One of the main reasons for Benidorm´s success as a tourist resort and holiday centre lies in its ability to offer wide and varied entertainment to all; children, young people and the not so young.
The sound of live music fills the atmosphere, with the concerts, and live performances of the most popular artists, or with the continuous succession of festivities, iluminating the nights of the "fallas" or "hogueras" with the spectacular colours of the firework displays.
Funfairs, aquatic attracions, centres for tennis, squash, golf, athletics, or go-karts, light aircraft, swimming, even martial arts. The calm clear waters are ideal for sailing competitions, motor-boating, rowing, fishing or underwater swimming, and other activities which can complement the delights of periods of leisure.
BEACHES
Benidorm is one of the most important tourist destinations of the Mediterranean coastline. Every year it is visited by millions of European tourist who are attarcted by its climate which is pleasant all year round, by the excellent services that are offered or by the natural beauty of the countryside which surrounds it, but as well as these, and before all else, they come for the quality and nature of its beaches.
Benidorm’s beaches are of vital importance not only because they are the city’s principal tourist attraction but because they add to the image and the identity of the resort. In fact, starting in the 1960s, Benidorm was re-built as a new city which had as its most significant feature its beaches and they determined the situation and expansion of the city; this fact probably makes Benidorm unique in the history of urban development. In this sense the beaches continue to be of great consequence as they are the dynamo which drives the progress of the city to the rhythm of its own needs.
Even at times when the importance of the beaches has to be shared with other elements which complement it in making up the touristic offer, they still remain the main symbol by which Benidorm is identified and a source of pleasure for tourist. In Benidorm the beach and the sea are the herat of tourist life, not only for the city and visitors but also for a very wide area around it from which the inhabitants are also attarcted to relax in their delightful atmosphere.
The importance which is given to the city’s beaches is reflected in the attention which is devoted to them. The local authorities concentrate their efforts in making sure that they are always immaculate, in constantly renewing their amenities and in scrupulously caring for their environment – consequently the European Union has awarded Blue Flags to our most important beaches year after year since 1987.
The closeness of the three main beaches to the city is, in fact, the attribute which their countless users value most highly; they are attracted by their accessibility and by how near they are to such a wide range of services but, besides these, Benidorm has other beaches with different characteristics than can satisfy the demands of visitors whatever their preferences.
Safety
Benidorm’s beaches have a special section of the local police force to watch over the safety of beach users. It is composed of 41 people – 2 officers and 39 policemen and policewomen whose only duty is dealing with matters of security on the whole beach area, for 24 hours a day. They have special vehicles adapted for use on the beaches, such as an inflatable Zodiac launch with equipment for surveillance and rescue, a wet bike and 3 “quad” vehicles for vigilance from the sands.
The fact that the beaches are so close to the city centre, that the sea in this area is rarely dangerous and the physical formation of the coastline are all elements which facilitate safety and lead to the infrequency of incidents. On Levante Beach look-out towers are not necessary precisely because its physical form allows for great visibility.
for beach users
On the three beaches which have beeb awarded Blue Flags (Levante, Poniente and Mal Pas) there are display boards on which are recorded the results of the different analyses of water and sand carried out by municipal specialists. These analyses are effected, all year round, on each of the beaches and at three different points on Poniente and Levante Beaches and also at the jetty on the Island of Benidorm during the summer season.
Life Saving and First Aid
Levante and Poniente beaches each have a medical centre, attented by professional staff from 9 AM to 8 PM and with the use of two fully equipmed ambulances on permanent call.
The life guard service covers all Benidorm’s beaches using raised look-out points close to the shore which allow the life guards to receive information rapidly and to intervene when necessary. Each of these points also has first ids kits to deal with small curts or injuries.
There is a permanent First Aid service on both Levante and Poniente Beaches, in collaboration with the Spanish Red Cross, maintained by qualified peronnel and with two fully equipped ambulances on call.
Gastronomy
And how could Benidorm fail to offer a wide choice of gastronomy, providing a variety of menus and prices to suit the taste, requirement and pocket of the customer?
One can find typical restaurants, pleasant “tascas” and inns, sea-food restaurants international hamburguer or restaurants. As for prices, the menus range from the most economical to the logical demands of establishments, the luxury and quality of which are far above average.
Lovers of good food can taste all the cooking varieties of the world: exotic, selected, exquisite dishes faithful to the original recipes. Next to the numerous tapas bars, old style inns, bars and cafeterias, Benidorm offers the most exclusive restaurants of the French, English, Italian, Indonesian, Chinese, Basque, Galician, Castilian, Asturian and Manchegas cuisines. All of them have to complete with the various typical local dishes, rice dishes: arrós a banda, arrós amb féssols i naps, bollos a la paleta, la fritanga... Authentic cooking for gods that epitomises all flavour of the Mediterranean cuisine.