When it comes to travel, image can be everything.
“I’m going to Benidorm.”
“You’re what?”
“I’ve heard it’s fascinating. Beautiful beaches, hills for hiking, fabulous food ...”
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“Don’t you mean mobility scooters, tower blocks, and beer for breakfast?”
It’s the kind of exchange that might lead to misgivings.
As it turns out, two things (and more) can be true at the same time; it simply depends on your point of view. We are standing on a hilltop overlooking the almost six kilometres of golden sand that make up Benidorm’s Levante and Poniente beaches. Levante is the busier of the two, while Poniente has both hotels and beachfront restaurants, but is more residential.
Between them, reaching out into the turquoise blue waters, is Benidorm Old Town where, from this distance, we can just make out the Balcó de la Mediterrània (Mediterranean Balcony) with its white-edged steps winding down to the tip of the jutting cliff. Later we will follow these to watch the spectacular sunset, before exploring the meandering lanes to feast our way through the restaurants along Tapas Alley. There, alongside cheery locals, we will eat Huevos rotos, or “broken eggs”, a favourite dish of the former King Juan Carlos, while enjoying the warm evening air.
But now, between us and the sea, are huge sweeps of trees, as the rugged mountain scrubland gives way to an almost – but not quite – unspoilt landscape of coastal countryside. And there, edging the sands, are the high-rise hotels for which Benidorm is so famous. Infamous even. But think about it: are you looking at a blot on the landscape, or could it bethe concentration of buildings in one location is the reason why the rest of the scene is so relatively unspoilt?
“It was deliberate,” says Sergio, our guide. He tells us about Pedro Zaragoza Orts, legendary mayor of Benidorm who, from the 1950s on, transformed the sleepy village, pioneering mass tourism, and perhaps more surprisingly, sustainable building along the way. “There was a meeting,” says Sergio. “The people of Benidorm made their living from fishing and shipping. They may not have been to Madrid, but they would have seen Tokyo and New York. And they were deciding how to build hotels. One of them turned his cigarette packet upright. ‘We will build like this.’ And that was it.”
Today, the decision to build high-rise gives you fabulous rooftop bars (check out Selvatico at the Primavera Park, before heading down to Exotico for dinner), but back then it offered natural air conditioning and a walkable centre. Building on a diagonal street pattern maximised sea views. And the work continues: in 2025, Benidorm was recognised by the European Commission as a Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, for its efforts in sustainability, water management and mobility.
And that’s another thing: when you see mobility scooters trundling up and down, do you think: what a tacky spot; or do you think – wow, here is somewhere you can enjoy, whatever your life stage, or the needs of family and friends? This comes back to me as we walk along Levante’s promenade to pick up e-bikes before exploring the unspoilt coastal trail that stretches out to the east and up into the Sierra Helada Nature Park.
There are more than 140km of cycle paths in Benidorm, and we join one to ride out for an hour, greeted with ever-unfolding and unspoilt sea views, where birds soar the cliff edges that drop to pristine waters edged by secret coves.
But before we get there, there are all those bars, many advertising cheap cocktails, karaoke, “British breakfasts”, and sporting a certain smattering of the pinkly sunburned. At first our cycle seems like an escape, but returning with the smugly satisfied feeling of the recently exercised (even if it was e-assisted), we stop for a cool local Albarino at one of the quieter spots, and I realise under the surface, Benidorm really does cater for all comers.
Small children are having a ball, older couples are walking (or rolling) along the front, and some remarkably cool types are doing that effortless glide that the remarkably cool seem to manage to achieve. And no one is judging anyone. A stretch-tent has a free library, daily newspapers and tables set up for chess. At either end of the beaches there are spots for wheelchair swimming, and assistants on hand, trained to help. Everything has been thought-through too: despite the Balcó de la Mediterrània being a protected structure, a section of wall has been replaced with glass, so that wheelchair users aren’t simply staring at the top of a balustrade.
Back on those golden sands, all manner of swimwear is sported, including bikinis. This is another Benidorm story, and Sergio hikes us up to the huge cross that overlooks Levante to fill us in. The bikini had first been introduced in Europe in Paris (where else?) in 1946, but until the mid 1950s was illegal in Spain, then under the twin heavy hands of General Franco and the Catholic church. Mayor Zaragoza travelled to Madrid on a Vespa, Sergio says. “He met with Franco and the bishops to make his case. One of the bishops said bikinis would come in over his dead body, that women would only wear one-piece swimwear. ‘That is fine,’ said Zaragoza. ‘Which piece would you like them to remove?’” Apparently, as the bishop seethed, Franco smiled, and Zaragoza knew he had won. Being a talented politician, there was also appeasement, and in 1961, the cross was paraded along the beaches and up to its commanding position above the town.
Benidorm was also one of Spain’s first LGBT-friendly cities, and since 2022 Spain’s Eurovision entry has been chosen at the annual BenidormFest in February. The event is based on the previous Benidorm Song Festival, dreamed up (and semi stolen from an Italian idea) by – you guessed it – Mayor Zaragoza. This kind of quirky story is simply a side dish to Benidorm’s more obvious attractions. Under an hour and a half from Valencia, birthplace of the dish, the paella is unsurprisingly excellent and we sample a remarkable one at Ulia on Poniente’s promenade.
Ulia is a low-key hotspot, with a friendly welcome and excellent wines. Elon Musk has tucked in here in the past, but don’t let that put you off. Benidorm is not for tourists who like to pretend (even if only to themselves) that they are not tourists, but if you like long golden sandy beaches, accessible routes, hiking and cycling, lots of shopping (there is a good mix of local stores, quirky makers and higher end brands), good wines, clubbing if that’s your vibe – or even if you just fancy a dose of irony with your next adventure – all at remarkably good prices, Benidorm is for you.
A couple of weeks after I came home, I had another conversation:
“I’m just back from Benidorm.”
“You’re so lucky. I’ve heard it’s really hip, inexpensive and cool.”
Context can, indeed be everything, and Benidorm can be all this, and more.
Gemma Tipton was a guest of Visit Benidorm.
Getting there and around
Fly from Dublin to Alicante with Ryanair. Alicante airport is approximately 60km from Benidorm, and there are regular shuttle buses. Try Beniconnect, with fares from €10.76, book in advance at beniconnect.com, or take a taxi for around €80 depending on time of day. Benidorm is very walkable, taxis are plentiful, and e-bike hire is from €15 for two hours, or €30 per day at taobikes.es.
Staying in Benidorm
We stayed at the Asia Gardens Hotel, a short taxi ride outside the centre. Low rise and sprawling, it does ditch the whole high-rise is better for the environment thing, but it is gorgeous, with an “I’m in Thailand without the jet lag” vibe. Explore swimming pools, koi carp pools and secret gardens under shading palm trees. The food is great. For the full experience try a couple of nights here, then a couple more downtown. From €240 to €300 per room, asiagardens.es
For accommodation in the Old Town, try RH Canfali Gastrohotel (rooms from €90, rh-hotels.co.uk). Even if you don’t stay here, book lunch on the terrace overlooking Levante Beach for subtly flavoured, fabulous local food and wine in an enviable setting.
On Levante Beach, Barceló Benidorm Beach (from €99 per night, barcelo.com) is recommended for adults. At Poniente Beach try H10 Porto Poniente (from €160 per night, h10hotels.com). Expect to pay more for a sea view.
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