The bus from Alicante Airport is approaching the outskirts of Europe's most visited seaside resort. Mike, a retired hardware store owner from Yorkshire, northern England, is giving me the benefit of his experience.
'The place is not what it was,' he warns. 'The streets aren't as clean and there's more crime. But you can still find a pint for a euro and the Duke of Wellington pub does really good liver and onions.'
Like a family heirloom, Benidorm, on Spain's Costa Blanca, is passed from generation to generation. Many of the pensioners around me first came with young families in the 1970s. Now their children bring families of their own.
Mike and his wife grew so attached to the sun and sangria that they decided to settle in Spain permanently. Satellite beach communities such as Albir and Alfaz del Pi are home to a multinational mix of residents who became tired of defrosting their windscreens and paying extortionate heating bills.
Benidorm basks in almost permanent sunshine and benefits from humidity levels that would make a Hongkonger weep. Two crescents of honey coloured sand and gin-clear turquoise seas lure legions of northern Europeans and Spanish holidaymakers all year round. In Europe, only Paris and London have more hotel beds.
Europe's uber-resort has tried to reinvent itself more often than Madonna but its core clientele remain loyal. Despite municipal makeovers and frequent rebranding exercises, Benidorm has changed little over the years.
