Benidorm

The atmosphere

Benidorm occupies five kilometres of seafront and lines up the highest concentration of towers in Europe, including the Intempo and its 192 metres. The choice of height goes back to the sixties: it left the hinterland free and gathered 70,000 inhabitants, up to four times as many in summer, on a compact territory. Everything there is done on foot.

Two beaches structure the town: Levante to the north, the busier of the two, and Poniente to the south, more residential and more Spanish. The Balcón del Mediterráneo and the old quarter separate them. The British and the Spanish retirees spend the winter here, so the restaurants and the theatres run in January as in August. The town has no dead season.

The services are those of a larger city: two private clinics, the Marina Baixa district hospital ten minutes away, international schools in Benidorm and in La Nucía. Three golf courses are less than a quarter of an hour away, including the two Villaitana layouts. The TRAM reaches Alicante in fifty minutes without a car, and the airport is forty-five minutes away on the AP-7.

This is the most liquid market on the northern Alicante coast: the stock is very large and properties resell quickly at every price level. Prices per square metre stay low for a seafront, and rental demand runs over twelve months. In return, build quality varies from one tower to the next. Holiday letting is regulated in the Valencian Community: the licence governs the whole yield calculation.

The micro-areas to know: the Levante and the avenida Mediterráneo for the front line and the yield; the Rincón de Loix, on the north-east hill, very British and cheaper; the Poniente for a more residential and family life. Then come the casco antiguo and the Balcón, for the streets of old Benidorm, and La Cala, on the Finestrat boundary, for new-build by the sea.

Benidorm is aimed first at the investor, for the yield and the quick resale. It also suits buyers who want everything on foot and services open in January as in July. It will not suit anyone looking for quiet: Moraira, forty minutes to the north, matches that better.

Everyday life

• Levante and Poniente beaches, lifeguarded and award-winning
• Two private clinics in the Marina Baixa
• Marina Baixa district hospital 10 min away
• International schools in Benidorm and in La Nucía
• Villaitana (two courses) and Las Rejas golf 15 min away
• TRAM to Alicante and Dénia from the centre
• Terra Mítica, Terra Natura and Aqualandia theme parks
• Shops, restaurants and shows open all year round

The property market

Benidorm is still building, and building high: new towers at the Poniente, at the Rincón de Loix and towards La Cala, with compact apartments and shared pools, spas and solariums. Expect €3,200 to €4,200/m² for new-build against €2,200 to €3,400/m² for resale, and up to €4,600/m² on the front line. The gross yield sits between 5 and 7%.

Observed price range: €150,000 – €1.5M

Who is it for?

Benidorm is aimed at investors looking for yield and a quick resale, and at buyers who want everything on foot and services open in January as in July. Families find lifeguarded beaches and theme parks. A modest Luxembourg budget still buys a sea view here.