Benidorm is the holiday destination that Brits love to hate, with hordes of UK tourists flocking to the Costa Blanca resort every year – but your can find a more authentically Spanish experience just 20 minutes up the road
One European hotspot has been described by some as ‘the worst place on Earth’, despite being a magnet for some 800,000 Brits each year. Some critics argue that Benidorm’s infamy is precisely because of the British influx.
The wildly popular resort in southern Spain, with its infamous “strip” teeming with bars and clubs, is notorious for its no-holds-barred party scene. Drunken antics and public nudity are as much a part of the holiday experience as the sunny weather and beaches.
YouTuber Ben Morris ventured to Benidorm to investigate its sordid reputation, pointing out that many attribute the resort’s issues to one thing: “Brits abroad.”
He discovered that English is more prevalent than Spanish in the charming Old Town. “Lots of people refer to Benidorm as ‘Mini Britain,’ with the British far outnumbering the locals,” he said.
The thronging crowd of tourists almost overwhelmed him. Ben said: “I knew that this was a popular holiday destination but I was really thrown off by how busy it actually was.”
By night, however, Benidorm transforms, and the streets become a hotbed for illicit activities. As dusk falls, drug peddlers and condom sellers emerge, targeting inebriated holidaymakers to coax out their cash.
“I just couldn’t get over how different the energy was at night-time,” Ben revealed. “It was like feeding time at the zoo with Brits drinking and partying all down the streets.”
Nightlife hotspot Calle Gerona is really tailored to the needs of a specific type of holidaymaker. “It’s just crazy walking down the strip; it’s pub after pub after sports bar after pub,” Ben marvelled.
There’s a significant effort underway to rid Benidorm’s streets of drugs Ben was subjected to a random search by Spanish police within minutes of setting off down the strip at night but the area is still rife with dealers peddling Class A substances.
Having a pint in the famed Red Lion pub had almost become a rite of passage for young Brits on holiday. However, the usually bustling bar was closed when Ben visited because, he explained, of a recent drugs bust: “It had been shut down over drug issues within the premises … this is a problem across the whole of Benidorm with issues of drug use skyrocketing in recent years.”
One infamous Benidorm attraction that remained open was Sticky Vicky’s. The neon-lit club offers a peculiar sex show in which unlikely and often painful-looking objects are pulled from a woman’s vulva, and it’s still operating despite its founder’s death late last year.
The club’s star performer is now Maria Gadea Aragues, Vicky’s daughter, who began learning her mother’s unique craft when she was just 13. Ben managed about 10 minutes of the performance before making his exit.
But there is some respite from the gaudy spectacle of the strip. About 20 minutes away or less if you hire one of the perilously fast e-bikes on offer lies the unspoiled village of Altea.
“It’s a completely different vibe to Benidorm,” Ben says. Worth knowing for when Sticky Vicky’s gets a bit much.
