A day as an extra on "Benidorm 5"

Studio set - scene of reception of "Solana resort"

The day started at 7am.... it was still dark outside! The extras for the day, aprox 20 were already gathered in the lobby of the Pelicanos hotel. Tuesday is change-over day for the charter flight holiday companies, so the lobby was already buzzing with life. We were not alone. The minibus finally came and transported us to the studio set - the pink building almost opposite Benidorm Palace, where a hearty breakfast was served and appreciated. This is the fictitious reception of the Solana Hotel - they can't use the Sol Pelicanos reception as it is too busy with genuine guests! However, the pool shots are from the hotel.
The day then really started in earnest. From the holding area various extras were called to appear in the background, or enact little scenes. As only one camera was being used for the shoot, the scenes have to be filmed from four different angles and also closeups. This is where the reading and chatting time comes in. As the crew move the scenery, camera and lights we relax until called for again.

Crew ready for filming....

In one scene, the fish would not behave. Every time the camera closed in on the beautiful fish tank for a cutaway shot, the fish would hide. Eventually a crew member had to agitate the water just before the take for the five second shot.
The director gently paces around taking in the various situations, and passes on a gentle command, which in turn is repeated at full voice like on the bridge of a ship. Cut...reload...silence....Action!!! We're on a roll again..... After another scene change we extra's come on again to be positioned for our walk through the reception area shots and then at 7pm comes the signal "Its a wrap" ! Another day tomorrow .....

FaceBook and Benidorm may not mix!

As exciting as it is to be going on holiday let the following tale be a caution to you all. With the mushrooming of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter it is all to easy to get carried away letting all your "friends" know what you are doing and where you are going.

According to a report, back in May of this year a home owner was burgled whilst on holiday. This week she was notified by her insurance company that they would NOT be paying out on her claim.

The main reason they are quoting is that she had put on her Facebook page that she was going away on holiday, giving regular updates of what she was doing etc therefore failing to take reasonable precautions for her homes security! They said that as she had advertised on a public network that the home would be unoccupied for a period of time she had invalidated her insurance.

Whilst you're relaxing here who's helping themselves ?

So let this be a warning ...... especially if your FaceBook and Twitter accounts are in your real name therefore easy to trace your address and personal details - best use an annonymous name. By all means post your photos and reports but probably wait until you come back home.  

And to add to the dangers of facebook, nearly 90% of jilted lovers are spying or stalking their ex´s on social media sites. I a new survey, the vast majority of people are guilty of post break-up cyber snooping! It is always sensible to check your security settings and change your password on a regular basis.

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Horse Riding in Benidorm

Karen taking a group out

Only 5 minutes out of Benidorm,past the Villa Mar campsite heading towards Albir you can experience the thrill of horse riding through the countryside. Whether you are a complete novice or an experienced rider, you can enjoy a ride accompanied by Karen, who has been teaching for 22 years and so fully qualified to take on individuals of all capabilities.
There are excursions everyday on a route that takes you through the pine forests, up towards the Sierra Helada mountains and looping back to the stables - which last more or less an hour.

Some of the horses available to ride

Karen takes a maximum of 8 per group and riding hats are provided for all riders. There is no weight limit - unlike the UK.
The stables house 40 horses and all are well groomed and looked after by many helping hands and riding enthusiasts.
Summer opening times are from 10am until 2pm then from 4.30pm onwards - giving the horses a break during the harsh midday sun. In Winter morning sessions are the same but the afternoon begins again at 3pm to take into account the earlier sunset.
Children's lessons are held at the weekends from Sept to June and cost 15€. Adults lessons are held during the week.

Off up towards the Sierra Helada mountains

The 1 hour countryside trek costs 20€ per person and transport can be arranged at an additional cost. The stables are located behind the Excalibur Medievil Castle in Albir (Castillo Conde de Alfaz) on the Camino Cantera de Orozco.
The group pictured were on holiday from Birmingham and it was the  first time any had been on a horse. Initially most were abit nervous but Karen soon put them at ease. The horses followed each other in a trail and stopped for a snack to munch on the pines whilst riding through the forest. For the very nervous Karen can guide the horse on a leash next to her at the front - as was the case with a young boy in the group.

Coming home !

For the experienced riders a sand school is available at the yard so that you can take the horse out for a gallop after the trek.
For further information or to book call Karen on 678 983 119. The stables are fully insured - a requirement for them to be able to operate.

Antiquarium - opens on the Benidorm to Villa Joyosa road

Amanda from "Solo Jabones" selling handmade soaps

Today, Saturday 27th August saw the opening of a brand new low cost retail & leisure concept located on the N332 just past the crematorium in Villa Joyosa. The idea is the brainchild of a local businessman who wanted to bring together a mix of all things which appeal to most of us: rastro, market stalls, antiques and dining -  but all under one roof. Its like a cross between a village market fair, medievil market, Benidorm market and local artisans which are encouraged to exhibit their skills and arts free of charge. Although technically in Villa Joyosa it is just past La Cala in Benidorm so easy to find.
There is plenty of FREE parking with security but if you are reliant on public transport then fear not, the number 503 Llorente bus goes from La Cala to Villa Joyosa every hour - departing from La Cala at 10 to the hour (ie 9.50; 10.50; 11.50).

Cool relaxed interior.

At Antiquarium you will find a delightful mix of hand crafted items such as soaps and cards, food stalls selling anything from cheese to sausages and nuts - all of which can be tasted, local artists selling works of art as well as the stalls you would expect at a market.
 There are also plenty of refreshment stalls and dining areas selling drinks and snacks such as crepes, hot toasted sandwiches and a bbq.
 The definate advantage is that currently all of the stalls are indoors which in this heat is a relief - they will be expanding outside too once the weather permits it to be comfortable for both traders and customers.

Browsing at Natasha's stall - one of many

The first day of trading saw an infux of customers and by 11am the car park was already 3/4 full. Hopefully as the day progresses the traders will have had a successful inauguration!

Local artist "Salvador Molla"

Tasting some chocolate coated nuts at the Medievil stall

One of the many bars where you can enjoy a beer.

Flying from Gatwick to Alicante - gateway to Benidorm

Weighing my hand-luggage going out

I flew back home to Benidorm from London Gatwick to Alicante yesterday. I normally travel on my favourite airline .... Ryanair! I know where I am with them and always adhere to the very strict hand luggage policy.  I actually travel with a checked laundry bag much to my daughters embarrassment to ensure that I get my full 10kg allowance - a holdall or small case takes up valuable kilo's and eats into my shopping allowance. However, this time I went "posh" ..... I flew on Monarch ! Leaving Alicante I had my small red hand luggage sized suitcase PLUS handbag ... not the smallest I admit but a girl has to take her essentials. No-one mentioned anything about its size or hand luggage policies to me or any other passengers.On my return yesterday I checked in at Gatwick with my son. Same red suitcase and handbag and my son had a similar suitcase and rucksack. Obviously mine was over - 12.7kg (blame the sales) but we managed to shift bits about and placed a fair amount into the rucksack and my handbag. Boarding cards now in hand off we went through security. After a browse we headed off to the gate once it was updated on the departure screen. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the tanoy announcement for boarding but instead the following came: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to inform you that you are only allowed 1 piece of hand luggage onboard the aircraft. Ladies handbags and laptop cases count as 1 piece. Anyone with more than 1 piece will be made to check it into the hold at an additional cost". Well, everyone looked at each other panic-stricken... me probably more than anyone else. Cases were opened and passengers were trying to stuff handbags into them. By some fluke I emptied the contents of my "handbag" into the case and somehow squashed it down and just about managed to close it. Likewise, we did the same with my sons rucksack but couldn't manage the food so placed that into a WHSmiths bag which someone kindly gave to us ... thank-you Sonny Merali of Computech in La Nucia. We handed in our boarding passes to the cabin staff and she took some convincing that the carrier bag was not an extra piece of hand luggage but our lunch which we bought with us due to the extortionate cost and lack of choice onboard ! All I can say is thank goodness that they don't have scales at that point ...... they would have charged excess weight to 80% of the passengers I think.

Once onboard I opened up the case and fished everything out to put back into my handbag..... what a complete farse ! But what made me really cross was the fact that when I was checking in and shifting things into my handbag/rucksack the man did not at any time point out that I would not be allowed on with both - probably because by that point he knew it would have been too late and I would have had to cough up the excess fee. Very naughty ...... Ryanair are very clear about their policy but Monarch seem to lull you into a false sense of security by allowing you out one way with "two" pieces but then changing the goalposts on the return. 

Reclaim area at Alicante airport

On arrival at Alicante we made our way to passport control ... what a joke. The entire area was dark, no-one was at the control which isn't unusual but there were no staff around either to direct passengers. In 10 years of commuting I have only seen the controls manned twice. But everyone was lost as there was no obvious way to go - I marched through the passport control and then down the escalator to the baggage reclaim and onto the exit... and everyone followed. For a brand new gleaming airport they certainly need to brush up their act - its not as if I landed in the middle of the night, it was 6.55pm and this is peak holiday season. I dread to think what they will be like in low season ! They need to beef up on the signage directing passengers where to go if they can't be bothered to actually employ staff to do the job.

Vehicle testing in Benidorm (ITV/MOT)

An article in this weekends Mail on Sunday reported that the British Government is proposing to relax the frequency of MOT testing on cars. Currently they are required by law to be tested every year once a car is 3 years old.  It has been proposed that annual checks would be replaced by one every two years for cars under 10 years old and that cars would not have to be tested until they were four years old instead of three. Vehicles over ten years old would still be required to have annual checks. If this is voted in then it would bring the UK inline with us here in Spain ... and possibly in other European countries. In Spain it is known as an "ITV" and you take your vehicle into the testing station in your vicinity - the local one here is in Benidorm on the N332  leading into the town. The cost varies depending on the size of your vehicle and on which testing station you use . Apparently stations in the Valencian Community are the most expensive in Spain! Current charges at the Benidorm testing station are as follows for vehicles up to 3500kg, which cover almost all cars: 44.13€ with no catalyser, 50.94€ with a catalyser and 65.25€ for diesel. The current price for a British MOT  vehicle test is £54.85 for a car with up to 8 seats.

Not surprisingly motoring groups and garages have condemned the proposals saying that it will lead to an increase in motor accidents - what they actually mean is that it will result in a loss of revenue! I don't think that any more accidents will result in cars being tested only every two years -  many new cars now come with 5 and 7 year factory warranties so with the advance in vehicle technology it only seems logical.
It will be interesting to see if this proposal is voted in ..... after all, I don't think that any more deaths occur in Spain because cars up to 10 years old are tested every 2 years. However, whether more deaths occur because of the way the Spanish drive - well that's another story !!!! Anyone that drives here Im sure shake their heads in disbelief at least once every day when they are on the roads.....

ITV testing station in Benidorm

Sporting Alfas 1st X1 104 for 3 beat la Manga 102 for 10

SACC, in the clubs biggest game for 5 years, demolished La Manga with a fielding display showing the depth of ability in the team. Laundon and Lupson removed the top 7 batsmen in 15 great overs, leaving Taylor and Crompton to finish off the tail. Laundon getting 4 for 25, Lupson 3 for 39, Taylor 1 for 20 and Crompton 2 for 15. Pennick catching 2, Shafique catching 2 and stumping 1, Morgan and Fletcher holding on to 1 apiece. Shafique and Pennick batted first for SACC taking the score to 43 before Pennick(12) was brilliantly run out by Ravi, knocking down 1 stump whilst turning on the throw. Nadeem(11) showed his class but when the score reached 72 was well held in the gully. Howe(6) fell foul of the umpires leaving one that struck him high on his hip and adjudged LBW. Crompton(6) joined the hard hitting Shafique and scored the last few runs to insure Shafique's(61) last game for SACC for a while had an happy ending.
SACC remain on top of the league with 19 points.

La Vuelta in La Nucia

The second stage of La Vuelta was from La Nucia, a town 10 kilometers from Benidorm.  The town has a market on a Sunday morning, but today the streets were full of cyclists in their outfits, not only  the racers but the spectators as well. If you decided to rob a bank in the Alicante region, today would have been a good day. All the Guardia Trafico, Guardia Civil, National Police and Local La Nucia police were all participating in the opening of La Vuelta. I did not  know there were so many trafico motor bikes. Also all the staff at the Salud, (Health Center)
turned up for work this morning as it gave the a good view of the event.
The mayor and his team did a good job attracting the Vuelta to La Nucia. It certainly put it on the map of Costa Blanca.  Even the Russians turned up amongst many to take part in the race. The Sky team from the UK were also there supported by the many British residents in the area.

Below are a few photos of  the arrival of the teams.

Benidorm prepares for the Vuelta

Finish arch at The Triangle

By 8am this morning Benidorm was already a hive of activity. The television crews were  frantically assembling their broadcasting equipment which comprised of what looked like miles and miles of cables, while the organizers of the Vuelta were busy setting up their monitoring systems. The barriers for containing the anticipated crowds had already been erected earlier.  The local police were the only force without a job ....they were just driving around aimlessly killing time. Their turn would come later once the race was nearing the start time.As the Vuelta is an International event, teams of foreign entrants and their convoys were getting ready at their  4 star hotels. Yesterday the parking areas at the Melia and other Benidorm hotels were full of support coaches and supply equipment.

Dutch team coach - obviously orange!

Have you ever seen the Avd Med looking so empty!

Television crews all set up.

Barriers at the ready.

Today's race is a time trial around Benidorm to decide on the starting positions. Tomorrow is the start of the actual race - which will begin from La Nucia.  I went to the starting point The Placa del Nits, and it was completely deserted. All the Vuelta entorage will be moved after the time trial race from Benidorm to La Nucia later this afternoon. It is going to some convoy - so expect the traffic jams to move to La Nucia!

A bit of Spain in London

A little bit of Spain in Central London.

Spanish tapas - London prices.

If you have just come back from your 2 week holiday in Benidorm and are missing the food already then pop into Westfield Shopping Centre in London and you'll find "Tapas Revolution". I came across it yesterday and was suprised by how authentic the food was.... but not the prices! In Benidorm you can easily pick up a 3/4 course Menu del Dia with half a bottle of wine for under 10€  The Chinese restaurants in Benidorm are even cheaper - there you can get a 3 course meal plus drink for under 5€.

Muy bueno!

The staff working at Tapas Revolution were actually Spanish too, which I found a nice touch....  it gave me the opportunity to have a chat in Spanish! They did have a giggle when I asked them for "local Spanish prices" to go along with the Spanish food.
Tapas Revolution can help you if you miss the food but not the weather - yesterday it was grey and very wet all day... but then again what was I expecting - sun!

The Vuelta in Benidorm

The Vuelta (annual cycling race) starts this weekend in Benidorm. The 66th edition takes in the entire length and much of the breadth of Spain, from the Mediterranean coast to the Basque country and then back to Madrid for the traditional finish.
Javier Guillen has decided to start this year's race with a team time trial. The 13.5 kilometre run starts on the beach in Benidorm on Saturday, and runs along the Terra Mitica road, onto the Poniente and Levante  beaches  then finishing at the Avenida del Mediteraneo.

On Sunday at 1pm  the cyclists will depart from Plaza Auditori de Les Nits in La Nucia and head for Orihuela a route of 174 kilometres.
For the residents of the Benidorm area this means a lot of  road closures for several hours. It is already a very busy town with the influx of tourists and their cars for the holiday season. An additional audience for the Vuelta will  make the town grind to a standstill. If you are not a cyclist follower then I personally would avoid the town for the weekend. If you are a follower, what a great opportunity to view the start of the  race.

The Duchess of Benidorm

The Dutchess and Steve riding the bucking bronco!

The second business that ITV Daybreak's Steve Hargrave (Entertinment  Correspondent) visited was Philip from the Casa Don Juan - a boutique hotel located in the very heart of the Old Town of Benidorm.

Phil is better known as "The Dutchess" and spent an evening showing Steve the "nightlife" in the town which was broadcast on Tuesday 2nd August - you can still catch it on YouTube. I'm sure that they will both count the bucking bronco experience as memorable and probably never to be repeated! Well the crowds watching certainly enjoyed it ....

I popped into the Casa Don Juan - which can be found just round the corner, literally from Tapas Alley. The Old Town has a thriving Gay community and this October (21st -23rd) Benidorm will be hosting its very first "Gay Pride extravaganza" - raising money for 3 Gay Spanish charities.

Philip came to Benidorm just over 14 years ago - relocating from Wandsworth in London (but is originally from Leeds). He came to help out friends that ran the Don Juan and worked there part time over that Summer. Their circumstances changed and they decided to move back to the UK and offered Phil first refusal. So in 2000 Phil took over and hasn't looked back since.

He left the name for 2 reasons - firstly it was already an established brand and secondly to rename would involve ALOT of paperwork and alterations to the property. The licence that existed couldn't be revoked but in order to change the name he would have had to apply as a new business which would have entailed installing numerous disabled facilities which are now compulsory- and anyone who knows the Old Town will be able to appreciate that this is easier said than done.

 Phil now employs 2 full time and 2 part time staff to help run the thriving hotel. There are 7 en-suite rooms and a further 2 one bed apartments - full details can be found at www.casadonjuan.eu

Me and Phil at the Casa Don Juan enjoying a drink.

Phil has been with his Spanish partner Cristobel for 17 years.... and they are planning to get married in the not too distant future (paperwork allowing and being Spain we all know that could mean a rather long wait!) They met at a nighclub in Ibiza where Cristobel initially thought Phil was Swedish ! Perhaps his Yorkshire accent sounded Scandinavian through the deafening retro music.... that'll be a first I'd say !

 Phil becomes "The Dutchess" most nights at the hotel where he hosts "Play Your Cards Right" ..... but with a twist ! Its a hilarious evening - or should I say morning as it doesn't get started until 1am. If you fancy a laugh head to the Old Town for some Tapas then saunter up to the Casa Don Juan and it'll certainly be a night to remember.

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Alicante Airport not so cheap for visitors to Benidorm

It may appear to be a rather strange statement when you buy at Alicante airport for some items you pay MORE! I flew back to London from El Altet yesterday and was somewhat puzzled and astounded at the cigarette prices in the "Duty Free" shop. Although not a smoker myself I know the prices ...... in the tobacos shops on the average High Street in Spain you will pay 42.50 euro's for Silk Cut and Benson & Hedges - probably the most popular brands. However, at the Alicante airport Duty Free shop they were priced at 48.90€ ! Thats a whopping 6.40€ MORE or 15%. It's even worse if you roll your own. 500gm of Golden Virginia or Old Holborn costs 67.50€ on the high street but 84.40€ at the Duty Free - thats 16.90€ MORE or 25% MORE.
I spoke to the store manager and asked her how they could justify these prices  - especially as the government set the selling price..... she replied that it wasn't her that set the prices and suggested that I contact Head Office - what a cop out !
So a word of warning if you are a smoker - DO NOT buy at the Duty Free shop in Alicante airport as it will cost you alot more. Imagine if you were to take your full allowance of  cigarettes which is 3200 = 16 cartons. You would be paying 102.40€ MORE if you where a B&H/Silk Cut smoker.The same if you are a pipe/roll up smoker wanting to bring back your 3kg allowance of tobacco. You would pay 101.40€ MORE ....put that in your pipe - or not depending on where you buy it ! So be warned ... shop before you get to the airport. Oh, and another thing - they are charging 20 cents for a rather flimsy carrier bag there too!

Also when changing your pounds to euros, don't do it at the airport. I asked at the exchange what the exchange rate was and was quoted 1.07 euros to the pound without any commission. Now in Benidorm, where there rate is the same at all the exchanges,  as there is a cartel running,  the rate was 1.11 € The actual bank rate for the day was 1.14€.  The rate in Benidorm exchanges is always 3 cents below the rate quoted in the  press (not tourist rate).
So no wonder Mr. O'Leary of Ryanair keeps on protesting to AENA. If they rip off the passengers, what are the doing to the airlines with their charges?

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Jalon - a short drive from Benidorm.

Jalon, sometimes referred as the Vall de Pop is located some 35km north east of Benidorm and easily accessed via the N332 - follow the direction for Calpe - and is aprox. a 30 minute drive from Benidorm.

Jalon has some of the best scenery in Spain with the magnificent Sierra Bernia mountains forming a backdrop to the town and surrounded by fields of olive trees,almond & orange groves but most of all vines.In February the whole of the valley is covered with pink and white almond blossom and is an amazing site.

The Jalon Valley is famous for its wines - the bodegas (wine cellars) of Jalon produce a very good Moscatel and some excellent full bodied reds. You can visit these bodegas and sample the wines before buying! But beware ... you can get carried away, literally! The "bodega Xalon -(big pink one) is open everyday. Weekdays they close for lunch at 1.30pm and re-open at 3.30pm until 7pm and on Saturday and Sunday they are open half day only.

The wine is stored in huge wooden barrels and is dispensed into either 2 litre or 5 litre plastic bottles - and it costs a mere 97cents a LITRE !!!!! Many a time I have witnessed people coming out carrying ten 5 litre bottles with a huge grim on their faces. The restaurants all purchase the local wine and it is this that you will be offered with you Menu del Dia - you can understand now how they can offer half a bottle per person for an 8€ menu! Often you will see the restauranteurs coming in and filling up their own 25 litre containers from the vats - a bit like filling your car up with petrol!

On a Saturday morning Jalon hosts a massive rastro along the river bank - directly opposite the bodega's - so this would be an ideal time to visit and make a day of it. There are many Spanish restaurants in the area ... and even an English Fish & Chips shop close by - so all tastes can be catered for! One particular restaurant is just a short drive out of Jalon in the direction of Alcalali called "Castellit" - I have been going here for the last 10 years and the menu is still the same!
There is a local tourist information centre as you enter Jalon on your right hand side in the carpark.

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Firework spectacular in Altea

Since 1988, the Bay of Altea has been the venue of the Castell de L'Olla - a spectacular firework display close to the beach of La Olla. This year the breathtaking display will take place on Saturday 13th August - starting at Midnight! (so make sure you get your afternoon siesta in)

The firework display marks the end of the week long San Lorenzo fiesta and reputedly attracts some 50,000 spectators. Restaurants in the area - especially those with views of the bay are booked up months in advance for this particular night.

The beach of La Olla starts to get crowded early in the afternoon with people bringing picnics and staking their places for a front line view on the beach. I attended last years display and was astounded by the volume of people that come to witness the event.

 The atmosphere is electric and you get captivated by the excitement of the crowds. It is all very well organised by the local police. Barriers are errected along the pavement on the N332 to protect the deluge of visitors heading towards the bay. You are literally carried along by the crowds... so even if you are not 100% sure where you are suppose to be heading, just follow the masses.

Parking is a major problem and you will probably end up parking some way off and walking. La Olla is situated after the main bit of Altea and heading towards the Villa Gadea hotel/Altea Hills (just before the A7 motorway slip).
The fireworks are let off from floating pontoons on the sea and many boats arrive and dock on the bay to watch from the sea - you can see them bobbing up and down.

The fireworks are let off to classical music and last for around half an hour.... lighting up the sky and sea for miles around. It is certainly something you should try and attend at least once whilst here.