Value for money holiday destinations

Cuba is the cheapest place to holiday, new research reveals.

M&S Travel Money's Ice Cream Index looked into the cost of holiday staples such as postcards, meals, taxis, beer and wine and discovered that a trip to the Caribbean would work out cheapest.

And while the Cuba costs the least of the top-ten holiday destinations, traditional British holiday hotspots Greece and Spain came out costliest.

A basket of traditional holiday goodies in Cuba would set someone back just £38.34, M&S found, while in Spain the same goods cost an average of £98.90.

But as well as looking for cheap places to spend out holiday cash, getting hold of the money in the first place can also prove costly.

"To get the most out of our hard-earned holiday cash, we need be careful where we change our travel money," said David Mackay, commercial director of M&S Money.

"However, if [holidaymakers] wait until the airport to change their money, it could cost them as much as £36.40 more - or more than five three course meals in Cuba," he added.

Cheapest holiday destinations
1. Cuba
2. Egypt
3. Morocco
4. Croatia
5. Turkey
6. Dominican Republic
7. Cyprus
8. Portugal
9. Greece
10. Spain


The M&S Money Ice Cream Index examined the cost of the following items: An ice cream; a three course meal for one; a ten-minute taxi journey; a bottle of local wine; a glass of beer; a cup of coffee; car hire (a family car for one day); entrance for one adult to a local attraction - zoo, museum, waterpark etc; a postcard.