"You get what you pay for," my mother used to say. And she was certainly right when it came to holidays.

There is little doubt the British public loves a bargain trip abroad. Whether or not they make it back is another matter entirely. Sun4U's fall from grace last week was the latest in a growing number of travel firms or airlines to go belly up, leaving 1,200 people stranded abroad.

Cut-throat competition and the weak economy have left firms scrambling around desperately trying to fill package tours at the last minute, with several not surviving. But families are still willing to be lured away to some sunny clime for a knockdown price. Google "cheap holidays" and you find 27.8 million results. So, a few to choose from then. We're now told the best bargains currently on offer are in the Balearic islands of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, and in Greece, where there are discounts of up to 40%, according to experts. But are they value for money?

Travel websites are falling over themselves to entice customers with promises of sunshine breaks that are both cheap and luxurious. But wouldn't it be refreshing if a tad more realism was thrown into the sale? It might not be attractive to offer a low-cost deal in the sun in a shabby hotel with drunken yobs meandering along the corridor in the early hours, but at least there would be less cause for complaint afterwards. One travel agent had told his staff to stop selling Goldtrail holidays last year, months before it collapsed. "This was on the cards for a while," he said. "Rubbish service and, quite often, way too cheap prices. When will we ever learn?"