Hello, I just want to share how I experienced Benidorm in Spain as a Dutch person.

The flight from The Netherlands to Benidorm is quite short. The airport at arrival is small but sufficient. Don't expect anything remotely like Schiphol though.

On Arrival - at least when I went (it is a while back!) - I was greeted outside the airport by what seemed to be all the Ford KA's in the entire world. It seems to be a popular rental car

When traveling from the Airport to Benidorm itself you will notice the countryside around Benidorm is very poor for our standards. Benidorm itself looks more modern. We went in May and one of the things to keep in mind is the average age of the tourists - especially during the day you can feel a bit out of place as somebody of the younger generation. This is a little bit better in the evening, but I found that overall Benidorm is a bit of a calmer location then some of the well-known resorts in Spain.

Language; very easy for Dutch people. There are a lot of Dutch people in Benidorm, the shopkeepers in the local supermarkets (nothing super about them, they are tiny! you can barely pass alone, and if another person is in an isle, forget it.) mostly speak a few words Dutch at least. The manager of our apartment block also spoke some minor Dutch which is useful for people who's English isn't fluent.

Food; Of course you can get the usual Spanish dishes, but be prepared for a mass amount of tourist orientated food. So expect burgers, fries, chicken, more chicken, even more chicken and seafood. The usual fastfood chains are present (avoid them, goto the restaurants along the beach for a nice atmosphere!)

Nightlife; There's a great Dutch bar in the middle of where all the clubs / bars are. Good atmosphere - if you are Dutch expect loads of rounds! We never managed to actually end up without beer no matter how much or how little we were spending. Beware of non-Dutch speaking women with an overly large interest in you - there are a few prostitutes active in the area, and they don't shy away from going in a bar to 'acquire business'.

There are also a few decent clubs, you wont have any difficult finding them as there are people all over the street putting stickers in every location of your body with directions to clubs. Their job is to get you in, as I said you are practically carried inside. Just move in and out of a few places until you found something you like.

During the day the pubs broadcast sport, there are a fair few English pubs so lovers of football wont get bored.

Shopping; There are a few shops but don't expect too much. There is one shop which has some interesting medieval armor and weaponry outside - I suggest you stay outside. Inside there is a section with Nazi clothing and weaponry - it made me feel a bit uncomfortable to be frank.

I am not much into shopping so I might have missed all the "good opportunities", best somebody else comments on that really.

Beach; Not much to say, it is a beach. As I said before the average age is quite high - which dependant on what you are after is either a positive or a negative thing. Personally we were lucky to run into a group of people of our generation so we were not bored while at the same time the beach being fairly quiet (no incidents, no run-ins with others of our generation, etc.).

Other attractions, sightseeing; One of the best days we spent in Benidorm was while going on a "Safari". Not the type where you see animals etc, but the type where one of your group drives an open 4x4, following a collumn of 4x4's with on the front a guide. It makes stops at a few interesting, sometimes beautiful locations and it really is a great day out. Make absolutely sure you bring sunblock and a hat, or you will sorely regret it. The person driving should not be scared of heights, nor of driving up mountains, steep non-paved roads etc. At certain positions a cameraman waits for the collumn to drive past, making memorable pictures. (There is a section through rough overgrown terrain, it feels like driving through the jungle. There are some large pools you race through, it gives spectacular photo's and gives you something to show at home.)

Verdict; All in all it was a good experience, some parts of it are good fun. We were there for 10 days which was really too long for our generation - it does get a bit boring after a while as there isn't enough to see to last 10 days. If you are after the sex&alcohol kind of holiday, avoid the place - if you want a more quiet holiday, not too long but just spent some nice time at the beach / swimming pool and feeling reasonable comfortable with a few facilities available for Dutch people, go for it.

This holiday is quite a few years back, so some things might have changed since then. I don't think I will go back as I have seen it now really, but I think it is still worth it for a 5 day break, especially if you are looking for a relatively quiet place.

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Pjotter

Thanks Pjotter, this has been really helpful! I always thought Benidorm was about sunning yourself on a beach during the day and sitting in a bar in the evening. You have proven me wrong, and it would make me think about a holiday in Benidorm.

I believe that is why most people goto Benidorm but there are other things you can do. As I am not really into beaches I actively went looking for those other things

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Pjotter