Well I have just returned home from the Sol Ocas after a 4 night break.
For those of you who don't know, it was a visit I made because someone I know really wanted to go to Benidorm (I tried to convince them of the merits of the Costa Del Sol but it didn't work).
This is the suprising bit for me, I actually felt quite sad to be leaving Benidorm this morning, I had a really enjoyable 4 days.
The Sol Ocas was fine, really clean and the rooms were well maintained. I heard people complaining about the food but either they are difficult to please or I'm just easy to please but I though it was fine, it was typical 3* food and you get what you pay for.
Had read about muggings and beggers before I left but I felt very safe and had no problems at all (The only beggers I saw where 2 women who seem to do alternate shifts sitting by the Sol Pelicanos).
Benidorm was very clean, much cleaner than my last visit in 2006 and there seems to be less graffiti that there was.
The entertainment in the bars was really good and also had a good breakfast where ever we went (Only had breakfast in the hotel today and it was also really good, wasn't up in time any other day)
The main issue I can see Benidorm facing is the sheer amount of stag and hen do's, some of the older people I spoke to felt intimidated by the behaviour going on in the hotels and others were quite capable of giving them a run for their money. One guy who was working as a prop for a bar said that Benidorm is finished as a family resort and was now mainly a stag and hen venue. It wasn't an issue to me but if I had kids I would think twice before choosing Benidorm as a holiday venue and the short term gain of attracting this type of tourism could lead to long term loss.
Flew with Monarch and on time outbound but we were delayed at Alicante inbound due to Air traffic control restrictions because the air space was fuller than normal due to people flying in this area to avoid the ash cloud and just like Sanji, we also had to fly via the Balearic Islands but got an excellent view of Ibiza and Majorca and could even make out some of the resorts. We ended up landing at Luton 45 minutes late but considering 95% of the Ryanair flights at Alicante were cancelled (even those going to Stansted which isn't really far from Luton) I was more than happy to be home only 45 minutes late.
Overall, I though the appearance of Benidorm had improved since my last visit and I have come back from the visit with much more respect for the place than I had previously, but the stag & hen do's may well be putting people off returning. But if any of my friends want to go to Benidorm again in the future I will be more than happy to go with them.
I will be doing a hotel review at some stage in the next few days.
Hi
Glad you enjoyed your stay. Shame about the rise of stag and hen parties, I have been going to Beni virtually every year for about the past 15 years and each year the stag and hen parties have seemed much more abundant. A bit concerned about my holiday this year as I am travelling with two small children and fear if the rise in stag and hen parties continue we will not be returning which is a shame. Especially according to other forums family hotels such as the Terralta and Flamingo Oasis are taking stag and hen parties, one guy in particular was bragging about how much noise they were going to make at the Terralta which is a shame for all the families who have saved their pennies all year.
Benidorm has always been great for families young and old and it will be great shame if they push everyone away.
Glad you enjoyed your stay. Shame about the rise of stag and hen parties, I have been going to Beni virtually every year for about the past 15 years and each year the stag and hen parties have seemed much more abundant. A bit concerned about my holiday this year as I am travelling with two small children and fear if the rise in stag and hen parties continue we will not be returning which is a shame. Especially according to other forums family hotels such as the Terralta and Flamingo Oasis are taking stag and hen parties, one guy in particular was bragging about how much noise they were going to make at the Terralta which is a shame for all the families who have saved their pennies all year.
Benidorm has always been great for families young and old and it will be great shame if they push everyone away.
Hi Mark, I'm glad you had a nice time, I know you were apprehensive about going to Benidorm.
My opinion exactly, a stag group ruined 4 days of my holiday coming back into the hotel between 4 am and 7 am"¦.I must have been the only person in Benidorm that was glad there were no flights coming in during the second week due to the ash cloud.
Stag/hen groups are a short-term fix and it's the people who spend over £1000 for a holiday who return year after year that keep the hotels viable, and when they decide to go somewhere else, the resort will suffer.
I know times are hard and the hotels can't afford to turn any custom away, but these short stay groups of people will not be the long term solution, it's the families and the OAP's who keep the resort going, especially the OAP's who book a month at a time to escape the winter weather and then they come back to their pensions, these people fill the aircraft seats all through the year, not hen and stags groups.
If they want a good time to the point of being loud, abusive and legless, they should all be together in certain designated hotels, and then families/OAP's can avoid those hotels and they can abuse each other and keep each other awake.
Whose brainy idea was it to offer all-inclusive in nearly all the hotels.? It's killing the resort and the local businesses, and the town hall are not thinking into the future.
Down on the Costa del Sol they have resisted the pressure to offer A1 in the hotels, they are obviously more farsighted and protective of the culture and businesses.
Sanji
but if I had kids I would think twice before choosing Benidorm as a holiday venue and the short term gain of attracting this type of tourism could lead to long term loss
My opinion exactly, a stag group ruined 4 days of my holiday coming back into the hotel between 4 am and 7 am"¦.I must have been the only person in Benidorm that was glad there were no flights coming in during the second week due to the ash cloud.
Stag/hen groups are a short-term fix and it's the people who spend over £1000 for a holiday who return year after year that keep the hotels viable, and when they decide to go somewhere else, the resort will suffer.
I know times are hard and the hotels can't afford to turn any custom away, but these short stay groups of people will not be the long term solution, it's the families and the OAP's who keep the resort going, especially the OAP's who book a month at a time to escape the winter weather and then they come back to their pensions, these people fill the aircraft seats all through the year, not hen and stags groups.
If they want a good time to the point of being loud, abusive and legless, they should all be together in certain designated hotels, and then families/OAP's can avoid those hotels and they can abuse each other and keep each other awake.
Whose brainy idea was it to offer all-inclusive in nearly all the hotels.? It's killing the resort and the local businesses, and the town hall are not thinking into the future.
Down on the Costa del Sol they have resisted the pressure to offer A1 in the hotels, they are obviously more farsighted and protective of the culture and businesses.
Sanji
I agree with that Sanji...i've been saying the same about AI for several years now, i always said it would be the ruin of resorts like Beni, but most people seemed to disagree with me, and probably still do. However i can only see this situation getting worse now that they've started down this path...particularily in these unstable ecconomic times. Its probably easy for me to say this, because these days when i'm visiting Beni, i'm usually on my own, and people who are bringing young kiddies or more family members out, will perhaps appreciate the fact that they have everything paid in advance and can budget easier. But it is destroying the heart and soul of the town, and for many folks it seems they dont want to experience life outside of their hotel complex.....yet when they make an occasional excursion outside...wonder why things arnt as they remember them. They seem detatched from the reality that its their choices that are part of the problem.
How this is going to change in the short term i'm not sure..well i am..because its not going to change!...But at some point it will have to...because if all we have left is the hotels and no community around them...then the point of the hotels themselves will be lost..and folk will go elsewhere. I know that Bar/Restaurant owners were trying a while back to bring pressure to bear, to get the authorities to stop any further developement of the AI hotels...but i think "hitting a brick wall" about sums up their success!
With not just our ecconomy...but the Spanish and other euro ecconomies in great difficulty, i see no immediate hopes of much improvement!
As for the stag and hens...it used to be easy to avoid them..at least in the hotels..if you chose your hotel wisely..but with even small hotels such as the Regente taking AI guests then its more difficult now!...Ive going to be booking the Mont Park again tomorrow..which does not do AI and has many Spanish Guests, and very good food. I know for the moment at least i'm roughly safe from stag and hens there...but for how long is any ones guess!!
Best Regards - Taggy
How this is going to change in the short term i'm not sure..well i am..because its not going to change!...But at some point it will have to...because if all we have left is the hotels and no community around them...then the point of the hotels themselves will be lost..and folk will go elsewhere. I know that Bar/Restaurant owners were trying a while back to bring pressure to bear, to get the authorities to stop any further developement of the AI hotels...but i think "hitting a brick wall" about sums up their success!
With not just our ecconomy...but the Spanish and other euro ecconomies in great difficulty, i see no immediate hopes of much improvement!
As for the stag and hens...it used to be easy to avoid them..at least in the hotels..if you chose your hotel wisely..but with even small hotels such as the Regente taking AI guests then its more difficult now!...Ive going to be booking the Mont Park again tomorrow..which does not do AI and has many Spanish Guests, and very good food. I know for the moment at least i'm roughly safe from stag and hens there...but for how long is any ones guess!!
Best Regards - Taggy
I quite agree about Stags and Hens. We were at the Levante Club Apartments at the same time Sanji was in Benidorm, and like her I was very pleased that the Ash Cloud kept them fairly quiet. HOWEVER, the day the Cloud lifted and flights were resumed, all hell broke loose with, initally, a 20-strong crowd of Stags, followed by many more parties of both sexes. The pool was a no-go area for families, and I know it completely ruined quite a few holidays that long weekend.
We are returning to Beni in July, with the family, and initially I wanted to try the Rialto, as I very much like the Servigroup hotels. However, after reading reports about Stags and Hens there, I emailed them for some assurance that it would be suitable for children. Their reply was that they took bookings from all sorts of people and they wouldn't know who was going to be there until the day before. This has put me off completely, and I have now booked into the Nereo, where we went as a family with five children two years ago. I only hope things haven't changed and I have made the right decision. Does anyone know of a family hotel that would be safe to take children?
Wendy
We are returning to Beni in July, with the family, and initially I wanted to try the Rialto, as I very much like the Servigroup hotels. However, after reading reports about Stags and Hens there, I emailed them for some assurance that it would be suitable for children. Their reply was that they took bookings from all sorts of people and they wouldn't know who was going to be there until the day before. This has put me off completely, and I have now booked into the Nereo, where we went as a family with five children two years ago. I only hope things haven't changed and I have made the right decision. Does anyone know of a family hotel that would be safe to take children?
Wendy
anyone know of a family hotel that would be safe to take children
Well I would have recommended the Terralta before, but they seem to be there now lol. I am trying the Dalmatas this year, fingers crossed it is quiet. We booked the Mediterraneo on the pretence it was a family hotel but was sandwiched between 30 guys on a stag party.
I think I would suggest a predominately Spanish hotel, just for the Spanish that the stags and hens haven't discovered yet lol. The Flamingo Oasis and Regente are popular with families, just hope for luck that there are none next door when you arrive.
Depending on when your going i think/hope The Dalmatus would be a good choice..the food is nice..the staff friendly....its quite dated now for its 4 star status....think of it as a 3 star ...and you'll be on the right lines!...But again...unfortunately its now gone down the lines of the AI situation...which i feel will have a bad effect on the hotel...i hope i'm wrong...but when i went there for a few days in December, i really enjoyed it!
Best Regards - Taggy
Best Regards - Taggy
.Depending on when your going i think/hope The Dalmatus would be a good choice..the food is nice..the staff friendly
Hi Taggy we go at the end of July so hopefully stag and hen season will nearly be over. That's exactly what we want nice food and friendly staff, not bothered about the decor.
Cheers
Unfortunately stag and hen season is all year. There will be no escaping from them.
The introduction of AI in the more family orientated hotels has encouraged them to use these once family hotels. The prospect of free beer is too much to resist and unfortunately the price at these hotels is often quite low.
You can not tar all groups with the same brush. I go every year with a group of mates. Last year it was a stag do and there was 18 of us. This year there's only 6.
We are all in our forties and don't come back slamming doors, shouting down corridors in the early hours.
We stay in the Orange but I noticed that last year there were more stag & hen groups staying there than normal. There used to be hardly any as it was quite expensive. If there are a lot this year I will have to think about changing to a more expensive hotel, Don Pancho maybe.
I also take my young family for 2 weeks every year and manage to avoid the groups by staying in one of the more expensive apartments the rental agencies offer. Groups don't tend to do expensive.
We don't go anywhere near the square and avoid walking down the prom in the afternoon as the groups like to have a drink in the beach front bars.
You can avoid them if you want to and you shouldn't let them ruin your holiday.
The introduction of AI in the more family orientated hotels has encouraged them to use these once family hotels. The prospect of free beer is too much to resist and unfortunately the price at these hotels is often quite low.
You can not tar all groups with the same brush. I go every year with a group of mates. Last year it was a stag do and there was 18 of us. This year there's only 6.
We are all in our forties and don't come back slamming doors, shouting down corridors in the early hours.
We stay in the Orange but I noticed that last year there were more stag & hen groups staying there than normal. There used to be hardly any as it was quite expensive. If there are a lot this year I will have to think about changing to a more expensive hotel, Don Pancho maybe.
I also take my young family for 2 weeks every year and manage to avoid the groups by staying in one of the more expensive apartments the rental agencies offer. Groups don't tend to do expensive.
We don't go anywhere near the square and avoid walking down the prom in the afternoon as the groups like to have a drink in the beach front bars.
You can avoid them if you want to and you shouldn't let them ruin your holiday.
The Flamingo Oasis and Regente are popular with families,
Both are taking stag/hen groups and the walls in the Regente are paper thin, you can even hear someone snoring......maybe I've been lucky in the past because having someone in the rooms either side about the same age as me, and knowing how thin the walls are and how sound travels, we have all been considerate, and once they come in and get settled into bed, you have no bother getting some sleep until around 7-30/8 am.
I don't go to Benidorm to book into a nursing home and I fully expect it be noisy to a certain degree, but 4 nights on the trot of being woken up at stupid hours by peed up blokes on our floor shouting, swearing, slamming doors, banging the patio/balcony doors, shouting down to their mates on the floor below. ??? Yes it DID spoil my holiday during the first week and I'd paid a dam sight more than these pee heads to stay in the hotel.
Somebody called the security guard and he came up telling them to keep the noise down, a fat lot of good that did....I asked one of them to be quiet and he was going to "nut me" because he was stood on the corridor a few doors down shouting "I can't find the F...ing hole," he was so tanked up that he couldn't negotiate the key into the lock to the room....this was at 4-50 am.
I don't mind people having a good time, that's what we all go on holiday for, but the fact remains that they don't go to Benidorm to drink water all night and they have no respect for other people when they come back into the hotel....they'd fight king kong and under the influence of alcohol they have no recollection or are aware of just how noisy they are.
Why should people have to change hotels which they like and return year after year because of a minority group?????
Sanji
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Edited by
Sanji
2010-05-09 10:16:16
you should try the hotel Royal its fantastic and no stags and hens infact quite a lot of spanish i am going here 18th june me and 2 mates for a weekend there will be no noise from us garanteed. stayed here before loved it and as for stags and hens been on stag doo the last 2 year in a row and we caused no one any probbs stayed at the rialto good hotel and food lots of groups there at the weekends but no complaints
have fun the fatboy
have fun the fatboy
We were at the Regente at the same time as Sanji.We paid extra for a premium room because we were told that being on the end of the building it would be quiet. The first 3 nights we got hardly any sleep as we had part of a hen party in the next room. They came in around 3am and were shouting, laughing, screaming until 6-30am. Security came but the noise continued, they had no respect for anyone either side of them who were trying to get some sleep. We used to go to the Flamingo Oasis, twice a year, but stopped going because of the stag and hen parties. After this time at the Regente we won't be going there again either.
For anyone interested, Boots do some really good ear plugs, made from silicone and they sort of mould to your ear. I used them, and so did Sanji but we shouldn't have to resort to this should we?
For anyone interested, Boots do some really good ear plugs, made from silicone and they sort of mould to your ear. I used them, and so did Sanji but we shouldn't have to resort to this should we?
It's not just the stag parties that are noisy.
While staying at the Regente with my children and parents we were woken up every night of our 4 night stay by 2 pensioners who would shout goodnight to each other and chat down the corridor at about 1 am every morning.
It was hardly surprising as these 2 old dears were on AI and were first to the bar at 10 am and stayed in the same seats all day and night, apart from trips to the toilet and restaurant.
They certainly got their monies worth, but had absolutely no recollection of causing a disturbance, though they did apologise, but unfortunately by bed time they had totally forgotten that as well.
While staying at the Regente with my children and parents we were woken up every night of our 4 night stay by 2 pensioners who would shout goodnight to each other and chat down the corridor at about 1 am every morning.
It was hardly surprising as these 2 old dears were on AI and were first to the bar at 10 am and stayed in the same seats all day and night, apart from trips to the toilet and restaurant.
They certainly got their monies worth, but had absolutely no recollection of causing a disturbance, though they did apologise, but unfortunately by bed time they had totally forgotten that as well.
We used to go to Benidorm 4, even 5, times a year. For a variety of reasons I doubt if we will be back and one of these reasons is the number of Stags and Hens who seem to think the resort belongs exclusively to them. Yes, we can avoid the Square, as pensioners, not our scene anyway, but so many of them disrupt the entertainment in the Cabaret Bars where we have paid extra on the price of drinks to watch or listen to the acts. (i'm happy to pay the drinks prices to be entertained but not to pay their prices to have the acts disrupted due to a minority of drunken lads from wherever)
Perhaps a list of hotels which do not allow these parties and bars which have more security would help although in these times probably niether of the hotels or bars could afford it
Perhaps a list of hotels which do not allow these parties and bars which have more security would help although in these times probably niether of the hotels or bars could afford it
Just back from Benidorm and must congratulate The Broadway cabaret bar, their policy is to stop any disruptive behaviour immediately, we witnessed several people being told to leave so you can enjoy the entertainment unfortunately the downside was it tended to be exactly the same acts each night, but good luck to them in their new approach. John
Good to hear of this policy at The Broadway John, hopefully this will be replicated at other venues!
Best Regards - Taggy
Best Regards - Taggy
Me and my mate have Benidorm in mind for just 5 nights away at the end of July.
We're both 29/30 so think we'll be ok, as still can be up for a bit of partying (allbeit not as much as when we were younger).
My mate gets really bad hangovers, so we'd planned a night on-night off, are their quieter bars in Benidorm for those not wishing to go crazy and be in bed for a reasonable hour?
How far is the resort from the airport, as I heard about an hours taxi? How much were the taxis?
Thanks in advance.
We're both 29/30 so think we'll be ok, as still can be up for a bit of partying (allbeit not as much as when we were younger).
My mate gets really bad hangovers, so we'd planned a night on-night off, are their quieter bars in Benidorm for those not wishing to go crazy and be in bed for a reasonable hour?
How far is the resort from the airport, as I heard about an hours taxi? How much were the taxis?
Thanks in advance.
Your really spoilt for choice with regards Bars in Beni, loads of Entertainment Bars of Course with 4 or 5 Cabaret acts each night, karaoke bars too, but lots of quieter Bars too, you could have a stroll on the levante beachfront one night stopping off for a drink or two along the way and just people watch. Also you could visit the Old Town which is more Spanish in feel, lots of smaller spanish bars and tapas bars there for you, and the shops open late too!
For your transfers your looking at around 45 mins give or take a bit. If you wanted to you can pick up a taxi outside the airport it will be approx 70€ each way. If its a private transfer you prefer, i'd book David at prestigetoursspain.com he charges €100 return, is English and is the best and most reliable service i've found. If your happy to use Shared transport i'd recommend Shuttledirect they will charge about £15/£16 per person return, but as on a tour operators coach, you will just take pot luck as to if you are one of the first or last to be dropped off!
I'm sure you would have a great time in Beni!
Best Regards - Taggy
For your transfers your looking at around 45 mins give or take a bit. If you wanted to you can pick up a taxi outside the airport it will be approx 70€ each way. If its a private transfer you prefer, i'd book David at prestigetoursspain.com he charges €100 return, is English and is the best and most reliable service i've found. If your happy to use Shared transport i'd recommend Shuttledirect they will charge about £15/£16 per person return, but as on a tour operators coach, you will just take pot luck as to if you are one of the first or last to be dropped off!
I'm sure you would have a great time in Beni!
Best Regards - Taggy
good post taggy nice to hear from you again (your being badly missed somewere else mate if you know what i mean lol)
Thanks for the reply Taggy.
Do people tend to go DIY now, or does going through a TA have added protection for not much more money?
I can't help but feel something will go wrong, if we book the hotel and flights separately. Silly in a way, all you're doing is booking 2 things and sorting insurance at the post office.
Do people tend to go DIY now, or does going through a TA have added protection for not much more money?
I can't help but feel something will go wrong, if we book the hotel and flights separately. Silly in a way, all you're doing is booking 2 things and sorting insurance at the post office.
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