Benidorm Town Hall - unique glass design....

Yes, you did read that correctly... although it is not something you would normally associate with the town. Benidorm Town Hall, that modern glass and steel structure is ten years old - it was opened back in March 2003. Most new building that are being constructed now, especially in Benidorm are sky scrappers, going upwards, but instead this one is horizontal.

The building is one hundred metres long, fifteen metres wide and twelve storeys high and accommodates all the Council offices - the Mayors office is on the fifth floor but security to get there is tight!

Stunning Intempo building in Benidorm

The building was photographed and published in several architectural magazines and its design has been imitated across the world - In 2005 the Arkansas Library in the USA which is dedicated to the former President Bill Clinton, 2007 the Central Station in Berlin and in 2008 the University of Seville. But rather controversially, the Costa Rican architects which have unveiled the City´s Legislative Building in Central America have been accused of copying the Benidorm design - I always thought that imitation was the highest form of flattery!

The Town Hall is located in front of the L´Aiguera Park and then leads up to the Bull Ring, which incidentally has a bull fight on this evening, starting at 7pm and has also hosted several concerts over the years. The massive square underneath the Town Hall is often the focal point of celebrations and fiestas - at Christmas time they even have an ice rink there.

The stunning Intempo building is another architectural feat, going up on the Poniente side - with its gold clad frontage it is rumoured to be the tallest residential building in Europe - avidly promoted to the Russian market.... perhaps with the Cyprus crisis more will be looking into buying here. But across the other side, on the Rincon de Loix a new 5 star hotel complex is due to be constructed - with a shopping mall and offices.

Levante beach yesterday!

The town has seen an influx of visitors for Semana Santa, Easter week - both Spanish and overseas. With the weather as it is across the UK, namely cold and vast areas covered in unseasonable snow it is hardly surprising that so many are flocking over here. We have had a great start weather wise, with temperatures hitting 23 over the last few days - as I drove down the Levante seafront, the smell of suntan lotion permeated the air!


If you are in any supermarket or bakery over this period, you will notice an unusual "cake" with an egg - this is called "La Mona de Pascua" - a traditional Easter cake. It has a hard boiled egg baked into it - but many supermarkets sell them with chocolate eggs in for the children! Although a deeply religious and Catholic country, I am rather surprised that the hypermarket Carrefour will be open on Easter Sunday - it is the one Sunday in the UK that shops cannot open there!