Benidorm

A YouTuber set himself a £100 challenge to discover just how much food, drink, accommodation and entertainment he could squeeze into a night in Benidorm

The seemingly endless cost of living crisis is making even our weekly shop a major budgeting challenge. So it’s no surprise that some of us have given up on luxuries like holidays. With that in mind, YouTuber Ed Chapman set out to see how far £100 could take a holidaymaker in one of the most popular Spanish resorts.

Benidorm is renowned for “The Strip”, a street lined with garishly neon-lit English pubs and restaurants promising a traditional fried breakfast. It’s the ideal spot for a cheap and cheerful stag or hen weekend, but just how cheaply can you spend a night there?

Armed with €116 (£100), Ed scheduled a night out, a stay in a one-star hotel and a fun activity for the following day.

A key part of his plan was tracking down a hotel that wouldn’t leave him out of pocket. Ed explained that while he could have saved a bit of cash by opting for a hostel, he’d rather have a proper hotel room to himself.

And given what he paid for it, he said the room exceeded all expectations: “Believe it or not, we have a balcony,” he said. “I was sort of shocked by this for the price.”

The hotel bathroom also came as a welcome surprise: “This is a nice big modern shower. I was really shocked about this. You’ve got a toilet here. You’ve even got a little sink at the side as you’d expect, and a bathroom hand dryer in a holster,” reports the Express.

The room, which set Ed back just £62, was something of a revelation, he said: “I didn’t expect such a good shower situation. And it is a very powerful shower as well. I’ve been really impressed with this for one night.”

For his evening meal, Ed nipped into a bar-restaurant called the Bulldog and went for a wallet-friendly jacket potato. For €6 – just over a fiver – he tucked into a perfectly decent jacket potato with baked beans, served alongside a side salad which, as he rightly noted, “no-one ever eats.”

Washed down with a “massive” pint of cider that brought his total spend to £9, it was a hearty and satisfying meal that set Ed up nicely for a bar crawl.

Spending an evening solo on Benidorm’s notorious “Strip” could have been quite a daunting prospect, but Ed says he had a brilliant time. Settling down with a pint of cider in one particularly “friendly” bar, he recounts how a complete stranger wandered over and planted a kiss on his ear: “Bit friendly, bit familiar,” he said.

Ed spent a couple of hours strolling around Benidorm, noting that while it’s widely regarded as a destination for a “lads’ holiday”, the ratio of men to women meant that romance was unlikely to be on the cards.

He did clock one club hostess, however, stripping a gleeful punter and giving him a smack on the bottom with a leather tawse, which was about as close to romance as the evening got.

With his night’s entertainment wrapped up, Ed headed back to his hotel room before venturing out the following morning for a fry-up, which set him back a very reasonable £5. However, after forking out on two bottles of water with his meal, the total breakfast bill came to £7.

Technically, the “entertainment” element of Ed’s getaway pushed him marginally over budget. His session at a water-park assault course set him back €16 (roughly £14).

Featuring Ed’s efforts to balance on some oversized vinyl beach balls and a go on a soggy trampoline, it proved a somewhat chaotic conclusion to the trip: “No one ever does this on Total Wipeout, do they?” Ed said, admitting that he’d spent £101 of his £100 budget.

EXCLUSIVE: Crissy Rock has admitted she would love to join the Loose Women panel following the exit of Denise Welch and revealed that there was a time she could have had a part in Coronation Street

Crissy Rock has revealed that she would like to join Loose Women. The actress, 67, is probably best known for playing hotel manageress Janey Yorke during the first four series of the sunny sitcom Benidorm, and has also had an incredibly successful career as a stand-up comedienne.

Over the years, the TV star has appeared on the ITV lunchtime chat show, which has recently seen the exits of long-serving panellists Denise Welch and Nadia Sawalha, that she would jump at the chance to become a full-time panellist.

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of starring in a nationwide tour of Tits Up!, she said: “I would love to be a panellist, instead of just going on talking.”

When it was suggested that she could act as a replacement for Denise, who recently quit after more than 20 years, Crissy said: “Oh yeah, I’ll have to get in there!” Denise, also known for her roles in Waterloo Road and Coronation Street, said she was stepping down because acting is her “first love and the thing she’s best at,” so would like to make the most of new opportunities.

Crissy shot to fame when she took on the role of Maggie in the Ken Loach film Ladybird, Ladybird in 1994 and won critical acclaim for her performance. Since then, the Liverpool-born star has appeared in episodes of Peak Practice, Brookside and Dalziel and Pascoe, whilst also treading the boards regularly in productions such as Snow White, Cinderella and Menopause the Musical.

Shortly after Crissy competed on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2011, there was speculation that she could be about to join the cast of Coronation Street as the sister of Jackie Dobbs, played by fellow Liverpudlian Margi Clarke – but it never came to fruition.

She said: “I’ve never done Coronation Street, ever. There was rumours, but it never, ever happened. It never come about. It would have been lovely, that, wouldn’t it? To play Margi Clark’s sister, Tyrone’s auntie. That would have been a good thing, but it just never happened.

“You always hear things. Like ‘Oh, Benidorm’s going to come back.’ but is it or isn’t it? We don’t know, and I’m just as in the dark as everyone else!”

Benidorm began in 2007 and, over the course of 10 series, followed the escapades of a group of British holidaymakers, with a host of names such as Sheridan Smith, Siobhan Finneran, and Hannah Waddingham all checking into the Solana hotel during its long run.

Whether a Benidorm revival is on the cards or not. Crissy admitted that even though she had been in the industry for years before it all began, that was the role that cemented her status in showbiz.

She said: “I’ve been an actress way before Benidorm, but I think Benidorm because of what it did and how it influenced everyone, and it become like a cult thing, it did, in my eyes, put me firmly back on the map, you know what I mean?”

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Abigail Cruttenden played the unhappily married Kate Weedon on ITV’s Benidorm

Benidorm’s Kate Weedon actress has a rather famous ex in real life.

Abigail Cruttenden joined the ITV sitcom in its first series in 2007 as short-tempered and unhappily married Kate. Kate rocked up at the iconic all-inclusive Solana resort with husband Martin (Nicholas Burns) and she was not at all impressed.

It didn’t take long for Kate to become a firm favourite with Benidorm viewers before her exit in 2009. As well as Benidorm, actress Abigail has appeared in the likes of Jane Eyre, Fresh Meat, Casualty, Citizen Khan and Midsomer Murders.

She also played Anna in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out from 2014 to 2023. And it turns out Abigail was once married to a fellow famous face: actor Sean Bean.

Abigail and Sean – who has starred in the likes of The Lord of the Rings, Games of Thrones and the James Bond series – met when they worked together on ITV’s Sharpe in 1996. On the show, she played Jane Gibbons, the on-screen wife of Sean’s character Richard Sharpe.

Talking about Sean at the time, Abigail previously said: “When I told people I was going to be working with Sean, they said: ‘My God, you’re so lucky’.”

As Free Library reports, she added: “He has such a huge appeal to women. And I think he is lovely – a very attractive bloke. We are in bed together a few times – even before we get married. Disgraceful, I know. Because you wouldn’t expect that from Sharpe.”

Although the pair didn’t strike up a romance straight away, Abigail and Sean ended up dating and got married in 1997. A year later they welcomed a daughter, Evie.

“I was there when Evie was born. It was a very moving experience, stunning,” Sean previously shared. However, in 2000 Abigail and Sean got divorced.

In 2003, Abigail married Jonathan R. Fraser and they have a daughter. As for Sean, the award-winning actor went on to marry Georgina Sutcliffe from 2008 to 2010, and Ashley Moore, whom he’s been married to since 2017.

Meanwhile rumours of a Benidorm return have been swirling for several years now. Discussing a potential return, Sherrie Hewson – who played Joyce Temple-Savage – acknowledged that the series would need to “move on” if it came back to television.

“I think Derren Litten (writer and creator) would bring in other people, different acts in the Neptune’s bar, different singers, and different families. It would be the same kind of thing, but you have to move on, don’t you?” she said.

She added: “There are people who couldn’t be in it because we’ve lost people. You’d have to move on and bring in new characters, which is actually quite exciting. Joyce would actually have to vet them all – that would be brilliant.”

Watch Benidorm on ITVX.

A British mum named Ellis has boasted about a ‘hidden gem’ she found during her recently family holiday to Benidorm, explaining it’s just eight minutes away from the city centre

Benidorm is known to be a top holiday destination for Brits looking to soak up the sunshine with budget prices. While it boasts two gorgeous and popular beaches, one holidaymaker is now urging tourists to visit a lesser-known hidden gem just an eight minute tram ride away from the city.

British mum Ellis often shares her travel recommendations to others, claiming her goal is to find hidden gems and lesser known attractions in popular tourists attractions. And during a recent holiday in Benidorm, she went on to show off a gorgeous award-winning beach that many tourists have no idea even exists.

“Would you believe me if I told you this beach has won nearly 40 years of consecutive awards?” Ellis said at the start of the video, as she panned the camera to show off the gorgeous sandy beach, with palm trees and turquoise waters.

The beach in question is El Albir Beach (Playa del Albir), which is a clean, Blue Flag-awarded pebble and shingle beach located in L’Alfàs del Pi on Spain’s Costa Blanca, nestled between the resort town of Benidorm and the coastal village of Altea.

It has earned the prestigious Blue Flag award consecutively for decades maintaining the distinction every single year since the international environmental program began in 1985. This award is awarded annually by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) for exceptional water cleanliness, safety protocols, sustainable environmental management, and accessible facilities.

On top of that, the beach was also named the second best “refreshing” beach in the Valencian Community by National Geographic. The magazine praised the pebble beach for its crystal-clear water, peaceful atmosphere, and scenic views.

And Ellis also had lots of praise about the beach, as she said: “So turquoise you can literally see clearly to the bottom, which makes it look like it’s really shallow and it’s actually really deep and intermittently over the tunnel.

“They’re keeping announcing that it’s a smoke free and vape free zone, which in my opinion makes it even more rare and unique.”

In 2025, the mayor of L’Alfas, Vincente Arques announced a ban on vaping and smoking on all beaches in the area in order to prevent littering, but also to promote a healthier lifestyle for residents of the area. If you’re caught smoking, it could lead to a fine of up to £1,700 (€2,000).

She went on to explain the beach was a pebble beach, but said they were were tiny and white, making them soft to walk and lay down on.

“And it absolutely baffled me how quiet it was considering it was such a stunning beach,” Ellis added. “But would you believe this is the closest beach of Benidorm and probably 99% of visitors that go there don’t even know it exists.”

Hayley Newland says after the crowd settled down, she was easily able to walk up to the pool and find a bed with no wait

A British holidaymaker has captured the moment hundreds of guests queued from 7.30am before racing for sunbeds when a hotel pool opened in Benidorm. Teaching assistant Hayley Newland, 39, from Brighton, was staying with her family at a hotel when she witnessed the scramble.

Hayley said she had never experienced anything like it, despite being familiar with the infamous holiday sunbed rush. The footage shows a large crowd waiting behind a barrier before security guards open the pool area at 9am.

As soon as the barrier lifts, guests stream through in a bid to claim their spot. Hayley said the same thing happened every morning during her 10-day stay, with some holidaymakers beginning to queue as early as 7.30am. She said: “It was madness, I have never experienced anything like this before. I would watch this all happening from the breakfast hall.”

Despite the dramatic scenes, Hayley said the rush was ultimately unnecessary – as she had no trouble finding sunbeds once the crowds had dispersed. She said: “Once the chaos was over, I would go and find some beds for my family with no problem.”

She described it as “chaos for no reason”, but admitted it was also entertaining to watch. The footage is likely to reignite the debate among holidaymakers over whether it is ever worth getting up at the crack of dawn to bag a sunbed.

EXCLUSIVE: A holidaymaker was left shocked at the behaviour of fellow tourists in Benidorm as people started queueing at 6.30am for sunbeds, leaving her and her family perched on plastic chairs

A fuming mum hit out at “selfish middle-aged fellas” for hogging sunbeds as her family were forced to perch on plastic chairs during their Benidorm holiday.

Annie Redfern went away with partner Declan Nash and seven-year-old daughter Belle Redfern for a 10-night holiday in the popular Spanish resort last month.

They were staying in the hotel made popular by hit ITV sitcom Benidorm, but she slammed the middle-ages blokes who queued for hours before swarming like “ants” for sunbeds.

Annie and her family arrived at Sol Pelicanos Ocas hotel, known as Solana Hotel on the television show, but realised all the sunbeds had already been taking.

She put this down to arriving at the hotel at midday, but the mum was stunned to see people congregating to bag a coveted bed at 6.30am the following morning – despite the pool not opening until 9am.

Annie, from Hull, East Yorkshire, said: “We thought if we’re going to go to Benidorm, we might as well see what the Benidorm hotel is like.

“We arrived there at 11.30am and there were no beds but obviously at that point we just thought it was because it was midday.

“The next morning, I started seeing queues starting at 6.30am, at this point I didn’t even know what time the pool even opened. We had gone down to go and get a latte and there were just loads of people all lining up.

“I can’t believe that’s how you spend your holiday, it’s crazy. You see them go, put a towel on the bed then run off straight to the breakfast then eat the breakfast then run straight back. It was a whole routine.

“What we realised was either wives were sending their husbands or the husbands were just doing it because so many of the line was made up of middle-aged men. It was just like a sea of people.”

Annie posted about her bizarre experience on TikTok and it quickly went viral, racking up more than 192,000 views.

She said the only way to grab a sunbed without joining the huge queue was to wait until people left for their evening meal around 5pm.

The family were instead forced to resort to sitting on plastic chairs when they weren’t playing or in the pool.

Annie admitted Benidorm divides people in the UK “like Marmite”. She said: “You can just go sit at a table and obviously I’ve got a child so we’re always in the pool anyway so I don’t really get much sunbathing.

“It’s selfish. Maybe do it one or two times so you can get a spot or have a day on the sunbeds, but there was one woman and she was at the front every single day.

“They [people queueing] were speed walking and as soon as the guy would come down and open the barrier, it was like ants.”

People online slammed the situation. One wrote: “My idea of hell this is.”

Another commented: “I’d rather go to Blackpool in the winter.” A third said: “I love Benidorm but I would never lose sleep when there’s so much more you can do in Benidorm.”

Sol Pelicanos Ocas hotel was contacted for comment.