Benidorm,
love it or hate it.... When most people speak about Benidorm, they
talk about millions of tourists walking by cheap souvenir shops and
pubs. Older people shuffling along the beach promenade, or riding in
mobility scooters. Slowing away on the dance floor in cheap taverns,
listening to a melancholic pianist, who only knows a few crooners. At
night, drunken Brits roam the bars, looking for cheap entertainment
and beer...
This
image is partially true, however, there is plenty more to Benidorm
than a resort for working class hero's and there is nothing wrong
with all sorts of people, enjoying their vacation the way they like
it!
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| Old Town Benidorm |
The
town is often named 'Beni York' because of the skycrapers. Indeed,
Benidorm has a lot of high apartment buildings and hotels. Did you
knew that Benidorm has the most skyscrapers per person of the whole
world? There are more then 330 skyscrapers in Benidorm! At the
Levante beach, the skyline looks a little like that of Manhattan.
This is not so much of a downside, it is more fascinating than it is
ugly! Besides, other than cities like New York, Benidorm has a lot of
green between buildings and on the streets. From postal cards, it may
look as if Benidorm is a concrete jungle, but who has been to
Benidorm can witness that it doesn't look like a skyscraper-city when
you walk through it.
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| Beni-york |
The
genius that created Benidorm was mayor Pedro Zaragoza Orts. Back in
the '50 he saw that his hometown had a great potential for tourism.
So he took care of water distribution, ordered that the 'bikini' was
allowed on the beaches (not allowed back then in Spain) and worked
with travel agents to get the tourists to Benidorm. He ordered a
general plan for urban organization. In that plan he worked out the
broad checkered streets and stated that between the new towers, there
had to be enough place for leisure and green. That's why most hotels
and apartment buildings have a nice garden and pool. Walking through
Benidorm gives you more the idea of an oase, instead of a skyscraper
town. From a distance, Benidorm looks magnificent though, like Hong
Kong, but with the finest beaches, blue sea and the purest sky.
Benidorm
is not just a tourist destination, it is the cradle of tourism. It
has everything to make your holiday the best.
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