Hi Rosie ... I don't recall the Britannia Hotel, but occupying the piece of land directly behind the Duke of Wellington at the top of that lane is a mini fairground, crazy golf and amusement arcade. The entrance is a left turn at the end of the lane, on Via Emilio Ortuno. Turning right at the top of the lane, you now have the Hotel Victoria, with Hotel Royal directly opposite. The Hotel Madeira Centro pool area and some of its bedrooms face on to the lane.

The former Hotel Titanic still sits at the corner of Calle Gerona and Calle Cuenca, and is now the Hotel Marina.

David

Thanks David,

I did'nt go to benidorm from 1976 till 1996 so in the twenty years it had changed so much, i have been 6 times since then and each time i go i usually have a lunch at the duke and try to pinpoint the britania, trying to explain to hubby what was there then, well nothing lol, it was only a 2 star hotel and it was suberb, the best food i have ever had abroad, 5 courses and full board, just wish i had took pics from the balcony showing the view to the duke, thanks for the info about the titanic now being the marina did'nt know that,
Rosie

Just a bit of useless info Rosie.

The hotel Marina doesn't have a 13th floor...it jumps from 12 to 14.

They consider this to be unlucky...just like the Titanic.

I need to get out more

Sanji x

Thanks for that Sanji, had a laugh at that
Rosie

Sanji, looking forward to getting my pepper, the guy in the supermarket must think were mad, we get loads

I think this link has been posted before but if you want to see several old photos of the place check out
http://www.laplazadebenidorm.com/
Select "Benidorm Square" and then "Image Bank"
Then if you select for example "Old Photographs" a set of thumbnails will be shown. Clicking a thumbnail lets you download the photo (quite high detail so some big files if you are on dial up)

These photos are really good.I particularly like the old ones. I have seen some of them but they are easier to open and save than when I saw them previously.
Thanks Sue

Thanks Colin been looking at them all night, what changes, been searching for all old photos but to no avail, thanks for that

Rosie

Just wondered if there is a libary or somewhere you could go to find information and pictures of the 70's in benidorm itself, wonder if the tourist information would know

Rosie

We went several times from 1972 to 1978 ( last one was my first trip away from the family)
The first hotel was the Agua Azul- I have no idea if its still standing. It was right next to an open air cinema which played Oliver over and over and over again! I got food poisoning after eating something which had asparagus in it and only recently managed to try it again. I gashed my foot on a tile in the pool and my sister collapsed on a bus to the market and had to be rushed to the doctor. We got woken up each day with the cock crowing in the farm directly behind it.(can you imagine that now??) We had a great time!
The last time was to the Poseiden where the entertainment every night was a man on an organ playing things like "show me the way to Amarillo"! I remember him for his very black wig. We went on from there to a disco until about 5 in the morning and got up for breakfast about 8.30( those were the days!) The disco we liked best was Tramps.
I went a few years later in 1984 and even then I didn't recognise the place!

The Agua Azul is still there, Fiona. And as recently as 5 years ago, cocks were still giving their early morning calls to residents at the Flamingo Benidorm complex. Sadly they and their owners have now moved on, leaving some lovely villas lying derelict while the area waits for redevelopment.

David

My goodness- who would have thought the farm would have lasted so long!

Different farm, different cocks, Fiona. I would say the farmland at Agua Azul must be long gone, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of the old houses still sitting there amongst all the new hotels is the original farmhouse. There is a little agricultural museum just nearby too, in Parque De L'Aiguera, perhaps there is a connection.

David

There is a little agricultural museum just nearby too, in Parque De L'Aiguera, perhaps there is a connection.

Thanks David! It wasn't THAT long ago I went- only about 35 years! :lol:( 35 years! )

I had forgotten about the open air cinema, we could see the screen from our 10th floor balcony, although it was a distance away, we too had the dawn chorus i'm sure there was some kind of farm at the side of us it was like a dirt track no other hotels really near to us, there was a show place on the other side of the road from the duke of wellington about 300 yards towards levante it was called the palace i think they did cabaret and flamenco you paid the rep and you got a meal and free cava, every time you had finished the bottle you put it upside down and they replaced it, we were sat with another 6 couples, just as the main show was about to start which i was excited about first time in spain, my ex husband stood up and said we had to leave, as we got outside he fell against some park cars trying to walk he was legless he had been drinking it like water, he staggered a couple of yards and went out like a lightbulb, no one around no shops and bars then, after about ten minutes of trying to get him up some foreign guys came up i knew they were asking me where we was staying and i pointed up the track to the hotel, they just hooked him under there arms and dragged him in turn up to the hotel with a very embarssed me behind, there was about 9 of them, they dumped him on the hotel lobby, and then asked what floor we was on and got him in the lift and the room, the worst thing was breakfast next morning when they were all grinning at us,

message to rosie i stayed at the brittania in1958 rosie and went down that dirt track to the duke of wellington every day the hotel changed its name to the princesa due to the falklands war . it was my first holiday abroad and will always remember with fond memories.

Only just seen this so don't know if you are still on the site but thank you so much as no one else seems to have heard of it

Hi Rosiepeardrop! Good to see you back again!

Thanks Fiona