Benidorm, the New York City of the Mediterranean

It is just the beginning of 2019 and I am already thinking about summer. I love summer time and being able to spend time hanging out and swimming and snorkelling in the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, full of life and sun. So in this article, I am going to write about one of the most popular summer destinations of my country: Benidorm. Benidorm is one of the most touristic places in Spain, and in this article I am going to explain the reasons why this cool place attracts so many tourists every year. 

The place is also known as The New York City of the Mediterranean coast, due to its hotel industry, beaches and skyscrapers - Benidorm has the most high-rise buildings per capita in the world.  This city became first a very popular summer destination for Spanish people (especially people from Madrid) around 1950, and has now become a place that receives as many or even slightly more foreign tourists as Spanish ones. The city is located in the province of Alicante and it is the third biggest city of the Valencian community (the community in which I currently live). 

The appeal of Benidorm relies mainly on the beauty of its beaches and the weather – warm and hot temperatures throughout the year – and the main two beaches of the place are Playa de Levante and Playa de Poniente. In my opinion, Poniente Beach, which is located in the south of the port, is better than Levante Beach, since there are no rocks, it is quieter, and therefore cleaner. However both beaches have in common that they have a south facing orientation, so in winter the sun shines all day until sunset and in summer until after eight.

The balcony to the Mediterranean Sea

There used to be a castle on top of a rock separating the last two mentioned beaches that was built to defend the population from the Algerian pirates during the XIVth, XVth and XVIth centuries. Nowadays, people can only see some of the remains of the wall that lies on the rocks of the viewpoint (since the castle was abandoned). This viewpoint is also known as the Balcony of the Mediterranean with amazing views to the city and to the blue and crystalline water and I really recommend going there to be able to get a clear picture of what the city of Benidorm looks like.

Tio Ximo Cove

But without any doubt, the best beach of Benidorm is Tio Ximo, that is the one I used to go when I visited. The cove combines sand and rock and is the perfect spot if you want to snorkel, with crystal clear waters. It is located at the foot of the Sierra Helada, to the north of the resort and situated between steep cliffs. This is a small cove where visitors can escape from the hustle and bustle of Benidorm's busier beaches.