Benidorm

Harry Poulton, who moved to the Alicante region from the UK, visited the Duke of Wellington pub and Ray’s Chippy in Benidorm to find out if they serve the best fish and chips in the city

A Brit living in Benidorm has voiced his astonishment at the cost of fish and chips in the popular holiday spot after popping into a takeaway in the Spanish tourism hotspot. Harry Poulton, who provides travel tips and insights into the Alicante region, paid a visit to the Duke of Wellington pub in the Costa Blanca resort, which also houses Ray’s Chippy.

“I’m here to find out if this really is the best fish and chips in the whole of Benidorm,” he kicked off in a TikTok video. Settling down, Harry chose cod and chips, served with a pot of curry sauce and a can of Coca-Cola to wash it down.

Once his meal arrived, he complimented the waitress, saying it looked “absolutely amazing” before tucking in.

Sprinkling salt on the chips and dunking one in the curry sauce, Harry expressed his delight: “Oh, proper chip shop fries. It’s really nice. You can’t beat a chip shop fry, can you?”

Turning his attention to the fish, meanwhile, Harry, who selected the smaller option from the menu, described it as looking “gorgeous” before taking a bite.

“That is amazing,” he proclaimed. “Super crunchy – the batter is really nice and it’s proper fresh. Really, really tasty – it’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Harry headed to the till to pay the bill afterwards which, at €13.50 (£11.69), he hailed as an “absolute bargain”.

On TripAdvisor, The Duke of Wellington and Ray’s Chippy boasts a rating of 3.8 out of five based on 289 reviews.

Reacting to Harry’s post, one TikTok user commented: “Great place, we go every time we are in Benidorm.”

A second visitor praised: “Very good when we both went. 10/10 Good prices too.”

While a third recommended: “You should try Gwen’s Bar in La Cala on a Friday tea time. Their fish and chips are unbelievable.”

Harry also offered guidance to Brits heading to Benidorm while the Cheltenham Festival is taking place back home. The annual horse racing spectacular is being held at Cheltenham Racecourse from today (March 10) through to Friday.

“It’s a little bit cloudy here at the moment,” Harry cautioned those planning to watch the races while abroad. “It’s quite cold as well – currently just 13 degrees and it looks there is more rain and wind on the way.”

He concluded by urging those travelling to the Costa Blanca this week to pack jumpers and jackets alongside summer clothing. “You know what Benidorm is like,” he remarked. “Cloudy one minute, but blue skies the next. It’s good to be prepared.”

Benidorm is often known as Little England due to the number of British tourists that flock to the Spanish resort, but one couple were surprised when they decided to visit the Costa Blanca

A couple who visited Benidorm for the first time were surprised by what they discovered. Content creators Ashley McCarthy and Kelsey Lewis claimed that tourists either “love or hate” the Spanish resort.

But after finding a “really good deal” and picking up £50 flights, they decided to jet off to the popular holiday hotspot and find out what it’s really like. Upon boarding their plane, Kelsey pointed out the “variety” of passengers, from hen-dos, to families, and couples wanting a short getaway.

In a video Kelsey said they woke up to a “beautiful sunrise” on the Costa Blanca before deciding to explore the city further. They were also impressed with Benidorm’s famous beaches.

Ash said: “Look at these palm trees, look at this sand, the sand is so soft. This is a really nice beach.”

He commented on how a number of buildings along the promenade looked like “something from Dubai”. The couple later decided to take a walk along the beach towards Benidorm Old Town.

Ash continued: “I wasn’t expecting this walkway along the beach to be so nice. It’s really clean and I like how they’ve incorporated greenery, it feels almost like a garden than a promenade.”

He added: “I don’t get why Benidorm gets so much hate. I get the other side where it’s a bit tacky, a bit rowdy, but it was fun. This side’s lovely.

“There’s a reason it became so popular in the first place and that’s got to be because of these beaches.”

The pair did however find time to check out Benidorm’s pubs and bars, including one named The Red Lion. Benidorm has long been a hit with British travellers, who make up around 40 percent of visitors to the resort.

It has led to the city receiving the nickname “Little England”. Ash said: “There’s so many bars, restaurants and pubs here, you just wouldn’t make your way through they even if you lived here.”

Ash, from Wales, later admitted he was impressed by how well kept Benidorm is. He concluded: “To be honest, I don’t really understand the hate it gets.

“Yeah, there’s parts of it that can be rowdy or tacky or whatever you want to call it, but it’s a massive place and there’s a lot of areas that are really nice. It’s not just about the strip and there’s so much restaurants, bars, cafes, nature, like outdoor space, beaches and whatever that there’s enough to enjoy without even seeing that side of it.

“But I think the thing that surprised me the most was it’s really clean. There’s no rubbish on the floor anywhere. Well maintained. It’s well kept.”

The couple praised the Spanish resort for its weather as well, enjoying highs of 20C during their February trip. The area boasts well over 300 days of sun throughout the year and in March daytime highs can reach anywhere between 20 and 22c.

Elsewhere, Benidorm recently got access to its very first Wetherspoon branch. The Castell de Santa Bàrbera, the chain’s first Spanish pub, opened at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport.

It serves a range of Spanish and British dishes including Full English breakfasts and patatas bravas. Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said: “We are delighted to have opened in Spain.

“We believe the pub will be popular with a wide range of customers travelling home from Alicante Airport, including those travelling home to the UK and those using the terminal for trips to England and beyond. We aim to open a number of pubs overseas in the coming months and years, including those at airports.”

A British man in Spain has shared one big difference between the UK and Spain, claiming it’s something you’ll only notice once you leave the UK – but not everyone agreed with him

Spain has remained a firm favourite amongst Brits seeking a sun-soaked getaway for several years in a row. And It’s not just the brief flight time that appeals for holidaymakers, as the country also enjoys glorious weather throughout the entire year.

Data from the Office of National Statistics reveals that Brits clocked up more than 17.8 million trips to the Mediterranean nation in 2024, with figures projected to have climbed to 19.1 million in 2025. These holidays included trips to the Canary Islands and Costa Blanca, home to Benidorm. Further hotspots include the various Costas, the Balearic Islands, whilst the Northern regions are also seeing a surge in popularity.

Whilst the prospect of swapping Britain’s bleak and overcast winter months for brighter, warmer climes is undeniably attractive, there are certain contrasts many travellers might not have considered.

A British expat has now highlighted one major distinction between Spain and the UK, which may well explain why countless Brits are lured to the southern European nation.

On TikTok, a man called Mark posted footage of himself strolling through British streets back in January, showcasing murky skies with the sun conspicuously absent.

“You don’t realise how depressing it is until you leave the UK,” he captioned the clip, which then switched to show him wandering through Spain’s bright streets, lined with palm trees along the pavements.

“Why does the UK have a grey filter?” he pondered in the post’s caption.

Is the UK weather more grey than Spain?

From March 2026, the UK is forecast to see average temperatures ranging between 9C and lows of 2C, though some regions might also benefit from sunny spells with temperatures reaching up to 17 degrees in Eastern England on 5 March, according to the Met Office’s long range forecast.

Northern parts of England and Scotland are anticipated to face rain and storms, and potentially even some snow on higher ground, with overnight frost still possible between 4-13 March.

In contrast, Spanish March days are typically sunny, offering 6-8 hours of sunshine daily, alongside average temperatures of between 12-18 degrees. However, occasional brief rain showers should be expected, according to Tui.

Southern regions like Andalusia and the Canary Islands are the warmest (up to 21°C), whilst central and northern areas are cooler, creating perfect conditions for exploring the spring-blooming countryside.

Despite Mark’s post, numerous people quickly flocked to the comment section of his video to argue the UK weather isn’t as ‘depressing’ as he suggested.

“will never understand why people think grey skies are depressing,” one viewer commented.

Multiple people also pointed out that the UK can be equally sunny and warm at times, and that it’s unfair to judge the weather based on cold and overcast winter days, as the sunny summer days we experience deserve recognition.