The ten cheapest countries to holiday - and the ten priciest

A weekend away in the eurozone might seem a little less appealing this spring. As the value of sterling has nose dived, the cost of holidaying abroad has shot up.

A bottle of beer in Rome is now likely to set you back £3.37, whilst a cup of coffee in Cyprus will cost you almost £4.

The euro isn't the only currency to become prohibitively expensive either. According to calculations by the Post Office if you fancy a three-course meal in a restaurant in Barbados you can expect to pay £135.52.

And if you're planning on topping up your tan in Australia be warned, the average price of a bottle of factor 15 sun lotion is now £7.30.

It's not all miserable news though, there are some countries where the currency has fallen against sterling. Here are the top ten holiday destinations when measured by value for your pounds.

Rank	Country	Currency to the pound (as of 16/02/09)	Average price of a basket of holiday goods*
Cheapest
1	Hungary	303.42 forint	£31.46
2	Czech Republic	29.121 koruna	£31.49
3	Thailand	45.602 baht	£38.65
4	South Africa	13.267 rand	£43.27
5	Malaysia	4.758 ringitt	£44.71
6	Turkey	2.222 lira	£49.40
7	Bulgaria	2.005 lev	£49.87
8	Kenya	103.487 shilling	£51.45
9	Croatia	7.599 kuna	£57.26
10	Spain	1.039 euro	£61.73
Most expensive
1	Barbados	2.582 Barbados dollar	£152.52
2	Mexico	18.364 new peso	£96.76
3	Brazil	2.768 real	£78.02
4	Australia	2.054 Australian dollar	£77.84
5	Italy	1.039 euro	£76.09
6	USA	1.326 dollar	£75.24
7	Canada	1.663 Canadian dollar	£73.79
8	Portugal	1.039 euros	£73.67
9	New Zealand	2.564 New Zealand dollar	£73.55
10	Cyprus	1.039 euro	£73.32

* Holiday basket includes: Cup of coffee, bottle of Heineken, bottle/can Coca-Cola, bottle of mineral water, factor 15 suncream, insect repellent, three course evening meal including bottle of house wine in a local restaurant.