When it comes to booking a holiday, it’s often a compromise between quality and quantity.
Five-star resorts can seem out of reach, with many holidaymakers returning to the same holiday spot each year under the promise of good value.
But according to travel expert Chelsea Dickenson, prestige resorts don’t always come with a luxury price tag.
TravelSupermarket has partnered with Chelsea to reveal where British holidaymakers can enjoy genuine five-star luxury without the typical price tag.
The research analysed average prices for seven-night, five-star winter sun packages, revealing that Tunisia leads as the ultimate value destination at just £411 per person.
This represents a fraction of what travellers typically expect to pay for premium accommodation, proving that luxury doesn’t always require a premium budget.
Malta claims second position at £525 per person, closely followed by Portugal’s Algarve at £526.
Turkey’s Antalya area ranks fourth at £616, with Cyprus rounding out the top five at £618 per person.
Tunisia leads as the ultimate value destination at just £411 per person. Pictured: The village of Sidi Bou Saïd, located near Tunis, the capital of Tunisia
Malta claims second position at £525 per person. Spinola Bay in St. Julian’s, Malta, is pictured
Antalya is known as the ‘tourism capital’ of Turkey and is located on the country’s southwest coast, an area often referred to as the Turkish Riviera or Turquoise Coast
Egypt delivers exceptional value with Hurghada at £659 (sixth place) and Sharm El Sheikh at £744 (seventh), while Morocco’s Marrakech comes in eighth at £758 per person.
Completing the top ten are Madeira at £788 (ninth place) and Cape Verde at £1,052 per person.
‘This data really shows that a five-star winter sun escape is far more achievable than people might think, as long as you’re willing to travel out of season and be a little adventurous with where you want to go,’ Chelsea Dickenson, resident travel expert for ITV’s This Morning, said.
‘With destinations like Tunisia averaging just £411 per person, it proves that five-star doesn’t always have to come with a big price tag – especially in winter, when hotels often drop prices to fill their rooms and you can really make your budget stretch further.’
‘What’s also interesting is what doesn’t appear in the top ten, with winter favourites like the Canary Islands failing to chart,’ she continued.
‘It’s a great reminder that sometimes the most popular destinations can come with the highest price tags, and so if you’re happy to look beyond these, you can often bag an incredible five-star value for a whole lot less.’
Chelsea also shared her top tips for finding cheap five-star winter sun, with her first tip being to travel out of season and avoid peak times.
Hurghada (pictured) is a popular resort town known for its beaches and water sports like snorkelling and diving
‘Five-star winter sun prices can jump massively around Christmas, New Year and February half-term,’ she said.
If you can travel in quieter weeks, such as early December or January, you’ll often find much better value for the same hotel and destination.
She also recommends looking beyond the obvious winter sun hotspots.
‘Popular destinations can stay expensive because demand remains high,’ she said.
Choosing an alternative that still delivers warmth like Tunisia, Turkey, or Egypt can often get you more for your money, especially when it comes to five-star resorts.
