# Benidorm ..... the end as we know it?



## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Well, heres the thing. Went to Benidorm the other day.

For a change we parked the car near the north beach at the back and walked down to the beach through the "English" part. I havent been on that side for a while, as we usually stick to the South.

This is July, and I was expecting a nightmare. I was horrified to see the number of English bars and shops that had closed down and / or were for sale. It was quite busy on the front in the evening, but it wasn't as busy as I thought, and clearly the closed businesses in the North show what the present financial climate has done so far to the place


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

Pete Andre was doing a concert there last week; that's proof enough that the place is on it's knees isn't it??


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

lynn said:


> Pete Andre was doing a concert there last week; that's proof enough that the place is on it's knees isn't it??


tut tut


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

You obviously went to a different Benidorm to the one we know. We were there earlier this week and thought how vibrant and busy everywhere seemed. 

You talk of the North and the South. Most people talk about Levante and Poniente. We visited someone near the Poniente and could not find anywhere to park, We then went shopping near the Levante and it was really busy.

We went to Carrefour and it was PACKED. 

Did you go to the old town? Did you go to 'tapas alley'?

We live about 20km away and all the rental properties here are full. Our local beach is crowded and it is almost impossible to park.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

lynn said:


> Pete Andre was doing a concert there last week; that's proof enough that the place is on it's knees isn't it??


Ha ha I love this comment. He is appearing on a UK tv show atm called Odd One In and every week he tells us that he doesn't know something a four year old would know but he is too thick to realise that he is putting himself down...


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## Nigeljay (Dec 1, 2010)

Most of the news articles in the local papers say that Benidorm hotels' bookings are up above 90% occupancy and that it is one of their best years. I guess it doesn't really tell you if the available rooms have dropped due to hotel closures though.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Nigeljay said:


> Most of the news articles in the local papers say that Benidorm hotels' bookings are up above 90% occupancy and that it is one of their best years. I guess it doesn't really tell you if the available rooms have dropped due to hotel closures though.


Neither do they mention that prices have been slashed quite dramatically.
Hopefully lower prices will be sufficient to guarantee profitability but if you cut by 20% and get a lower increase in bed occupancy you don't need to be an economic genius to work out that you are a busy fool...
I read somewhere earlier this year that in some areas prices had been cut by more than 20% but that turnover was up by less than 5%.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

I have just returned from a weekend in Benidorm and have to say what a great time my grandchildren and I had.. the place was packed
I had the full English breakfast because I never have it any other time and thought perhaps that is what most people do.. I am on holiday so this breakfast is a treat.
Benidorm is not full of British chavs.. there are plenty of Spanish chavs there too.
I had a great time and will go back..


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Neither do they mention that prices have been slashed quite dramatically.
> Hopefully lower prices will be sufficient to guarantee profitability but if you cut by 20% and get a lower increase in bed occupancy you don't need to be an economic genius to work out that you are a busy fool...
> I read somewhere earlier this year that in some areas prices had been cut by more than 20% but that turnover was up by less than 5%.




How do you know they have been slashed? I have just paid 325 euros for an apartment for the weekend.. nothing fancy just a basic block that was full of Spanish.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> I have just returned from a weekend in Benidorm and have to say what a great time my grandchildren and I had.. the place was packed
> I had the full English breakfast because I never have it any other time and thought perhaps that is what most people do.. I am on holiday so this breakfast is a treat.
> Benidorm is not full of British chavs.. there are plenty of Spanish chavs there too.
> I had a great time and will go back..


I just got back from Benidorm - went to sort out NIE & resident list for my dad -
coming off the motorway was the worst we've ever seen it - seriously backed up


after we sorted out the paperwork we decided to get down to a restuarant we like on the seafront

it has to be said that the place was far from heaving as I would have expected - but it certainly wasn't dead - just pleasantly busy

this particular restaurant isn't much used by brits - mostly by spanish & again, it wasn't as busy as I would have expected, but fairly busy - although the majority of the spanish wouldn't necessarily be here on their hols yet


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

DunWorkin said:


> You obviously went to a different Benidorm to the one we know. We were there earlier this week and thought how vibrant and busy everywhere seemed.
> 
> You talk of the North and the South. Most people talk about Levante and Poniente. We visited someone near the Poniente and could not find anywhere to park, We then went shopping near the Levante and it was really busy.
> 
> ...


No .... I didnt go to a different Benidorm, and yes I know what the areas are called, I said North & South for those that dont know Benidorm.

I can quite definitely tell you that I walked down the pedestrian footpath to the english area, and down there I saw shop after shop, and bar after bar closed. I saw pints of lager being sold for €1. I saw sales everywhere, and knock down prices.

I dont deny in the evening it was busy on the front. However the beach during the day was not as full as usual.

I was talking about the levante when I made my comments. I always go to Poniente and hadnt been to the other end for quite some time. Thats why I was able to see the difference, and I'm not quite sure why you didnt


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## Nigeljay (Dec 1, 2010)

Stravinsky said:


> No .... I didnt go to a different Benidorm, and yes I know what the areas are called, I said North & South for those that dont know Benidorm.
> 
> I can quite definitely tell you that I walked down the pedestrian footpath to the english area, and down there I saw shop after shop, and bar after bar closed. I saw pints of lager being sold for €1. I saw sales everywhere, and knock down prices.
> 
> ...


If that's what you saw then that's what you saw. However we go to Benidorm about four times a year for a few hours and it still seems very busy to me. There are closures but I see them everywhere in Spain, in the UK and elsewhere. There is no denying times have been and remain tough. Benidorm seems to be weathering the storm better than many though if you judge by footfalls along the front and in the town. Whether all those people are spending like they used to is another matter. I can't say that I've noticed the beach significantly quieter.

By the way I was in Granada two weeks ago and there were closures there as well. The Alhambra was busy though.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Neither do they mention that prices have been slashed quite dramatically.
> Hopefully lower prices will be sufficient to guarantee profitability but if you cut by 20% and get a lower increase in bed occupancy you don't need to be an economic genius to work out that you are a busy fool...
> I read somewhere earlier this year that in some areas prices had been cut by more than 20% but that turnover was up by less than 5%.


Slashed prices or not, less hotel rooms available or not, spending is up - according to the government...

La Moncloa. Total spending by foreign tourists grew 12.6% in second quarter of 2011

And I quote

*Total spending by foreign tourists in June amounted to 5,397 million euros (up 10.3%). In June, average spending per tourist rose by 1.6% to 943 euros and average daily spending also rose to 110 euros (up 5.8%).

*


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Slashed prices or not, less hotel rooms available or not, spending is up - according to the government...
> 
> La Moncloa. Total spending by foreign tourists grew 12.6% in second quarter of 2011
> 
> ...


I think, going back to the original post, you have to understand fully what I said. I go to Benidorm fairly regularly and have always disputed the fact when people have said it is quieter there and the crisis is taking hold.

However, I hardly ever go to the "English" side of Benidorm, always stay South of the rock! So it was when we went to the English end that I noticed the difference on what I remembered from a few years ago. The beach was not full to bursting as it used to be. Shops were closed, bars were closed. So maybe it's just Benidorm, who knows ........... or maybe it's just less Brits there


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> I think, going back to the original post, you have to understand fully what I said. I go to Benidorm fairly regularly and have always disputed the fact when people have said it is quieter there and the crisis is taking hold.
> 
> However, I hardly ever go to the "English" side of Benidorm, always stay South of the rock! So it was when we went to the English end that I noticed the difference on what I remembered from a few years ago. The beach was not full to bursting as it used to be. Shops were closed, bars were closed. So maybe it's just Benidorm, who knows ........... or maybe it's just less Brits there


we ventured to the Arenal in Jávea the other day - don't often do that in August

to someone who doesn't know the place, it looks really busy - hard to park, lots of people on the beach& so on

to be fair it does seem to be busier than in the last couple of years - but going back 5 or more years for comparison - it's actually pretty quiet - no long queues for ice cream - you can get a table in bars etc easily enough - & the _trenza_ lady who you used to have queue for hours for sometimes had only 1 customer- no queue at all


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Slashed prices or not, less hotel rooms available or not, spending is up - according to the government...
> 
> La Moncloa. Total spending by foreign tourists grew 12.6% in second quarter of 2011
> 
> ...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I'm not doubting anything people say, have seen or done - goodness me no!

I'm just posting information that I hear or see in Spanish news, as I often do, for those members who don't/ can't get it themselves.

(This I heard on radio 5 todo noticias a few days ago.)


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Well that kind of news is all over the place down here in Nerja and surrounds. I once played beach football in Benidorm and a friend of mine, a promising footballer who was being scouted by Fulham and West Ham, went in for a tackle, missed and crushed his ankle on a rock. He never played again so it was the end for him as far as he knew it...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

thrax said:


> Well that kind of news is all over the place down here in Nerja and surrounds. I once played beach football in Benidorm and a friend of mine, a promising footballer who was being scouted by Fulham and West Ham, went in for a tackle, missed and crushed his ankle on a rock. He never played again so it was the end for him as far as he knew it...


You have throughly confused me here thrax.
Try as I might I can't see how this is related to anything


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> You have throughly confused me here thrax.
> Try as I might I can't see how this is related to anything


well I guess he did _mention_ Benidorm.........




.............in passing


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## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> well I guess he did _mention_ Benidorm.........
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Everything that everybody has said about Benidorm, from English breakfast & motorway tailbacks to multinational chavs, seems to me to be a good reason not to go there.

And who is Peter Andre? I see his name on the TV listings in the lower reaches of the channels list. There's a prog called something like "Peter Andre: The Next Step". Is this about someone learning to walk or what?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

chrisnation said:


> Everything that everybody has said about Benidorm, from English breakfast & motorway tailbacks to multinational chavs, seems to me to be a good reason not to go there.
> 
> And who is Peter Andre? I see his name on the TV listings in the lower reaches of the channels list. There's a prog called something like "Peter Andre: The Next Step". Is this about someone learning to walk or what?


Theres nowt wrong with English breakfasts! 

Jo xxx


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

jojo said:


> Theres nowt wrong with English breakfasts!
> 
> Jo xxx


Quite agree! I was expecting Rick Stein to come down here and wax lyrical about the traditional full english with pinta so much a part of the lifestyle down the costas!


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## Seb* (Mar 22, 2009)

lynn said:


> Quite agree! I was expecting Rick Stein to come down here and wax lyrical about the traditional full english with pinta so much a part of the lifestyle down the costas!


Yeah, what a shame, he skipped our lovely part of the Costa Blanca and all the joys our costa has to offer and moved on straight to Andalucia. La Mancha was as close as he got


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## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

jojo said:


> Theres nowt wrong with English breakfasts!
> 
> Jo xxx


I'm not dissing English breakfast. The breakfasts I got at B & Bs oop North when taking 'Lakes and Dales' tours were proper meals, as good as anything at any time of day, anywhere.

But who needs all that high octane fuel in the Spanish climate? I'm a moderately overweight 100 kgs, love my nosh, but I couldn't look a full English in the eye in 30 deg C heat. Thrombosis City, man.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

chrisnation said:


> Everything that everybody has said about Benidorm, from English breakfast & motorway tailbacks to multinational chavs, seems to me to be a good reason not to go there.


Well, if you aint been there you dont know do you.

I hated the thought of going there after what I had heard, but it was where we stayed when we were searching for property further North. I find it a nice relaxing place to go now and again. I wouldnt live there, but we enjoy a night out there, and there are some pretty good restaurants there too!

Did you know that the Spanish Ive seen on the Southern Beach love to tuck into a full english


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## Nigeljay (Dec 1, 2010)

The snippet below is from Round Town News although a very similar article is in the Costa News.

Benidorm approaches Standing Room Only!

LATEST FIGURES released this week on hotel occupancy show that Benidorm is approaching an all-time high, topping the 90% rate and set to rise further by mid-August. 

The month closed with 90.2% of beds occupied according to data provided by Hosbec, representing an increase of 7% on the same period last year. In July 2007 Benidorm hotels set a record of 92%. Hosbec attributes the growth to “the recovery of international markets.” One hotel manager commented that he did not care why the growth occurred as long as it continues!


It looks as though the resort famed for good value package holidays is thriving in these straightened times.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2011)

jojo said:


> Theres nowt wrong with English breakfasts!
> 
> Jo xxx


I have a full, slap up, Desperate Dan style nosh-up at least twice a week. My girlfriend, who leans towards vegetarianism, is pretty appalled, it has to be said. 

I wouldn´t embarrass myself by listing the items, but it´s pretty huuuuge and the very sight of it has been known to make small children cry.

Whilst I´m ok with toast and juice etc., I find that the full monty really sets me up for the day, even when it´s getting toward high 30´s...

Go figure...


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

An elderly friend of ours back in UK has a grand-daughter who used to appear in the TV programme Benidorm. She tol us that before the rist series, they all spent about 6 weeks simply observing the characters who holidayed there and that was how the characters were created. 

Peter Andre (JoJo you simply cannot have not heard of him - think Katie Price (Jordan), papperazi, pointless marriages and even more pointless divorces) is a guy who is almost completely talentless yet still enjoying a huge following. He appears on a show called Odd One In during which he regularly displays his extraordinary ignorance usually by saying things like "I never knew that" (such as there are lions in Africa). The real issue (sic) is that if Peter Andre is headlining in Benidorm, it isn't that Benidorm is going downhill, just that the general number of chaves who go there is increasing. I have only been to Benidorm in the winter and a long time ago and I have to admit that without the crowds it was quite pleasant, as long as you were facing the sea and not the wall of concrete.


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