What the package price doesn't tell you
The Costa Blanca was the cheapest package destination in Europe for summer 2026, at £864 a person. Which?, Dec 2025 The price is real. What it leaves out is half the holiday.
What's in, what's out
| Cost | In the package? | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | Yes | Included Which?, Dec 2025 |
| Transfer to the hotel | Usually | Included; €7.99 coach or €90–100 taxi if booked separately ALSA, Oct 2026; Radio Taxi Benidorm, 2026 |
| Hotel | Yes | Included Which?, Dec 2025 |
| Checked bag | Usually on packages | £21.49–£59.99 each way on Ryanair flight-only Ryanair, Oct 2026 |
| Getting to the UK airport | No | £28–£148 to park for a week, or about £7 each way to be dropped off airport sites, 20 Oct 2026; RAC, Oct 2026 |
| Food and drink not on your board | No | €31–€69 per adult a day eating and drinking out Benidorm Total, 2026; what holidaymakers told us, 2026 |
| Sunbeds | No | €6–8 a bed or parasol a day on the beach Benidorm Total, 2026 |
| Apartment deposit | No | €150–€200 on arrival at many apartments, refunded later what holidaymakers told us, 2026 |
| Room safe | Often not | €3–3.50 a day, about €20–22 a stay what holidaymakers told us, 2026 |
| Card fees | No | Many high-street cards charge 2.99%, at least £1.50 a cash withdrawal and 50p+ a purchase MoneySavingExpert, Aug 2026 |
| Phone data | No | £2–2.75 a day per phone on some networks MoneySuperMarket, Jun 2026 |
Package or book it yourself?
Which?'s last full comparison (2020) found packages cheaper in 8 of 10 cases, but both Spanish examples were cheaper booked separately. Which?, 2020 In Benidorm the gap is small, and a package brings ATOL protection and a transfer. Book it yourself when you can fly from a cheap airport on a cheap day: our real-cost calculator shows which.
All-inclusive packages
Costa Blanca was also the cheapest all-inclusive destination for summer 2025 at £1,113 a person. Which?, Jan 2025 All-inclusive guests still spend about £395 on extras. Post Office, 2025 Is all-inclusive worth it?
Dear Brenda
We listen. Each letter is built from many real comments on the same subject, combined so that nothing identifies anyone.
Dear Brenda, we'd paid for our apartment in full before we flew, so when reception asked for another €200 on arrival we were stunned. Nobody had mentioned it. They took it from my card, not just a hold. A friend lost €50 of hers for leaving two plates in the sink, and I've been chasing my refund for a fortnight. Is this normal?
A regular visitor, on apartment deposits
Dear Brenda, our four-star hotel charged €22 for the safe, which wasn't mentioned when we booked, and wanted a €20 deposit for a pool towel that they then tried not to give back. Friends paid €7.50 a day for air-con in their apartment. It feels like we've been nickel-and-dimed. Which of these should I expect?
A couple, on hotel extras
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Sources
- Which?, cheapest package holiday destinations 2026, 23 Dec 2025
- Which?, cheapest package destinations 2025, 18 Jan 2025
- TTG on Which? package vs DIY research, 25 Nov 2020
- Post Office Holiday Spending Report 2025, Aug 2025
- Airport parking quotes, each airport's own booking site, 20 Oct 2026
- MoneySavingExpert, best travel cards, 28 Aug 2026
- Benidorm.co.uk beaches guide: council sunbed price, set June 2022, Oct 2026
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Benidorm.co.uk is an independent guide. Hotel and tour links are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we recommend. Prices change; each table shows the date we checked it.