Back to Benidorm: A lively weekend in the Spanish resort that deserves a second look

By Julia Mora

Published: 06:08 EST, 13 March 2013 | Updated: 06:08 EST, 13 March 2013

The flamenco dancers have finished stamping and a rather impressive Elvis impersonator from Manchester is belting out Jailhouse Rock.

On something called a 'smooching patio,' tourists are buying pints of sangria for £2 that come with a free plate of paella. They dance and kiss the hours away next to the remarkable El Cisne flea market.

Spanish surprise: There is more to Benidorm than karaoke bars and nightlife

It might be Thursday lunchtime, but this is Benidorm; the king of resorts on Spain's Costa Blanca.

It's 60 years since the 'Bikini Revolution,' when Benidorm's mayor sought a personal audience with General Franco to allow foreign female tourists to wear the two-piece on Benidorm's golden sands.

At the time bikinis were banned in ultra-conservative Spain. Benidorm went on to become one of Europe's top package holiday destinations, and most visitors agree that the Levante and Poniente beaches, named after local winds, are still two of the best in Spain. There are more than 200 hotels and apartment blocks, mostly high rises, that give Benidorm an air of Las Vegas.

British Airways will fly from Gatwick to nearby Alicante up to 21 times a week from the end of this month.

So, is there some sort of revival happening in the seaside town that has been the subject of so many 'Costa' jokes, so much talk of 'tourist tat' and even a tongue-in-cheek television series?

Apart from a pedestrian promenade completed around a decade ago, little has changed in 60 years, and that is why the tourists are coming back. Swimming is possible for eight months of the year - last Christmas, temperatures were around 18C.

Of course, it is in the summer that the pace quickens with endless cocktails, sports and booming karaoke bars. Restaurants offer cuisine from Swedish to Chinese with lots of chips-with-everything English grub in between.

But I have an excellent three-course meal in the traditional El Meson on Calle Gerona for £13, including wine. This street is known locally as 'British street', where many businesses are owned by Britons, yet El Meson clings defiantly to its Spanish roots.

Palms aloft: Tourists flock to Benidorm for the warm sands of Ponient Beach (left) and Levante Beach (right)

One of my favourite spots is the stretch of the Levante beach in front of the Tiki Beach bar, which serves sangria and snacks under straw huts on a big terrace. A few minutes stroll away is the Rincon de Loix district, where the covered market sells a rotisserie chicken and a bottle of drinkable red wine for around £9.

The four-star Hotel Brisa, right on the beach, was recently renovated in a contemporary style. Even in June, rooms are advertised from £46 per person per night on a half-board basis.

Despite the commercialisation, there's charm here, too. Tiny little streets and archways house simple tapas bars where locals and tourists mingle. And Benidorm's five-star boutique hotel, Villa Venecia, is a joy if you can afford to stay there.

For a change of scene you can hire a car and head for the hills where the vineyards of the Jalon Valley are a world away from full-on Benidorm.

I also take a boat trip out to Peacock island at sunset and wonder at the glittering skyline: is there really any other place in Spain like this?

Back on dry land I venture into one of those karaoke bars where expats and holidaymakers are having the time of their lives. I meet a man called Michael from Surrey, who's been coming to Benidorm for 27 years. He invites me to sing the Cinderella Rockefeller duet with him.

'This place makes me smile,' he says. Me too...

Travel Facts

British Airways offers a seven-night fly-drive holiday to Alicante, with prices starting from £129 per person for travel in April and May. That figure includes return flights and Avis Inclusive car hire, based on two people sharing. More on 0844 4930758, or via www.ba.com/alicante.

Hotel Brisa (00 34 96 5855400, www.hotelbrisa.net) offers double rooms from £42, B&B.

For more on Benidorm, see www.turismo.benidorm.org.