Our Benidorm experience

Have you ever been to Benidorm? Well we hadn't, we had just seen it on the comedy series on the telly! Having driven past on the motorway in the past and seen the high rise skyline we were curious to see what Benidorm was really like. We checked into Villasol Campsite for three nights and set about exploring the town. Apart from all the massive hotels there is every type of bar and restaurant lining the streets, especially along the busy beach promenade. Karaoke, music themes, sports bars with huge TV screens and every nationality of cuisine is on offer. The weather was perfect whilst we were there and during the day the beach was packed with holiday makers on the blue sun beds topping up their tans. Cycling around the busy streets we had to be careful not to run anyone over - tourists don't make good pedestrians- often looking the wrong way when crossing the road or staggering  into your path!

And we have never seen so many mobility scooters! People hire them just to get about - it's a cheap means of transport compared to getting a taxi. You can get a tandem scooter to tootle about together if you wish! Although apparently you need to be over 50 to hire a mobility scooter - too many young people in the past hired them, got drunk and crashed (or lost!) them.
Benidorm is a great place for people watching - so many colourful characters (including many lookalikes of the cast of 'Benidorm').
All the young people tend to gather at the bars selling a pint of beer for 1.50€ and even the local circus people come to do a bit of impromptu acrobatics for the crowd. At night the place is alive with revellers particularly groups on hen or stag parties and the choice of venue for them is endless!

On our third day in Benidorm we took to the hills and discovered the beautiful countryside a few miles back from the coastline. We set out on a circular route only to realise after about 15miles of climbing that the route was a bit too long and we risked running out of battery power on the bikes if we carried on, so we headed back downhill. Just a few miles inland you can escape from the hustle bustle of the city and enjoy the traditional Spanish villages where time still passes slowly and the afternoon siestas still the order of the day.