When planning a sun-soaked trip to Benidorm, one golden rule that pops up is to give a wide berth to the notorious €1 drinks.

The Spanish holiday hotspot is awash with bars and eateries vying for tourists' attention, boasting cut-price booze bargains including beer bucket deals, risqué-named cocktails, and dubious shots of mystery concoctions.

With a staggering 830,000 Brits flocking to Benidorm each year, it's no wonder bar owners are dishing out enticing promos to entice the massive crowds into their sports bars, Irish pubs, and an array of themed establishments.

Strolling through the bustling streets, visitors are spoon-fed offers from local watering holes pushing €1 beers and pints – occasionally as part of a happy hour deal or some bucket bonanza, with others serving up these rates all day every day. But Benidorm locals have hinted that what glitters is not always gold.

In a wildly popular TikTok clip, viewed over 450,000 times now, the influencer Frank the Stag Man, with a following of 227k on the app, bluntly advises holidaymakers 'get what you pay for', slamming the cheap beverages as 'absolute rubbish', reports the Manchester Evening News.

Frank doesn't mince his words, cautioning his legion of followers: "Do not waste your time going to places that advertise €1 a pint because you're getting the absolute... you're getting the bottom of the barrel, do you know what I mean?".

However, despite the warnings, I found myself succumbing to the allure of cheap beer after a sunny afternoon stroll along Levante Beach. This is likely why these establishments can afford to offer such low prices in the first place.

With plans to explore the Old Town, I stumbled upon La Parada lounge bar, which boasted €1 beers and even €1 Pintxos dishes. Although I wasn't quite ready to gamble on the food, I decided to sample the budget-friendly beer - purely for journalistic purposes, naturally.

The bar, situated slightly away from the beach front near Tiki Town Beach Club, was populated with a handful of locals. Its location in a pleasantly shaded area away from the beach meant it wasn't overly crowded during my afternoon visit.

The friendly server was more than happy to take my order for a €1 beer. As I waited, I pondered what would be delivered to my table and whether it would be as diluted or questionable as social media had led me to believe.

Within minutes, a small glass of beer arrived at my table. It was pretty much as anticipated: definitely not a pint, probably not even a half (more like a third).

However, it was a freshly-poured serving of Amstel, so it certainly could have been worse.

Savouring the ice-cold beer, it tasted perfectly normal and not at all as if it had been watered down. More astonishing was the price - just 84p for a pint, a figure that you'd never come across in Manchester's bustling taverns.

Intrigued by the extraordinary price, I flagged down the server to inquire about the cost of the beer. She replied with a chuckle and a casual shrug: "It gets people in."

It seems they're banking on attracting regulars and enticing them to try other items like the €3 hotdogs and €5 smoothies – which are a staggering five times the price of the beer!

After comfortably enjoying my beer for about half an hour, I faced a conundrum that's been nagging me ever since: how does one pay for such a ludicrously cheap drink without feeling like a burglar in broad daylight?

The bar was openly offering this deal, and it's not unique in its strategy, but such a low price for a beer felt almost surreal. I toyed with the idea of leaving a euro on the table and hastily exiting the premises to bypass any awkward social interactions, yet that approach seemed uncouth.

I did consider leaving an extra euro as a tip to assuage my guilt, which I acknowledge is the very definition of a first world problem. However, they made the offer, they chose to sell it, and they decided to advertise it to attract customers - and it certainly worked, even if I didn't venture into the realm of €5 smoothies.

While I wouldn't fancy spending an entire afternoon guzzling down €1 beers, my experience at La Parada was enjoyable. It wasn't one of the more boisterous spots in town, rather it was relaxed and quiet, so there are likely other popular choices for those seeking budget-friendly beer options.

Naturally, I can't vouch for the quality of €1 beers at other establishments and I'm sure some warrant a degree of caution. It goes without saying that responsible drinking is always crucial, whether you're in Benidorm sipping on €1 beer or elsewhere.