencies. In addition, over 70 currencies can be pre-ordered at almost 12,000 Post Office branches or online at postoffice.co.uk for next day branch or home delivery.