A rather deserted Levante beach

Martin Kelner, a freelance journalist and travel writer with 16 years experience having written for The Guardian, has been pacing the streets of Benidorm this week. He is here researching material for an article he is writing for The Mail on Sunday Travel section and I met up with him yesterday afternoon at the 5 star Villa Venecia hotel in the Old Town.

My objective when suggesting a location was to dispel any preconceived ideas he may have had about Benidorm and what it had to offer. The first thing Martin reassured me about was that it wasn´t going to be another  inaccurate "Benidorm bashing" piece like we witnessed last Summer in The Sun, under the sensational headline "Benidoom"! I decided then that we would get on well and I was to be proved correct after we were still engaged in conversation some hours later... what a truly charming and interesting gentleman he is.

Martin arrived in Benidorm last Saturday - narrowly missing the tornado (but he saw the amazing video clip) and has unfortunately had a rather mixed bag of weather. However, he assured me that the "warm drizzle" we walked through was nothing compared to the wet cold and grey climate of Leeds, where he is from.... I think that after 12 years I have certainly climatised as it didn´t feel very warm to me!

Earlier in the day he had had a meeting with Michelle Baker, editor of the Round Town News which is  a free monthly paper aimed at both the tourist and resident ex-pat market. She is well versed in what the resort has to offer, having lived here for 30 odd years and feels as passionate about Benidorm as I do!

In addition to his journalistic background, Martin has to date written 2 books - "When will I be Famous" in which he interviewed Benidorm comedienne Chrissy Rock before she shot to fame in the ITV hit comedy series and "Sit down and Cheer" a History of Sport on TV.... he certainly has a deep insight into the topic as he has a regular weekly column in the Racing Post. Having seen and experienced so much in his week here he now plans on writing a third, about Benidorm once he has completed his article for The Mail. There´s no denying that it has something for everyone here which Martin experienced first hand as we made our way down to Tapas Alley from the Mirador up in the Old Town.

Me with Martin in the Tapas Bar

Tapas is a delight that everyone should experience, especially when on holiday in Benidorm - and it was Martins first time. Not speaking a word of Spanish he was a bit unsure of what to order, but at the La Cava Aragonesa all the tapas is on display with descriptions in English as well as Spanish, so you can just walk around the counters and point. It was definitely a change from the typically English food he had eaten to date whilst here, most of which was chosen from picture menus which are prevalent in many of the bars and restaurants.

I asked him if he had sampled any of the night life Benidorm is so famous for and indeed he had. However, the legendary Sticky Vicky was not one - he is still recovering from having seen her "performance" some years ago! Its pretty amazing that all the places which offer entertainment are free to get into and that the drinks aren´t extortionately marked up - the beer was still probably cheaper than in the UK he said.

Martin was interested to know whether the ITV series had given an accurate or misleading image of Beniorm. Well in my opinion there are two sides to the resort - yes there is the type portrayed, if somewhat slightly exaggerated but also the side which I was showing Martin - the typical quaint Old Town with cobbled streets full of shops, bars and restaurants and even plush boutique hotels. Many of those that visit Benidorm and stay in the New Town /Rincon de Loix end never venture over to the Old Town which I feel is a real shame. It would be like having a two centre holiday with totally different cultures, something which I think Martin was understanding having now seen for himself. Benidorm is probably unique in that it can offer something for every taste and budget - it caters for families, couples and party weekends in equal measures.

He told me that he will definitely be coming back to gather more information and hopes to see more... and there is certainly lots more to experience. However, as he is also a radio presenter with a daily 3 hour slot on BBC Radio Leeds it may take some organising.

His article will probably coincide with series 6 being aired - but seeing as they are only starting filming on 25th March, it may not be until later this year or more likely next year. I look forward to reading his account and feel confident that it will be an accurate and balanced piece - remember Martin, I have your email and mobile number! Have a safe flight back and look me up when you hit town again.