Just realised discussing the "Peamen" is not as Sanji's original post asked about our likes and dislikes, so we are just discussing our dislikes, have you noticed there are more likes than dislikes.





Lizzie

What do you think

In all honestly, I have never needed to be warned about the pea/potato men, probably because I don`t gamble on anything...only having the odds stacked against me waking up tomorrow.

Like someone said...I saw these guys 25 years ago in Majorca and they just have never interested me...you have a choice to walk passed them and considering the size of Benidorm then there are not that many...I`d be more vigilant of the Gypoes, pick-pockets, scratch cards and muggers....in ANY resort.

I really do not know the answer, but to just keep warning people to steer clear of them and anybody else offering you "owt for nowt"..because there is nothing in this world that is free.
I think if someone can managed to get to the airport, get on a plane and into their hotel all by themselves, then they should know the odds of street gambling.
If you go down to the local betting shop and lose a load of money on the gee gees, then you only have yourself to blame..some you win, some you lose......In Benidorm or any other resort, you WILL lose.

besos xxx

because there is nothing in this world that is free.

Except the Blanket Trips

hi to all again ...my topic on the potato men certainly opened up a disscussion between you all...and please note that some people need to be protected from the scum who prey on them...regards johndoe...keep up the heathly debates then we can all learn something

p.s i love benidorm and all it,s ways johndoe

...and please note that some people need to be protected from the scum who prey on them

Yes I agree that people do need to be protected from scum, but how much protection can you give.? some people need protection from themselves.
Half the time the people who fall victim, I`m sorry to say it is because of letting their guard down and thinking Benidorm (or any resort) is the land of the free and plentiful.
We`ve had this conversation before....if someone offered you a flower in Sheffield, Leeds or Glasgow town centre, then you would immediately think "hang on" what`s the catch,? but for some bizzare reason people get in the holiday mood and think differently abroad....and half the time they fall victim because they either think that they are getting something for nothing, cheap or a bargain too good to miss.

25 years ago I got caught out once, at a time before the cOns and S C A Ms were as prevalent...a lovely pair of gold hoop earrings in Majorca bought from someone on the beach that turned green within days, I learnt a lesson very quickly and wised up big time.
I`ve seen people walk around Benidorm market with their purse stuck on the top of the inside of their handbags, with the flipping zip open...people walking around with these backpack type of bags...people leaving their bags on chairs while they go to the toilet. or just on the floor
People walking around with passports and far too much cash, people who leave the apartment/room doors and windows open, I mean c`mon I don`t have my house door unattended in the UK and if we are not in the kitchen, then it is locked whatever the time of day.
I understand what you are saying, and I sympathize with people who have taken all reasonable measures to protect themselves and they still fall victim to these scumbags, and I have sympathy for the first-time abroad travellers, but the rest of them only have themselves to blame for being niave, guillable, tanked up and leaving their brains in the uk when they pack the suitcase.l
You can go to ANY European resort these days and all these things take place, giving tips and advice on forums like this is all some of us can do, but the bottom line is that YOU the traveller should take some responsibility.

Except the Blanket Trips

And don`t they have an hidden agenda.?...a nice day out with the hope of flogging you some health/wool overpriced product?

I think we have gone way off topic here, but I hope in a roundabout way that we are giving advice to people.....and I LOVE Benidorm

besos xxx
sanji

Quote:
Except the Blanket Trips

And don`t they have an hidden agenda.?...a nice day out with the hope of flogging you some health/wool overpriced product

Yes Sanji, to a certain extent that is very true. But if you book one of these trips knowing in advance that you have to sit through a 30 to 45 minute sales speal of which you are in no way commited to buy anything, then the trip istelf IS still FREE. My family and I have bought products from the Green Trip Free Blanket Trip and we have been very pleased with our purchase and I do not agree that the products I purchased were overpriced. But thats just my humble opinion. However, we still book a place on one of these trips every holiday because it IS a free bus ride out for a few hours and its nice to take in the scenery etc.

Of course they hope to flog you something, but you are not in anyway obliged to part with any money. Adopt the same stance as you would with the Pea Men and ignore the sales speal if you want. You don;t even have to get off of the tour bus if you don;t want to....they certainly don't force you to. I have ben on several of these trips now and there is always a few people who elect to sit on the bus or stand outside and have a cigarette while the sales talk takes place. The fact remains the trip is FREE.

Ans while I would agree with you to a certain extent in that no one gives something away for nothing, that is not always the case. How do you account for FREE child places when booking certain holidays? I watch several travel related programmes on the Sky TV and they are always talking about 'FREE Child Places'. Or is there a "hidden agenda" behind those claims?

Now BOGOF's (or Buy One get One Free items) I would agree with. Yes, although on the surface you might think you are getting the second item for nothing, you will be paying for it somewhere along the line by way of increased prices on other items. For example, you might buy one bottle of washing up liquid and get the second free but you then by some detergent that has in fact increased in price while that BOGOF offer is on. I know this to be true because I have worked in a Supermarket and I know the tactics these large supermarkets employ to get you to buy items you might not actually want.

But the fact still remains, it is possible to get 'freebies' if you know what you are about. Well, thats just my humble opinion anyway.

Hi Sanji

Travelling to Benidorm on 25th March and staying it the Maderia Centro. We were their in October and really enjoyed the visit.

Things we like about Benidorm are.

Tapas alley especially Arraura restaurant seen in your video clip
Lovely beaches
Good shops apart from tacky ones, they are awful
Visiting Altea
The sunshine

Can anyone advise what is the best balnket trip to go on please.

Cheers

Westie

BHIC
I've just been trying to work out the first time I went abroad and I can remember that my oldest son was still in nappies during the night time, and this was when disposable nappies were just coming onto the market and very expensive, so I took terry towelling nappies and washed them by hand my son was 35 years old 2 days ago and we went to Spain for a week.
I'll not list the countries that I have visited, but I will say that I have been "done" 3 times and 2 of those times were my own fault and the third for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and not related to crime.
I got "done" with the earrings, I also got "done" by getting into a taxi with a high denomination peseta note and the taxi driver short changed me and sped off that's another lesson learnt, I never get into a taxi without having a low denomination note, which will be Euro now and a bit of pre-planning prevents this ever happening again.
The other incident was being in Mijas Pueblo and walking by the donkeys when one with diarrhoea decided to open its bowels and when the hit the road it splattered all over me"¦I had to walk around and buy some more clothes or get the public bus back covered in donkey
It wasn`t funny at the time

The point of all this is to try and explain that a bit of common sense will keep you reasonably safe and I think given 2 incidents in over 30 years then I will stick with my opinion on the subject.
People reading this may think I spend all my days around the pool and sit in the hotel all night, far from it, I use public transport and independent tours discovering the area.
What I do not do is walk around "tanked up" in unlit areas in the early hours, I let no one approach me with anything, and I only carry enough cash for that day in a purse with a chain attached to my belt loop.etc. etc. etc.

The pea men....I just walk past them, they are a non-descript to me.... I've scraped better stuff off the bottom of my shoe.

With regards to the blanket trips, I'm not knocking them, they are a great way to see the surrounding areas and for some people this is the only way that they ever get out of the resort, but the fact remains that they still hope to sell you something and some people may be persuaded to buy an item that they wouldn't have bought or even thought about before I think you called it "good tactics"

Child free places are Tour Operators dangling a carrot before you, they are very limited in numbers and invariably have gone when you try to book, unless you are on the ball the moment they are advertised"¦but the point is that you have looked and may be tempted for something else"¦I think they call that a good marketing ploy.

I might be getting on in years, too plain talking for my own good and some would say I need to get a life, but I don't plan on changing something if it is not broken.

Besos xxx
Sanji

How do you account for FREE child places when booking certain holidays

I don't know if when you book to stay in Hotels if there are any hidden costs I shouldn't think there are, but if you book S/C you have to pay under occupancy supplements and these can add up to quite a lot, so the child is not actually going FREE.

BHIC We always go on the Blanket Trips and never feel pressured into buying any of the products, and as you say it's a great way of seeing the surrounding areas, and like the one where you go to the Animal Sanctuary, as the entrance fee is a way of giving some money to help look after the animals.

Westie there are quite a lot of Trips to pick from, if you have the leaflets off a few of the different companies, you will be given them as you walk round, you can then decide which ones you fancy doing as there is full and half days trips, we usually go on them if the weather is not to good!!!

Lizzie

The other incident was being in Mijas Pueblo and walking by the donkeys

Sanji when we went to Mijas, I went on one of the donkeys and it took off with me I was petrified till the owner caught up with me.
I wouldn't go on them now as I would feel sorry for them, and I'm not as light as I used to be!!!

Lizzie

Hi all,

After reading this thread regarding the safety elements and ensuring we do not fall fowl to the criminal activity that may arise. I would like to point out that we are all aware of pick pockets around the market. However, my father in law was a victim of a pick pocket incident at the airport in october 05.

Looking back, (in his opinion)he stated that the pick pockets were rife when the holiday makers clamber of the coach to obtain their luggage. There are so many people in one anothers 'personal space' that it would have been difficult to acknowledge what was going on

Please be warned and be extra vigilant, do not let these people ruin the end of a fantastic holiday

It is so frustrating don't you think

kazee

BHIC i am going to try one of those Free blanket trips when i go this year, in the past i have allways walked past them, thinking they were just selling blankets! i have read your reports on these trips and would love to go to the animal sanctuary on one of these trips, sounds a great day out.
crystal xxx

It is so frustrating don't you think

Hi Kazee
Yes it is very frustrating and whilst I don`t wish to appear as "nit picking" you say that we are all aware of pick pockets around the market, I`m sorry but I disagree with that statement or there are still some very niave people walking around who think it will never happen to them.
Sorry to hear about your FIL...the barstewards
besos xxx
Sanji

Sanji

Yes I see where you are coming from, I have been to Beni twice and on both occasions we were warned about the market and pick pockets. one assumed this is topical on welcome meetings, but not everyone attends or like you said some may be naive and feel that it won't happen to them.

Ind regards

Kazee

Kazee, Sorry to hear about your F- I -L it just shows you have to be aware where ever you are, I'll be honest I'm not as viligant at the airport as I should be as we always have so many relatives, cases and wheelchairs to look after. that its only after I think OMG we could have easily had something stolen. Luckily in over 20 years of traveling I have only had 1 incident which happened at Christmas.

Lizzie.

I might be getting on in years, too plain talking for my own good and some would say I need to get a life, but I don't plan on changing something if it is not broken

Sanji, I am not disagreeing with you, far from it. I'm just saying that if you know how to 'beat the sytem', for want of a better phrase, it is possible to get certain things in life for free. As far as the Free Blanket trips are concerned, they are 'free' in that you do not have to pay for booking a place on one. You just need to be aware that you will have to sit through a sales talk, if you decide to get off the coach of course, but if you can resist the temptation to part with your money for something you don't actually want or need, then booking a place on a Free Blanket Trip is an ideal way of getting out of the resort for a few hours, especially if the weather is not very good. And these 'trips' take you to such places as the Animal Sanctuary-El Arca de Noe (Noah's Ark(not my own personal cup of tea), a Chocolate factory (El Lobo and The Museo del Turron), This museum offers a guided tour - (in various languages) - which not only shows you the very detailed museum, but also lets you see the real factory from a high above on a balcony area inside the plant. Then there is Guadalest, and the Cactus Gardens (Cactuslandia) to name but four. One trip also takes you to the Valley of Guadalest and there you are taken to a Motor Museum, (well worth the small entrance fee) and right next door is a little shop selling all sorts of souvenirs at very competitive prices. (again no obligation to buy....its there if you want it). Another place you can vist on a FREE trip is the Algar Falls

I will point out for the benefit of those that have never booked a free blanket trip, and may be considering going on one that in addition to listening to the main sales talk, you will find that your 'guide' might tryo to sell you sunglasses or so called theraputic beauty products on board the coach....but all you have to do is pass the sample on to the person sat behind or next to you, you are not obliged to make a purchase. Resist the tempation and your trip will be free. Give in and the free trip will turn out to be very expensive.....its all a question of Will Power.

First Timers might succumb to temptation and part with money they can ill afford, I'll admit that, but I would still recomend a Free Blanket Trip to anyone considering booking a place. My advise is to book a trip with the Green Tour and NOT the NHP ones. Yes, NHP claim to be the 'Original Blanket Trip', but their products are twice as expensive as the Green Trip and the quality of their Wool Products is far inferior to that of the Green trip. (in my humble opinion ).

There is a selection of other 'free' trips on offer, all of them are free but all of them involving a sales Pitch of some kind, but I think its fair to say that you are in no way pressurised into making a purchase. Those that do make purchases, like myself, do so because we choose to and usually only after going on the same trip several times before actually deciding to buy something. My parents and I had been on several NHP BLanket trips until the Green Tour came into being and we have bought various items of bedding between us of which we have been very pleased with. My mattress is the best I have ever had and I feel like I am sleeping on air.

EDIT ... This post has been edited for copyright reasons. Please do not reproduce text or images from other websites.
David HT Mod

Sanji says:

I might be getting on in years

BHIC says:

I am not disagreeing with you

:yikes

Sometimes it might be safer and wiser to disagree

For more discussion on Blanket Trip excursions, the prices and quality of products, etc., please click HERE.

David

David


Hasn`t this been a good debate.?..well done everyone for taking part and expressing your views without it turning nasty.
Give yourselves (and me) a pat on the back

Besos xxx
Sanji