Finally, Benidorm

Looking toward the Poniente Beach in Benidorm ©2012 Johannes Bjorner

Last Sunday provided lovely fall weather and we took a day trip by bus to Benidorm. I had never heard about Benidorm before arriving for the first time in Spain eight years ago, and it took a couple years and several off-the-cuff references to it before the word Benidorm settled in my conscious as a tourist destination. As with many tourist destinations, it seemed to be a place that was either hailed or reviled. The first time that I thought I might sometime go there was probably six years ago, when some friends in Roquetas spent Christmas on one of the gala hotel package deals in Benidorm, because, as they said somewhat apologetically, they "liked it." Other people, when I asked about Benidorm, snorted as though  they wouldn't be caught dead there. And others tried valiantly to contain their incredulity when I said, and continued to say for several years, that I had never been to Benidorm. After all, it is not just a tourist destination, and not far from where we live now in Alicante province; Benidorm is also the name of a well-known British TV program that has now been running for more than five years.

Benidorm is a city situated on the Mediterranean Costa Blanca, 20 kilometers or so north of Alicante city, and immediately north of Villajoyosa, where we had passed an interesting day a few weeks ago. It is widely acknowledged as the city that created the 1960s tourism industry in Franco's Spain. Giles Tremlett, Madrid correspondent for The Guardian newspaper, describes his first approach to Benidorm in a chapter titled "How the Bikini Saved Spain" in his book Ghosts of Spain.

"A few miles north from Alicante a thin, mysterious pole-like structure began to emerge over some distant hills....The gradually broadening shape ahead of me was Spain's tallest building, the Gran Hotel Bali. It stood like a proud, raised finger on the edge of a place whose current name is not only easily recognised, but has become a modern legend of its own--for this, finally, was Benidorm.

If anywhere in Spain symbolises the country's latest invasion, this is it. A fresh invading horde, sun-hat and sandal-wearing northern European tourists, has rampaged its way along this coast over the past forty years. The horde has made Benidorm its capital. This time there has been no resistance. The burghers of Benidorm have rolled out a welcome carpet of concrete, tarmacadam and brick. Jointly they have vandalised what was once one of the most beautiful spots on the Spanish coast.

Even those of us who are instinctively appalled by Benidorm, however, cannot help but be awe-stuck by what has happened here. For locals it is a genuine miracle....

Benidorm is to package tourism what Las Vegas is to gambling--the undisputed capital of the world."  

Faber and Faber, ©2006, pp. 97-99.

Our Sunday bus picked us up promptly at the agreed-upon hour of 9:10--we had only to avoid the bus to Benidorm from the competing tour company that left from the same spot ten minutes earlier. As with all day coach tours, there were a few additional stops to pick up additional passengers as we proceeded north, but once we were on the road, it took less than an hour and a half to arrive in Benidorm. First drop-off was Terra Mitica, a huge theme park on the inland side of the highway which, at a few minutes before 11:00 AM, had nary a car in the immense parking lot. I'm sure that is different in July and August, and we were reminded that there was a reason that we had decided in August to postpone our trip until the summer holidays and some of the vacationers had gone.

The next drop-off was center city. We drove down a long and wide avenida toward the beach, then reversed direction to go back up that street to what would also be our pick-up point six hours hence: just in front of the medical center. We stayed on the bus to the following discharge point, though, the site of the large outdoor market, which is held on Wednesdays and Sundays. The crowds were immense, but we spent little time there, as we have easy access to our own outdoor market, much closer. At our market, though, we don't have to battle the silent electric mobility carts that were all over the sidewalks, both at the market and elsewhere throughout the city all day. This sight explained an article I had read in one of the local weekly papers a couple months ago about tourists "terrorizing" the ambulatory population with their mobility scooters. Indeed these personal mobility solutions tend to creep up on unsuspecting walkers more stealthily than the communal golf carts I had experienced at Florida resorts.

Roman Relic in Benidorm?

©2012 Johannes Bjorner

We walked and walked--part of the assignment for this trip was to practice long-distance walking in preparation for our excursion to the Frankfurt Book Fair this coming week. From the market area we walked along the main street fronting the long beach area to the opposite end of the city, to the old town. Even those who profess dislike for Benidorm say that its old city center is attractive, with narrow streets  and a pretty church facing the sea from a high cliff. We think we saw the old town--we saw the church and narrow streets--but just because Benidorm has an old town, it doesn't necessarily mean they have preserved it as other Spanish cities have preserved their casco antiguo. We saw a single site that may be a relic of Benidorm's Roman era--but there was no sign or indication, so it may also have been a hoax.  Still, we found a place for lunch and watched a troupe demonstrate Argentine tango and then at about 1:00 we began to see groups of people making their return trip into the city center, beach chair in hand, on their way to the traditional Spanish dinner. Our return trip was on the wide beach promenade running along the Poniente and Levante beaches, and we found plenty of people to watch, and a place for ice cream, and we even ventured in to a few shoe and clothing shops to browse, but made no purchases.

In my view, Benidorm is like many Spanish seaside communities: lots of sun, sand, sea, beer, tapas, and chino novelty shops. So it was the first to generate tourism; it is the first of many. It is, in fact, somewhat more attractive than many others--I saw no unfinished housing blocks and I think there are wider streets and more green areas than in many other tourist towns. (I think it compares favorably with Torremolinos, another old destination on the packaged tour route, on the Costa del Sol.) Yes, there are skyscrapers, many, many hotel and apartment skyscrapers. I don't see how they could do it, but to my view from down below, they all looked as though every rental had a clear view to the sea, although it may have been very small and only from one window or balcony. Benidorm is also gambling and big entertainment shows, and Mundo Mar, another theme park, but we didn't get to any of those attractions and we won't miss them.

Will I go back to Benidorm? Maybe. There was a dress in a couple of the shops that I have not seen elsewhere... and it is easy and cheap to get to if you just want to have a day out of the house.  Or maybe not. But I'm glad I have seen it, and I am neither hailing it nor reviling it.

Returning from Benidorm at Dusk. ©2012 Johannes Bjorner