Benidorm

Benidorm is a Valencian coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. According to the 2004 census, Benidorm has a permanent population of 64,956 inhabitants, ranking as the fifth most populous town in the Alicante province, although the population exceeds half a million in the summer, since it is one of the most important holiday resorts in Spain. It has an area of 38.5 km² and a population density of 1,593.56 inhab/km². It is sometimes referred to as the "Manhattan of Spain" or "Beniyork" due to the unique skyline formed by its numerous tall hotels and apartment buildings, quite unlike anything else on the Costa Blanca. Benidorm itself is dwarfed nearby by its 1406m tall Puig Campana, one of the most impressive mountains of the Costa Blanca.

Geography and climate

The city is divided into two halves, called Poniente and Levante, each fronted by a beach of the same name. Between the two beaches lies a rocky promontory. The old city occupies this promontory and the area immediately inland, while most of the hotels occupy the more recently developed sections behind the two beaches. A few miles from shore is an uninhabited island which provides a dramatic centerpiece to the seascape.

In 1954 Pedro Zaragoza Orts, the then young Mayor of Benidorm, created the Plan General de Ordenación (city building plan) that ensured, via a complex construction formula, every building would have an area of ‘leisure’ land, guaranteeing a future free of the excesses of cramped construction seen in other areas of Spain. It is the only city in Spain that still adheres to this rigid rule, and if you climb to the top of the Sierra Helada, the promontory at the end of the Rincon de Loix, you get a stunning view of how green the city is and just how close it is to the mountains.

Benidorm has a special micro-climate all year round thanks to the mountains which surround the village. Benidorm enjoys 3,400 hours of sunshine a year, and the average annual temperature on the coast is 18°C (15°C in winter and 26°C in summer). Between December and March the temperature of the sea water is around 15°C.

Benidorm is 1 hour ahead of the UK in Time Difference.

Tourism

Benidorm is particularly popular with Flemish, British and Dutch tourists, to such an extent that there are whole sections of the city where Spanish or Valencian are rarely heard. In addition, there is an abundance of pubs, each of which advertise an "authentic British menu". Benidorm's long row of skyscrapers also resembles the Belgian coast. Because of this fact, together with the many Flemish tourists and shops, Benidorm is often called the "11th Belgian province". Benidorm's intial growth in popularity can be attributed to the package holiday explosion, and continues thanks to the year round night-life based around the central concentration of bars and clubs. The large number of free cabaret acts that start around 9pm and continue into the early hours set Benidorm apart from other similar resorts.[citation needed]

Until the tourist industry began in the 1960s, Benidorm was a small village. Today it stands out for its hotel industry, beaches and skyscrapers, which were built as a result of its tourist-oriented economy. Benidorm has three major beaches: Llevant, Ponent and Mal Pas; all of them have a blue flag, the maximum quality standard recognised by the European Union. The Gran Hotel Bali, a 4-star hotel located in this city since 2002, is a 186 meters tall building which stood as the tallest skyskraper in Spain for five years, until it was surpassed by the CTBA towers in Madrid.

Benidorm has always been popular with working class British tourists However in recent years attempts have been made to attract a more upmarket clientele.

Events and attractions

Each summer, since 1959, the city celebrates the Benidorm International Song Festival, a song contest where international or Spanish celebrities like Julio Iglesias, Raphael or the Dúo Dinámico became famous.

Benidorm boasts several family-oriented theme parks, including Terra Mítica and Terra Natura which are located just inland from the city at the foot of the mountain, and Aqualandia and Mundomar which are located on the outskirts of the city on the Llevant side.

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