How To Spend Three Nights In Benidorm (An Alternative Guide & Itinerary)

If you’re looking to visit Benidorm and experience the authentic side to the city, the ‘real’ side, then this guide on how to spend three nights in Benidorm is exactly what you need!

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Benidorm isn’t just cheap beer and rowdy bars; no, the Benidorm that I found was delightfully Spanish with a romantic Old Town, a coastline littered with hidden coves and crystal clear waters, rooftop bars for sunset cocktails and places to eat that you may just find has the best food you’ve ever eaten.

Surprised? I certainly was and I’m here to dispel the myth that Benidorm is only a party town. There is so much more to see within the city itself, along its coastline and by venturing just 15 minutes or so inland. In this guide, I’ll share the best things to do in Benidorm, where to eat and drink all nicely presented within a three night itinerary that you can use in its entirety or take inspiration from when you plan your next trip.

HOW TO GET TO BENIDORM

Thankfully, a holiday in Benidorm is extremely popular for those of us in the UK so you can easily find flights to Benidorm with Jet2 from pretty much every major airport. I found that the flights from London Stansted Airport were really good; a short flight time across to Alicante from which its around 30 minutes drive to Benidorm.

WHERE TO STAY IN BENIDORM

Before we dive straight into this guide, we need to talk about where to stay to Benidorm. With so many hotels to choose from, you need to know that you’re getting somewhere that’s good value for money, quiet and in a convenient location. If said hotel also has great interior design, is on the beachfront and a stone’s throw from the Old Town then even better. That’s where the Barcelo Benidorm Beach with Jet2holidays comes in and I highly recommend this hotel.

I stayed in a room on the second floor with a side sea view, perfect for those ‘peaceful coffees on the balcony’ kind of mornings. The room has everything you need for a comfortable stay including a comfortable bed and walk-in shower. There’s a rooftop bar serving up cocktails overlooking the beach and a rooftop pool for those boiling afternoons. This is a great hotel and I found it the perfect base from which to spend three nights in Benidorm.

DISCLAIMER – I VISITED BENIDORM WITH JET2HOLIDAYS AND VISIT BENIDORM AND THIS POST IS WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH JET2 WHO OFFER GREAT PACKAGE HOLIDAYS TO BENIDORM.
ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE, AS ALWAYS, MY OWN.

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THREE NIGHTS IN BENIDORM

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DAY ONE

Our flight into Alicante arrived on time though it did take around an hour to get through security before we were straight onto our transfer direct to Benidorm!

If you’ve booked with Jet2holidays then your transfer straight to your hotel is included (as is 22kg luggage!) so now is a sensible time to check in and drop off your baggage ready for a day of exploring.

For lunch, we headed to Restaurante Ulia along Playa de Poniente; a great option for a typically Spanish welcome to the city. This beach is far quieter than Levante and is only a short walk from the Old Town. We all shared a selection of dishes including quite possibly the crispiest, freshest and lemoniest (I think that’s a word…) calamari I’ve ever had as well as fluffy croquettes and a supersized chicken paella. I could have stayed here all afternoon with the beachfront views, great food and ice-cold beers. This area feels a world away from Benidorm New Town, this is where the local Spanish residents visit.

Our time in Benidorm really starts now and what better way to get a proper introduction to this area of Spain than cycling along its coastline. From the eastern edge of Levante Beach, we picked up our e-bikes (assistance is always greatly appreciated especially after lunch) from Tao Bikes and set off through the Parque Natural de la Sierra Gelada. We rode 6.5km along the cliff edges with stunning coves beneath us and crystal clear waters twinkling in the sun.

Torre Punta del Cavall o Seguró marked our half way point before starting the return journey to the city. It’s a world away from the bustle of Benidorm here. The cliffs tower over you and are apparently the tallest in the Mediterranean; this is stunning.

Hiring e-bikes is a great way to explore the beautiful natural environment a matter of minutes away from the high-rises of the city. If you have more time, you could cycle your way up to La Cruz de Benidorm for the best views or even to the end of Poniente Beach to Tossal de la cala, an observation point with Roman ruins.

After freshening up, it’s time to head to the Old Town for a wander down Tapas Alley. We’re not in San Sebastian, no, this is the heart of Benidorm and exactly where you should be visiting for an authentic Spanish culinary experience. As I’m sure you’ve guessed from the name, this tight street is chock full of Tapas bars one after another and we visited La Taperia Aurrera which honestly was just fantastic.

We started with Iberico ham, Padron peppers, croquettes and ‘Broken Eggs’ (fried sliced potatoes, meats and eggs) before moving onto a cook your own steak and three, yes three, desserts – French toast, toffee sauce and ice cream, Boston cheesecake and a refreshing lemon sorbet. We even had time (and space) to try one of the many pintxos on offer; I went with the black pudding, caramelised onion, cheese and pepper one that was divine.

Alameda del Alcalde Pedro Zaragoza Orts was a lively street in the Old Town full of bars where we ended the evening with a cold pint of Estrella.

DAY TWO

It had been at least 23 years since I had kayaked so I was a little nervous when it came to braving the open sea solo. It’s fair to say that I was quite wobbly to start with but the confidence soon came and I was rowing with ease alongside the rest of the group and our guide from Capitan Kayak. It was great to see the same coastline that we had cycled along the day before from a different perspective. We eventually came to a beautiful little cove that we rowed into for the ultimate group shot. How clear is that water?!

We were able to go a little further along the coastline, around 10 minutes or so, before the impending storm clouds began rolling in and we began the return to shore. Our guide told us it would be easier going back due to the tailwind but I swear the current was taking us further out to see. It was a solid effort for 30 minutes or so before we turned into the sheltered eastern end of Levante beach. Arms aching, we made it! I really enjoyed this activity and, again, such a surprising thing to do in Benidorm especially when you enter the little coves and are greeted with such clear waters. The only thing better would probably be being able to dive straight in! It’s that inviting.

If you fancy a little more time on the sea, there are plenty of high adrenaline activities available such as jet skiing with Carlos Water Sports or even automated cable water skiing or wakeboarding!

Day two’s lunch came at the highly rated D’Vora Restaurant overlooking the cityscape across Levante Beach. This was, without doubt, my favourite place to eat in Benidorm. Everything from the decor, to the friendliness of the staff, to the food (obviously) was perfect.

We had Caesar salads and ‘Broken Eggs’ to start; the broken eggs this time were even more incredible perhaps thanks to the foie gras (not one for the vegetarians I’m afraid!) followed by Iberian Pork which was so so tender. Other recommended dishes were the Monkfish and rice as well as the deep fried octopus.

With such a busy morning, you’re going to want to take some time to chill out and catch your breath. The options are endless but you could spend some time on the rooftop of the Barcelo Benidorm Hotel (or around the pool of an alternative hotel), cooling off with a strawberry daiquiri and a dip in the pool or, if you want to dip your toe into Benidorm’s party side, you could explore the new town. You don’t necessarily need to embrace it but a little look and a quick drink will allow you to appreciate the authentic side of Benidorm even more so.

Whilst we only had three nights in Benidorm, we spent our second night in our hotel, the Barcelo Benidorm Beach, with a buffet for dinner. As hotel buffets go, this was really good – plenty of choice and, with not being too hungry after such an incredible lunch, it was nice to be able to limit exactly what you eat or perhaps overeat if you fancy a few platefuls… I was relatively restrained and had a few cold meats and cheeses to start followed by a real mix of roast pork, baked aubergines, croquettes and potatoes!

There are many great restaurants in Benidorm and I can’t wait to return to visit some more! Let me know if you have any great tips.

DAY THREE

Our final full day in Benidorm and we’re keeping the adrenaline high with a jeep tour by Marco Polo Expediciones through the hills behind the city. From our hotel we were picked up by our driver, Crazy Frank (you’ll see why shortly), in an old Land Rover that had apparently done over 1.3 million km across three engines!

First things first, we were driven up to La Cruz de Benidorm (probably a better option than walking) for great views across the city and a chance to appreciate what Benidorm was like before the buildings grew taller. In December 1961, the local Catholic congregation at the Church of San Jaime and Santa Ana carried a wooden cross all the way up to the highest point in Benidorm. There was an agreement in place for women to wear bikinis on the beaches of Benidorm which was considered extremely sinful and having a cross overlooking the city was believed to offer some form of redemption…

After around a 15 minute drive inland, we were ‘treated’ to what can only be described as the resurrection of Colin McRae style rally driving through off-road sections of the Benidorm countryside. I used to love watching the World Rally Championships as a child and I always wanted to see what it was truly like to be a rally driver. Well, now I know. It’s equal parts mental and exhilarating!

Crazy Frank’s favourite phrase of the morning was ‘bumpy bumpy’ as we shot down dirt roads, through overhanging foliage as though it wasn’t there, handbrake turned round hairpin bends and over hills where we might as well have been flying. I must say however there was no point at which we felt unsafe; this was clearly a very competent driver that took great pride in showcasing the beauty of the countryside.

I can’t imagine many ways better to end the morning and recover from our hair-raising jeep tour than wine tasting at Bodegas Enrique Mendoza, less than 5km from the city. Now I’m not really a wine drinker but I really appreciated a tour of the original vineyard (the additional vineyards are around an hour away) storage and bottling facilities before making our way through the garden to a lovely outbuilding where we were taken through 7 wines! Each wine was carefully explained to us and paired with different cheeses and meats on a mini charcuterie board. I think (I mean come on, there were 7 wines) we had 2 whites, 1 rosé, 3 reds and a dessert wine all of which were lovely but the standouts were two premium reds that I really rated. Don’t worry there’s an opportunity at the end to stock up on the wines that took your fancy!

Back in Benidorm now, along the promenade that lines Levante Beach, we visited Urban Beach for lunch. What looks to be an unassuming building turns into a cool hangout spot from which you can watch the world go by and, it comes without saying by now, eat great food! I went with the Thai beef burger which was actually really good; the freshness of the Thai herbs in the burger (cooked medium rare) was lovely and perfect for the hot weather! Others went with the beef bao buns which also looked incredible!

Today’s the perfect day to keep the tempo high and explore more of the Old Town. I loved wandering down little alleyways, seeing where each turn would take me. There are markets where locals shop, gin bars for a few afternoon drinks and even an amphitheatre within Parc de L’Aigüera.

The only way to end your three nights in Benidorm is with sunset drinks at Selvático; a beautiful rooftop bar with Ibiza-style vibes, perfect views and incredible cocktails and yes, they taste as good as they look. I went with the Pineapple Whisky Sour!

Within the same building, the Hotel Primavera Park, is the restaurant Exotico which again blew me away. It’s very atmospheric down here and the food matches the ambience; marinated red tuna tataki(I could eat this every single day and I dislike fish especially raw fish!), bao bun with slow cooked veal cheek, grilled Iberian pork with Korean barbecue sauce, red wine reduction and kalamata mayo plus cheesecake for dessert. All of that, with drinks included, for €49. Dependent on the day of the week, there’s often live music to accompany your meal.

DAY FOUR

If you’re only here for a long weekend, I’m afraid it’s time to say goodbye to Benidorm and head home. We had a mid-morning flight back to Stansted though this did allow for (very) early morning walks through the Old Town. I love exploring this early as often the light is beautifully soft for great photos and it’s so much quieter and peaceful. My favourite areas for early morning contemplation (in between the diving seagulls) were the Balco de la Mediterrania and all around the eldest church in Benidorm – Esglesia de Sant Jaume i Santa Anna.

HEAD ACROSS TO MY ‘ON THE STREETS: BENIDORM’ POST FOR MORE PHOTOS

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to Benidorm and it helps plan your trips; whether you’re looking to spend three nights in Benidorm or longer. I would also love to know whether you were as surprised as me when visiting Benidorm? This guide really does highlight just why Benidorm is so popular and not for the reasons you’d ordinarily think!

I would also recommend holidays to Benidorm specifically with Jet2holidays, who we have been using personally for many years thanks to their excellent selection and often cheap holidays!

If you have any questions at all, need any more information or just want to share your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below or drop me an email!

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