Benidorm, located on the Costa Blanca, is one of the most popular resorts in Spain. It has everything interesting, and this place has its own special flavor.
This city does not leave anyone indifferent, and the impressions of people who have visited this place can vary greatly. Perhaps this is how one of the main Spanish resorts should be – bright, controversial, but never indifferent.
Contents
- A brief excursion into history
- Who should go to Benidorm?
- Weather
- Mixing of cultures
- Beaches
- Nightlife, skyscrapers and shopping
- Is it worth moving to Benidorm?
A brief excursion into history
Benidorm is part of the province of Alicante and is located on the coast of Costa Blanca. Today, the population of the city grows exponentially in the tourist season, but it was not always like that. Until the 90s of the last century, Benidorm was an ordinary and unremarkable fishing village, but then there was a real boom in construction and gradually this place began to turn into a real «tourist Mecca».
Benidorm can be conditionally divided into two parts – old and new. The old one is colorful and picturesque places that are interesting for their traditional streets and houses of old architecture. Here you can fully immerse yourself in what is called «historical places». The new part is a lot of skyscrapers, houses in a modern style and a huge number of shops, as well as restaurants with excellent cuisine. Here the nightlife literally boils, so lovers of entertainment will definitely like it here.
But there is a somewhat ambiguous attitude towards Benidorm. Some people do not like the numerous skyscrapers (where is the real Spain?), beaches with a lot of tourists, as well as noisy entertainment venues and endless parties. At the same time, they praise this resort for about the same thing, so this is a real city of contrasts that either likes or dislikes.
But even despite possible critics, the best thing about this place is the numbers: Benidorm is the third most visited city in Spain, which is only inferior to such mastodons as Madrid and Barcelona. This once again confirms that interest in this resort is growing and it is increasing every year. Moreover, it is interesting not only as a tourist route, but also buying real estate here. This is due to the fact that local housing is becoming more expensive every year, so investing in real estate will definitely pay off regardless of whether you rent a house or apartment to numerous tourists who come here all year round, or want to sell your home in a few years at a much more profitable price.
Who should go to Benidorm?
The answer is simple – everyone. And this is not an exaggeration, because in Benidorm there are not only a lot of attractions, but also entertainment for people of any age.
It will be comfortable here for couples with children, because the number of children’s entertainment is truly amazing. You can go to a water park, visit a zoo, a dolphinarium or ride on attractions. There are also amusement parks here – Ibiria, Mundomar and many others.
Did you come to relax with your friends and looking for adventure? Then for you evening walks along the promenade, sitting in local bars and restaurants, or parties until the morning in nightclubs. And during the day there is a lot of interesting things here and this is not only numerous beaches with crystal clear sand.
Let’s stop a little more on the advantages of this place that attract hundreds of thousands of tourists here every year.
Weather
Benidorm is famous for one of the mildest climates on the entire Mediterranean coast. The city is almost completely surrounded by mountain ranges, which allows it to protect it from strong winds and sharp temperature changes.
In winter, the temperature rarely drops below 15 degrees Celsius, but there are exceptions – in some areas the temperature at night can drop below zero, but this happens very rarely. Moreover, if there is a heater in the apartment, then such a nuisance can be easily survived. In any case, in winter here you can more often meet people swimming in the sea and those who bask on the beach than those who wrap themselves in warm clothes and hats.
The number of sunny days per year is about 320, while in the summer months the temperature stays at around 30-35 degrees. The water temperature is about 28 degrees.
Mixing of cultures
Benidorm can be attributed to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Spain, because here live not only Spaniards, but also a large number of representatives of other European nations, as well as countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa. And such multiculturalism only benefits the city, because here it is customary to respect other nations and cultures. Here people have learned to coexist together, accepting all the features of each other, so you can be sure that you will find maximum hospitality and positive attitude from the locals here.
Cosmopolitanism is even manifested in the names of local streets: Amsterdam, Hamburg, Malta, London and many others. In the center there are places where you get the impression that you are not in Spain, but in another country. For example, there is an «English zone» or, as the Spaniards themselves call it, «the zone of strangers». This is a kind of island of conservative England, where there are a lot of pubs, English speech is heard everywhere, and the local menu resembles restaurants in a conditional Birmingham or Manchester, rather than establishments on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Beaches
The beaches of Benidorm are another reason why you should visit this amazing place. They are well-equipped, have clean sand and, importantly, are absolutely free for everyone, as are all the beaches in Spain. Somewhere they charge for sunbeds, but no one prevents you from just lying on your own towel. There are no closed beaches at hotels or anything like that «for elite persons» here – the sea belongs to the people and this is wonderful.
Before planning a vacation here, you need to decide on the beach, or rather – on the area of the city:
- Levante – a rather noisy area, where there are always a lot of parties and people on the beach. However, waiting for solitude from the beach is a deliberately empty idea.
- Poniente – a more calm area, so the atmosphere on the local beaches is not so noisy. There is a difference with Levante, and it is quite noticeable.
But there are not only these two beaches here. For example, Mal Pas is located in the historical part of the city. It is relatively small, but it cannot be called quiet – there are always a lot of people here.
Almadrava, located next to the Sierra-Elada park, is another small beach, but for some reason there are not so many people here, although the local landscapes are simply mesmerizing. Another option is Tio-Chimo, which is the smallest beach, so there are few people here.
Nightlife, skyscrapers and shopping
Skyscrapers are perhaps the main hallmark of this place. In no city in Spain there are so many high-rise buildings, while in terms of the number of skyscrapers per square meter Benidorm is second only to New York. By the way, the decision to build «high-rises» was not motivated by a desire to look like a modern metropolis, but from considerations of preserving the surrounding nature, because with such a growth in population it would be necessary to build more houses in 1-2 floors, as in other Spanish resort towns.
The nightlife here is boiling and this is not an exaggeration. A lot of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and casinos attract those who do not like calm and measured rest. But this does not affect the level of crime – it is one of the lowest on the Costa Blanca.
It will also appeal to shopping lovers – in Benidorm there are many shopping and entertainment centers, where there are various branded stores, cinemas, food courts and many other interesting things.
Is it worth moving to Benidorm?
One of the main advantages of moving to Spain is the possibility of obtaining a residence permit when buying real estate for 500,000 euros or more. Benidorm is also affected by this, so it is definitely worth considering this city for your relocation.
In addition, the cost of living here is relatively low by European standards. This applies not only to food (vegetables, fruits and seafood are quite cheap here), but also to such important items of expenditure as buying fuel for a car.
The question of moving is always an individual matter, so you need to weigh all the pros and cons. But there is definitely a plus from buying real estate in Spain, because you will get profitable housing that grows in price every year. And you can dispose of it at your discretion – rent it out to tourists or live here yourself.
