Summer for under £400

52 Costa Brava camping
Whenever we’ve stayed in hotels on the Costa Brava, we’ve had a sneaking suspicion that those in the region’s superb camp sites are having a lot more fun. Camping la Siesta, in Palafrugell, is typical: a vast, shady park with plenty of privacy, a fab pool complex and a beach a couple of hundred yards away. A week in May half-term, staying in a two-bedroom mobile home, costs £72pp, including return Dover-Calais ferry crossings, with Canvas Holidays (0845 268 0857, canvasholidays.co.uk). Allow £120 for petrol and tolls.

53 Coming up Roses
Will they miss elBulli in the resort of Roses, on the Costa Brava, when it closes next year? Not really, because hardly anyone who lives there has ever been. They prefer the tapas bars lining the wide beach — the local anchovies are said to be the best on earth — and, if they’re going to queue, they’d rather do so for the water park and crazy golf. A week in a family apartment sleeping four at the Hostal Rom (00 34 972 256181, www.hostalrom.es) costs £160pp in high season. Flights to Girona are about £150 with Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com); car hire is £38pp with Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, holidayautos.com).

54 Community in Andalusia
When a government scheme to build a hotel in the Rio Genal valley ran out of funds, the village of Benarraba clubbed together to finish the job, creating the community-owned Hotel Banu Rabbah. It’s a treasure, with huge terraces, fabulous views, a pool and a restaurant selling local produce, including exquisite jamon de pata negra, from pigs raised in the surrounding forests. Doubles start at £185pp a week in July (00 34 952 150288, hbenarraba.es). Flights to Malaga cost about £100 with EasyJet (easyjet.co.uk); car rental is about £40pp through Travelsupermarket.com.

55 Lovers’ choice
La Fructuosa, a five-room bolt hole in the white village of Gaucin — next door to Benarraba, above — could be the most romantic property in Spain, with a fab restaurant and breathtaking views of three countries, two seas and two continents from its lovely rooms and roof terrace. There’s not much to do here but walk, eat and sleep. Booked direct, a double costs £230pp a week in high season (00 34 617 692784, lafructuosa.com). Flights and car hire as above.

56 A-list apartment
Enlist another family and snap up a posh penthouse in Marbella. It’s in a resort with a private beach, a sauna, tennis courts and two outdoor pools; the penthouse has a home cinema and a private rooftop pool, for when you want to avoid the plebs downstairs. Holiday Lettings (holidaylettings.co.uk; ref 135233) offers a peak-season price of £235pp a week, based on eight sharing. Flights to Malaga cost about £100 with EasyJet (easyjet.co.uk); car rental costs about £20pp through Travelsupermarket.com.

57 Casa in el campo
Just outside the laid-back seaside town of Conil de la Frontera, on the Costa de la Luz, Vintage Travel (01954 261431, vintagetravel.co.uk) has Casa Almendro, a four-bedroom country house with a private pool. The beach is a five-minute drive away, and the property will set you back £125pp a week in high season, based on eight sharing. Flights to Jerez with Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com) are about £150; the operator can arrange car hire for about £40pp.

58 Spain’s west country
The Costa Verde, in Asturias, is Spain’s answer to Cornwall — lush, densely wooded valleys, tumbling streams, granite cliffs, sandy beaches and pretty fishing villages. Venue Holidays (01233 629950, venueholidays.co.uk) has a week for a family of four in a mobile home at the Camping Playa Joyel for £398pp, including return Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry crossings.

59 Active Catalonia
A few miles inland from the Costa Brava lies Fontanilles, a medieval hilltop hamlet that begs you to sit and stare. Not for long, though, because this is an Inntravel gig, which means lots of healthy cycling and walking as you explore the prettiest coastline in Spain. A village apartment, sleeping four, costs £325pp during the summer holidays, including return Dover-Calais ferry crossings (01653 617000, inntravel.co.uk). Allow £120 for petrol and tolls.

60 Costa lessa
Ten minutes from the glitzy marina at Puerto Banus is Club Sierra, a rather posh apartment complex designed to look like an Andalusian pueblo blanco, but without the donkeys. It comes with sea views, fragrant gardens and a huge pool. A four-person apartment here costs £125pp a week between June and September, through Owners Direct (ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/s9882.htm). Flights to Malaga are still less than £100 with EasyJet (easyjet.co.uk); car hire starts at £28pp with Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, holidayautos.com).

61 Hike the Camino
With The Way, starring Martin Sheen, set for release this year, it’s going to be busy on the Camino de Santiago, but if you’re serious about making the most famous pilgrimage in Christendom — and you’ll need at least a month — there is A Way to do it almost free. Register as a pilgrim through the Confraternity of St James (020 7928 9988, csj.org.uk) and you’ll qualify for free accommodation, meals and the odd glass of wine at traditional albergues along the way. For details, consult the excellent caminodesantiago.me.uk. Start across the border in France, at St-Jean-Pied-de-Port — fly to Biarritz with Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com), from about £60, then get the train via Bayonne for £9.

62 Vintage stuff
The mountainous region of Priorat lies half an hour inland, and a century back in time, from the resorts of the Costa Dorada. Its high-wattage wines are becoming the best in Spain, and discovering tiny artisan winemakers such as Sangenis and Sabaté involves exploring vineyards, olive groves, high peaks and rushing streams along the ruta del vi (turismepriorat.org). Stay at the lovely Cal Compte (00 34 619 023 779, calcompte.com), where a one-bedroom apartment costs £194pp a week, based on two sharing. Flights to Reus are about £60 with Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com); car hire is £60pp with Avis (0844 581 0147, avis.co.uk). Wine starts at £3 a bottle.

Portugal under £400

63 What goes around...
How about a week in a windmill? Hoseasons (0844 847 1170, hoseasons.co.uk) has the Rua dos Moleiros, on the Costa Lisboa, which sleeps four, for £170pp in the week beginning August 6. With fabulous sea views and a pretty garden — but no pool — it’s a stylish spot from which to explore local beaches, gorge on seafood in Cascais and visit the palaces of Sintra. Flights to Lisbon cost about £160 with TAP (0845 601 0932, flytap.com); car hire is £40pp with Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, holidayautos.com).

64 Five-star Algarve
If you play golf, you’ll know about Vilamoura, the Algarve resort with five championship courses within the grounds. What you might not know is that, if you go early in the season, it’s a true bargain. Lowcostholidays.com (0800 111 6271) has a week, departing on May 6, for £305pp, based on two sharing and including flights. That’s staying at the Dom Pedro Golf Resort, a 266-room, five-star hotel with a beach and a spa.

65 £30-a-day Algarve
Yes, £30 — and that’s including flights. Vale de Carros is a collection of low-rise villas in a backwater of Albufeira, not far from the glitzy Pine Cliffs resort. The accommodation is simple and spacious, there are two pools on site and the gorgeous beach at Falesia is nearby. It’s a bit quiet for some, but it’s dead cheap — a week, departing on July 12, costs £199pp, based on four sharing, through Flight Centre (0844 800 8628, flightcentre.co.uk).

66 Surf Estoril
Take the kids to Portugal at half-term and let qualified instructors teach the whole family how to catch a wave. Departing on May 28, Surfholidays. com (020 8144 9950) has three days of lessons for four, with wetsuits and boards suitable for all degrees of reluctance, and a week at the four-star Vila Gale, in Cascais, for £220pp. Flights to Lisbon start at about £140 with EasyJet (easyjet.com).

67 Costa Verde simplicity
Deep in a pine forest near the river Mouro, in the far north of Portugal, you’ll find the Quinta do Regueiro, where Keith Potter has converted his farm into charming holiday homes. It’s a simple life: walking in the woods, hanging out on the river beach, lunching on sardinhas na brasa and the crisp local vinho verde. A log cabin sleeping five costs £120pp for a week in July, booked through HomeAway Holiday-Rentals (holiday-rentals.co.uk; ref 1463). Flights to Porto are about £110 with EasyJet (easyjet.com); car hire is £28pp with Argus (0844 330 2581, arguscarhire.com).

68 Nouveau Portugal
While the masses flock to the Algarve, the cognoscenti congregate in Alentejo, a place of hilltop castles, fishing villages and ancient cork forests. A new weekly charter flight makes it much easier to reach. Exclusively for Sunday Times readers, Sunvil Discovery (020 8758 4722, www.realalentejo.co.uk) has a week at the Casa de Eira Hotel, in the seaside village of Vila Nova de Milfontes, departing on June 5, for £399pp, including flights and car hire. Bookings by phone only — mention where you saw the offer.

69 Kids in the jungle
Still in the Alentejo, but on the eastern edge overlooking Spain, you’ll find Quinta Vale de Marmelos, a three-storey farmhouse set in jungle-like gardens. The estate is now a do-as-you-please farmstay, with families especially welcome. A cottage sleeping four costs £77pp in the summer holidays (quintavaledemarmelos.co.uk). Flights to Lisbon are £150 with EasyJet (easyjet.com); car hire is £33pp with Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, holidayautos.com).

70 The best hostel in the world
The Travellers House was voted the best hostel on earth last year — for the third time running. It’s set in a 250-year-old building, bang in the middle of Lisbon. Rooms are bright, modern and predictably iPod-friendly, and the week from June 4 costs £190pp, based on two sharing, through hostelworld.com. Flights with EasyJet (easyjet.com) start at about £90.

Greece under £400

71 Craggy Crete
Over the past 10 years, many of the old stone-built houses in the hillside village of Agia Paraskevi have been restored. Emilios is one of the most interesting: it’s shaded by fruit trees and vines, and built into the side of a crag. The sandy Ligres beach is a five-minute drive. A week from June 18 costs £95pp, based on four sharing, with Freelance Holidays (01789 297705, freelance-holidays.co.uk). Flights to Chania with EasyJet (easyjet.com) are about £250; Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, holidayautos.com) has a week’s car hire from about £30pp.

72 High-season Corfu
There’s nothing fancy about the Kerkyra Island Apartments — but there’s nothing nasty, either. Low-rise, set on a wooded hillside above the sea, this cheap and cheerful family-run establishment is a 20-minute walk from Messonghi beach, and has its own pool for the days when you want to stay put. Departing on August 19, a studio sleeping three costs £385pp for adults and £310pp for children, including flights and transfers, with Olympic (0800 093 3322, olympicholidays.com).

73 Island sailing for free
The ski and mountain-bike company Alpine Elements (0844 770 4070, alpineelements.co.uk) is launching a beach club-cum-sailing school this summer, based at Vassiliki, on the island of Lefkada — and it’s offering some mouthwatering early-booking deals. A week for two, starting on May 1, is currently on offer for only £379pp, B&B, including flights and use of the sailing, windsurfing and kayaking equipment.

74 Wild flowers in Samos
Early June is a lovely time to visit this heavily forested island — the sun is close to full power, but the hills are still flushed with wild flowers. The fishing village of Ormos is a good base: after day trips to Mount Kerkis and Kambos beach, kick back at a quayside tavern. With Islands of Greece (0845 675 2600, islands-of-greece.co.uk), a week in the two-bedroom Pantheon apartments, from June 16, costs £399pp, based on four sharing and including flights.

Croatia under £400

75 A villa with a view
You’ll get a lot more villa for your money in Croatia if you look inland, and the pretty, stone-built Villa Zelena, in Istria, is a case in point. Set on a hill with two other properties, it has its own pool, tasteful interiors, a shaded terrace and sensational views. It sleeps six, and the week from June 14 costs £190pp with Vintage Travel (01954 261431, vintagetravel.co.uk: ref 47). Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com) has flights to Trieste from about £40; Carrentals.co.uk has a week’s hire of two cars from £44pp.

76 Island-hopping by ferry
For foot passengers, the daily catamaran from Split to the island of Hvar (www.jadrolinija.hr) costs £2.60. From Hvar to Korcula, it’s another £2.60. What’s more, midweek return flights from Gatwick to Split with EasyJet (easyjet.com) aren’t expensive; from £130 return for an August 15 departure. So an island- hopping Adriatic adventure is surprisingly affordable, especially if you book a cheap apartment in advance, using adriatic-home.com. A week at the Badoljo studio, in Hvar town, starts at £126pp, based on three sharing. In Korcula, Lenni (00 385 91 883 7516, ikorcula.net/lenni), a studio sleeping three, is £217pp a week.

77 Seafront bargains
Even in high season, seafront accommodation is not out of reach if you book an apartment. Take Villa Palma, available through Croatian Villas (020 8888 6655, croatianvillas.com; ref TG002): a simple two- bedroom flat in Seget Vranjica, with direct access to the water and a balcony that’s perfect for a sundowner after your swim. From July 31, a week costs £149pp, based on four sharing. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com) has flights to Zadar for about £190; Carrentals.co.uk has cars from £60pp.

Turkey under £400

78 Sharp style, striking views
The Karma apartment, in Geris, is all about sharp white lines, artfully exposed concrete and contemporary furniture — there’s a wall of glass you can fold back to capture the sea breezes. There’s a shared pool, and the harbour town of Yalikavak is only two miles away. It’s sleek, it’s sexy, and it’s just £395pp, based on four sharing and including flights and car hire, if you book it for the week starting June 20 with Ilios (0845 675 2601, iliostravel.com).

79 Boutique in Kalkan
One way to keep a lid on prices is to bag a discount, and the deal-finding website travelzoo.co.uk is full of them. It found a week in Kalkan at the Rhapsody Hotel — small, but with stylish, boutiquey touches and lovely views — for only £399pp, B&B, in May, based on two sharing and including flights, with Anatolian Sky (0844 571 9111, anatoliansky.co.uk).

80 The best seats in Kas
Got a book or two you’re dying to read this summer? Take them to the Phellos apartment, in the small town of Kas. It’s simple but well furnished, and the best bit is the cushion-strewn wooden balcony, with grandstand views of the cobbled street below. The pebble beach is a five-minute walk. Sleeping four, it costs £125pp for the week from June 13, with Simpson Travel (020 8392 5858, simpsontravel.com). Flights to Dalaman with Avro (0871 423 8550, avro.co.uk) are £190; a week’s car hire is £50pp through Auto Europe (0800 358 1229, www.auto-europe.com).

Long-haul under £750

81 Five-star Red Sea
The smart resort of El Gouna is a 30-minute drive north of Hurghada, and a lot more sedate, with Arabic architecture, excellent watersports and upmarket restaurants and bars. The Sheraton Miramar is a five-star resort with a lush pool and a beach. The week beginning May 20 starts at £459pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Thomas Cook (0844 412 5970, thomascook.com).

82 Sri Lanka style
In the little resort town of Wadduwa, with its palm-backed beach, the Blue Water Hotel is in Asian minimalist style. Its 100 tile-floored rooms have a design-hotel feel, with plenty of clever open spaces. The pool is gigantic. A week in September starts at £735pp, B&B, based on two sharing and including flights, with Key2holidays (020 7963 6675, key2holidays.co.uk).

83 QM2 to New York
Queen Mary 2 is one of the great ocean liners — with art-deco luxury, lavish public spaces, a ballroom and renowned cuisine. This is crossing the Atlantic in style, and a treat for the price. Sailing from Southampton on May 10, a week starts at £699pp, full-board, for an inside cabin, based on two sharing and including a flight from New York back to Heathrow. That’s with Cruise Thomas Cook (02011 0800 916 6070, cruisethomascook.com).

84Thailand island
On Ko Samui’s quieter north coast, you’ll find a tidy Ibis property. Ibis? Yes, many hotels in the chain are soulless, but this one’s different, with cute (if small) rooms, a restaurant, two bars, three pools and a private beach. Hayes & Jarvis (0871 664 0246, hayesandjarvis.com) has a week from May 30 for £699pp, B&B, based on two sharing and including flights.

85 Taba Heights, Egypt
The impressive Taba Heights Resort has a three-mile beach and outstanding dive sites. It’s by the Jordanian border, too, so Petra and the Dead Sea are tantalising day-trip options. Longwood Holidays (020 8418 2515, longwoodholidays.co.uk) has a week from August 15 at the refined Hyatt Regency for £699pp, half-board, based on two sharing and including flights.

86 Turtles in Tobago
The simply styled Turtle Beach Rex Resort is low-rise, set among palm trees, with a knockout beach. The compromise? It’s leatherback turtle egg-laying season from March to July, so some parts may be off limits — a drawback for swimmers, but a thrill for nature-lovers. For selected departures in May and June, a week starts at £720pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Kuoni (01306 747002, kuoni.co.uk).

87 The story so pharaoh
Here’s a six-day tour to see the best of ancient Egypt, from the pyramids of Giza to the Valley of the Kings. Prices start at £529pp, based on two sharing and including flights, three nights’ B&B in four- and five-star hotels, two overnight trains and excursions. The downside? The deal is for June, July or August, when it can be scorching.

88 Beach break in Jamaica
Negril is a busy resort with lots of lively places to eat, drink or rock to the reggae beat, as well as a whiter-than-white beach. There’s also superb snorkelling on the adjacent reefs. A big slab of your budget goes on the nine-hour flight, so the Rooms on the Beach resort is a bit on the basic side — a three-star beachfront hotel with a pool. Departing on June 5, a week starts at £749pp, B&B, based on two sharing and including flights, with Hayes & Jarvis (0871 664 0246, hayesandjarvis.com).

89 Seaside Kenya
On the Mombasa coast, the three-star Diani Sea Lodge is a low-rise property in tropical gardens, with the obligatory palms, a lagoon pool and decent-sized, bright but basically furnished rooms. Departing on May 9, a week starts at £677pp, full-board, based on two sharing and including flights, with First Choice (0871 200 7799, firstchoice.co.uk).

90 Theme parks in Orlando
The Quality Inn International is a short walk from the Wet-n-Wild water park and only three miles from Universal Studios and Sea World (served by a frequent free shuttle bus). All rooms have been recently refurbished and there is a large pool area. For June 6-16 departures, a week starts at £699pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859, virginholidays.co.uk).

91 Budget Hong Kong
HK is a great city to do on the cheap. A fabulous crossing of Hong Kong harbour on the Star Ferry costs just 40p, a dim sum dinner starts at £6 and the one-hour ferry to Macau is £20 return. The territory is packed with things to see and do, and that skyline at night has to be the best in the world. Travelocity (0871 472 5116, travelocity.co.uk) has five nights in the supersmart Kowloon-side tower of the Hotel Panorama from £744pp, based on two sharing and including flights.

93 Thai beach break
The low-key resort of Cha Am is quiet during the week, but busy with Thai holidaymakers at weekends. The local flavour means restaurants and shops cater to the home market, so are cheaper than at foreign-dominated resorts. Ten nights in May or June at the three-star Holiday Inn Resort on Regent Beach start at £579pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Travelbag (0871 703 4240, travelbag.co.uk).

94 Beautiful Bali
Hard to believe, but our budget will even stretch to Bali. On the quiet Sanur Beach, the locally styled Peneeda View has large rooms, several pools and a friendly welcome — a great introduction to this warm-hearted island. For departures between April 23 and June 15, a week starts at £750pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Bridge the World (0871 781 2964, bridgetheworld.com). But hurry: you have to book by Tuesday.

95 Twin-centre Thailand
Combine the bustle of Bangkok with the bliss of a lovely Thai beach. You’ll spend two nights at the smart Cha-Da Hotel — with a rooftop pool for when the city gets too much — then five at the surprisingly swish Mantra Resort, in Hua Hin, on the Gulf of Thailand. Departing on May 8, a week starts at £748pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Austravel (0800 988 4834, austravel.com).

96 West-coast Malaysia
Penang has great beaches and a rich colonial history. The three-star Hydro Hotel offers a free shuttle to the sands and is only five miles from the capital, Georgetown — handy for exploring the pulsating Chinese culture and the Little India quarter. With 350 rooms, it’s a bit of a monolith, but you can’t argue with the value: between April 23 and June 15, a week costs £748pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Bridge the World (0871 781 2964, bridgetheworld.com). Book by Tuesday.

97 Beach break in Barbados
On the sheltered west coast, a short walk from the millionaires at Sandy Lane, you’ll find the All Seasons Resort Europa. It has spacious villas and a pool, and the beach is close by, as are the shops and restaurants of Holetown. Between June 29 and July 14, a week costs £719pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with British Airways Holidays (0844 493 0758, ba.com).

98 Gambian sunshine
A six-hour flight (but no jet lag) takes you to the tropical warmth of the Gambian coast. The Kombo Beach Hotel, on Koto beach, has excellent cooking in its three restaurants, and there’s a lively atmosphere, with local musicians most evenings. Departing on May 3, 10 or 17, a week costs £599pp, B&B, based on two sharing and including flights, with The GambiaExperience (0845 330 2060, gambia.co.uk).

99 Rajasthan break
If you can handle dry heat — low to mid-30s — the “pink city” of Jaipur is a bargain in September. Visit the Amber Fort, the Palace of the Winds and the surreal astronomical sculptures of Jantar Mantar, built in the early 18th century: the cuisine is outstanding, the shopping ditto, and the Taj Mahal is within day-trip distance. Stay at Shahpura House, a characterful, central haveli with opulent decor and a pool. Departing on September 3, a week starts at £745pp, based on two sharing and including flights, with Real Holidays (020 7359 3938, realholidays.co.uk).

100 Caribbean Mexico
Okay, okay, this is £5 over our limit — but it’s such a bargain, we couldn’t resist. Thirty miles south of Cancun, the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort & Spa isn’t small, but its 700 rooms are spread over 11 three-storey thatched “villas” that horseshoe around a fabulous pool and 17-slide aqua park. The sand is white, the sea is turquoise and the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Tulum are easy day trips. Departing on June 15, a week starts at £755pp, all-inclusive, based on two sharing and including flights, through Last Minute (0871 222 5969, lastminute.com).

Chris Haslam, Sean Newsom, Richard Green