60 BEYOND THE BENIDORM BELIEF
Sept/Oct 2022 Travel News AN ALTERNATIVE BENIDORM
Visit Benidorm kindly invited NI Travel News to the iconic Spanish seaside resort for an indulgent three day adventure in a bid to see the alternative side of Benidorm
BY CHRISTINE MCCLEERY
christine@nitravelnews.com AIRPORT EXPERIENCES
I think it’s only right that I start with the elephant in the room in the current travel climate; The airport experience. On arrival at BIA all was very civilised, no huge queues or chaos. My arrival at security was no different and the main security area was completely calm with queues no longer than 6 people. The departures area was high activity and with plenty of time to relax before my flight I decided to try out the Causeway Lounge. Priced at only £27.50 I was super impressed with the offering available! Arrival was on time at Alicante airport and although busy, again the process was seamless. Off the aircraft, through passport control and sailed through COVID cert checks to the exit where my transfer was waiting.
MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF BENIDORM It took around 40 minutes before my surroundings looked as they should, and I could see the towering buildings that Benidorm is renowned for.
I couldn’t stop looking around me at these huge towers, they most certainly took my breath away.
The next day I was fascinated to learn the ‘why’ behind the tower blocks and this knowledge instantly made my initial perception positively change.
‘If you want a sustainable holiday, then Benidorm is the place for you. The city is
known as a superb eco-friendly holiday destination, even more so for national tourism. Choosing nearby places, close to airports, with high density tourism and built according to compact plans are today’s truly sustainable destinations. You won’t need a car in Benidorm, because nothing is more than ten minutes from the beach and the city is open for business all year round. A family of four spending a week in Benidorm produces just 2.2 tonnes of carbon, as opposed to 12 tonnes on a week’s cruise in the Caribbean. The 21st century buzzword is
sustainable
density, and Benidorm, with
its
pioneering urban model, is
one of
the best examples you will find. With a compact layout, it was created to cause the least possible interference to its surroundings, while accommodating a large number of tourists in the smallest possible space. When it comes to energy efficiency and renewable energies, reaching skywards has allowed Benidorm to meet the enormous demands of the tourism industry in the smallest possible space, ventilating and lighting all rooms and guaranteeing the lowest possible use of electricity and lighting’ HOTEL LIFE My driver dropped me to the door of my hotel, the 4* RH Royal Hotel. The hotel I was being hosted in was Adult Only, and appeared on glance the smaller of the 3 RH hotels grouped close together; The RH Princesa behind and the RH Victoria in front.
I could see all the main facilities from the reception area- the restaurant, the bar, and the pool, all within a few metres and it was obvious this was a reasonably small hotel.
I checked in and went to freshen up and leave my case in my room. The RH Royal with just 9 floors as opposed to neighbouring buildings like the newly constructed and eye-catching Intempo Residential Sky Resort, which has 52 floors. This unmistakeable M shaped art deco building struck me as a structure you would see in Dubai – and its
location gives you views over the pristine blue flag beaches of the Playa de Poniente. I was back down to the hotel reception within 30 minutes to meet my host Sergio from Visit Benidorm, where the first item of our itinerary was to explore Sierra Helada Natural Park – by electric bikes. I won’t lie when I say I am not usually of the outdoorsy type, especially when in a foreign country, but the electric bike listed on the itinerary both excited me and this adventure did not disappoint – if you are visiting Benidorm this is a must experience! Our bikes were supplied by Tao Bike Benidorm where a 10/10 service was received – check out full info here - https://
en.visitbenidorm.
es /ver /2067/ tao- bike-benidorm-e-bike.
html
With 300-metre cliffs and spanning more than 5.600 hectares, 4.920 of which consist of a designated area of the sea, in 2005, the Sierra Helada Nature Park became the first “land & sea” park in the Region of Valencia.
The Majestic Park occupies a marvellous stretch of Mediterranean coast.
It is of enormous ecological and environmental value and has a rich historical and cultural legacy, offering visitors a glimpse of our planet´s 150-million-year geological history. The materials that make up the cliffs, which include stones such as sandstone, limestone, calcarenite and loam, have eroded at different speeds. HANGING FOSSIL DUNES - These rare fossil dunes are stacked at the foot of the cliffs. These formations, which were formed more than l 00,000 years ago when the level of the sea was lower than it is today, are among the most important in the world in terms of both volume of accumulated sand and height. JEEP AND WINERY TOURS After breakfast on day 2 the lovely Sergio picked us up at our hotel to embark on a Jeep tour of inland Benidorm followed by a visit to Bodegas Mendoza Winery.
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