Benidorm Getaway

Part 1.

Just back from a cheeky 4 night break in Spain. Benidorm. Benidorm?! I hear you say...yes, you heard right and it was great.

I booked this last minute through Gnome and Away Travel and we got a pretty good deal at just over £900 for 4 off us. We literally had 24 hours to pack and get sorted - never a problem for me, I am a bit of an expert at travelling light, we recently did 5 days in Switzerland with just an under seat bag, so Spain with checked in luggage would be a doddle!

Early morning flight so up early, roads were nice and quiet at that time and we used the silver car park at Bristol Airport  ( with a cheeky discount code) parked, on the shuttle bus and at the airport in no time. I like travelling from BRS, always simple and I use special assistance and this is so easy here. My son always asks to push me in the wheelchair, he knows the airport well, that way we can go where we want so long as we are at the assistance area in departures at the allotted time.

Boarding was smooth and simple, out briefly into the outside through a half finished walkway, gasps of 'bloody hell it's cold' etc past aircraft then up onto a 'ambulift' , which if you have not seen one looks like a big van, drives up to the aircraft then raises a platform and you just walk on and get seated. A lot of work going on at BRS at the moment, maybe the walkways will be finished next time we visit?

Lovely, friendly and helpful Jet2 cabin crew. Next it was tense as we had a spare seat next to us..who would sit there? Would we get the jackpot of a free seat?

Have you ever had an empty seat next to you on the plane and experienced the will someone sit there or not anxiety until the crew shut the doors? OMG it is stressful...

'I think that's it', I said to Sam Farrington-Carter, for the 3rd time, straining to look up the aisle, then someone else appears at the door and make their way down towards us.. the tension... he passes by.

'Crew, arm doors for take - off' - YES! we high five and I slide over to the window seat. Result.

We flew with Jet2, the best low cost airline in my opinion, comfier seats, more leg room and the crew are great, so it was no surprise that it was a good flight. A toastie and a drink, some great views of the Pyrenees and Benidorm from the air and before we knew it we were descending to Alicante - Elche Airport.

I like Alicante-Elche Airport, always an easy fast track through with special assistance. Sam pushed me again and we located our case and made our way down in the lift to the transfer buses. Jet2 had sent me a text with the bay number of our coach on which was super helpful. We lost our travelling companions because of Sam's eagerness to get to the coach, plus he forgot not everyone knows the way like he does, but they found it eventually and we all made up with a drink later

Who loves that feeling of being nearly there on the coach? the excitement of seeing the town ahead, I guess I'm just a big kid really! Because we got an early flight we were at Apartmentos Terralta by lunch time. I was pleasantly surprised, these apartments are often at a really good price, maybe because they are a little out of town, but honestly, they are great. We didn't have to wait, checked in and straight to the apartment, lovely and clean, kitchen with everything you need, lounge, bedroom, bathroom and terrace. Note to anyone who needs to put the kettle on immediately - it will be found in one of the kitchen cupboards....

And so to the bar for lunch....

My son, who doesn’t do early mornings had collapsed on his bed and was fast asleep, so I left him to head to the hotel bar and check out the lunch menu. It was a gorgeous day, people sat out on the terrace with a cold one. I found my nephew already nursing a large beer  I ordered a sandwich, what came was a club style sandwich ( not a sandwich singing in the club style - that would be later ) huge, with a side of chunky chips and it was perfect. After that I went back to unpack, have a shower and put my feet up for a bit ready for going out later.

Terralta Apartments are on the Poniente side of Benidorm, in a residential area, so you do have to walk or get a taxi to find shops, bars etc. It is a 10-15 minute walk down hill to Poniente beach where there are restaurants, bars and a few shops. The new town and Levante beach is a quick taxi ride, which cost us between €7-€10 - not a bad price. That evening we headed to Levante, a walk along the front, gorgeous evening, then something to eat. The boys then went for a wander and we found an ice cream shop and had a late night cheeky ice cream cone.  

Got an Uber back and decided to investigate the entertainment in the bar. Well, what greeted us was like a 1970’s club singer  - Sam’s face was a picture! But it was a laugh and we had fun watching a crowd of Dutch pensioners drink the bar out of white wine  Literally.

Tired, but happy we headed back to the apartments, a cuppa and bed.

I love people watching, do you? Benidorm is the perfect place to people watch…