WESTPORT IS THE most expensive place to spend the night in Ireland, according to a new survey of hotel costs.

Prices in the Mayo town increased in 2011, although the cost of a room in most other places continued to slide. Staying in a Westport hotel for a night cost an average of €111 last year – up from €104 in 2010.

The town edged Kilkenny into second place at €107, with Wexford in third at €103. Prices in both places had dropped since 2010.

Limerick was the cheapest of the 11 towns and cities surveyed by booking website Hotels.com, with the average room costing just €64.

The largest price increase was in Waterford, where room costs shot up by 24 per cent from €56 to €69.

Ireland was among the cheapest of 18 European countries in the price index. Overall the average price of a room here was €81 – up from €79 in 2010. In the most expensive country, Switzerland, the average room cost €151.

The most expensive city in the world was Muscat in Oman, where the average room cost €244. It was followed by Capri, New York, Geneva and Moscow.

The small increase in Irish prices suggests that the market here is stabilising, according to Hotels.com spokesperson Seamus MacCormaic. But he added: “However, we are coming from three successive years of steep decline so there is still a long way to go before prices fully recover.”

Here’s the full list of average prices in Irish towns (2010 prices in brackets):

1. Westport €111 (€104)
2. Kilkenny €107 (€112)
3. Wexford €103 (€108)
4. Killarney €98 (€96)
5. Galway €98 (€100)
6. Athlone €95 (€111)
7. Cork €82 (€76)
8. Sligo €81 (€86)
9. Dublin €76 (€73)
10. Waterford €69 (€56)
11. Limerick €64 (€63)