Things to do in and around Benidorm, Spain

Benidorm used to have a bad reputation as a town/city attracting drunken yobs.  Either you love it or hate it.  There is plenty to see and do during a fortnight’s holiday.  It has two long beaches, The Playa Levante (wake up beach?) and the Playa Poniente (sunset beach?) often claiming the prestigious Blue Flag for cleanliness.  Tractors clean the beach every evening and the promenades are washed down.  Cars can still drive in certain areas along the promenade next to the beach.

Just behind Benidorm lies Finestrat, a mountain village close to a shopping mall and Carrefour hypermarket.  Many new 5 star hotels are springing up in Finestrat which is a short distance from the theme park called Terra Mitica.  Terra Mitica grows each year with new rides and attractions.  The entrance is impressive starting with the Egyptian area where there are shops selling Egyptian souvenirs revolving around ancient Egyptians and  there is an Egyptian restaurant.  From this area, you can take a ship to the next area.  Once inside you'll see that this Spanish version of Disneyland has been given a Mediterranean theme with each sector of the park dedicated to a different civilization including the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Iberians.

A fairly recent addition is Terra Natura (a wildlife park where wild animals roam).  There is also a Water Park with a wave pool, beach, islands, spa, restaurants and generally, lots to do in the sun.

Also on the outskirts of Benidorm is Mundomar where you can swim with dolphins or sealions.  They also have parrot shows and offer the chance to be a park keeper for the day.

Aqualandia is another water park where you can try the Big Bang, Vertigo, Kamikaze water rides or if that is too much, then you could always laze around under a cool manmade waterfall.   The food on offer is anything from paella, burgers, to a barbeque.  There is the ubiquitous souvenir shop.

The lovely old village of Finestrat, 40 km. north of Alicante,  and a short drive from Benidorm, is a little unusual because it is an inland mountain village with its own touristy beach called Cala Finestrat. The picturesque village, which hugs the mountain side of Puig Campana, has beautiful views from the mountains down to the sea; the architecture has a distinct Moorish influence and many of the houses are colourfully painted.

A little further south of Benidorm lies Villajoyosa (meaning joyful town), a typical Spanish village, with a sandy beach and fishing port.  Villajoyosa celebrates the "Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos" from the 24th to the 31st of July every year and the central act is orientated around the Moros unship.

It is sheltered by the Sierra Aitana mountain meaning it has relatively mild winters.   There is a daily fish market, a street market on Thursdays, as well as a Sunday flea market.  The houses are painted in bright colours.

Baked Egg Custard

Ingredients    

Use a coffee mug to measure

3/4 of a mug of sugar for the caramel
3/4 of a mug of sugar for the custard
1 dessertspoonful of vanilla essence
8 eggs, beaten
5 mugs of full cream milk

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade.  Gas mark 5.

Melt the first mug of sugar in a pan until caramelised into a golden coloured liquid.  Pour the caramel into a large pyrex bowl.

Beat the eggs with the second mug of sugar.  Add the vanilla essence and the milk, then whisk until thoroughly blended.

Pour the custard onto the caramel.  Place the pyrex bowl inside a much larger ovenproof pan and add hot water to the pan up to 3/4 of the side of the custard.  Cook for 1 hour.  Carefully remove it from the pan, be careful as everything will be very hot.  Leave it to rest until it cools and then place in the fridge for 4 hours to set.

To serve, place a deep dish over the pyrex bowl and invert if you are feeling brave.  Otherwise it can just be served from the pyrex bowl as it is.

Enjoy!!

Arabic Minced Lamb Omelette

I think it is called "Mekloma".  My husband taught me how to make this and his father taught him.

Ingredients

400g of minced lamb
7-8 beaten eggs (medium) or 6 (large)
salt and ground black pepper
A little oil
Lemon to serve

Method

Fry the minced lamb in the oil over a low heat for a few minutes, then add salt and lots of black pepper.  Cover the meat with water and cook for 20 minutes, adding more water if it evaporates.  When the meat is cooked and all the water has evaporated, cover the meat with the beaten eggs, stirring a little with a wooden spoon, so that the eggs sink in and start to cook.  When the eggs are cooked it can be divided into wedges and served with salad or potato wedges.  It is also nice when served cold.