Benidorm as a base on your Costa Blanca vacation
We stayed in Benidorm 4 nights, using it as a base to explore the region (places like Villajoyosa, Altea, Guadalest. You can also visit Calpe on an easy day trip).
What’s Benidorm like? And, in hindsight, was Benidorm the best base in the area?
These are the questions I’ll cover in this post.
What’s Benidorm like?
We were certain we wouldn’t like Benidorm but chose it as a base because of its practicality.
In fact, we ended up liking Benidorm much more than we thought we would.
Benidorm is a huge city split into 2 main large parts: Levante beach on one side, Poniente on the other. Between them, separating them, is the old town and its highlight: the Mirador del Castell – a modern viewpoint where a fort once stood. The promontory sticks out into the sea, affording views of both Levante beach (on one side) and Poniente beach (on the other). The Mirador is the one real “highlight” worth seeing in Benidorm and the views are spectacular.
Inland from the coast is the modern city of Benidorm (a rather bland assortment of apartment buildings, commercial buildings, shopping centers etc). You’ll find 2 tram stations further inland: the main one being “Benidorm” tram stop which is the only one you’ll really need if coming/going to Alicante (on the L1) or Denia (on the L9). The other tram station is “Benidorm Intermodal” which is a little further east and which you’ll use if taking the bus (Benidorm has a good-sized bus station located here), the L1 or L9 tram, or as a pickup location for a tour (we took a tour from Benidorm and the bus station was the meetup point). I’ll discuss transport options more below.
Back the size of Benidorm: we stayed on the Poniente side in this very good apartment. The Poniente side is a city into itself, just walking to the old town from where we were took about 30 minutes. It’s block after block of apartment buildings, restaurants, bars, souvenir shops. But it’s all well laid out and clean. Benidorm has planned and maintained their city well.
The highlight is the promenade. It is gorgeous and walking it is a joy. Lining the promenade are restaurants and bars, something for everyone: British pubs, restaurants of all kinds (German, Dutch, Indian…). And the quality of food was good wherever we went.
Again though, this was just the Poniente side. I’m sure the Levante side has all the exact same going on. If you really want to do the whole coastline, the L30 Bus is an open-topped double decker bus (like a hop on/hop off bus) which will take you along the main beach road on either side.
So that’s a description of Benidorm’s layout.
How about Benidorm’s character?
Benidorm is a tourist city. A coastal Las Vegas. It’s what you probably image Benidorm to be: loud, tacky, a place where people come to drink, eat, lie on the beach or walk the promenade. It’s not Spain, it could be anywhere. It’s not a highbrow place, it appeals to fun.
But if you knew that coming in, or exactly what you were looking for, Benidorm is ok. It does the whole “beach resort” thing well.
Should you use Benidorm as a base in the area?
As I say, we chose Benidorm as a base because we thought it would be the most practical, most centrally-located place to visit some of the neighbouring towns and cities.
And it is that. You can go both east and west on the two tram lines and Benidorm is where the two lines connect. So one day you could go east (visit Villajoyosa or Alicante city) and another day you could go west (Altea, Calpe and/or Denia). So it is handy for that.
Note: The L1 has a frequency of about a tram every 30 minutes and it usually takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes to do the whole Alicante – Benidorm route. The L9 has a tram every hour and the whole Benidorm – Dénia route takes about 1 hour and 10 min.
Benidorm also has a large bus station (at Benidorm Intermodal) that goes to different destinations all over Spain. You can also take the 016 bus which will take you to Guadalest (going early in the morning, coming back mid afternoon).
Finally, a lot of tours originate from Benidorm. We took a day tour that took us to Fonts de l’Algar, Guadalest and Altea. The tour pickup point was next to the bus station.
The downside of its “practicality”? Being that Benidorm is so big, you have to take a bus or taxi to get to the tram station(s) which is a trip just by itself.
Alternatives to using Benidorm as a base
If Benidorm doesn’t sound like your kind of place, Villajoyosa is an alternative. Villajoyosa is quieter, has a more refined air (not a raucous party place) and has a beautiful old town and wonderful promenade. On top of that, you can walk from either of its tram stops (La Vila Joiosa or Creueta are both on the L1) to the old town/promenade in about 10 to 15 minutes.
The negatives of Villajoyosa? Well, it’s smaller than Benidorm and has much less eating or entertainment options. Also, if wanting to go east of Benidorm (to Altea, Calpe or Denia), you’ll have to transfer trams at Benidorm which can result in long transit times.
Another alternative is Altea which is east of Benidorm. Altea is handy because the L9 (the Benidorm – Denia tram) is an easy walk from the town center. Altea is quite different from either Benidorm or Villajoyosa, it is a white village elevated from the coast. It does have a beach and a promenade but really the main attraction is the old town.
The negatives of Altea as a base? You’ll have to take the L9 (which passes less frequently than the L1) if you want to go anywhere else along the coast. I’d also argue that Altea is very small and quiet. Some people might like that, others might find it boring.
Calpe is another option as a base. But it is further east – a bit too far east if you want to discover some of the other places I’ve mentioned here – and its tram station is a bit out of town. We actually used Calpe as a 2nd base on our way north and stayed there a couple of nights. I’ll be writing about this town separately.
Again though, what you use as your base depends on what you want to do and how you intend to get around. If wanting to do a lot of discovery in the area and are reliant on public transport, then Benidorm is the best option because of its practicality. If looking solely for a nice beach destination and a pretty town (with less emphasis on day trips…or maybe you have a car), then I’d chose Villajoyosa.
I’ve read posts how Benidorm is just an awful, shitty place. Honestly, we didn’t mind it. We actually enjoyed it. If you want to be somewhere happening for a few days, you can’t beat Benidorm. Even in February it was hopping, something that many people want when going somewhere for a vacation. Later, going north to Calpe and Denia (we had a couple of nights in each town) we found both to be very quiet in comparison. So again, it depends on what you are looking for.
What are your thoughts on Benidorm?
Related: What’s the city of Murcia like? (And comparisons to Granada)
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I’m not a great lover of the strip but Benidorm away from the strip is actually so beautiful and there’s lots to do and see
Thank you Deborah 🙂