Reason #22 Bar Sol

If you are looking for somewhere to chill out, soak up the sun, have a nice cold beverage and watch the world pass by then Bar Sol is one of the best places to be in Benidorm. This bar is ideal in the day time as there is an outside seating area which is set back up some steps so you are not in the way of the passers by.

Bar Sol is situated on the front (Avenida de Madrid) and when you sit on the terrace, you have a lovely view of the Island and the Mediterranean. This is a perfect spot for sitting with a jug of sangria soaking up the rays and in the peak hours, you will be pleased to know that they have a fine mist spraying from above you occasionally and this will help to cool you down for a few seconds. A number of times I have been here and the bar staff will come out and have water fights with water guns and you might be lucky enough to get a few drops of the cool water on you.

The reason I like this bar so much is because it is so relaxed and laid back and the staff are friendly and chilled out too. You can grab a bite to eat but it is not a restaurant so you will only get light snacks like pizza's or a baguette, which is enough anyway if you go there during the day. I have stayed here for a few hours a couple of times during the day while my Mrs downs a couple of jugs of sangria and she loves it. You should expect to pay a little bit more than some places for the drinks but when you're on holiday, you don't mind paying an extra Euro or two per drink when you get the stunning views.

Reason #21 The Weather

The Weather.

An obvious but important one. One of the main reasons Spain is so popular for tourists is the weather and the nearly guaranteed sunshine. Benidorm of course is no different and the basking Mediterranean sun and warmth is just lovely.

Benidorm itself is surrounded by large mountains over 1500 meters high which protect it 
from the cold northern winds. This is what they call a Micro climate. See, Benidorm is so awesome it has is OWN CLIMATE!

Not a cloud in sight.

We normally go the last week in June and the First week in July and every year, as soon as July 1st hits, the temperature rises by 5 degrees. It’s Hot. Very Hot. Some (Well, Me) would say too hot! You'll find me desperately looking for shade clutching one of those water squirters with a fan attached from a Chinese tack shop.

It's T-shirt and shorts weather in the day and evenings too. Don’t make the mistake of getting all dressed up as you'll regret it when drenched in sweat, especially if you happen to wonder in a place with no air con!

We did get some rain last year, it lasted about an hour and was quite welcome and refreshing. I hear it can get quite cold in the winter. We went in November a couple of years back and it was like a British summers day and was just lovely

Reason #20 The White Horse

 The last of Vincent's corner and my personal preference for an evening out.

The white horse is a large pub and looks like a traditional British pub, 2 bar areas and a lot of seating with pool tables and dart boards add to this.

There is an area downstairs for kids to play with various amusements and arcade type machines along with a couple of PC's for internet use.  They have a stage area where the main entertainment takes place and a small dance floor area if you're feeling brave/drunk.

The entertainment is of a variable quality ranging from comedians who have not updated their jokes in the 8 years I've been going to some pretty darn good music acts including a Queen and Elvis tribute.

The drinks are cheap and plentiful and the ever popular happy 2 hours are much enjoyed and abused.

We'll go here normally twice during our holiday and I enjoy it very much. You can't really beat any of the Vincent’s pubs for a cheap and fun evening.

Reason #19 Peacock Island Cafe

I have talked about the island previously but mentioned there was a restaurant on there which will be talked about at a later date. Well here it Is!

The restaurant is small and very basic, white plastic tables and chairs fill the area and you only get a table cloth if you order food. The selection of food is far from extensive and seafood is understandably the main feature. It's all very fresh and I can imagine most was caught on the day.

The Paella is something special. It's not cheap, 12 Euros each and it's not quick - You will be waiting at least 30 mins but it's certainly worth it. it's pretty huge with a large selection of meats and seafood in it with a large fech langoustine in the middle., it’s cooked wonderfully and tastes immense. It's possibly the best Paella I have tasted and Would happily have this every day if I could.

They also do sangria which my wife loves and could easily get though several jugs on her own if given half a chance. I'm no sangria fan but I have to agree it is very nice and very refreshing and the perfect reward after a climb to the top of the peak of the island. It's the only place on the island you can stop but it's well worth stopping a bit longer and sampling the food

Reason #18 Festilandia

Located about 2/3rd the way along av del mediterraneo,Festilandia is a wonderful amusement park for young children.

It's not especially big but in the small area they do have they pack in a lot. The have a section at the front for the smaller kiddies rides which is next to the arcade games.  The Small kiddie section is full of the small rides you generally ride in supermarkets and have about a dozen variations. The arcade has a wide variety of video games and fruit machines as expected.

The section at the back is for the older kids, by older I mean my then nearly 4 year old could go on most rides.

The have a roller coaster, Bumper cars, a pirate ship, simulator and of course the obligatory cups and saucers which I still cant go on without wanting to puke. The rides are height restricted but all quite low so we are able to  go on all but the bumper cars. There were a few where me or Mrs had to go on also but not many and this was fine.

We had to pay 10 euros for a pass and this allowed 6 rides, the more you pay the more rides but I really think it's well worth the money.

It's busy in the night time when it cools a bit. There is a snack bar when you can sit which sells snacks, drinks ice creams and the such.

This is one of my little boys favourite parts of the holiday and now we have another it's a place we will being going back to often.