Holiday Villas & Spain Travel

Benidorm Costa Blanca Spain an Introduction

    Almost everyone in Europe and in most of the world has heard of Benidorm. Since the early 1960?s it has been the most successful tourist city in the world offering nothing but the best sea, sand and fun to over 300 million visitors since the great tourist boom began just 45 years ago.

    The actual town is quite small but thanks to the foresight of the towns mayor in the 1960?s the skyline grew upwards instead of outwards. Today Benidorm has more skyscrapers per kilometer than New York, affording every visitor the opportunity to stay within walking distance of everything the town has to offer. Tree lined wide avenues give a feeling of space where there are over 1,000 places to eat and drink and watch the town in full swing. The vibrant streets and the visitors from all corners of the world make this town one of the greatest shows on earth.

    Benidorm is situated less than 45 kilometers north of Alicante in the Marina Baixa region of the Alicante province. With an area of just 38 square kilometers and a coastline of 12 kilometers the town is compact enough to enjoy the perfect holiday without the need to cover great distances. Making the best of your holiday time is easy in such a small area.

    With over 100 flights a day arriving at Alicante airport which is less than 60 kilometers away getting here is quick from most European cities. With good roads into Benidorm from the airport and the AP7 motorway with three exits into Benidorm travelling time from the airport to the center of the town is only 35 minutes.

    From Alicante there is also rail connection which will improve shortly with an extension to tram lines as far as Benidorm. Bus and coach routes connect Benidorm to all regions of Spain and most European destinations too.

    There were 67,492 (census 2005) residents in Benidorm of whom approx 30% are foreigners such as English, Dutch, German and Norwegian inhabitants. The population has grown 10 fold since the mid1950?s when official figures showed less than 5,800 residents and only 18 hotels and 8 hostals. Although Benidorm witnessed mass tourism for the first time in 1960 it has been a holiday destination for over 100 years and despite what many people believe it is not mostly British visitors who come to the town. The main source of income comes from Spanish tourists who flock to the town in July and August when you would be hard pressed to find many British visitors. In the winter months it is again the Spanish visitor who outnumber the foreigners as thousands of pensioners make Benidorm their autumn / winter destination when the north of Spain becomes very cold and wet. It is also during this time that you see more British and European visitors who come to enjoy the mild climate and winter sunshine from September right through until June. Many visitors make the town their home for many months when hotel tariffs offer great value bed and breakfast and half board in quality hotels which tend to be much cheaper than other resorts in Spain and europe.

    The town is divided into three distinct areas the Levante where the sun rises, the old town and the Poniente where the sun sets.The Levante is the lively area of town whilst the Poniente is a quieter area of town preferred by residents and Spanish visitors. The old town is the original small village which dates back over 400 years and still retains many narrow original cobbled streets. With 25% of visitors returning several times a year Benidorm can boast that it is the most popular seaside destination in mainland Spain.