The Best Hotels to Book in Benidorm, Spain

Once you’re splayed on a lounger around Sol Costablanca’s seaside pool, premium G&T in hand, you’ll know you’ve arrived in Benidorm. It’s worth a stay solely for its enviable seafront location; most rooms at this adults-only hotel have views – either lateral or direct – of Levante Beach and the Mediterranean beyond. Pull up a chair on the patio for evening cocktails, while you’re serenaded by a keyboard-and-vocalist duo installed in the corner.

Wearing oranges and browns straight from the 1970s, every room at this all-inclusive Servigroup has a glass-walled balcony overlooking the pool and/or city. The entertainment aspect is exceptional, even by the bopping standards of in-season Benidorm, featuring live music every night as well as frequent piano and violin recitals in a cocktail bar surrounded by tropical gardens. Plaza Triangular and Levante Beach are a five-minute walk away.

This L-shaped, 1970s high-rise offers a wallet-friendly stay close to Levante Beach, one of the Costa Blanca’s premier beaches. Spend lazy days on a poolside Balinese bed, interspersed with treatments in the Benicaldea Spa, the largest in town. Come nightfall, tuck into freshly prepared seafood paella, the hotel’s signature dish, in the buffet restaurant, before heading to the Philippines 10 club, an Art Deco-themed cabaret venue that stages several shows a night.

Hotel Presidente’s avant-garde sibling, Riviera Beachotel, boasts a lounge modelled on classic New York jazz clubs and one of the tastiest buffets in town, with standouts including Valencian paella and homemade desserts flambéed in front of you. Achieve total disconnect by sipping cold beers on the terrace, on a lounger by the pool or with trusted Thai treatments in the spa. Lush gardens create an aura of calm, despite the central location.

Prefer biking to beaches? Head to this whitewashed behemoth, where you can rent two wheels or bring your own and make use of ample storage space, a workshop and a bike-washing zone. Staff are on hand to recommend the best cycling routes in and around Benidorm. Other perks include a gym, a globe-trotting buffet, an outdoor pool and a spa with massage centre. Every room has a balcony overlooking the pool terrace.

Novak Djokovic, Wayne Rooney and Penélope Cruz are among the celebrities who have sought seclusion in this Southeast Asia-inspired resort. It’s surrounded by gardens planted with over 3,000 Asian species, including bamboos, palms, fruit trees and a 200 year-old Bonsai brought from Japan. Treat yourself to the Langkawi Suite, a luxe attic apartment with vaulted wooden ceilings, a draped king-sized bed and a black tiled circular bath. With nine restaurants overlooking seven pools, serving Italian, Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine, this is one of the best places to stay in Benidorm for the food-minded.

Family-orientated Grand Luxor provides direct access to Terra Mítica, a Mediterranean theme park, as well as an on-site activity club and kids’ Fun Zone. There are five communal pools scattered around the complex, but if you want your own, book one of the private villas. Kids occupied? Enjoy a 60-minute spa odyssey through the Thai sauna, Scottish shower, ice waterfall and Turkish bath.

Meliá Villaitana’s architects toured the Costa Blanca looking for stylistic inspiration, eventually building a replica of a traditional Spanish village, complete with its own main square and church. The sharp, contemporary hotel within this complex is set back from Benidorm’s forest of skyscrapers but still boasts Mediterranean views. It has a lagoon-style outdoor pool and seven restaurants serving Spanish, Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisine. All rooms are dressed in white and pine with smart black accents and their own private terrace.

Fronting Poniente Beach is this boutique-style newcomer, with a rooftop pool affording views of both sea and mountain. It’s just a five-minute stroll to the terracotta-topped Old Town. You’ll stay in style here, in elegant rooms with pale wood and nautical blue-and-white striped headboards. Dine on international cuisine in the Tortuga Restaurant or the Marea Alta Rooftop Bar, with its sea views. Start each day as fresh as a daisy after an invigorating spell in the Despacio Spa Centre, which has a heated adults-only swimming pool and a decent gym.