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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Travel
Amelia Neath

In these destinations you can bag a five-star holiday for the same price of a three-star Spain or Cyprus break

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Bourgas in Bulgaria has been revealed as the cheapest European destination for a five-star holiday suited to a family getaway, according to new research.

In the Bourgas region, which is home to long stretches of coastline and historical sites, the average price for a package holiday was found to be £776.

At this price, Travel Supermarket’s Cheap Holiday Index Platform (CHIPs) found that holidaymakers could enjoy a five-star week-long break, including one meal and a day out to a local attraction for one person.

In comparison, a three-star break in Larnaca, Cyprus, would cost £828. The stay in Bulgaria would also be £1,000 cheaper than a family holiday to the Costa del Sol in Spain.

Egypt comes in second place on the index, with a five-star stay costing an average of £795 per person for a week. A seven-night stay in Malta would cost an average of £818 for that five-star experience – both of which are still under the price for three-star accommodation in Larnaca.

A week stay at a five-star resort, one meal and a day out at an attraction would cost one person on average £776 in Bourgas, Bulgaria (Getty Images)

If a trip to Turkey is on your bucket list, a five-star package holiday in Dalaman would only cost £833 per person on average, just £5 more than Larnaca’s three-star hotels.

The Algarve in Portugal comes in at £985 per person, while Costa Dorada is an affordable option in Spain with prices settling just under the £1,000 mark at £996 per person.

Rounding out the top ten cheapest five-star package holidays are four destinations just creeping over the £1,000 per person barrier: a Crete stay averages at £1,040, Larnaca at £1,050, Paphos at £1,061, and Lanzarote just makes the list with an average person price of £1,063.

At the other end of the list, Costa del Sol comes in as the most expensive five-star package holiday destination in the research, averaging at £1,799 per person for a week.

Even if someone were to opt to travel long haul to a destination outside of Europe, such as Cancun or the Dominican Republic, those holidays would still be, on average, over £295 less than the Costa del Sol.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast

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