Hot on the trail of the Altea parade two weeks ago, it was Benidorm´s turn last night. The crowds were certainly out in numbers - the entire length of Calle Gambo was packed, with people standing shoulder to shoulder. There was a combination of local Spanish and holiday makers, but you could tell which was which. The Spanish were all very smartly turned out, with men in jackets and tie and ladies wearing their Sunday best.
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Yesterday, President of the "RadioTaxi" association, Javier Matias presented a package of proposals to the City Council in the hope of improving the service offered to its customers. The principal request which would benefit taxi users is the creation of 4 new taxi ranks across the City which has a busy footfall.
Yesterday I watched an interesting documentary on BBC1 about "Health Tourism". It is a subject that has been widely debated in recent months both in the UK and here in Spain. The term health tourism refers to those that seek free hospital treatment knowing that they are not entitled to it.The rules in Spain changed on 1st September and more than 60,000 people in the Alicante province lost their right to free healthcare.
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For those that go on the N332, you will have been quite relieved when works started some years back on the widening of the Benidorm section. It is used by thousands daily, and more so since the toll rates went up on the AP7. Many now use it as an alternative to get to and from the airport, time wise there is hardly anything in it - I always use the N332 and save myself about 6 euros on a return trip.
What does a group of 13 "lads" in Benidorm conjure up? Trouble..... well I was about to find out as I met up with the group at their hotel. They were officially here on a cricket tour, members of the "Old Wimbledonians Cricket Club" - but how much cricket was likely to be played I wondered!
Yesterday Benidorm celebrated "World Tourism Day" with a public recognition to those companies and individuals who have supported the development of tourism in the town.The hotel group Sol Melia, tour operator Tui (of which Thomson & First Choice is part of) and Fernando Vera, Professor of Tourism Management at the University of Alicante were chosen this year for awards, which were divided into 3 categories
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I bet you have often walked past bars in Benidorm with boards advertising "Eyes Down" and wondered why they don´t call it bingo... which is what it is. The reason is that it is illegal to gamble in Spain outside of authorized establishments. The bars hope that by writing "eyes down" it will fool the police - sometimes it works and other times not.
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Iberdrola, the state electricity supplier here in Spain has no hesitation when it comes to cutting people off. Yesterday, a block of apartments in Alfaz del Pi had it power cut off ... and according to one resident it is not just the "crisis" as its been going on for years.The main issue with the 132 block "Arabi Park, situated behind Arabi Park is that there is only one meter that serves the entire complex!
Last night was the turn of the Christians - but you could almost have mistaken it for a Christian Grey parade. Those girls that have read the book trilogy "50 Shades of Grey" will know exactly what Im talking about.... yes I admit I am one of the millions of women that have read them!The first 3 penyas were kitted out in leather and thigh high boots - thats the girls and the men had chains across their backs ... I
It looks like security has become a top priority at long last. The PP senator for the province of Alicante, Augustine Almodobar has announced that they will present an "initiative to develop a specific security plan for tourist destinations" to Parliament. Almodobar is on the committee for Tourism and also spokesman for the PP party.
Last night was the turn of the Moros (as they say in Spanish), to show off their stuff... and what a turnout. Spectators were already vying for front row positions along the route by 7pm - an hour before the official start time. I must say I laughed to myself when I saw people bring their own chairs - one man was pushing a set of 4 plastic garden chairs in a pram.
The much anticipated Moors & Christians parade in Altea takes place this weekend.It is the highlight of the month long celebration, which actually started on 8th September and doesn´t officially finish until the 30th. There have been various low key parades, processions and religious services throughout the month but this weekend the grand parades take place.
Many visitors that came to Benidorm would demonstrate their love by leaving an initialed padlock in one of two places in the Old Town. Either on the stairs leading from Mal Pas beach up to the Mirador or up at the Mirador itself. In fact, it became a tourist attraction in its own right - many would come just to read the messages.
In the "Money Mail" section of today´s Daily Mail there is a rather interesting article about car hire under the headline "Tourists held to ransom by car hire sharks". It is specifically reporting on several incidents relating to Goldcar... a very popular company here because of its low prices. However, on reading the piece it shows how and why they are at first glance so reasonable
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