Month: July 2025

A view of a blue sky palm tree and a beach

Benidorm -There’s something for everyone

On By elaineandjohnIn Retirement Lifestyle, TravelLeave a comment
A view of a blue sky palm tree and a beach
Poniente beach with palm trees, the port, skyscrapers and mountains , Benidorm Spain.

Benidorm has so many beautiful areas with so many different activities that there is something for everyone.  From its beautiful beaches and vibrant nightlife to its cultural and historical sites, Benidorm provides a mix of options for relaxation, entertainment, and exploration.

What’s on offer apart from partying and drinking

I’m reviewing Benidorm from a mature travellers perspective, Here’s a more detailed look at what makes Benidorm appealing to various types of travellers:
Beach Lovers: Benidorm boasts stunning beaches like Levante and Poniente, offering ample space for sunbathing, swimming, and water sports.

Nightlife Enthusiasts: Benidorm is renowned for its lively nightlife, with numerous bars, pubs, and clubs catering to different tastes and preferences.

Culture Seekers: The Old Town, with its narrow streets and historic buildings, provides a glimpse into Benidorm’s past, while the Balcon del Mediterraneo offers panoramic views.

Families: Water parks like Aqualandia and theme parks like Terra Mitica provide fun-filled experiences for families.

Nature Lovers: Sierra Helada Natural Park offers opportunities for hiking and enjoying the natural beauty of the area.

Budget Travelers: Benidorm is known for offering good value for money, with many affordable accommodation and dining options.

Adventurous Souls: Water sports, hiking, and exploring the surrounding areas provide opportunities for adventure and exploration.

Whether you’re looking for relaxation, excitement, cultural immersion, or family-friendly fun, Benidorm has something to offer especially for over 60’s.

Introduction to our Benidorm Experience

We visited Benidorm for the first time in 2017 – well that’s not quite true – my first visit was in 1979 with my cousin and her friends – a dim distant memory. But 2017 was the start of our Benidorm journey together. As most TV and media shows that cover the area tend to only focus on the area known as ‘The Strip’ – a loud raucous lively part of the town. To be honest this is now not our vibe! But don’t get me wrong – we used to love a great nightclub or show when we were younger but now, we prefer a stroll and food and drink while people watching.

a man and women posing on holiday in sunglasses
Fun in the sun

One of my main hobbies is entering competitions and after winning some Jet2 flights we decided to use them to fly to Alicante and explore Benidorm.

We chose a Hotel in the Old Town – Hotel Canfali. A boutique gastro Hotel. It was such a fabulous hotel in a great location by the church in the Old Town with views across the whole of The Levante Beach landscape.

Hotel called Hotel canfali
Hotel Canfali

We stayed for 3 nights and enjoyed what we found and experienced so much this started a love affair with the resort. Previously we favoured Corralejo in Fuerteventura but have found the shorter flight time to Alicante more preferable for us now – 2 hours 20 minutes from Manchester compared to 4 hours 15.

We did not come across The Strip – we didn’t venture anywhere near and to be honest we had no idea where it was in relation to where we were. What we found was an amazing atmosphere in the Old Town area and 2 fabulous long beaches Levante and Poniente – totalling 5 kilometres in length, soft white sand cleaned every night by the environmental team.

Woman posing by beach

Since that first visit we have visited and stayed regularly – so many visits I can’t remember. I feel we have discovered so much about the town and some of the surrounding areas. Our favourite area is actually Poniente – a quiet end of town but with the same fabulous beach and fabulous restaurants and bars.This post is going to be the start of a small series covering the various areas of the resort and nearby, providing you with recommendation’s of places to walk, eat or drink. I really want to dispel the myth that it is just a party town.

A view from a beach bar
One of our favourite stops on Poniente beach for a drink with a view

I would love you to return and follow my ramblings. In the next Benidorm post I will cover the delights of The Old Town.

Please comment if you have any fabulous tips and advice for visiting. I love to hear from you

 

The front window of Tast Catala Restaurant on King Street restaurant

Tast Catala Manchester – Restaurant Review

On By elaineandjohnIn Food and Eating Out, ManchesterLeave a comment

Introduction

Tast Catala is a Spanish Restaurant and bar in Manchester. It brings a taste of quality Catalan Cuisine and flavours of Barcelona to the city.

A photograph of the front of Tast Catala Restaurant Kings Street Manchester
Tast Catala King Street Manchester

Food and menus are created by an award winning chef – Paco Perez and it is part owned by Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City and footballing genius.

John and I have visited on several occasions to enjoy a drink at the bar – In my opinion they serve THE best Bloody Mary in Manchester. Tis visit was our first time dining. I won £100 to spend in the restaurant as part of a Valentines competition. A review was not part of the prize and this is our choice to do so and our impartial opinions.

Ambience & Atmosphere

The restaurant has a casual vibe and has a sparse industrial feel. No soft furnishings or glitz and glamour.

Wall art inside Tast Catala

I have seen it described as cold and uninviting, we wouldn’t go as far to say that but can see why others have said it.

There are seats along the bar and an area of dining tables by the large window that looks over trendy King Street, always thought of as an affluent area of the city. On warm days you can drink and dine on the pavement terrace.

There is also a restaurant on the first floor.  We cannot comment on this as we have only ever been in the ground floor area.

This is how the official  restaurant online page describes the cuisine:

“Our Restaurant Menu features our full range of Tastets, Charcoal Dishes, Rice Dishes & Desserts. The Menu is influenced by the flavours of Catalonia alongside more well-known classics. Our traditional dishes feature Butifarra which is a Catalan Duroc Pork Sausage and Catalan Style Rice cooked in our Charcoal Oven”.

Service & Hospitality

We were the only people in the place – 2pm on a Thursday afternoon – the week after Valentines day. We hade booked in advance and were greeted immediately with our names as they were prepared for us. They sat us in the window.

A glass of wine and water on a restaurant table

Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Taking time to explain the menu and make suggestions. I must point out that as part of the prize there was a bottle of Sparkling rose Chapeldown wine – as John wouldn’t have wanted any with his food they allowed us to take it home to enjoy at leisure  – a nice gesture.

Food & Food Quality

Dish Highlights

  • Appetizers: We shared 3 small plates – or Tastets. Sourdough bread with oil and tomatoes, Jamon Croquetas and Cod fritters with lemon and honey foam. These didn’t sound too extravagant or different from whats on offer at many other Tapas restaurants, but Wow! the flavours and quality were amazing! We holiday in Spain a lot but these were off the scale. The sourdough was super tasty with a great light texture. The croquetas had a super soft filling with a light crispy crumb. My favourite though was the cod fritters – such a lovely light batter and the lemon honey foam was like dipping them into a cloud. One of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in a while.  We found that this was ample food for us to enjoy.
  • Main Course: From the a la carte menu, John chose Sea Bass, served with their signature el Txringuito 1939 sauce accompanied by roasted baby potatoes and mushrooms,  and I chose Solomillo – pork tenderloin, celeriac puree, deep fried aubergine and meat jus. The portion sizes were ideal. Although the pork was a bit too pink for my liking but John and I are dinosaurs and like all meat well done, we cannot embrace the pink meat culture. We enjoyed everything we were served.
  • Dessert & Drinks: We did not order dessets or coffee but with our meal I enjoyed a chilled house white wine and John enjoyed his favourite Aspall Cyder.

As a side note we enjoyed the bottle of Chapeldown wine at home later watching Manchester City in the Champions League. This English wine is so delicious, soft on the palate with a delicate fizz – it will now be our go to celebratory drink

Pricing & Value for Money

Our bill came to £96. It’s not a budget restaurant but as its a unique experience and the quality of food and service was excellent it was worth it.

Overall Experience & Rating

Overall we enjoyed this experience, we expected that it would be very quiet when we booked. I think it is busy at the height of lunchtime and then gets busy again later in the evening. As its somewhere I am always going to return to for a drink when in Manchester it is somewhere we would have no reservations about dining there again. I’d be happy just to choose from the Tastets, small plates menu. In fact when we next visit for drinks I think we will definitely order a portion of sourdough oil and tomatoes to enjoy with out drinks.

We would probably give a score of 4 stars – just knocking 1 off for the lack of other customers at the time of our visit, affecting the atmosphere.

Final Thoughts & Recommendations

If you choose to experience the food here I suggest you make a reservation in advance, unless you are just dropping in for drinks sat at the bar, when seats are always available in our experience.

In fact if you’re passing we would always recommend popping in for a drink – quality cocktails.

If you’re in Manchester why not visit a free attraction – here is my review of Manchester Cathedral.

Please comment if you have visited to dine or drink yourself. And we’d love to know if you have any restaurant recommendations in Manchester – we love to try new places.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read

Elaine