UK hotels are most expensive in Europe

The UK has the most expensive hotel prices in Europe, according to a report in the latest edition of Holiday Which? magazine.

According to the report, that is not all the bad news - it points out that the strong pound has made many foreign holidays cheaper.

"It is hardly surprising the traditional British two-week seaside holiday has been having such a hard time of it recently," it reads.

It found that Malta and Turkey offered the lowest sunbelt destination prices for people who booked budget and mid-range accommodation independently.

Turkey had the best bargains in luxury hotel rooms, followed by the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Ireland (outside Dublin).

Even Norway, which used to have a reputation for being expensive, had cheaper accommodation than Britain.

Which? research manager Anne Harvey said it wasn't surprising that many people preferred to have a fortnight abroad rather than spend the same money on a weekend in a reasonably good hotel in Britain.

She said: "Frankly, prices here are gobsmackingly expensive.

"We understand the reasons for it - it's not always down to naked profiteering - but British hoteliers will have to find ways of adding value on to their service if they want to stop people leaving the country for their holidays."

By Linley Boniface