Bride-to-be Amie surrounded by her "hens"

Benidorm is one of the most popular party capitals in Europe. With its close proximity to the UK and choice of "low cost" airlines to get here, it´s easy to see why... but probably the deciding factor in choosing Benidorm is value for money. This is why the resort attracts a huge "Stag & Hen" following - and the party season has already begun!

I met up with a newly arrived group of hens at their hotel, the Dynastic hotel in the Rincon de Loix on Thursday afternoon. It was easy to spot them... all 19 of them, wearing specially printed matching T-Shirts with "Hens just wanna have fun!" emblazoned across the front. And among the group of ladies were 2 very brave chaps - well they wanted to have fun too - and why not! Only a few of the party had been to Benidorm before, so this was certainly going to be an experience for them.

The group arrived on the 9am Easyjet flight from Newcastle - landing in Alicante at 1pm. They then took an "Abas" transfer shuttle bus into Benidorm, arriving in the hotel shortly after 3pm. Laura and Vicky, the organisers (Aimie, the bride to be was their sister), booked the 3 night break as a package through Hays Travel - the UK´s largest Independent travel agent. This meant that they didn´t have the worry of booking flights, transfers and accommodation separately for such a large group. For those thinking of booking shuttle transfers, it gives you an idea of the time frame from landing to arrival at resort - obviously private transfers are much quicker but also much more expensive.

A striking line up....

What made the event even more special for Aime is that unbeknown to her,  2 of the group arrived separately from the Isle of Wight as a surprise. They arrived on a gloriously sunny day, having left a rather grey and damp Newcastle earlier that morning and were planning on 3 days of fun, fun, fun! Well they had certainly come to the right place....

I popped down to meet the group again on Friday before they went for dinner and you certainly couldn´t miss them. They looked fabulous all dressed in their red uniforms as Virgin Atlantic air stewardesses and attracted a lot of compliments from fellow hotel guests as I chatted with them in the reception area. I commented that I thought there were 2 chaps but could only see one and was speechless when they pointed out that the "stewardess" sitting next to me in short skirt and high heels was in fact one of the boys... my reaction caused much amusement and laughter. He could certainly have given "Miss Levi" a run for his money - he looked fab.

Chatting with the "Virgin Girls"

I wondered were they managed to find their outfits and Laura told me that she sourced them on Ebay - the wonders of the internet! The other themes which they initially considered were the army and cheerleaders. I definitely think they made the right choice. They ate most of their meals at the hotel apart from the breakfasts - late nights are not conducive to early hotel breakfasts and so they enjoyed leisurely ones on the Levante beach front, enjoying the views of the sea - not something that they can do in Middlesborough!

Despite some of the bars and clubs being shut as it is "Low Season" there was still plenty of choice. I had to ask the question.... did they go and see "The Legend - Sticky Vicky" - almost a must on the to do list when over. Yes they did go was the answer, although I think that some of the group were still recovering from the experience looking at their faces at the mention of her name!

Last night at The Red Lion

They enjoyed a good karaoke session at the Picadilly Bar and witnessed the powers of hypnosis at The Red Lion when one of the girls was "put under" as they say! Elaine told me that she was aware of people around her and what the hypnotist was saying but was almost in a trance and felt compelled to do whatever he instructed.... luckily it was all good natured and didn´t entail anything rude - its certainly worth catching the show if you have never seen a hypnotist before.

They ended the night, or should I say morning in Cafe Benidorm with the group making it back to the hotel in groups between 3am and 6am - for the real party animals in the group! The shuttle bus came to collect them nice and early at 8.30am for the return flight back home. I spoke to Laura shortly before they departed and asked if they had had a good time.... the clue to the answer is that they are booking to come back next year - so I think that is a resounding yes! They had a truly memorable time, relaxing on the beachfront during the day and doing what Benidorm is best at during the night - partying and having fun. Laura said that on average they spent around 130 euros during their time here which works out to about 40 euros per day. Mixers cost around 6 euros in the clubs - remember there are no entrance fees to get in and entertainment is free - plus the spirits do not come in optics. If the barman likes the look of you then he´ll be admiring you and not watching when to stop... so I bet that Laura was always buying the rounds!

The group are certainly a great ad for Benidorm and the tourist office should look at such groups to promote the resort - they were a great bunch of  (mainly) girls who came to have fun and enjoy themselves without getting rowdy and troublesome. Thank you girls sharing your experience with me and hope that you had a safe flight back.
I wish Aime all the best in her forthcoming nuptials and will raise a toast to her and Ian on 9th March.

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