Millions visit Benidorm every year – and the Brits are among the largest percentage. Hotels are reporting 95% occupancy over the Christmas period, with many domestic tourists coming from the capital Madrid and other major Spanish cities. But surprisingly many Brits pop over to Benidorm on daytrips from other resorts. One lady who knows this better than others is Cathy Mac – a tour guide based in Torrevieja.
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It’s all about balls here in Spain today – lottery balls, but more specifically the El Gordo. The annual Christmas draw takes place today, starting at 9am in Madrid at the Teatro Real, where children of San Ildefonso school sing the numbers out. Initially it is quite cute, but after three hours….
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Decades ago you could only purchase “imitation designer brands” in the far East but now they are rife at virtually every market in Europe… and Benidorm is certainly no exception. With Christmas nearly upon us, many are looking to make that special purchase, not really thinking of the consequences - especially if money is tight, of buying an imitation.
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One thing which has stood the test of time here in Benidorm is “Sheila´s Money exchange" – located at the Indoor Market in the Rincon de Loix. Banks, bars and restaurants come and go, but Sheila´s, which opened up in 1985 is still going strong – testament to their honest reputation and legion of loyal customers.
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Christmas is a time for giving and no-one knows this more than one very exceptional local man – British expat Gary James. Gary is selfless when it comes to charity and has not one but two charity shops called “Giving4Giving”. The first is in La Nucia and the other in Altea, which he opened in March of this year. The main beneficiaries are usually small lesser-known cancer charities and he holds a number of fundraising events throughout the year. Two of the most popular are a sponsored dog walk and the downhill bike ride.
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Christmas has certainly now arrived in Benidorm, marked by the lights being officially switched on at the Plaza de Navidad – meaning Christmas Square (The Town Hall Square). This extended Bank Holiday weekend has seen an influx of people into the resort and you can almost feel the buzz and excitement in the air. Remember tomorrow, Tuesday 8 is a National holiday - Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
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As we are now in December, the countdown to Christmas is on. But most people in Spain look forward not to 24th or 25th – but to 22nd, which is the day that the El Gordo National Lottery is drawn! The El Gordo lottery pays out more prizes than any other lottery draw in the world and almost everyone in Spain plays - the average spend is 70 euros per person.
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A great place for a day trip is Jalon - sometimes referred as Xaló and located around 35km north east of Benidorm. It is an easy 30 minute drive along the N332, just follow the direction for Calpe. Jalon attracts many British expats to set up home there, especially families, as there is the Laude Lady Elizabeth secondary school nearby. Encompassed by some spectacular scenery, with the magnificent Sierra Bernia mountains forming a backdrop to the town, it is surrounded by fields of olive trees, almond & orange groves - but most of all, vines.
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An awful lot of money – tens of millions, is currently being invested in the resort, proving that astute business owners are confident Benidorm will continue to be a favourite holiday destination – which is all good news to us here.Two popular hotels are undergoing major refurbs and another is being built, in addition to alterations and improvements around the resort, by private businesses and the council.
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The new €20 banknote will start circulating within the Euro zone from this coming Wednesday - November 25. Numerous security features have been incorporated into the new banknotes in order to protect and make them harder to counterfeit.
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The forthcoming protest rally in Benidorm, which is taking place on Monday is certainly causing ripples at the Town Hall. The event has been instigated by British ex-pat Karen Cowles in order to “Protect our Tourism”. Crime is nothing new and certainly not isolated to Benidorm - all high tourist destinations suffer the same. But many are now put off coming due to the reputation it is gaining of rising crime rates and lack of action taken by the police and authorities.
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Despite a police raid in October on a number of British Bars that ran illegal gambling dens, Autonomous Police from Valencia dismantled a further two last Thursday following an inspection. It has obviously not deterred the owners who continue to take bets despite the risks.
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The event of the year took place in Benidorm today – the British Fancy Dress Day and boy what a day it was. This year certainly appeared to beat all expectations as the entire length of Calle Gerona was jam packed, from Western Saloon all the way past Jumping Jacks. It is also the first year that roads have been blocked off to traffic –not just Calle Gerona but all the roads running off it too, with National and Local Police out in numbers.
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There were some very unhappy guests at the Sandos Hotel Monaco earlier after signs went up yesterday stating “We kindly remind you that it is not allowed to wear fancy dresses in the hotel premises”. I was contacted by one, Amanda, who is staying there with friends and been coming for many years for the November fiestas. She said that her group and many others staying there were very upset to suddenly see these notices appearing all around the hotel. However, this morning the signs had been amended slightly, stating that they would now allow them “only in the Monte Carlo Bar”.
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