It’s where the world comes to relax and have fun. You will also find a wide choice of affordable property in Benidorm, and a welcoming community. Who knows, as a new movie highlights, you might just find a new you there too…
What does the name Benidorm conjure up for you? If you know it well, maybe fabulous bucket and spade holidays, plus nightlife where you discover a more exciting side to yourself. If you’ve never been there, tower blocks, tans and everybody up for a good time. Or maybe you have a negative impression: teaming with Brits, full of lust and booze?
A new movie, It Snows in Benidorm, an Almodóvar-produced film starring Timothy Spall as a buttoned-up Brit discovering a new side to himself and to life, features all three of those sides to Benidorm. Opposite him, Sarita Choudhury, his brother’s business associate, and a beautiful love interest, assists him in solving a mystery. Spanish director Isabel Coixet paints a different side to the fast-paced Benidorm that we have all come to know.
Benidorm has grown from a small fishing village to Manhattan-on-the-Med but retains real Spanish charm and a small-town welcome too.
The film shows the appeal of the city and how it may have grown from a small fishing village to Manhattan-on-the-Med but retains real Spanish charm and a small-town welcome too.
We think you’ll love the city, and should check out the 612 properties that we feature in our portal, with prices from just €59,000.
For those looking to buy a property in Benidorm, it’s a promising location, whether you’re into partying or not. A property in Benidorm also has, of course, huge rental appeal, all year. So why is Benidorm so special and why does it hold a special place in British hearts?
Find homes in Benidorm via our property portal.
A bustling beach in Benidorm.
Who will love a property in Benidorm?
You are looking for a holiday home in Spain. You are drawn to sunny weather. Not too far away. Easy to reach all year. Perhaps you even speak a little Spanish.
But why Benidorm specifically?
Benidorm is the perfect location for people who like buzz. People who don’t like to do nothing. People who want to call their friends and family back home and invite them over to stay.
For holiday-home buyers, Benidorm has more than enough activities to keep the youngest and the oldest members of your family for a lifetime of holidays.
For those looking for a permanent move, there is plenty of work (within the new post-Brexit limits and rules, of course).
Alternatively, if you have just retired and you are looking for somewhere to move to with better weather and a cheaper cost of living, there is much to enjoy in Benidorm. Moreover, unlike some locations in Spain, when the summer ends you won’t be there on your own! Benidorm certainly favours those who want to move overseas not to potter about between siestas, but to really embrace a lively and adventurous new start. After all, 60 is the new 40. (don’t worry, if you do need a couple of days to just potter about and snooze your secret is safe with us and Benidorm can accommodate that too.)
Balcon del Mediterraneo – the balcony of the Mediterranean.
Highlights of Benidorm
For those who have never been, or were enjoying themselves too much to remember it, here are a few things you can spend your time doing if you buy a property in Benidorm.
Benidorm Old Town
As they make a point of in the new movie, before it became a tourist megacity Benidorm was a fishing village. It was then one of the first resorts to be developed and as early as 1956 two young poets spent their honeymoon here and Sylvia Plath famously wore a white bikini on the beach.
Architecturally, with its cobbled streets and white-washed buildings, only Benidorm Old Town retains a feel of what was once. Here, you can while away your time shopping and bar crawling, hoovering up the varied tapas on the way.
Balcon del Mediterraneo, where you can see the Mediterranean stretching before you, is the perfect spot for walkers, amateur photographers, shoppers and foodies. If you are a combination of all those things, then it could not be more right for you.
L’Aiguera Park
Who says Benidorm isn’t classy? L’Aiguera Park is a long, green park, designed on neo-classical lines and with amphitheatres. It separating the older parts of Benidorm from the new, with the amphitheatres used for open-air theatre and fiestas. So L’Aiguera doubles as a wonderful walking location and as an awesome venue.
Keeping the kids happy
“I’m bored!” The words every parent on holiday dreads, but not ones you’ll hear much if your holiday property’s in Benidorm. The most obvious choice for keeping kids entertained in Benidorm is the beach. Playa de Poniente is the longest, stretching for a whooping 3,000 metres. It makes it that much easier to find a property in Benidorm with a sea view too.
If you’re thinking of a holiday home, why not pool your resources and buy with family? Read our guide, Buying Abroad with Family to find out how to halve the cost and double the fun!
Many beaches in Benidorm have a Blue Flag, showing not just the highest standards for cleanliness but also for access and facilities too. These include Playa de Levante and Cala Mal Pas. Most beaches come with a range of activities from jet skis to kayaking to parasailing.
And for days requiring something a little extra, there is the Terra Natura and the Aqua Natura. The Terra Natura is a zoo containing 1,500 animals and over 200 species where toddlers can spot monkeys and older kids can relay random facts about elephants to you. For a different kind of day, Aqua Natura Benidorm has water slides and a wave pool.
A welcoming community
Benidorm is not just for tourists. There is a community of expats to help you find the ropes in your new life. When it comes to nightlife, there is even the English Square for you to connect with other expats over drinks and classic old songs.
When purchasing property in Benidorm, British residents tend to gravitate to the district of Levante. So either head there, or avoid it like the plague – we’ll leave that decision to you!
There are several international schools in Costa Blanca for those with children to attend, too.
Nightlife
If you enjoyed the sight of a middle-aged Brit discovering a more racy side to life in the movie It Snows in Benidorm, you’ll know how central that is to the city’s appeal. Levante Beach Boulevard is alive with partygoers. There is the West End Showbar, which is number one on Tripadvisor for Benidorm nightlife, it offers live cabaret and drag shows.
Alternatively, going for 25 years, the Shamrock is a great night out for Guinness lovers. If you love a tribute act – don’t lie, you do – then the Rock & Roll House is your calling. It is home to the likes of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Tom Jones.
Benidorm is a place where cabaret is still in style, so do check out the Benidorm Palace.
Moreover, Benidorm is an LBTGQ friendly location, with many bars and pubs for the community.
There are so many nights out to have in Benidorm – you might just have to buy a house there so that you don’t miss out on a single one!
Sleepless Benidorm.
How to get there
Your property in Benidorm will be easy to get to from all over the UK, all year. It doesn’t have its own airport, but Alicante Airport is just half an hour away by car. There are also good public transport options, it being an hour from the airport by bus or tram. That shouldn’t be discounted when hire car costs are so expensive. You simply won’t need one.
July and August are the busiest months for flying from Britain to Benidorm. To save yourself from paying high prices, it is best to book well in advance if you are hoping to travel during those months. If you can pull yourself out of bed, then early morning flights will save you some money too.
From all London airports, the flight is an easy two and a half hours away. Flights from Glasgow to Alicante just tip over to three hours.
Multiple major airlines, including Ryan Air and British Airlines, offer multiple flights throughout the day to Alicante. So, you won’t be hard pressed to get a flight there.
Being that bit closer than Spain’s southern coasts, the drive will take around 13 hours driving time. You can also take the train, via Alicante, over two days.
The Climate
The great news is that if you do want to avoid the busiest months of July and August, then Benidorm offers an agreeable climate all-year round. In September, whilst those of us in the UK are adding layers back on, Benidorm enjoys highs of 28°C. October, the month with the greatest amount of rainfall, sees highs of 24°.
Even in the depths of winter you’re unlikely to get very chilly, with an average of six hours sun per day in February and average highs an agreeable 16°C. No need to pack your snoods and gloves.
If you’ve been tempted by the wild swimming in winter craze, you may be disappointed that the water temperature in Benidorm rarely goes below 15°, and that’s what you get in Brighton summer!
Expect near endless sunny skies in Benidorm.
Properties in Benidorm
So, you want to move to Benidorm. You want to dance until you drop and then spend the day recovering on the beach, followed by some tapas in Old Town, a leisurely walk to shift all the food, and then maybe…another bar? After that, of course, just repeat.
Fortunately, we have over 600 properties in Benidorm on our portal. Many of which will place you right in the heart of all the vibrancy that Benidorm has to offer. Others are in quieter areas, but easy to reach the hotspots.
One-bedroom apartments start at around €70,000 in Benidorm. If you are looking for a two-bedroom, there is a little jump in price but a budget of €200,000 should get you something pretty special.
If you are looking for a family villa of three-to-four bedrooms, prices start at €250,000. There is a combination of traditional Spanish houses and modern new developments available. And yes, many villas come with their very own pool.
It is worth noting that after a slowing down, property in Spain is seeing a surge in demand – so, don’t miss out on purchasing property in Benidorm.
Convinced by Benidorm?
It might be the beaches, the weather, the nightlife – Benidorm sounds like a bit of you. It is a great choice. Benidorm is easy to get to from any part of the UK, affordable, and has a strong British community. If you are interested in purchasing a property in Benidorm, see our guide on how to move to Spain and fill out one of our enquiry forms to speak to one of our experts today.
