A view of Benidorm looking West	The bay of Benidorm	A skyline view of Benidorm seen from the sea
Benidorm beaches	Harbour and hotels of Benidorm in Alicante	Poniente beach at Benidorm in Alicante
Boats moored in the harbour below Old Town in Benidorm	Connections in Benidorm	Benidorm viewed from the mountains
Approaching Benidorm from the south via the coast road	Benidorm viewed from the golf course at Villaitana	Benidorm
A road in Benidorm	The crescent bay of Benidorm	Benidorm with the Sierras in the distance
The promenade in Benidorm	The Church of San Jamie seen from below	Benidorm at night on the beach in Alicante

Details

Benidorm in Alicante Spain is still the the first favourite holiday destintion in Spain, which has matured far beyond its budget tour image of thirty years ago and now offers vistors some of the best beaches in Europe with abundent amenities and attractions of unrivalled quality.

Top temperatures in August climb above thirty degrees centigrade with a low average of twenty.   The sea temperature rises above twenty-five degrees in August and the water is pleasantly warm at the shore for most of the year.  Benidorm is rightly proud of its famous beaches which stretch over four miles and are obsessively maintained.  

Malpas Beach, situated below the central promentary and harbour, is small and popular for sand sports. It is flanked by the two main Blue Flag beaches which are of equal large size and deep in beautiful soft sand.  Not for nothing do they call it the Costa Blanca: The White Coast.   Playa de Levante is the East Beach and Playa de Poniente is the West Beach. Levante Beach is the most popular of the two since it is closer to the main concentration of hotels. The shallow slope of the beaches make them ideally suitable for kids and bathers of all ages.  Sun loungers and parasols are plentiful at Levante and Ponient Beach and any kind or amount of refreshment is always easily available.   To the west of Poniente, La Cala Finestrat has a small and charming cove with sheltered beach. Visible two miles out to sea lies Peacock Island (Benidorm Island), a nature reserve accessible by boat trips from Benidorm promenade.

From small to large to very large, Benidorm is home to dozens of great three-star and four-star hotels. Amongst them is the magnificent Gran Hotel Bali, the tallest in Spain when built and with over seven hundred rooms for its guests.  Hotels are the way to stay in Benidorm because they all compete to offer the best in terms of facilities. Airconditioning and pools are standard luxuries with restaurants, bars, rest rooms, jacuzzis, gymnasiums, saunas, salons, childminding and many other amenities besides.

The food in Benidorm is of all menus - international cuisine, local recipes or familiar fare from home. The tap water is perfectly safe to drink but because it comes almost directly from spas rising in the local mountains, it is high natural minerals. Choose purified bottled water if you have a delicate constitution.

Away from the seafront there is a picturesque Benidorm in its Old Town winding cobbled streets. Visit the Church of San Jaime for exceptional views from the plaza and its Mirador vantage point.  Day trip to the Moorish castle at Gualdesh or the traditional white painted village of Altea with its own splendid beaches and vistas.  

For golfers, the Jack Nicklaus designed Villaitana Golf Course has a long par 72 and short par 62 par with plenty to interest players along the way.   For family days, visit the Terra Mitica Amusement Park for thrills and rides or the zoos at Terra Natura and Mundomar.  Make a splash at the themed waters parks of Aqua Natura and Aqualandia or board a boat to view the spectacular scenery of Calpe and the Sierra Helada mountains.  

Plaza de Toros the Benidorm Bullring opens for the fighting season from January to October and stars top matadores from across the country.  Less controversially, there are a myriad of nightlife entertainments from showbars, discos, cabarets, cinema and Benidorm attracts some of the top stars in concert music and entertainment.