Groan ye not! We just had to go to Benidorm as it was so close. Once again we consulted the local oracles and took their advice to catch the tram. Luckily we had asked the lovely reception lady for guidance as we had no idea where the tram stop was. She gave us a map of Benidorm and pointed out the best and worst bits (The bit that the Brits go to!). Also efficiently, we went for a walk to locate the tram stop the day before which was just as well, it was cunningly concealed down some rough looking urbanisacions. These are what we would call suburbs.
Next day we set off complete with sandwiches and water, as you never know what might happen. We found the ticket machine on the tram a bit confusing, but apparently had bought the correct tickets, as there was a fierce ticket inspector onboard and she spared us the glares and tuttings that other poor foreigners received.
Once at Benidorm we managed to find our way down to the old town via a pedestrianised old river bed. It was quite a pleasant surprise as it was very attractive and even had an open air theatre.
The old town was extremely busy until 1400 when some of the little shops closed for siesta. We treated ourselves to a cup of coffee in one of the cafes before heading down to the front to eat our sarnies. The beach and marina were extremely pleasant and we wandered along to a peaceful and secluded small bay below the promontory.
We walked up the steps to the seafront church and a rather lovely area overlooking Benidorm Island where a man was playing a guitar and singing.
After enjoying the civilised part of Benidorm, we headed down to the bay that is frequented by hoards of British tourists. At this time of year it is quite pleasant. There were a few old folk on tandem motorised scooters and definitely more English tourists than other nationalities but nothing to be ashamed of. I suspect it is rather different in the Summer.
Altogether a very enjoyable day out. The tram back was fine, correct tickets again.