Benidorm travel guide with information on hotels, restaurants and much more

Of all the peoples on Earth, such must have been God’s love and admiration for the Valencian that He decided to break a slice of Heaven and give it to His children: breathtaking sandy bays are set apart by a rocky promontory that opens up its stage on which gleaming sapphire-like mischievous waves try to snatch the golden flickering of the sandy beaches of Poniente and Levant.

It should therefore come as no surprise to find that of all the top ranking tourist attractions of Spain, Benidorm is the most favored-one by all the beauty-loving nations of the world. Undoubtedly, this is what makes it one of the most global towns in Europe, with all sorts of different and differing ethnic groups cramming on this great intercultural stripe of land. And so, this is why Benidorm also goes by the name of ‘The Manhattan of Spain’ reminding one of the genuine American ‘Melting Pot’ (New York) where one can find all sorts of people from all over the world…

Bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Benidorm is a coastal holiday resort located in the comarca of Marina Baixa which is dwarfed by the gargantuan proportions of the mountain Puig Campana that also keeps Benidorm protected against the sometimes cold north winds and spoils the city with a mild climate. The impressive peak heights shadowing over the shoreline are only equaled by the unique skyline formed by its cramped skyscraping hotels or apartment buildings that seem to have emerged out of the sea and set on the golden sandy beaches overnight. A rocky neck of land divides the city in two, and the bordering coastlines are given the names of the two halves of the city: Poniente and Levante. The old city centre of Benidorm, Casco antiguo, spreads over the peninsula and a part of the neighboring inland, even though what has actually survived the passage of time and makes up the old centre are the San Lorenzo, Santa Fez and San Vicente Streets; the other newly born half of city starts where the beaches end.

A real ‘melting pot’ of cultures, Benidorm almost seems to forget its Spanish roots, and adopts an ‘intracultural’ polyphony of voices advertising a genuine British style of living. The shops, the bars and the cabaret clubs cramming around the centre of the city are the best place where you can make your night-rounds, have fun and spend money until the crack of dawn … And if you feel bursting with energy you can always choose to delay the meeting with the hotel bed, as immaculate and soft its linens may be, and start off to the uninhabited island just a few miles ashore.

If you want to get a bird’s eyeview over the island, you can always choose to climb to the top of Sierra Helada, the promontory at the end of the Rincon de Loix, and catch a stunning view of how green the city is and just how close it is to the mountains. Yet, you might want to climb to the roof of the 186 meters tall Gran Hotel Bali, which used to be the tallest skyscraper in Spain until five years ago when it was exceeded by the CTBA Towers in Madrid. The lofty skyscrapers or the golden sandy beaches are not the only things that Benidorm finds pride in: it can always sing its own praises to the several fun and water parks such as Terra Mitica, Terra Natura, Aqulandia, and Mundomar where you can catch up with your self or have some quality time with your family.