REMEMBER when finding a £1 pint on holiday was the norm? Those days feel a long way off.
Just like here in the UK, classic holiday hotspots have seen food and drink prices creep up over the last few years.
Holiday expert Rob Brooks has rounded up the destinations where a pint costs you £1 or less Credit: Rob Brooks
Not only do these holiday spots offer cheap pints, but Rob’s found a package deal to go with each Credit: Getty
And now, in plenty of major resorts, the old-school £1 beer is nothing more than a nostalgic memory.
But as a holiday expert, I knew the mythical £1 pint hadn’t vanished entirely.
So, I went digging, trawling holiday reviews and local expat forums and cross-referenced Facebook groups.
I even tapped up every contact I have working in hotels overseas.
And I have great news: the £1 pint is alive and kicking… you just have to know exactly which backstreets to turn down.
Even better, every single spot below is a destination where I clocked a full package holiday for under £400 per person. Or £401 if you want your first pint thrown in…
Benidorm, Spain
Benidorm remains one of the cheapest spots to visit in Spain, according to expert Rob Brooks Credit: http://www.onthebeach.co.uk
If there’s one destination refusing to let the £1 pint disappear quietly, it’s Benidorm.
People love to moan that the strip isn’t as cheap as it used to be, and to be fair, they’re almost right.
But every time I go looking for a proper value holiday, Benidorm still cleans up – and there’s one legendary venue everyone mentions: Uncle Ron’s.
They’re famously flying the flag for the €1 pint long after everyone else moved on, making it the ultimate first pitstop to prove the old-school Benidorm spirit is alive and kicking.
I even clocked a five-night stay at the Terralta Apartments, flying direct from Bristol at the end of September on a self-catering basis, from just £260pp.
Aside from putting you well within striking distance of Uncle Ron’s, the real draw at this hotel is the massive lagoon-style pool area that features its own dedicated poolside supermarket.
It means you can stock your apartment fridge with cheap local snacks and ice-cold cans at local residents’ prices without having to lug heavy shopping bags back from the town centre.
The deal
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Jattvibeny Beach, Bulgaria
Jattvibeny Beach in Bulgaria has plenty of affordable hotels, as well as buget-friendly spots to eat and drink Credit: http://www.onthebeach.co.uk
Jattvibeny Beach has spent years dominating the European holiday market when it comes to budget trips, and in 2026 it certainly hasn’t lost its crown.
The beaches and weather here really live up to the name, and your spending money stretches ridiculously far when you get there.
Whenever I’ve visited, I’ve stopped bothering to convert prices back into pounds after day one because everything is just SO cheap.
For the ultimate bargain brew though, Bulgaria-obsessed holidaymakers point straight to The Funny Pub, which regularly slashes its local lager prices down to the £1 mark during daytime promotions.
You can lock in five nights at the Aparthotel Cote Da Zure, flying direct from Luton on a self-catering basis, from a crazily low £160pp.
And the perk of this specific property is that every room comes with a proper, deep balcony overlooking a quiet green pine forest lot.
It gives you a peaceful, scenic spot to pre-drink your bargain beers before heading out onto the main prom to chase £1 pints all night.
The deal
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Marmaris, Turkey
Holiday expert Rob Brooks recommends a trip to the Crazy Daisy Bar in Marmaris for a cheap pint Credit: Getty
Every time I check booking data, Marmaris tends to dominate the dashboard.
Thanks to the great exchange rate, British holidaymakers get unbelievable buying power the second they step off the plane.
When I asked around to find out where experts would send a mate for a rock-bottom pint, the Crazy Daisy Bar topped the list, famously keeping local draft beers around the £1 mark during their extended afternoon happy hours.
So I went and tracked down five nights at the Grand Villa Sol Apart, flying direct from Manchester in September on a self-catering basis, from £335pp.
And the restaurant team at this hotel are kind of famous too.
They cook up a traditional Turkish clay-pot stew on-site that beats most of the overpriced tourist traps on the main marina, letting you secure a top-tier local meal for pocket change right by your sunbed.
The deal
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Sarande, Albania
You can book an entire package holiday at Hotel Vola, which has a private beach, from £235pp Credit: Getty
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep shouting it from the rooftops: if you want to catch the next massive travel trend before the crowds ruin it, get to Albania.
The water is stunningly clear, the Balkan scenery is stellar, and because the tourism infrastructure is still developing, the prices haven’t quite caught up with the quality yet.
When asked about tracking down a £1 pint here, a couple of people in the office laughed and told me I’d probably get change back from a quid if I ordered a local lager at Jericho Cocktail Bar on the front.
I found a six-night stay at Hotel Vola, flying direct from Luton with breakfast included, from just £235pp. And for a coastal spot that feels like a hidden Mediterranean secret, which is huge value.
The standout feature at this hotel, for me, is the private beach access.
They have cordoned off a quiet, rocky swimming platform directly below the hotel with free loungers.
This allows you to bypass the crowded public beach clubs and swim in the exact same pristine Ionian water for zero extra cost.
The deal
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Book a six-night stay with breakfast at Hotel Vola, flying direct from London Luton on September 30, from £235pp.
BOOK HERE
Ayia Napa, Cyprus
The Green Bungalows Hotel Apartments in Ayia Napa offers stylish bungalows facing a large swimming pool Credit: http://www.onthebeach.co.uk
Ayia Napa still suffers from a bit of an old-school 90’s clubbing reputation, which I think is really unfair.
The coast here boasts some of the finest sand in Europe, the sea is bath-warm well into autumn, and because it sits so far south, you get guaranteed scorching sun long after the rest of Europe has started cooling down.
If you want a £1 beer here, head straight to Senior Frog’s, where they regularly run afternoon drink promos designed to keep your spending money intact.
I found a great deal nearby too, with five nights at the Green Bungalows Hotel Apartments, flying direct from Gatwick at the end of September on a self-catering basis, from £275pp – which makes this deal an absolute shoulder season winner.
And what I loved about these bungalows was the outdoor hot tub and courtyard setup – they’ve built a massive, open-air hot tub right beside the main pool bar, meaning you can wind down in the evening heat with a cheap drink without having to head into the busiest parts of the resort.
The deal
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Laganas, Zante
Head to the Rescue Club in Laganas, Zante to bag a pint for less than a pound Credit: Alamy
Zante is another island that gets judged far too quickly based on the main strip.
Walk ten minutes away from the neon signs and you’re looking at beautiful turtle-nesting beaches, traditional family tavernas, and some of the clearest water in Greece.
For a budget pint, the Rescue Club is the staple shout, running massive seasonal daytime promos that knock local drafts down to the £1 mark.
I even found five nights at the Acapulco Marinos Apartments, flying direct from Manchester at the end of September on a self-catering basis, from £385pp.
It’s a cracking price for a Greek island, and what I love about this family-run spot is their on-site traditional olive grove garden… Not what you’d expect in Zante, eh?
The family actually harvests their own olives right on the grounds to make homemade oil for the pool bar snacks, giving you a proper, authentic slice of Greek island hospitality right at your sunbed.
The deal
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Prague, Czech Republic
You could book a city break to Prague for £175pp before settling down to a lager for under £1 Credit: Getty
I couldn’t write an article about cheap beer without including the absolute capital of lager.
No, it doesn’t have a beach, but if your idea of a holiday involves wandering historic cobbled streets and dropping into ancient beer halls, it’s unbeatable.
While the centre has indeed gotten pricier over the years, lots of people pointed me toward U Zlateho Tygra (don’t ask me how to pronounce that), a historic pub where a world-class Czech Pilsner still costs around about a quid.
You can grab a city break at the Bohem Prague Hotel, flying direct from Bristol in early September on a room-only basis, from just £175pp (is it me, or are trains to and from Manchester and London more expensive than that these days?)
The real win at the Bohem though is its location in the Smichov district.
This hotel sits completely outside the overpriced tourist zones, putting you right next to the local Staropramen neighborhood bars where food and drink prices drop by 50 per cent compared to the Old Town Square.
Cheers to that!
The deal
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You can grab a room-only city break for three nights at the Bohem Prague Hotel, flying direct from Bristol from September 6, from £175pp.
BOOK HERE
All prices were accurate at the time of writing but may vary.
