In recent years, the practice of booking vacations last-minute has become widespread, and even in 2026 more travelers are choosing to decide their departure close to the trip, often after monitoring the weather, flight deals and the availability of accommodations.
A new habit that, however, does not automatically guarantee a financial advantage: last-minute can offer interesting opportunities, but only for some destinations; in other cases, the limited availability of properties pushes prices up or limits choices. For this reason, focusing only on the average price per night can be misleading, especially in the height of the summer season.
This is precisely the aspect that cozycozy’s analysis focuses on, examining average prices and remaining availability for August 2026, for two-person stays.
Marsa Alam among the most balanced destinations
Among the last-minute destinations for August, Marsa Alam stands out for the favorable price-to-availability ratio: the average cost is 60.79 euros per night, while remaining availability reaches 20.4% of the total offering.
Egypt, in general, remains one of the areas where last-minute deals can still work, although the climatic context should not be underestimated since August temperatures are very high.
Sharm el-Sheikh is also among destinations to consider, though with less favorable conditions than Marsa Alam: the average price rises to 176.54 euros per night and remaining availability drops to 8.8%.
Tenerife and the risk of a misleading price
One of the most emblematic cases is Tenerife, which shows an average price of 148.10 euros per night, which could make it seem competitive compared with other summer destinations. However, the remaining availability is truly limited: only 0.4% of the offering remains bookable.
In such situations, those booking at the last minute risk finding very few options or having to accept less favorable arrangements.
Greece: significant differences between the islands
Greece also confirms how essential it is to delve into the specifics of each destination, as it remains among the most sought-after summer destinations, yet the data show very different scenarios from island to island.
Santorini, for example, has an average price of 242.17 euros per night and a remaining availability of 8.3%, Crete still offers a large number of accommodations in absolute terms, over 5,400, but the availability relative to total supply stops at 6.3% while Kos appears more critical, with an average price of 272.29 euros per night and a remaining availability of 3.7%.
Italy between expensive destinations and still-possible margins
Even for those staying in Italy, August proves to be a challenging month for last-minute bookings: the most well-known localities show high prices and limited availability, with notable differences among different destinations.
The Costa Smeralda is the most expensive, with an average of 277.54 euros per night and remaining availability of 5.7%; Tropea follows at 255.42 euros per night with a similar level of availability, 5.2%, while Gallipoli sits at somewhat more affordable levels, with 224.74 euros per night and 8.8% of accommodations still available.
An interesting case is the Amalfi Coast, which, while maintaining high prices (198.11 euros per night), preserves a remaining availability of 13.3%.
Among alternatives, the Costa dei Trabocchi shows an average price of 155.22 euros per night, while Termoli stands at 194.95 euros with an availability of 10.8%.
The Balkans as a still-accessible alternative
Kotor records an average price of 166.98 euros per night and a remaining availability of 5.5%, while Ksamil stands at 171.94 euros with only 3.2% of accommodations still available.
These are destinations that maintain relatively competitive prices, but with availability already quite limited.
