Hi Ron
I'm glad you had a nice time, but to be fair before the volcano erupted I thought Benidorm was quite busy or certainly busier than what I was led to believe, if the beaches were any real indication of the amount of people in the resort.

They've been trying to get the Germans in Benidorm for years, I doubt they will come in mass, maybe other parts of the Costa Blanca, but not Benidorm, but who knows? anything can happen these days"¦.there's a lot of Latin Americans in Benidorm, some legal and some illegal.
TBH, I thought Benidorm was looking tired, it was the same old jokes being told from 4 years ago by the same old acts and some of the bars in the new town now look like they want flattening to the ground and start again.
I think Benidorm needs to look at revamping itself and shake off the cheap n cheerful image"¦other resorts have done it, but Benidorm seems to be attracting groups of young men and women who come for a few days and whose main objective seems to be getting legless and then they come back into the hotel between 3 and 6 am causing havoc, and this ruins the holiday for those who have paid over a £1000 for 2 weeks.

Times are hard and the hotels can't afford to refuse bookings, but in the end they will lose out if they make the people go somewhere else, those who spend a lot of money for a holiday and return year after year.
These people want a good time? fine, put them altogether in certain hotels.

They're spending money on a cultural centre, 21st century skyscrapers/hotels and have built a new promenade, but the core element of the resort is going downwards in my opinion.
All Inclusive is great for the people who like it, but it's killing the resort and the local business's, and then people say it's like a ghost town, well it's obvious why it's like a ghost town, who's going to go for 2 weeks and spend a load of money in bars when they have paid to get it in the hotel for "free"?

If or when I go back, I will stay in the old town, which is not what I really want because we like to be near the Sierra Helada National park and walk to the old town and I know the last time we did stay in the old town, we never made it into the mountains because there was nothing in the new town that I particularly wanted to go down there for, and coming from the old town we would probably be knackered before we got to the entrance of the National park.

I suppose the volcano fiasco didn't help and "on and off stand-by" for 3 days, but I dunno, it just wasn't the same this time.
Sanji

Hi Sanji, thanks for your reply, I agree with what you say entirely. Let's hope the resort isn't overrun
by Russians and Germans, and the amount of stag and hen parties too.

You're right too, bars and restaurants in the new town do look scruffy now, it is time to have a sort out there.
We used to stay in the new town area, but these days prefer the old town, bars etc are not to tatty and there's a more authentic Spanish feel around the old town.
Regards
Ron

I've just read my post back and it looks like I'm dissing the place down....not at all.
Things just didn't work out this time, we had a stag group on our floor the first week and we were having to go back to bed in the afternoon to catch up on some sleep, well I don't go to Benidorm to go to bed in the afternoon because I'm knackered through lack of sleep due to a bunch of intoxicated cretins, and then the volcano fiasco set David off getting worked up about the expected coach journey, and the unexpected stay wasn't pleasant living out of ¾ packed suitcases for 4 days and having to hang around the hotel every couple of hours just in case another "update" had been posted.

The jokes? well the first time you hear them they are dead funny, the second time not quite so funny and 4 years later the same jokes/material is a waste of time.
As the tour operators say......events beyond our control.
Oh and who is that woman who walks around pulling a shopping cart swearing and shouting, anybody know.?

Geesus, why I didn't deck her in the eurotabac, I will never know.

Sanji
Edit for typo errors

hi sanji,that lady(tramp)is called sylvia,shes a right head case even has me frightened and youve seen the size of me

Yes, we saw her every day. Seen her many times previously too. That sounds horrendous Sanji, I don't blame you for being miffed about having to sleep in the afternoons.
We had a dozen lads on a stag party in our hotel, but to be fair to them they were no trouble, didn't hear them at all at night time.

That head case Kevin, is lucky that I didn't pick summat up and smash it over her head, it was only because David dragged me to one side and told me "It's not worth it".

We were walking back to the hotel passed the hotel Ocas and I was on the inside of the pavement, David being the gentleman was nearest to the kerb, and we are busy having a conversation whilst walking, so every now and then I would turn my head slightly towards him.
Just as we reached the bottom of the steps to the indoor market, this head case had been kicked out of the market and she reached the pavement at the same time as we were passing"¦.
Next thing I heard "xxxx off English pig" being screamed into my left ear so loudly at very close range that for the next few seconds I heard nothing.
I walked up to the Regente and I was trying to make my ears go "pop", like you do on a plane and periodically I got a sharp shooting pain in my ear for the next few hours, luckily it worn off by the end of the night.

I goes into the Eurotabac near the Regente last week in the part that sells sweets for a packet of mints, and this head case walks in and stands near me, still shouting and swearing, but she turned away from me and was directing her diatribe to a bloke stood the other side of her and he was just dumb struck, then she looks at me and I thought" Yes just you say one word to me and I will deck you"
So, she started and just as I was getting "wound up" and ready to smack her in the mouth, the female security personnel who was stood watching her, she must have read the situation and she stepped forward and "softly" guided her out of the shop, she told her to "have a nice day".

She sat outside on the small step still cursing and shouting as we came out and I was still wound up enough to want to walk over and smack her"¦"¦she needs taking off the streets before someone does shut her up permanently.

Obviously she's mentally ill and I'm not a violent person, but if she comes anywhere near me again, I'm up for it

Sanji

Hi Sanji, bet your you cant wait for the 10 June, off to your other fav place Costa del sol, hope you have a lovley holiday, after the traumer of your last one. Me and the boss are heading to beni on the 10th June, staying at our fav hotel Benilux Park, we find it a very relaxing and very pleasent place, very international, but we mix very well with all

Have a safe flight, and enjoy yourselfs........ Snowey.......

Hi Snowey
Yeah, quite looking forward to the next holiday...if this blooming volcano lets us..

Have a nice time yourself in Benidorm, I'll wave to you from the plane as we both pass over Spain.

Sanji x

I know how you feel but it's not worth retaliating, you'd probably land worse off. Best to ignore her and just walk away.

With regards to this "lady" - we saw another side to her in the English Church one Sunday morning. She stayed for the whole service, was perfectly quiet and no problem at all. Maybe she hadn't had her quota of booze by then!
Wendy

Hi Ron

I know how you feel but it's not worth retaliating, you'd probably land worse off. Best to ignore her and just walk away.

I know you are right, I know the sensible, mature and intelligent thing to do, is to ignore her and if she wants to walk around Benidorm swearing at the skyscrapers, I couldn't care two hoots, but there is no way that she should be allowed to come within inches of someone's ear and scream into it, and I had no option to "walk away".
Yeah obviously I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I never noticed her come down the steps with a few more people until she was within inches of me, but if she did it to me, who else has she done it to?
I can understand Kevin saying that she is frightening because she is, she is really loud with a filthy mouth and vicious/intimidating, and she'd scare the living daylights out of some timid old dear.
I was in the Eurotabac first and when she walked in, I was pooing myself that she was going to scream in my other ear, I think that is what got my shackles up ready for her, but if she got near my face, mentally ill, a druggie, boozed up or not, I feel sure that I would have either pushed her hard enough or smacked her one.

I'm an old dear, but not quite timid yet, seriously I've been losing my sight in my right eye since I was 39 years old and the other one isn't that good, so I'd like to look after my ears for as long as possible.

Sanji

I've encountered sylvia quite a few times!
I'm pretty sure she carries a knife!
you did well to stay away from her sanji !

she does like my singing though

Is she quite nice looking , i might ask her out.

Ouch!! Rather you than me!!

I've Come across Sylvia a few times, she's very unnerving i must admit!...i always avoid eye contact!!

Best Regards - Taggy

Let's hope resort isn't overrun with Russian and Germans ????
Stag/Hen Parties I assume are mainly English speaking - I know what I'd prefer

It appears that the council for Benidorm are anxious to fill the empty hotels and apartments. If we from the UK stop from coming over, I expect to see more and more foreign tourists, if you know what I mean.

Let's hope resort isn't overrun with Russian and Germans ????

I bet the Benidormeneses said that about the Brits 40 odd years ago.

Sanji

Oh I don't know Sanji, they obviously saw the potential in us Brits settling to either holiday or live there.
They've all made a prosperous living out of us over the years.