People said “Benidorm is like Marmite. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it.” We have to be honest, we fully expected to hate it. Everything we had read about Benidorm suggested it was all loud bars, stag parties and Brits being louts on holiday. Like Blackpool on steroids. Just not our thing at all. So imagine our surprise when we found out that there is so much more to Benidorm and we had a great time there!
Our campsite
Campsite name: Camping Villasol
Location: 1km up the hill from the main beach, next to the site of the market (on Weds and Sun) MAP
Price: €20 a night including EHU with ACSI card. Wifi extra.
Facilities: Hot showers, laundry, restaurant, bar, supermarket, indoor heated pool, outdoor pool, activities program, kids club
Website
We have a full review of the Villasol campsite here.
We needed to wait for a few things to arrive from the UK and also wanted to check out the campsite and Benidorm area as a potential base for some time over the winter next year, so we picked Villasol for it’s activities program and generous long term stay discounts. So we booked in for 10 days hoping our mail would arrive in time. It cost €20 a night with the ACSI Card, electricity included. Wifi however is not included in the price, so we used our own mifi, but you can pay to have it set up on your pitch.
Silver travelers!
The first thing that strikes you when walking down into Benidorm and arriving at the main beach is that almost everyone is sporting silver hair. It’s that time of year (we were there in March) when the silver travelers are getting away from the cold weather and spending months in southern Spain.
Benidorm is a popular long stay destination with the retired
However, you do need your wits about you as you walk in Benidorm. The electric mobility scooters are EVERYWHERE! It seems a few people may have brought their own, but the majority are rented on arrival. It’s quite cheap to rent one and they move pretty fast. The place is bustling with oldies zooming around in their electric scooters. And a first for us – you can get doubles!
If you are looking for winter sun, with lots going on, socialising with older people, evening shows and a nice easy life – then Benidorm is perfect for the retired sun-seeker.
If you are still young
That’s not to say that Benidorm in winter is only for the silver traveler. There are still plenty of bars for the youngsters. We happened to be there for St Patricks Day and the place was a wall of green, shamrocks and standing room only at the bars.
But young and old partied together and it was a nice atmosphere. I think it’s fair to say the younsters partied longer and harder than the oldies, and there were different bars that catered to different types of customers. If you wanted a nice tea dance at 5 in the afternoon then you’ll find it, and it will be busy with all the oldies trotting the light fantastic.
While next door will be a sports bar with people shouting at the football, and next door again a bar with live music and buckets of beer on special. Whatever you want, you can find it here, and it won’t be expensive.
We were also in Benidorm for the Fallas festival and parade, and the flower offering but we didn’t really get the best photos. We went out too late in the evening., but you can find some of them in the slideshow at the bottom of this article.
Other things to do
Other than the bars and the beaches, there are lots of good walks in the
We especially recommend:
- Walk to Albir lighthouse
- Walk to Punta del Cavall ruined tower
- Walking the
sea front at Altea and Albir - Climbing up the quaint narrow streets of Altea old town
- A trip out to the Algar waterfalls
So Benidorm exceeded our expectations and most likely we will drop in again in the winter next year to spend some time there, and stock up on British foods – another of the perks of visiting Benidorm! We can’t go so far to say we fully loved it, but we certainly didn’t hate the place. We recommend putting your preconceived ideas behind you and taking a look for yourself.
Here’s a slideshow of some of our other photos.
Charming Altea old town 
A steep climb up to Altea old town 
Thankfully SatNav helped us avoid this low bridge 
One of the churches decorated with flowers for the Fallas festival 
Fallas statue waiting to be burned 
These will go up in smoke in the ‘Crema’ at the end of the festival 
Getting about in style 
Lovely walks along the cliffs 
Don’t do it Deb! 
Beautiful weather the whole time we were there 
Magic or mystery? The joys of Benidorm 
Looking out for dolphins 
The walk to Albir light house
We went to Benidorm in February last year for the running festival weekend where there is a half marathon and 10K runs arranged.
We stayed at the Spanish end of the town and loved it. The food was amazing and well priced.
It’s not until you walk along the sea front that you get to the Benidorm we all know about! We agree with you at that time of year it was fairly quiet and enjoyable, but I’m not sure we’d think the same if we went back in peak season!
Oh I totally agree. It’s a completely different place in the winter to what it must be like when all the Brits descend in the summer. Wouldn’t want to be there then. Be dodging the drunks instead of the scooters.