Benidorm

If you want to have fun in the sun, whatever your age, nationality or sexual orientation, Benidorm, on the northern part of the Costa Blanca, offers a warm welcome all year round.

Parallels with Manhattan abound in Benidorm with its remarkable high-rise skyline. It has more skyscrapers per capita than anywhere else in the world, even New York! However, this is not quite the ‘city that never sleeps’ these days; the resort’s reputation for attracting lager louts is thankfully well out of date and you are more likely to encounter older holidaymakers. In fact, this is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, attracting people of all nationalities including a sizeable LGBT community.

With three major beaches and all the attendant pleasures, this is the archetypal seaside resort, and undoubtedly one of the very best. Thanks to forward-thinking planning laws the town feels surprisingly spacious on the ground. Head up the hill into the old town and step onto the Balcon de Mediterraneo and you’ll be treated to one of the most dramatic sea views on the Costa Blanca with an uninhabited island sitting alone in the rich, deep blue Mediterranean.