Two Blue Flag beaches either side of an old town, a skyline built deliberately to keep the coast open, and prices that undercut almost everywhere in Europe. It's easy to be sniffy about and very hard to beat on value.
They're a fifteen-minute walk apart and they attract completely different crowds.
Levante, on the eastern side, is the busy one — bars, British pubs, entertainment, and where most of the reputation comes from. Poniente to the west is longer, quieter, more Spanish, and where families and older couples tend to stay. Between them is the old town, which genuinely is an old town: tapas bars, a church on a headland, and the Balcón del Mediterráneo. Book Poniente or the old town and Benidorm is a different proposition from the one on television.
Two beaches, a headland, and mountains twenty minutes inland that almost nobody visits.
Three kilometres, quieter, and with a landscaped promenade. Where locals swim and where the mornings are calm.
The blue-and-white tiled viewpoint on the headland between the beaches, on the site of the old castle. Free, and best at dusk.
A village built into a rock 25km inland, with a castle and a reservoir below. The best half-day out of Benidorm.
Fifteen minutes up the coast. A whitewashed hill town with a blue-domed church, and a shingle bay below.
A theme park and a waterpark on the hills above town. The reason a lot of families choose Benidorm.
Behind the beaches, and properly Spanish. Tiny bars, cheap wine, and where the locals eat.
Three areas, and they set the tone completely.
Bars, entertainment and the liveliest strip. Good value, and loud into the early hours.
Longer, quieter beach with a landscaped promenade. Where most families and couples do better.
Between the two beaches. Tapas bars, narrow streets, and the best food in town.
Behind Levante. Cheapest hotels, and a walk downhill to the beach and uphill back.
It works all year, which is unusual on the Spanish mainland.
Summer is hot and full, with British and Spanish holidaymakers overlapping in August. May, June, September and October give 24–28°C and far more room. Winter is Benidorm's secret: 17–19°C, dry, cheap, and busy with long-stay Northern European visitors. Not beach weather, but excellent walking and eating weather.
2h 30m to Alicante (ALC), served from nearly every UK airport year-round.
About 50 minutes from Alicante. Frequent coaches and cheap taxis.
Euro. Cards everywhere.
Walkable end to end along the promenades. The tram runs up the coast to Altea and Denia and is cheap.
We'll put you on the right beach — which matters more here than the hotel — and write the payment plan out in full.
No, and that's mostly Levante in high summer. Poniente and the old town are quiet, family-focused and very Spanish.
Very. Two Blue Flag beaches, shallow water, waterparks, short transfers and low prices. It's one of the best-value family destinations in Europe.
Yes — mild, dry and cheap. It's a long-stay winter destination for a lot of Northern Europeans, though not for swimming.
For a day or two. Guadalest, Altea and the mountains behind are excellent and almost no visitors bother.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
11 nights · Apr, Oct · from £2,699pp
12 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £3,399pp
12 nights · Jul–Oct · from £3,099pp
11 nights · Jun–Oct, Dec–Feb · from £1,799pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
