Benidorm: A Foodie Paradise?

Benidorm is a city in the province of Alicante, Eastern Spain, and I imagine it's unlikely you have ever thought of it as a place where you would discover culinary delights. It hasn't had the best reputation over the years: it is famous for bachelor and bachelorette parties and for drunken Brits. On my trip I was pleased to discover the other side of Benidorm, the real Benidorm shall we say. Because the part of Benidorm which you want to avoid is more or less centred around one road, it is easy to stay away from and a world apart from everywhere that we explored.

The biggest shock from the whole trip was not the exquisite hotels, the outstanding scenery or the wide array of activities on offer, but the food. The food in Spain is never, ever plain. Every meal we had was a riot of flavour, and served with the best wines or sangria to compliment it. I could eat each of those meals over and over. I'll be returning, if only to explore more of the food scene. 

I flew to Alicante with Jet 2 on a trip organised in collaboration with Visit Benidorm. We spent four days exploring Benidorm and the surrounding area with activities such as Electric Bike tours, Mountain Jeep Expeditions, Scuba diving and Jet Skis to name but a few. However, as fun as all of that was, food is always the highlight of any trip for me.

There is something special about visiting a new city and sitting in a restaurant you have never seen or heard of, to be served food from tasting menus which you have not chosen to order. I find it exciting and it definitely encourages me to try new foods. I have always been a little wary of seafood; we didn't have much of it at home when growing up and as a young adult I still avoided it where possible. Over the recent years, food blogging and the opportunities it offers has helped to open my mind to new foods and flavours. I will always try everything that is offered to me, and Spain offered up a LOT of seafood. So I tried it all and I think I have overcome my initial fear of it. In fact the seafood options were some of my favourite dishes: so fresh, so full of flavour.

The first day's lunch was served at  Ulia, a sea front restaurant by Poniente Beach, which served the biggest and the best paella I've ever tasted, along with a delicious Sangria.

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Lunch was followed by an electric bike tour, which tired us all out, and worked up an appetite for the evening meal at the prettiest restaurant: Llum de Mar in Old Town, Benidorm. The highlight of that meal for me was the saffron cod which was a delight, and the dessert, which was made up of a number of different berry elements including candy floss and popping candy, deserves a nod too.

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The next day our lunch was at Son de Mar, a six course tasting menu served along with the best Strawberry Sangria I have ever tasted. It was a feast. I really like how all meals in Spain seem to begin with crusty fresh bread and aioli and end with rich coffee cortados. A perfect pick me up.

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That evening we had a Tapas evening in the Old Town. I didn't get many photos, as the restaurant was dimly lit and atmospheric which meant I couldn't get many Instagrammable images. I liked how you went and chose your desired tapas dishes from a large display fridge and then they were cooked and brought to your table. We chose three or four tapas each and shared them. The croquettes were out of this world and I would have sat and eaten them all night. Our meal ended with shots of Limoncello.

On our final full day we enjoyed lunch at the hotel we stayed at, The Melia Villatania. Now, aside from it easily being one of the nicest hotels I have ever visited, purely for aesthetic reasons, it also served an incredible breakfast and the best self serve buffet lunch I have ever tried. We ate our fill before lounging at the pool for a few hours to relax.

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Our final evening evening was at Solutula restaurant and it was I feel the best of the trip. The food was carefully considered and beautifully presented. My favourite part of the meal was the fresh mussels with a chili dressing.

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From what I have read, there is a lot more to discover about the gastronomy of Benidorm, so a return trip beckons for sure!

Go check out more about the food of Benidorm here or read my full review over on my blog here.