Playa de Levante, Benidorm

There are longer beaches on the Costa Blanca, quieter ones, cleaner ones. None of them are Levante. This is the beach that built Benidorm from a fishing village of 2,000 people in 1950 to the tourism monolith of 70,000 year-round residents and 16 million annual visitors it is today. If you’re staying in Benidorm for the Old Town charm, you’re in the wrong city. You’re here for Levante, and Levante delivers.

What you’re actually looking at

2 kilometres of fine, imported sand (replenished every November; the native beach is coarser). Gentle curve facing south-east. 100-metre-wide band of sand between the water and the promenade. Behind the promenade, a wall of 30-to-50-storey apartment blocks, the tallest concentration of high-rises per square kilometre in the EU. Directly in front, an open Mediterranean with warm, shallow entry — the sand continues 50 m out before it gets above thigh-deep.

The beach holds a Blue Flag rating and has done continuously since 1987. Daily cleaning, showers every 100 m, toilets, accessibility ramps, an amphibious lifeguard chair.

Levante vs. Poniente — pick right

Benidorm has two beaches. Know the difference before you drop your towel.

• Levante (this one, east side) — the party beach. Wakes up later, stays up later, louder music from the chiringuitos, younger crowd, all the big bars and tourist apartments. The postcard view.
• Poniente (west side) — the family beach. Quieter, wider sand, more shade, older crowd, the locals’ preference. If you’re here with young kids and want to nap, go west.

Most tourists never visit Poniente; most locals swim there most days. Both are 2 km walk apart through the old town in the middle.

The best sections of Levante, from east to west

1. East end / Rincón de Loix — furthest from the old town, backed by the British-pub strip. Loud, cheap, busy. Hen and stag weekends live here.
2. Middle — mixed crowd, families + couples + 20-somethings. Best lifeguard coverage, most amenities.
3. West end / near the Castell promontory — quieter, closer to the old town with its tapas bars. If you want a Levante sunbathe followed by a Mediterranean-normal dinner, stay west.

When to go

Morning (08:00–11:00) — actual locals swimming, strong swimmers doing the 1-km crossing to the Illa de Benidorm, empty loungers. This is when Levante is most like a regular Spanish beach.

Midday (11:00–16:00) — the rental loungers fill up entirely, the chiringuitos run at full speed, music from about 20 different sources overlaps. Industrial-scale beach, industrial-scale good time.

Evening (17:00–21:00) — the locals who went home for lunch come back for el paseo. The promenade fills with walkers, the heat breaks, the light turns honey. Best swim of the day.

Night (21:00+) — the beach itself empties, the promenade stays packed, the bars across the road go from loud to louder. If you want Benidorm-as-nightlife, this is when you see it.

Practical things nobody mentions

• Sun loungers — 6 € each, 6 € for the parasol. If you’re two people, plan for 18 € in lounger rental. Cash only at the hamaquero (beach attendant).
• Freshwater showers — every 100 m, always cold, always free. Foot showers by the promenade only.
• Food on the beach — the chiringuitos do sangria, beer, bocadillos, chicken and chips. Not gourmet, priced for holidaymakers (6 € for a coffee, 4 € for a beer). Better options across the promenade.
• Toilets — three pay toilets (0,60 €) along the promenade. Bar toilets are cleaner if you’re polite.
• Pickpockets — yes, particularly around the rental-lounger section. Don’t leave phones or wallets on the sand while you swim.

What you might do here beyond sunbathing

• Paddleboard/kayak rental, middle section, 12 €/hour
• Illa de Benidorm swim or boat trip — the flat-topped island 2 km offshore has a nature reserve and you can circumnavigate in a glass-bottomed boat for 15 €, or swim out if you’re strong (not recommended without a kayak support)
• Nighttime walk on the promenade, all the way from Rincón de Loix to the Castell — 30 minutes, best introduction to Benidorm as a city that actually runs overnight

Combine with

• Casco antiguo (middle of the two beaches) — the old fishing-village core
• Mirador del Castell (west end of Levante, 10 min walk) — free, sea view, no better sunset spot in Benidorm
• Serra Gelada natural park — the coast north of Levante, another world

The honest note

Levante is a manufactured beach. The sand is imported, the waterfront is a wall of hotels, the soundscape is pre-mixed. It is also one of the most efficient, cleanest, best-run tourist beaches in Europe, safe by day, safer at night than most people assume, and the best way to experience what Benidorm actually is. If you’re looking for a Greek-island fantasy, you’re in the wrong place. If you’re here for the thing Benidorm invented — industrial-scale beach tourism done well — Levante is the centrepiece.