We have never been to Benidorm before and our opinion had been influenced by the lager lour culture, orange ex-pats with leathered skins, TV programs. We were extremely surprised to find a place not full of drunken, vomiting Brits but a town full of contradictions unrelated to the beer, booze and brawling. Benidorm is a place of tall hotels (the tallest 52 floors) and apartment blocks set against a dramatic backdrop of rugged mountains. It has its own micro-climate due to the protection of these mountains and its positioning in Spain and this keeps the weather clement and on average around 19C.
Also walking (hubie walked - I buggied) we would come across beautiful
sculptures in the middle of roundabouts, in small parks on the promenade and the beautiful headstones in the cemetery.
Interspersed amongst the modern skyscrapers were tiny Spanish houses, bars and restaurants, some perched precariously on rocks or set into the hillside.
Personally I wouldn't call Benidorm beautiful but it has a charm and character and an appeal that is fascinating.
The Spanish has managed to rid Benidorm of the lager yobs and this has now become a popular holiday destination for Spanish families. By 2018 there will be a high speed connection train from Madrid to Benidorm.
Regeneration work is staggering - 11 million euros on a beautiful 5 km promenade, the re-structuring of tatty hotels, a remarkable cleaning system that keeps the town spotless, efficient and regular buses, trains and trams with the lowest fares I have paid anywhere.
Today at 8.30am it was 19C
When these two started to play a small crowd gathered and started clapping and singing along - a bit like a flash mob but spontaneous rather than planned.
All outdoor exercise equipment is free and can be used by anyone.
Two Dutchmen living in Spain and cooking oliebollen (usually for New Year but who cares) in the Christmas market....delicious and 50 eurocents!
Little dogs are the favorite in Benidorm as most people live in apartments. In the parks, the streets and on the promenades there are free poopy bags - whatever next! Means-tested vet treatment.
JimC Teddy enjoyed his travels so much...he is becoming a celebriteddy. I didn't think you would want to see photos of me sobbing as we left Benidorm but the good news is I'm going back in January.
Just a few details about this trip:
The advantages of going away somewhere warm before Christmas are: 1. It is warm (and in some cases hot - the highest the temp reached was 24C. 2. You can forget about Christmas when you get back to the UK. 
We swam in the sea, I swam in the pool - it was really cold but so invigorating and eases pain. I was the only one that week! The pool was used for another reason by Pepe ( one of the cemetery cats) - they stroll over to the hotel in the morning and get some treats from the kitchen and then drink from the outside pool.
Food - of great importance to the Spanish. The food at our hotel was of extremely high quality - a mix of Spanish, European and a polite nod to the English. We were on full board but sometimes had breakfast, lunch or supper out because the cuisine was fresh and extraordinarly inexpensive. The first photo shows coffee, a half tumbler of Baileys and cake for 1,50 euros.
wafer covered with thin chocolate but somehow they had sneaked in enough caramel to make my teeth start singing.
We have never been to Benidorm before and our opinion had been influenced by the lager lour culture, orange ex-pats with leathered skins, TV programs. We were extremely surprised to find a place not full of drunken, vomiting Brits but a town full of contradictions unrelated to the beer, booze and brawling. Benidorm is a place of tall hotels (the tallest 52 floors) and apartment blocks set against a dramatic backdrop of rugged mountains. It has its own micro-climate due to the protection of these mountains and its positioning in Spain and this keeps the weather clement and on average around 19C.
sculptures in the middle of roundabouts, in small parks on the promenade and the beautiful headstones in the cemetery.
Regeneration work is staggering - 11 million euros on a beautiful 5 km promenade, the re-structuring of tatty hotels, a remarkable cleaning system that keeps the town spotless, efficient and regular buses, trains and trams with the lowest fares I have paid anywhere. 
