Spain – Benidorm (En)
I’d never wanted to go to Benidorm, but our friends had been and said the old town was beautiful, so we decided to go and see it ourselves. Benidorm surprised me quite a bit; it’s a very lively city with a stunning viewpoint, which I think is the most beautiful part of the city. Another thing that surprised me is that there’s live music in almost every bar from midday until late at night. It’s also a paradise for retirees and seniors, with mobility scooters everywhere.
Where to stay
For the first two days, we stayed at Camping Villasol (38.544793, -0.106777 lat, long) because we needed to shower and empty our chemical toilet. We chose this campsite because it accepts the ACSI card for €23 per day, all-inclusive. Without the ACSI card, it costs €32 per day. The campsite has everything you need, including a heated indoor pool open year-round. The outdoor pool is only open in summer. The showers are the best thing about the campsite, both those at the heated pool and those in the rest of the facilities, with hot water and great pressure. We used the ones at the heated pool because they were closer. The pitches aren’t level, and ours was too small. The pitch has a water filling and emptying point. The facilities are far away. The filling and emptying point is at the top of the campsite, so you have to drive the campervan there. There’s a restaurant with a terrace, a playground, and a supermarket. By the way, pets aren’t allowed. I don’t recommend it, as they charged us 25 euros instead of 23 euros.
After two days, we moved to a free parking lot. Use the campsite coordinates to find it. The parking lot is huge, easy to park in, and there are plenty of campervans, so it’s safe. It’s flat and free! There are bins in front of the parking lot and an exercise area. It’s also a 5-minute walk from a street full of bars, restaurants, and supermarkets. We stayed there for two more days. I recommend it for visiting Benidorm.
What to see
Both the campsite and the car park are about 20 minutes from the beach and almost an hour from the old town, so we decided to go by motorbike. We parked on the seafront promenade, which is lined with themed bars with live music, restaurants, and shops, offering beautiful views of the fine sandy beach and the city. We were surprised by how many mobility scooters were available everywhere. They can be rented for two or more people.
From the tourist office, you walk up one street and find yourself in the old town, a maze of narrow streets. Further up one of these streets, you come across the Church of Saint James and Saint Anne, dating from the second half of the 18th century. It was open, and we were able to visit the interior and admire the Assumption altar from 1942.
In front of the church is the Sant Jaume Viewpoint with views of Levante Beach, where we took some photos.
From there, you can walk up to the Castle Square, where you’ll find the ruins of the old castle and views of Poniente Beach. The plaza is bustling with tourists and very lively. From this plaza, you can access the Mediterranean Balcony, which, in my opinion, is the most beautiful spot in the city, offering panoramic views.
We returned through the old town, where we passed by a very cool park.
On Thursday and Friday nights, we went out to enjoy Benidorm’s famous nightlife. We started at a bar with a different singer every hour. We met some English people with their dog, Morgan.
Then we went to the Rock and Roll House, which some Germans at the campsite had recommended. We ended up dancing there and met Sarah and Danny, some really nice Scots. We finished in the wee hours of the morning.
We went back to the Rock and Roll House on Friday night, but we were hungover from Thursday, and we only saw two artists. It seems the artists perform at different bars throughout the day, as we saw several of them at various venues.
We left Benidorm and went to Gandía, famous for its old town, which houses the Ducal Palace of the Borgias, which you can see in the next blog.
