182. Mon 2/10/17: Café-Bar Vetusta, Benidorm

Beer: San Miguel 5%
One of the more significant reasons why Steph’s folks love Benidorm, I reckon, is that so many of their friends and acquaintances (mostly from Line Dancing circles, or rows) do too. That’s perfectly understandable – and what better than to spend extended holidays than in the sun with friends and family? I’m not entirely sold – but I can see the point.

Anyway, we’re out with a group of friends – it's Kim’s birthday. Steph and I don’t know Kim, and I do harbour doubts that we’ve ostensibly gatecrashed a family do. No, it’s fine, apparently, but I wouldn’t necessarily inflict a party of strangers to my dubious company for a few hours on their birthday. But, no, again, it’s fine. I haven’t written up the meal, ‘cause it’s a restaurant… I have a locally brewed beer, and the steak. Ice cream for dessert.

Post-meal we wander somewhat aimlessly en masse around the Old Town and, having accurately identified us as the incoherent gaggle of foreign tourists we are, we get set upon by the Vetusta hawker who corrals us to a table outside his employers’ bar.

We wouldn’t have picked it ourselves, but the beer was ok. The coffee (my shout, the coffee – happy birthday) wasn’t.

187. Tue 3/10/17: La Cava Aragonesa, Benidorm

Beer: Mahou 5%

After a strangely bewildering wild goose chase (involving Steph’s folks, who aren’t going to meet us after all, and an apartment – which we can’t find – that they wanted us to look over on their behalf…) we end up back at the LCA. It’s nearing mid-afternoon.

This place is bright and bustling, and just a bit better in every respect from the local competition… anyway, the music is still too loud and cheesy… but what the heck.

This turns out to be our last visit to La Cava Aragonesa this time round.

179 Sun 1/10/17: Pikoteo, Benidorm

Beer: Mahou 5%

We kind of know where we’re going, Steph and I; but we do get to places we probably wouldn’t consider when we’re with company. Pikoteo is a very small Old Town backstreet tapas bar – specialising in the free (customer selected) tapas per drink. It’s a good system. My choice is for a small (but fat) chorizo sausage in a little bun. Very nice too.

This place is very understated and small, but good for that. There’s no wall to wall La Liga in this class of establishment – which would be perfectly fine other than the alternative entertainment is the ubiquitous little sound system, which in this place, is blasting out some really obscure (but extremely dull) English 60s pop music. I don’t recognise any of it, and could have done without.

Not that, had Itchycoo Park come on, I’d necessarily have been delighted.

186 Tue 3/10/17: Restaurante Marisqueria Cordoba, Benidorm

Beer: Amstel 5%We’ve taken a mid-morning meander up to Benidorm station in order to ascertain train times for tomorrow’s journey to Alicante. It’s hot, and the station is quite a long way out. It’s past noon by the time we get there, and there are a small number of suitably rundown “back street by the station” type bars. The first we go to is very dark, they have a power cut: meaning they can’t serve beer or use the tills. Every bar we pass (and fancy the look of) apparently has the same problem – so we wind up back in Benidorm Old Town.

This bar, on the edge of Tapas Alley, is nice enough – very fishy, which draws me inside. The photos may belie the popularity of the place. Even though it’s October, it’s still very hot. Most people (they’re mostly expats) like that kind of thing – and are sat outside. It’s cooler in – the beer is cooler still, which is nice after all that walking.

184 Mon 021017: El Bodegon Aurrera, Calle Santo Domingo, Benidorm

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

They’re packing up, and this might be the last of the night. This is a sizeable, clearly normally busy, tapas bar at the end of the Tapas Alley arcade area - with an impressive range of foodstuffs available. Even through jaded eyes at 23:40, several beers in (although Steph says she still feels sober) this seems more traditional than anything we’ve seen in BENIDORM this visit.

The Cruzcampo, as per tradition, is shit.