Drinkers and smokers faced added misery following the budget this week as the Chancellor announced another duty rise on alcohol and cigarettes. A packet of cigarettes will go up by an astonishing 37 pence and alcohol will increase by 5% - seeing the price of a pint of beer rise by as much as 10 pence. Since 2008, the price of beer has risen by an eye watering 40%.
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The Department of Tourism in Benidorm is hosting the second annual "Tapas and Pinchos" competition commencing on Monday 26th March and finishing on Sunday 1st April.An amazing 37 establishments are taking part which are all located in the Old Town - 14 of which can be found down Calle Santo Domingo - famously known as Tapas Alley. Each of the participating competitors has a "Concurso Tapa y Pincho" poster in its window.
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The traditional Burning of the Fallas on Monday night almost didn't take place in Benidorm! The City Council owe the fire service 549,000 euros from 2011 and last Friday the Provincial Fire agency sent a fax to the Town Hall announcing that they would not be sending fire crews to the annual burning's until it had been paid.
Despite recent reports that passenger numbers flying into El Altet Alicante airport have fallen over the last two months, business in Benidorm appeared brisk and busy over the weekend.Walking down the Avd Mediterraneo you would be forgiven for believing the reports but turn onto the Calle Gerona and surrounding streets and it was positively heaving.
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Terra Natura is often referred to as a zoo but it is actually a wildlife park. It is based upon 3 continents which replicate the animals and eco-systems of that environment - Europe, Asia and America. Animals and plants typical of that continent can be seen within each region making it not only an enjoyable visit but also an educational learning experience.
Aena, the airport operator have announced that footfall at El Altet (Alicante) airport fell by a staggering 120,000 passengers, a 13% decrease over the same period last year. The two main contributing factors are the collapse of Spanair and cancellations by Ryanair. During February a total of 455,827 passengers passed through El Altet, representing a decrease of 12.9%.
Today saw the opening of a brand new Primark store within the Gran Via shopping centre in Alicante. Police were even on hand to direct traffic on the roads leading to the car park underneath, which is free of charge.The opening was due at 12 noon but true to Spanish timekeeping was late! The Alicante fiesta queen was there to cut the ribbon and officially open the store with management from the Primark Head Office.
An ITV is the Spanish equivalent of an MOT for all motor vehicles. In Spain a car is required by law to be tested once it is 4 years old - every two years then once it is 10 years old it has to be tested every year. In the UK vehicles have to be tested every year when they reach 3 years.The rates for a test vary depending on fuel and whether they have a catalytic converter.
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Many of you will be looking forward to your Easter break here in Benidorm ... sun, sea, sand etc. The stressful bit is always the flight over - will your case be overweight and therefore subject to an extortionate excess fee, will you manage to sit together on the plane - having refused to pay even more to pre-book the seats on those that offer "the service".
Yesterday evening the British Vice Consul, Lloyd Millen and his team came to Benidorm to give an informative talk on the services offered by the Consulate - which took place at Benidorm Town Hall.The presentation was well attended with over 100 British ex-pats and was opened by Mr Millen, who gave an informative talk on the role of the Consulate.
Yesterday saw the first day of trading at the new location for the La Nucia rastro. Previously the rastro had been located on the road where the Centro de Salud is - a built up residential area which proved somewhat of a nuisance to neighbours and the health centre. But the rastro has now "come home" to where it first started 30 years ago - on the "L'Alberca Industrial estate".
Terra Natura is probably on the list of places to visit when you come to Benidorm. It is not so much a zoo but rather a wildlife park. There are 3 zones; America, Asia and Europe and you can see the animals of those Continents living within their natural environment with shrubs and plants from these regions.There are plenty of interactive activies going on throughout the day such as feeding the animals
Last night was the opening night of Benidorm's newest entertainment venue and my goodness what a night. People were queuing from 7.30pm for the 8pm opening - it was like the first day of the Harrod's sale! When the doors opened floods of people came rushing in - half of Benidorm must have arrived. I even noticed local competition in the way of David Climent of Benidorm Palace there keeping a check on what he's up against!
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Bart Gommans, Councillor for Foreign residents in La Nucia organized a tour of the Central Police Station for the towns English speaking residents yesterday. The tour was exceptionally well attended - over 60 came and another one is planned next week for Dutch and German speakers.The group were greeted by the Police Chief, Javier Burrueco Gallardo who welcomed everyone.
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