things to do in Benidorm?

[bubblegum23857]

My husband and I have never been to Benidorm

We are going for his 30th- we were originally going to book a city break like paris, rome etc but thought we would do something cheap and fun without the children!!

We are so excited to go (i know it's not everyone's cup of tea) , but was wondering if there is anything in particular we should do? Or do we just go with the flow (we are going in April)

You can get a bus to the lovely old town of Altea.

Yeah, get a bus out of there 😅 absolute shithole mostly full of the worst men the UK has to offer. Grim.

People say how much they love the old town but I honestly believe that's just relief after the utter hell of the rest of it.

Have you heard of 'sticky Vicky' .....

@kaiadeluded yes I have!! 🤣

cry.....

Do you like water parks? There's a few of them.
Only been with DC but we've stayed at magic natura and you can do a day at the zoo (terra natura) or waterpark (aqua natura) there.

Watching with interest, my dd going at same time.

There is a water park, that was good. That other place beginning with M can’t remember name, swimming with dolphins and stuff, didn’t go there.

@ElderMillenials yes we do like water parks! This is definitely something I will look into! Hopefully it will be warm enough, unsure what april weather is like there usually

Think there is a theme park near called Terra Mitica, depending on the age of the children

Definitely not warm enough for water parks in April!

Algar waterfalls are beautiful

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g187521-d1783109-Reviews-Las_Fuentes_del_Algar-Valencian_Community.html

I live an hour from Benidorm and we go fairly regularly. It isn’t a shithole, and I find that people who say it is have actually never visited. There are two beautiful clean big beaches - Levante and Poniente, plus a lovely little cove between the two. There are walkways along the sea front, the Spanish promenade in the evenings and it’s a nice atmosphere. The Old Town and Tapas Alley is a great place to eat, again it’s full of Spanish people. There’s a LGBTQ area, where a few places have drag shows.
I’d recommend a day out with ‘The Downhill Bike Ride’. You get picked up in the morning at your hotel, taken a few miles inland, where they provide bikes and helmets and take you on a ride downhill (so only minimal fitness required) through beautiful scenery, and a lunch stop in a little village. Then more riding, and a final drink with your group before being taken back to Benidorm. It costs €40 each for the day.
The ‘Brit’ strip that you see in the Daily Mail is just a small area, and you don’t have to go anywhere near it. To the PP laughing at ‘Sticky Vicky’, she died last year🙁
You’ll have a great time there, and the weather in April is usually well into the 20s and sunny!

There's some waterfalls that you can swim in nearby, but can't think what it's called, I went as a teenager

They're beautiful though - hopefully another poster has been there and can tell you the name

Benidorm is actually very nice - I agree with previous poster @Loquesea - I think a lot of the dislike of it is unfounded. The old town is lovely, poniente beach is quieter than levante - both are lovely stretches of beach.

The bus service to Terra Mitica theme park is quick and easy. I really like TM!

If you hire a car, there are loads of beautiful places nearby: Altea, the fonts de l’algar and el Castell de Guadalest is a ‘must-see’.

Of course there are ‘British’ bars and ‘lively’ clubs and acts if that’s your thing. (It’s not mine, but each to their own!)

Put it this way, my Spanish in-laws booked a British package half board holiday to Benidorm once, (sort of by accident 😹), and absolutely loved it!

"I live an hour from Benidorm and we go fairly regularly. It isn’t a shithole, and I find that people who say it is have actually never visited. There are two beautiful clean big beaches - Levante and Poniente, plus a lovely little cove between the two. There are walkways along the sea front, the Spanish promenade in the evenings and it’s a nice atmosphere."

I've been more than once and it is a shithole. There's simply no reason to pretend otherwise. Yeah, there's 2 big beaches, they're rammed with people most of the time and levante has fag butts all over it! Can't speak for the other side as didn't step foot on it.

One girl in our hotel was held at knifepoint by the blokes that hang around the strip at night working or pretending to work for the clubs. We were approached more than once and it was not fun. The old town is nicer but it's not a patch on many many other towns and areas. The streets are dirty, every bar you go in is 80% blokes (British). I could go on.

Sticky Vicky did die not so long ago but for years now it's been her daughter doing the show so not sure why people shouldn't be mentioning it?

See if you can cancel and go somewhere else.

thank you to those who have given helpful comments!!

I wasn't asking for people to tell me weather they think it is a shit hole or not, thats my decision to make when i'm there. I was simply asking for things to do while there

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and don't get me wrong I love my all inclusive resort holidays!! but i am looking forward to it, and it will be something different. I know plenty of people who have loved it, and I can't personally say i've met one person who has 'hated' it

Benidorm is what you make it, there are good and bad places everywhere. The old town is much nicer than the new town but it depends what you're looking for.

Albir and Altea are nice and just a short bus ride away. Most bars have free entertainment all night.

Id usually suggest you can't go to Beni without seeing Sticky Vicky but she died a few weeks ago so not the best suggestion 😬

@SPsmama thank you for your reply, I have heard that Sticky Vicky's daughter is now doing it and has been for a few years? Although i'm not sure I can bring myself to go anyway 😅

IME the men are more freaked out by it than the woman 😂

Ok, well what the people seemed to do was sunbathe in the day time or walk along the promenade. Then at night go to pubs where there are different tribute acts on at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm and so on.

As a result there was always a crush at the bar at 5 to the hour and at 10 to the hour there were people screeching "Drink up" before rushing to get to the next bar to see Take That or Queen or if you're really fucking unlucky, some prick in a Union Jack suit who thinks he's chubby brown.

After 12 it becomes much seedier and there are people hanging around waiting to rob pissed up Brits so probably head back to the room before then.

The old town has some nice tapas bars and is good for a wander so make sure that's on your list early on.

As for nobody you know hating it, I find that unusual. It's probably about 50/50 in my circles. Some absolutely love it.

"Id usually suggest you can't go to Beni without seeing Sticky Vicky but she died a few weeks ago so not the best suggestion 😬"

Her daughter has been doing the show for years now. Sticky Vicky retired a long time ago.

I went a couple of years ago and thought I would hate it but it was quite fun in a cheap and cheerful way. I went in the summer and spent the whole time lying by the hotel pool drinking cocktails rather than doing activities, so I can't help with that. A good hotel is key though, there did seem to be a lot of very bad ones.