One of the most famous Spanish resorts is the city of Benidorm, located in the province of Alicante. The proximity of the international airport, good bus connections with almost all big cities of the country contribute to the massive influx of both foreign citizens and residents of other regions of Spain. It is not by chance that Benidorm is often called the «tourist capital of the Costa Blanca», as well as the «Spanish Manhattan» and «New York of the Mediterranean», although the city impresses not with its size, but with an unusual for Spain architecture – a large number of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings of pretentious shape that almost all areas of Benidorm are distinguished for.
Popular Neighborhoods of Benidorm
Officially, Benidorm includes three large areas: Levante, Centro or Ciutat Vella and Poniente, although the actual city limit does not break off on this, but gets continued in the form of two small «enclaves» belonging to other settlements, but located at a decent distance from them – Cala de Finestrat and Cala de Villajoyosa. Since each of them fits tightly together, and the urban bus lines pass through them, these neighborhoods can be attributed to the «tourist capital» itself, and not to its suburbs.
The Noisiest Neighborhood of Benidorm – Levante
This is the most famous, bubbling with life and at the same time unusual area of Benidorm, which received from the locals the name zona guiri – that means the «zone of foreigners». In the quarter Rincón de Loix, the fairness of such a name is visible to the unaided eye: the overwhelming majority of bars and restaurants offer a classic assortment of English dishes, and 80 percent of their visitors are the subjects of Queen Elizabeth II. The Dutch church here is also not surprising to anyone, since the diversity of diasporas has long been the hallmark of Levante, unlike any other neighborhood of Benidorm. Although, of course, the British have no equal here not only in quantity, but also in many other indicators, including the noisiness of their groups and the frequency of clashes with the police.
At the same time, the Levant is home to the lion’s share of the local entertainment industry – Aqualandia Water Park and Aqua Natura Zoo, Casino Mediterraneo – the only casino in the area, the Benidorm Palace – the concert and entertainment hall, where the most popular Spanish and foreign artists often perform, an attraction for water skiing for both amateurs and professionals, as well as a myriad of discos and nightclubs. On Wednesdays and Sundays, there is the largest market in Benidorm, where not only clothes and agricultural products are sold, but also handicrafts.
But the matter is not limited to entertainment only: in a more or less quiet place of the Levante, there is a prestigious private school Lope de Vega, which consistently ranks among the best schools of the Valencian community from year to year.
In general, Levante could claim the title of “the best neighborhood of Benidorm”, if not the abundance of alcoholic parties as well as the presence of concrete slabs at the entrance to the water on the beach, stretching for a hundred meters and ending with a three-meter cliff in depth.
Central Neighborhood of Benidorm – Centro, Ciutat Vella
All the main commercial establishments offering goods of world-famous brands are located in the centre of Benidorm, where there is everything not only for shopping, but also for gastronomic tourism. At a rather small area, there are numerous bars representing the cuisine of Asturias, Galicia, the Basque Country and other autonomous communities of Spain. At the same time, this neighborhood of Benidorm is not entirely commercial or tourist, because the main state institutions (Administration, Main Police Department, Social Security Service, etc.) are concentrated here. Also, all the main holidays and celebrations organized by the authorities – and not only, take place here, mainly in L’Aiguera Park.
Of course, the centre of Benidorm is full of hotels and apartments for rent, although it should be borne in mind that they are mostly suitable for those who are not going to spend all their free time within four walls. On the coast, in addition to a small beach with crystal clear water of the beach Mal Pas, there is an observation deck, as well as a small port. At a distance from the sea – on the one hand, it seems to be decent, on the other hand – easily overcome on foot – there is the terminal tram station: it is about a kind of a two-car hybrid of tram and electric train. Not far from it there is the sports complex Foietes, where several children’s football sections work. In the summer, a football camp is arranged that is named after Guillermo Amor, the most famous player from Benidorm.
The bus station is also located in the central area of Benidorm, but getting it on foot is not a good idea; there are taxi or city buses for this. This station is equipped with the latest technology, and in the same building there is a very budget-friendly hotel, the supermarket Mercadona, several small shops, a bar and a fitness centre.
The Best Neighborhoods of Benidorm – Poniente
Many Spaniards born and raised in this city believe that Poniente is the best area of Benidorm. It has all the infrastructure necessary for a comfortable life, although most residential buildings are located at a decent distance from the beach, and the first line is usually occupied by hotels. At the same time, the length of the local beach is much longer than the beach Levante, not to mention the rest, and one can find a place at a considerable distance from other holiday makers even at the height of the holiday season.
It is no coincidence that the famous Gran Bali Hotel is located in this area: various international events take place here, in particular, there are dance and chess competitions, as well as parties «For Those Over…», where one can see dancing and enjoying the life of pensioners over the age of 70. Previously, Bali was considered the symbol of the city, but later this title went to the skyscraper Intempo, which is one of the five tallest in Spain.
Despite rapid development of the Benidorm’s area Poniente, there is still a place for a new luxury real estate project called Delfin Tower, which will differ significantly from the surrounding buildings because it was designed especially for clients with above-average income.
In addition, not so long ago, the «deal of the century», as it was called in Spain, took place here. According to it, all the vacant lot on the Poniente will be built up in the coming years, and not only with houses, offices and shops, but also with recreation areas. In this case, the population of this city, where less than 80 thousand people are registered, and even fewer live permanently, will be able to exceed half a million in the summer.
Other Neighborhoods of Benidorm – Finestrat and Villajoyosa
Quite often we have to face the opinion that the best areas of Benidorm, that are not a part of it officially – they are Cala de Finestrat and Cala de la Villajoyosa. As practice shows, they are usually chosen by lovers of peace and quiet, who are primarily interested in nature, ecology, and are least – in bars and discos. It is the part of the city, where representatives of many Eastern European countries (mainly Bulgaria, Romania, Poland) and former Soviet republics (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova) prefer to settle, and even one of the «Russian shops» called «Baltika» has settled here.
Are you interested in real estate in Benidorm? Please check out our catalog, which presents a large selection of properties in Benidorm, Finestrat, Villajoyosa and Polop both on the secondary market and on the market of new buildings.
