Other Bars in Benidorm and missing days

...A few of my friends are barmen. Jonathan, Duncan, Uncle Brian, Garth, Brian and Nick to name but a few.

Jonathan and Brian work in O'Maras http://www.omarasbar.com/ . This is a bar in the middle of the Old Town and caters for just about everyone. They do typically British food up until about 9.00 pm. Kevin is one of the owners and recently married a lovely Ukrainian girl called Victoria and they now have a child. Kevin is clearly the proud father and as an avid Manchester united fan fully expects him to be a future United player. http://webcam.comunitatvalenciana.com/webcam-benidorm-benidorm-8

Quite a few expats use O'Maras, but in holiday season its gets quite full of tourists and especially when there are any sporting events on.

Duncan works in the Magic Rock Hotel which is at the end of Levante beach at the Rincon de Loix. He runs one of the bars and there are many. This is an all inclusive Hotel, with a mixture of Spanish, English and other European visitors. People book a class of all inclusive accommodation which entitles them to various packages, but the most important one is free booze during the stay. I once wandered in to the Pool area to see what the place was like. This was at 11 am, and there were fully clothed young people lying on the sunbeds looking worse for wear, and one guy rolled off the sun lounger into the pool fully clothed. I believe last orders is a little like the gunfight at the OK Coral. I think it was a hotel like this which inspired the writers of Benidorm, the sit com.

Uncle Brian and Garth work at the Magic Monika, a sister hotel to the Magic Rock, this is also all inclusive but it is in La Cala de Finestrat. From my side of the hotel there is a sign which is illuminated at night, but many of the bulbs have blown and I think it just spells M-n-ka now at night. The Magic group have several hotels around Benidorm and they are the group building the Magic Atrium Beach hotel in the bay. A bus is laid on by the hotel group and, providing the passengers can show their all-inclusive bracelet, they get free transport between the hotels where they can eat, drink and be merry, without spending anything.

Nick works at Heroes bar. This is a bar about as big as an average working man's club in the UK. They have Acts on every weekend and some nights in the week too. The ladies that sing in the marina bar, 'Madonna', 'Dolly Parton' and 'Dusty Springfield', have regular spots there. Each of these venues are so different from each other. O'Maras is small friendly and intimate, everyone knows Keith and Kevin the owners and the bar staff and their custom tends to be regular and steady.

The All inclusive hotels tend to be in general, impersonal, fast turnovers, drink as much as you can by the poolside places, but they do have a few returning clientele who genuinely like the way all-inclusive hotels work, but are not afraid to leave and see the sights, lie on the beach or go to bars and buy a drink.

Heroes is bigger than O'maras and smaller than the Magic hotels, there is a regular clientele and the current owner and his wife seem to know what they are doing, which is vital in a holiday resort when you are dependant upon the weather, the exchange rate and airline fuel surcharges.

Interestingly, the one thing our friendly barmen have in common is the marina bar. This is their sanctuary when they decide to socialise and much of the inspiration for these blogs come from them.

One of the best nights of the year in New Year's Eve. We all travel to town on the bus, those of us not working that is. we probably start at the company bar, owned by Trevor and Dave. Now they like to dress up on New Year's Eve and me and ange decided they looked the best a couple of years ago when Dave wore the top half of a leather clad rocker and the bottom half a tutu. and Trevor wore the bottom half of a leather rocker and the top half of a ballerina. The make-up was courtesy of the Rich Bitch guys.

Approaching the Spanish New Year count down we all walk to the Triangle where there is a stage and a group playing. On the twelve chimes of midnight, the Spanish tradition is to eat 12 grapes one per chime, and drink Cava to let the New year in. Then there is the predictable firework display, always fantastic.

By 0100 am we have migrated to the corner of Casa Don Juan, a bar run and owned by Philip. Last year Philip excelled himself. There were singers on the balcony of his apartments, his staff circulated with sandwiches free of charge, and there was a party atmosphere second to none. My son Ian and our friends Ian and Christine were here to celebrate too. At one point I was talking to Christine and was distracted by Jonathan, when I turned back to Christine she had disappeared. I said to Ian her husband "where did Christine go" he pointed down to the floor, and there she was slumped on the pavement looking 'tired' well as tired as a newt anyway.

We all had a brilliant time and managed to get taxis around 3.00 am. Christine didn't see new Years Day....