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Until the tourist industry began in the 1960s, Benidorm was a small village. Today the main features of the area are Benidorm's hotel industry, beaches and skyscrapers.

Package deals to Benidorm are so popular with British tourists that there are whole sections of the city where you'll rarely hear a word of Spanish, and there are pubs on every corner advertising an 'authentic British menu'. Real Benidorm fans return year after year, several times a year.

There are two vast and magnificent beaches, the Playa de Levante and the Playa de Poniente, and four famous theme parks nearby. But as well as these obvious attractions, Benidorm holidays can offer some more subtle attractions, giving the place the kind of atmosphere that keeps the Brits coming back for more.

1: Skyscrapers

Sometimes referred to as the 'Manhattan of Spain' due to the unique skyline formed by its numerous apartment buildings and tall hotels, Benidorm is unlike anything else you'll see on a Costa Blanca holiday.

From a distance, Benidorm's hotels form a high-rise skyline that shimmers like a mirage, announcing an oasis where everything is geared to entertainment and holidays. Benidorm's skyscrapers were built because development outwards was restricted, so it had to go up.

The knock-on effect is that a lot of people on a cheap holiday to Benidorm get a marvellous sea view. And the buildings are not shoulder-to-shoulder, Manhattan-style. A multi-storey might take only 30 per cent of any given plot, so they stand individually with sun and light around them.

2: Benidorm Hotels

Almost all the 144 hotels in Benidorm have been refurbished since the mid-1990s, at least once and sometimes twice. They are much less likely to feel like processing units for tourists on cheap Benidorm holidays. Your Benidorm hotel is often a good starting point at night, many offering high quality live entertainment from cabaret to jazz, rock and dance.

Rialto Hotel Benidorm

The Servigroup Rialto Hotel Benidorm is a good example of the many well-priced and comfortable hotels in Benidorm. Situated in a quiet residential area of Rincon de Loix, the Rialto is just a few metres from the Levante Beach. This Benidorm hotel gives a good setting to enjoy the sun, sea and the wonderful Mediterranean climate.

3: Pubs & Bars

In this area packed with Brit-friendly bars and pubs, you'll never feel out of place as a Benidorm holiday maker.

Cava Aragonesa Tapas Bar

Tapas is a staple food on a Costa Blanca holiday, and Cava Aragonesa is a buzzing Tapas bar, usually filled with noise, chatter and laughter. The fact that it is generally packed with locals is testament to the quality and authenticity of is huge array of delicious tapas. For anyone not familiar with tapas, all the dishes at Cava Aragonesa are displayed in both Spanish and English. For a really authentic feel you can sit and eat at the bar.

Solid Rock Bar

When it comes to the Old Town you can take your pick from countless small pubs in the narrow streets. Old Benidorm lives on in the narrow streets near the castle, where English-owned pubs and bars have long been part of the scenery. The Old Town's only Scottish bar, the Solid Rock, is situated next to the church in the old town. In the Solid Rock, the atmosphere is calm but jolly, and Benidorm holiday makers can sit back and watch all the best sports matches.

4: Partying on a Benidorm Holiday

Levante & Rincon de Loix

A package deal to Benidorm would not be complete without a trip to the Levante side, ideal if you like it lively, where countless disco pubs and cabaret bars are clustered and if you're from the north or the south you'll soon feel at home with the relaxed northern club circuit humour. Look no further for your Costa Blanca holiday if you like a good sing along or are brave enough for karaoke.

Levante spreads out to the east or the Levante beach, and there are major attractions focused in its Rincon de Loix district - an epicentre of British hospitality. The friendly bars and caf's are festooned with Welsh, English and Scottish national flags, and jolly tourists on cheap holidays to Benidorm.

Calle Girona

the Calle Girona district is where journalists go when they want tales of lager louts and unruly behaviour. Bars jostle for attention, with neon, karaoke and a shuffling pack of entertainers catering to Brits on package deals to Benidorm. It may feel like the boisterous mood could turn nasty here, but if you hang about for a couple of drinks you're more likely to get into the spirit of things and realise its all just a bit of fun and tends to be very friendly.

The Square

The Square, behind hotel Marina, is where you'll find buzzing disco pubs aimed at a younger, more international set of Benidorm holiday makers. In the Square, where the bigger, brasher bars with signs like 'Welcome all stag & hen parties!' are, music spills out on to terraces, there is a lot of noise and a sense of warm night euphoria. Once again, it's all a matter of getting into the Benidorm holiday spirit!