SHOUT HOTELS · BENIDORM
Where to Stay in Benidorm: Levante, Poniente and the Old Town
Benidorm asks you one question before it asks you anything else: which beach? A rocky headland, the Cerro Canfali, cuts the bay in two, and the two halves could not be less alike. East-facing Levante takes the morning sun and carries the noise, the bars and most of the British crowd. West-facing Poniente is longer, calmer, more residential and far more Spanish, and it holds the afternoon light. Between them, up on the headland, sits the whitewashed Old Town that most package visitors never climb into. Answer the beach question and everything else about your trip falls into place.
The rest of Benidorm is exactly what it looks like. More than 300 high-rise buildings on a single south-facing bay, often cited as the highest concentration of skyscrapers per head anywhere in the world, with the Intempo tower billed as the tallest residential skyscraper in the European Union. Sheltered by the Serra Gelada ridge and the mountains behind, it has its own microclimate: the tourist board cites 300 days of sunshine and a 19°C annual average, which is why the town runs all twelve months rather than shutting in October. It is loud, efficient and unapologetically built for holidays, and it works.
What Benidorm does better than almost any Spanish resort is self-catering. Holiday-apartment stays hit roughly 2.56 million nights in 2025, up 20.3% on the year before, and the town sustains a genuine October to March long-stay economy that keeps the bars, the buses and the entertainment running through winter. All five of our Benidorm stays are apartments, which is not an accident: kitchens, balconies and lifts are what actually matter here. Below we set out the beaches, the areas, the winter season, the events that empty the town's rooms, and the things older guides still get wrong.
Which beach? Levante, Poniente and the Old Town
Benidorm's postcodes map neatly onto the decision, which is handy when you are comparing addresses. 03503 is Levante and Rincón de Loix in the east. 03500 and 03501 are the centre and the Old Town. 03502 is Poniente in the west. Almost everything you need to know about a Benidorm address is in those four digits.
Playa de Levante and Rincón de Loix (03503)
The loud half. Levante runs about 2 km of east-facing sand, holds a Blue Flag for 2026, and has the densest concentration of bars, karaoke rooms and cabaret in the town packed into the streets behind it, including the so-called English Square around Calle Mallorca and Calle Lepanto. Morning sun on the sand, and the last part of town to go quiet at night. The Rincón de Loix end, further east, trades a longer walk into town for bigger blocks and calmer streets. Best for: groups, first-timers, nightlife, and families who want every amenity within a hundred metres. Skip if: you want silence after midnight or a Spanish-feeling holiday. Getting around: walk everywhere; the town-centre end of the promenade is about 10 to 15 minutes into the centre, longer from the far Rincón end, and local buses cover the gap. Our stays here: Apartamentos Santa Margarita, a self-catering base deep in Rincón de Loix; Apartments Torre Levante 1H, a high-rise apartment with the strip on the doorstep; and Carlos V Levante. All three compete on location rather than service, so compare floor, sea aspect and lift access before you pick one.
The centre and the Casco Antiguo (03500 and 03501)
The Old Town is the whitewashed knot of streets on and around the Cerro Canfali, and it is the part of Benidorm that surprises people. The Balcón del Mediterráneo, the white-balustraded viewpoint out on the headland, stands on the site of a castle that defended the coast against Berber and Algerian raiders from roughly the 14th to the 18th centuries, was assaulted by the French in 1812 and finally brought down by British cannon; only buried fragments of wall survive. Around it are the Plaça del Castell and Plaza de Castelar, the 18th-century church of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna under its blue-tiled dome, the Mercado Municipal and the tapas alley of Calle Santo Domingo. This is where Spanish visitors and the tardeo crowd go. Best for: food, authenticity, and being able to reach both beaches on foot. Skip if: you want to step straight off your balcony onto sand, or you struggle with steps and slopes. Getting around: entirely walkable, and you climb up from either promenade, most directly via Calle Santa Faz. Our stay here: Apartment Diamond, the pick if you want the tapas streets and the market rather than beachfront frontage.
Playa de Poniente (03502)
The quiet half, and the one long-stayers choose. Poniente runs about 3 km of west-facing sand, regained its Blue Flag for 2025 and holds it for 2026 after footbath relocation and pipe-burial works, and is backed by the 1.5 km ceramic-tiled Paseo Marítimo de Poniente, built between 2005 and 2009 to a design by OAB, the Office of Architecture in Barcelona, under Carlos Ferrater and Xavier Martí Galí. It is the best piece of public architecture in the town and it is often wrongly credited elsewhere. The neighbourhood behind it is residential and Spanish-leaning, with chiringuitos and quieter restaurants rather than a strip. Best for: families, over-winterers, and anyone who wants afternoon sun and a calm evening. Skip if: nightlife is the point of the trip. Getting around: the promenade walks beautifully, the centre is 10 to 25 minutes away depending on how far west you are, and local buses run the length of it. Our stay here: Waves Apartment, a modern flat in the landmark Sunset Waves towers on Avenida República Argentina, with pools, gym and sauna in the complex. Honest caveat: it is about a 16-minute walk to the sand and a long way from Levante's noise, which is the whole point for some guests and a dealbreaker for others.
Cala Mal Pas and Cala de Finestrat
Two coves worth knowing about even though we have nothing to offer in either. Cala Mal Pas is the small cove tucked under the headland between the two beaches, calm and good for snorkelling; it carried a Blue Flag in 2024 and an Ecoplayas flag in 2025. Cala de Finestrat is a separate family cove southwest of Poniente in the neighbouring municipality of Finestrat, quieter again; we could not verify its current Blue Flag status, so treat that as unconfirmed. Best for: a change of scene on a day when Levante is heaving. Skip if: you need a base rather than a beach, because neither has the stock.
Benidorm in winter: the long-stay season
This is the part of Benidorm that surprises people who have only ever seen it in August, and it is the reason a kitchen matters more here than a front desk. From October to March the town runs a second, entirely different season, sustained by long-stay visitors from the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scandinavia who come for weeks or months rather than a week. Bars, restaurants and entertainment venues stay open. The buses keep running. The promenades fill up in the middle of the day.
The numbers behind it are real. The Visit Benidorm annual report, presented at FITUR on 21 January 2026 by mayor Toni Pérez and tourism manager Leire Bilbao, put 2025 at 3,058,623 visitors, up 7.7%, and 16,211,131 overnight stays. Holiday-apartment stays alone reached about 2.56 million nights, a 20.3% rise on 2024, with 75.7% apartment occupancy and an average stay of 5.5 days. That is a self-catering market, not a weekend-break one.
Set your expectations correctly, though. Winter days run around 16 to 17°C and the sea bottoms out near 14°C in February, so this is a season for walking the promenades, hiking the Serra Gelada, exploring the Old Town and going out in the evening, not for swimming. October and November are also the wettest months. If you want warm sea and thin crowds, the shoulder months of May, June, September and early October are the sweet spot instead.
When to visit Benidorm
The sweet spot is May and June, or September into early October. The sea is warm, the theme parks are running, the beaches are usable all day and demand sits below the peak.
July and August are the peak in every sense. Air highs run roughly 27 to 32°C, the sea reaches around 26°C in August, and Levante is packed. Book early or accept whatever is left.
October to March is the long-stay winter season covered above: mild, open and busy in its own quieter way, with most of the year's rain falling in October and November.
What older guides still get wrong. There is no tourist tax in the Valencian Community, and there never has been in force: the regional levy was repealed by the Consell in February 2024 before it ever started. Terra Mítica and Terra Natura are seasonal, not year-round, whatever a stale listing tells you. The Poniente promenade is the work of Carlos Ferrater and Xavier Martí Galí at OAB, and is frequently misattributed. And Benidorm opted out of the Blue Flag scheme entirely in 2023 and has since recovered flags on both main beaches, so guides written in that gap understate the beaches.
Events that decide availability
Benidorm's calendar is thinner than its reputation suggests, and several of the dates people ask about have not been published yet. Where that is the case we have said so rather than projecting from previous years.
- Fiestas Mayores Patronales — 6 to 11 November 2026, honouring the Virgen del Sufragio and Sant Jaume Apòstol. Traditionally the second Saturday in November through to the following Wednesday, and the biggest municipal week of the year. Rooms tighten across the town.
- Benidorm Fest 2027 — not yet announced. The 2026 edition ran its semi-finals on 10 and 12 February and its final on 14 February 2026 at the Palau Municipal d'Esports l'Illa, and the contest continues in Benidorm, but no 2027 dates have been published. Do not assume the same February window.
- Carnaval 2027 — not yet announced.
- Semana Santa 2027 — Holy Week falls in late March 2027, but Benidorm's municipal programme has not been announced. Treat the dates as unconfirmed if you are planning around processions.
One deletion worth flagging, because it still appears on plenty of Benidorm event lists: Low Festival relocated to Torrevieja from 2026 after more than a decade at the Ciudad Deportiva Guillermo Amor, so it is no longer a reason to book here.
Beyond those, the reliable pressure on rooms comes from the school-holiday peak in July and August, and from the long-stay winter bookings that go in months ahead for October onwards.
Getting to Benidorm and around
From the airport. Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport sits about 57 km away, roughly 40 minutes by road. ALSA runs a direct coach in about 45 minutes, roughly hourly and with up to around 18 nonstop services a day in season, into Benidorm bus station and Avenida Europa. Shared shuttle operators average around 55 minutes plus waiting time and drop closer to your door. Private transfers and taxis are the quickest option, and a hire car makes most sense if you plan to head inland to Guadalest or the Algar waterfalls.
The tram. The TRAM d'Alacant network run by FGV is genuinely useful here. Line 1, the red line, links Alicante-Luceros to Benidorm roughly every 30 minutes. Line 9, the grey line, runs hourly from Benidorm to Dénia along the historic narrow-gauge coastal railway, about 97 km and some 51 stops, and it is a scenic day out in its own right; it was fully restored in 2023 after years of engineering closure, with track-tamping maintenance continuing through 2026. The two meet at Benidorm Intermodal. One thing to plan for: the tram station sits inland of the town centre, so it is a walk from both beaches rather than a seafront stop.
Buses and parking. Intercity coaches use Benidorm bus station, and the local network, including lines 1, 5, 11, 16 and 30, connects Rincón de Loix, the centre and Poniente, which matters if your apartment is at the far end of either promenade. Parking is paid underground or blue-zone street parking in the centre and along both seafronts; free spaces get easier the further back from the sand you go.
Theme parks, the Serra Gelada and day trips
Terra Mítica. The Mediterranean-civilisations park, about 8 km and 15 minutes from the centre at Partida del Moralet, owned by Aqualandia-Mundomar. Its 2026 season opens on 15 May. Crucially, it is seasonal and it is staged: only the Egypt, Greece and Rome zones open from 15 May to 26 June and again from 12 September to 25 October plus 1 November, with all five zones, adding Iberia and The Islands, running from 27 June. It closes outside roughly April or May to November. Check which zones are open for your dates.
Terra Natura and Aqua Natura. The immersion wildlife park at Foia del Verdader holds around 1,500 animals of some 200 species across 320,000 square metres, and opens daily from early April to early November. The zoo has run year-round in some seasons, but the adjacent Aqua Natura water park closes in winter, so do not plan a January water-park day.
Aqualandia and Mundomar. Both sit on the Rincón de Loix side above Levante. Aqualandia, one of the larger water parks in Europe, runs roughly May to late September; the 2025 season closed on 28 September. Mundomar, the marine-animal park next door, is open for most of the year.
Serra Gelada. The coastal ridge rising east of Levante is a natural park with walking routes and the Cruz de Benidorm viewpoint, it is free, and it is open all year. It is the best thing to do in Benidorm on a mild winter morning and it costs nothing.
Benidorm Island. Glass-bottom and ferry trips run out to the island offshore from Playa de Levante. They are seasonal and weather-dependent, and we could not confirm the 2026 timetable, so check locally on the day rather than planning around it.
Day trips. Guadalest, the medieval castle village in the mountains, is about 15 to 20 km away and 35 to 45 minutes by road. The Algar waterfalls near Callosa d'en Sarrià are around 15 km inland, a protected wetland with bathing pools. Villajoyosa, the chocolate town, sits between Benidorm and Alicante and is reachable on tram Line 1. Dénia is the far end of Line 9.
Eating and drinking, by area
Old Town. Calle Santo Domingo is the tapas alley, lined with tapas and Basque pintxos bars, several of them founded by northern Spanish families. The squares around it, Plaza de Castelar and the Plaça del Castell, and the Mercado Municipal, are the authentic eating core of the town. Come in the late afternoon for tardeo and you will be surrounded by Spanish drinkers rather than tourists.
Poniente. Chiringuitos on the sand and quieter, more Spanish-leaning restaurants strung along the Paseo de Poniente. Slower, cheaper and less shouty than the Levante side.
Levante and Rincón de Loix. The British strip. The English Square around Calle Mallorca and Calle Lepanto, plus Calle Gerona, concentrates the bars, the karaoke and the cabaret. If that is what you came for, this is unbeatable in Spain. If it is not, stay west of the headland.
Self-catering practicalities. Supermarkets cluster in and around the centre and Rincón de Loix, and the Mercado Municipal is the place for produce. Launderettes are easy to find in the tourist areas. Spanish recycling uses colour-coded street containers: yellow for plastics and cans, blue for paper, green for glass, and grey or brown for general and organic waste.
Good to know before you book
There is no tourist tax. The Valencian Community, Benidorm included, does not levy one. The regional tourist tax was approved and then repealed by the Consell before it ever entered into force, with the repeal approved in February 2024. As of August 2026 only Catalonia and the Balearic Islands charge a general tourist tax in Spain. Older reporting about a levy arriving on the Costa Blanca is out of date.
Beach rules. Both main beaches offer step-free access, adapted bathing and footbaths, and both flew a Blue Flag for 2026. The standard municipal rules apply: no beach access between midnight and 07:00, and no camping.
Medical cover. The public Hospital Marina Baixa, widely called Hospital Vila, is in Villajoyosa, about 9.3 km and 12 minutes away, and you can reach it on tram Line 1 to the Hospital stop or by bus. Private options in town include IMED Levante and Clínica Benidorm. Local health centres cover Rincón de Loix, Tomás Ortuño, La Cala and Foietes. Pharmacies are everywhere and operate a duty rota out of hours.
Check the lift. Benidorm is a vertical town and many of its apartment blocks are decades old. Lift provision, floor level and sea aspect vary enormously between flats in the same tower, so read the specific listing rather than assuming from the building. This matters most for long winter stays and for anyone with mobility needs.
The tram station is not on the seafront. It sits inland, so factor a walk or a local bus into every arrival and departure if you are travelling by tram with luggage.
Our hand-picked Benidorm stays
Five properties, all self-catering: three on Levante and Rincón de Loix, one in the centre and one on Poniente. Each is hand-picked, and we do not take payment from properties to be featured.
- Apartamentos Santa Margarita — Rincón de Loix, 03503. A self-catering base deep in the lively eastern end, steps from Levante's bars. The trade-off is a long walk into the Old Town from this end of the beach.
- Apartments Torre Levante 1H — Levante, 03503. A high-rise apartment with the beach and the nightlife strip on the doorstep. You give up quiet, and in older towers lift and accessibility provision varies, so check the specific block before booking.
- Carlos V Levante — Levante, 03503. Another self-catering option close to the action. It competes with the other two Levante blocks on location rather than service, so compare floor, sea aspect and lift.
- Apartment Diamond — centre, 03500. The pick if you want to be in the centre and the Old Town, within walking reach of both beaches and the tapas streets. Less direct beach frontage, and central bustle at night.
- Waves Apartment — Poniente, 03502. A modern apartment in the landmark Sunset Waves towers on Avenida República Argentina, with pools, gym and sauna in the complex. About a 16-minute walk to Poniente Beach and a long way from Levante's nightlife.
We have nothing yet in the Old Town proper, nor in the surrounding Marina Baixa villages of Villajoyosa, Finestrat or La Cala, so we have left those off rather than send you somewhere we cannot vouch for. For the wider picture, see our Spain guide.
