Sunday at El Cisne Rastro in Benidorm

Busy bargain hunters

One of the many delights of being in the Benidorm area on a Sunday is the rastro at El Cisne. Located on the N332 - main road out of Benidorm, it is very easy to find. The number 10 bus stops right outside (just watch when everyone else gets off) or if you are driving head in the direction of Alfaz/Altea and you will find a huge FREE car-park next door.
I popped down mid morning to have a browse and chat to some of the stall holders there - apparently the real bargain hunters are there before 9am and stall holders are already setting up between 7.30 and 8.00am! There is certainly something for everyone here; ranging from rare antiques, clothing, a coin dealer, electrical items to general junk - you could spend an entire morning riffling through all the stalls - as was evident.
There is a real cross section of people too - from well dressed local Spanish to casual short & t-shirt British and Dutch holiday makers, everyone mingles side by side.

Stall holder Rada.

The first stall holder I spoke to was Rada - who lives in Alfaz but was originally from Mauritius. In the UK she use to be a psychiatric nurse working with dementia sufferers and noticed how little is done here for those suffering from the condition. She has had a stall at the rasto for the last year and donates a contribution of her takings to various local charities - at Easter she supported the Emaus childrens home in Altea by purchasing 120 mugs for the children out of proceeds from her stall. Her current chosen charity, one very close to her heart is Alzheimers and she has in fact organised a charity gala evening for this Tuesday night at the Rober Palace Hotel in Albir. A host of Benidorm entertainers have volunteered their time free of charge for the event, which starts at 7pm.

I went to explore further into the market - you can literally find anything and everything here. There is a stall selling plants and it looked so beautiful with all the different coloured flowers in full bloom - shame I always manage to kill anything I get ... possibly the fact that I forget to water them may have some bearing on that!

Raymond (sitting) and wife Joyce

Next I came across Raymond and Joyce, a lovely Lancashire couple originally from Bolton who have had a stall at El Cisne for the last 10 years. "We are here every Saturday as well as Sunday from 8am until 2pm" Raymond told me but its very hard to make a living from it now. For him and his wife its more of a hobby - they know all the stall holders and have regular customers who stop by for a natter.  They originally sold quality English bedding and towels but now also have a selection of jewellry and accessories. They have certainly noticed a drop in trade - not so much the volume of people attending but those buying. We look at the amount of carrier bags we see people holding - I was puzzled at that until Raymond told me carrier bags equal sales. Plus you need to have 2 of you on the stall Joyce added as they try to distract you whilst an accomplice tries to pinch something. As she was telling me this we saw a security man watching a "gypsy type" lady browsing at the next stall - they are very vigilant and patrol the aisles, but its no excuse to be lax about personal security. With so many people at the rastro pushing and shoving its a pick pockets ideal scenario - so be on your guard!

Chatting with Sue

I ventured up to the far end and on a busy corner met Sue and Paul who have an amazing selection of "antiques and vintage" - ranging from china, glass and ornaments to a beautiful handpainted screen. They have lived in Spain for 31 years and been at El Cisne for the last 2, commuting all the way from Benissa every Saturday and Sunday. "Its great here, we just love it" Sue told me. "They have facilities here such a toilets, restaurant, bar, free parking and its secure". Many of her customers are Spanish and she switches into Spanish easily to greet her regulars - many of whom are from Madrid. They have holiday homes here in Benidorm and whenever they are here for fiesta's they always pop to the rastro. She is always on the lookout for quality items and sells on commission too for clients.

Just up the aisle there is a stall where you can get your haircut - and there was even a queue of customers waiting! Also on the same stall you can buy a wig or a ponytail extension to change your look for an evening out. See what I mean about being able to purchase anything!

As you spend the morning browsing you can pop by to one of the 2 bars located at the front of the rastro for a much needed drink and snack.
There you can have a plate of Spanish paella with bread for 3.50€ and I must say there were many people tucking in - it certainly smelt good.

And to add to the festive atmosphere there is even free entertainment laid on every Sunday. From noon till 1pm there was Pablo Bloom - what an amazing voice and entertainer that young man is! After he finished his slot I managed to sit down and have a chat with him. He has been at El Cisne for the last 2 years but has regular spots at many of the Benidorm bars - most notably the "Rock & Roll House" and "Heartbreak" on the Levante seafront.
 Its not only me that was impressed with him, even fellow entertainers also agree. Asa Elliott, the singing sensation from the ITV Benidorm series tweeted me to say that "Pablo Bloom is the most talented man in Benidorm. Hands down". Asa is currently back in Benidorm due to huge public demand and can be heard performing most nights at 10pm in Sandra's.

Crowds enjoying the sun, drinks and entertainment.

Pablo has a very interesting background - born in Argentina he grew up in Israel until the age of 19 then moved to Spain with his parents, where he has remained. He speaks fluent English, Spanish and Hebrew - though not a lot of call for that here he told me. His love is 50's music and he wowed the audience today with renditions of Jersey Boys, Beatles, Chuck Berry as well as current hits in the charts - his range is huge. Those in the audience were singing along and even dancing as he threw out one toe tapping number after another. Its certainly worth popping along just to hear Pablo sing - and no Iam not on any commission to promote him!

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El Cisne market
Benidorm market
La Nucia Sunday market