Benidorm Holidays - Compare Prices & Departure Dates

Benidorm on the Costa Blanca in Spain is one of the most popular resorts on the western Meditteranean coastline. In the Alicante province of the Valencia region, the resort is famed for its tall hotel and apartment buildings, sandy beaches and sunshine.

With the Puig Campana mountain as a backdrop, the resort enjoys a microclimate which means temperatures rarely drop below 15 degrees, making Benidorm a popular year-round holiday destination, with many visitors arriving on package holidays.

The resort is very compact and you can walk from one end to the other in about an hour. There are over 4kms of Blue Flag sandy beaches at Levante, Poniente and Mal Pas, as well as endless water sport activites to try, boat trips and excursions during the day.

At night there are literally hundreds of restaurants, bars and discos, including the 2,000 seat Benidorm Palace, a Las Vegas style cabaret venue.

Most visitors arrive in Benidorm via Alicante airport, with low-cost, scheduled and charter flights from most regional airports in the UK. Flight times are around 2hrs20 from London Gatwick, 3hrs from Manchester and 3hrs15 from Glasgow.

Transfer to resort takes about 45 minutes by road and if you book a package holiday a coach transfer will be included. If not, there are regular tram-trains, local buses, private transfer companies, licensed taxis and hire cars available.

Once in resort, getting around is easy as the resort is so compact; everything is reachable on foot. There is also a local bus network which runs until midnight.

Most people come to Benidorm to soak up the sunshine and relax during the day and then seek out the entertainment in the huge choice of bars, restaurants, discos and cabaret venues in the evening.

Most British holidaymakers arrive in Benidorm on package holidays, so there may be the opportunity to join organised trips and activities. The region offers wine tasting, boat trips and visits to nearby traditional Spanish villages.

Benidorm is also very family orientated and there are four different theme parks in the area to discover. Terra Mitica is a huge Alton Towers-style theme park with rides for all ages, whilst Terra Natura is a wildlife and water park. Aqualandia is the family water par and Mundomar is the animal and sealife park.

Benidorm now offers a full range of accommodation to suit every style of holiday and budget. Hotels range from basic one star to luxurious five star resorts with high-end spa facilities. There are also hundreds of self-catering apartments too.

As competition is fierce, accommodation can be very reasonably priced.

Most holidaymakers tend to stay in the Levante area, which is the most lively part of the resort. Older visitors and couples tend to stay in the old town, whilst those just wanting beach and relaxation head for the Poniente area.

Those looking to keep away from the bars and discos look to La Cala Finestrat, a more residential area just outside Benidorm centre.

Spain is well-known for excellent value leather goods and Benidorm is no exception.

During Fiesta time in July and August there are many outdoor arts and crafts markets where you can pick up leather goods and other handmade items such as jewellery and pottery.

If you choose to stay in the main tourist area of Levante, you’ll find the bars and restaurants cater for their foreign clientele, so expect lots of English bars, restaurants and cafes as well as those serving food to appeal to Dutch visitors.

If you’re looking for something more authentic, head to the old town area of Benidorm, where you’ll find tapas bars and restaurants serving jamon and pouring local wine from the Jalon valley.

Peak season is during the school holidays in July and August. The population swells up to 500,000 during the high season and temperatures are usually well into the 30s.

However, Benidorm is an all year round resort thanks to the mild winters, so you will always find there are some of the 1000 bars and restaurants that stay open year round.

Many hotels and residences are open all year round and British tour operators have programmes to Benidorm year round which attract many who take long stay holidays to the Costa Blanca to escape the British winter.

• A good value sunshine beach holiday
• Families – many kids’ clubs and facilities
• Youngsters – plenty of bars and discos
• An out of season sunshine holiday

• Anyone who likes quaint traditional resorts and not high-rise buildings
• Those who want to do lots of sightseeing or discovering the ‘real Spain’

Valencia Tourism – The official site for the Valencia region with what’s on guide and webcams
Trip Advisor’s Benidorm – Info and independent reviews
Maximise.co.uk have specialist pages for organising both stag and hen weekends to Benidorm

Head to Benidorm on Spain’s Costa Blanca for year-round sunshine and over 4kms of Blue Flag sandy beaches. For a lively resort holiday, stay in Levante, whilst those seeking relaxation should head to Poniente, the old town or La Cala Finestrat areas.