Live sex shows, cheap drugs and sleazy ‘hookers’ robbing drunk Brits – why locals call Benidorm ‘Disneyland for crazies’
IT’S 4pm on a Tuesday in May and a man on his stag do is splayed on the floor as a fully naked woman bobs down over him before waxing his chest.
Watching are his mates, who whoop and cheer as he is punished by “extreme stripper” Jade Benidorm.
She then grabs hot candles to drip on to the soon-to-be-married man’s chest as he yelps in protest.
Welcome to Benidorm 2024, where business is booming and the famous holiday hotspot has become wilder than ever.
While the cost of living is soaring in the UK, Benidorm is getting more tourists than ever — nearly three million came here last year — and the nightlife has stayed open all winter for the first time.
More than 800,000 Brits headed to the Spanish city last year alone for the huge Costa Blanca beaches and hedonistic partying.
And the number of stag dos is rocketing.
Local celebrity Frank The Stag Man, who runs Fk It Parties, says: “It’s Disneyland for crazies here. Absolutely anything goes.”
One sozzled stag do reveller tells me: “You couldn’t get away with what we’re doing anywhere else in the world.
“What happens on the stag, stays on the stag.”
For stripper Jade, it is her first show of the day — she can do up to 15 a day over the weekend.
And this is just a warm-up, as later on men will head to the infamous Benidorm strip, aka Calle Gerona, where they will watch one of the countless live sex shows.
They include a Star Wars-themed option on Segways and extreme BDSM shows.
Stag dos are spoilt for choice, as every other bar on the strip offers a free raunchy show and punters as old as 70 will be packing in with them to get an eyeful.
And it’s not just stag dos that flock to the X-rated shows.
Niamh, 22, visited Benidorm last year with her mum and took her to the Segway sex show.
The Dublin lass says: “I’ve never seen anywhere else where young and old can party together. It’s great.”
The seaside resort has been welcoming boozy visitors since the 1960s, then in the 1980s legendary stripper Sticky Vicky paved the way for the raunchy acts that dominate the strip now.
The erotic performer died, aged 80, in November last year and now even has a tribute act.
Her daughter Maria is carrying on as the original.
Frank, 53, who owns Miller’s Bar and Miller’s Beach Bar, has been running group holidays to the city for more than 15 years.
He reckons: “It’s a break from the norm and over the past few years things have got wilder.
“We are the top party destination in Europe and, thanks to social media, more people are starting to realise that.
“It’s impossible to come here and not have a good time.
“People love being shocked and that’s what Benidorm provides.
“There’s everything from drag strippers who stitch up the groom to tribute acts and more extreme performances.
“Winter is non-existent here and for the first time this year we didn’t stop over the winter months.
“We were still busy.”
In high season, Benidorm gets around 200 stag and hen dos a week, with many of their clients being Irish or from the North of England.
Disneyland for crazies
Frank’s partner is Jade Benidorm, 31, who says people often show their wild side when they come to the party destination.
She said: “Sticky Vicky paved the way for acts like mine.
“Most people expect to see something shocking, but also appreciate the showmanship of it.
“Ninety-nine per cent of brides and grooms who come to my show have no idea what their stags have planned.
“Some are timid, others are up for a giggle and some get naked very quickly.
“It’s great to see people enjoying themselves and pushing the limits.”
But while there are great times to be had in Benidorm, the partygoers should beware the strip’s darker side.
Boozed-up Brits have become an easy target for so-called “serpientes” (Spanish for “snakes”) after a quick buck.
Frank warns: “While being on the beach at night is technically illegal, that doesn’t stop people skinny-dipping after a few drinks.
“But leaving your clothes and belongings on the beach gives snakes a chance to steal phones and money.
“While you’re having a bit of fun, they’ll strike.
“Plus most people won’t want to admit that they’ve lost their stuff having a naked swim, so they’ll say they got mugged.
“People just need to remember to keep an eye on stuff, like they would at home.”
There are other dangers, too.
Within 30 seconds of arriving at Avenida de Mallorca, known to tourists as The Square, I was offered cocaine.
The going rate is €50 a gram.
The dealer, who also worked as a doorman for one of the clubs, tells me: “It’s the good stuff from Columbia.”
When I refuse, I’m offered pills or another powder.
I have to walk away fast just to be left alone.
The offer is repeated again and again as I make my way along the street.
Dad Simon, 44, tells me: “I’ve been offered drugs about 20 times since I lit a cigarette.
“It’s full-on.”
He is here on a rugby tour and is flanked by Brandon, 17, and Dylan, 16, who are hoping to see a sex show.
Cops tell me of the street dealers: “Where there is demand, there will be supply, but we don’t want it here.”
Alleged British drug kingpin Paul Brown was last month arrested in a hotel in the city after a four-year international manhunt.
While out on the strip, The Sun saw one Brit being arrested, and it is a regular occurance for clubs to be raided by cops looking to find drugs.
We are the top party destination in Europe and, thanks to social media, more people are starting to realise that. It’s impossible to come here and not have a good time
Frank, bar-owner
It’s not just drug dealers who are preying on visitors.
Despite 500 police patrolling the area each day to keep holidaymakers safe, smashed blokes are being targeted by women pretending to be sex workers offering a €5 thrill — which results in punters being robbed once their pants are down.
There have been protests against British tourists in Majorca, the Canaries and Ibiza — but the Benidorm locals love them.
Visit Benidorm told me they felt “very privileged to host British tourists”.
And a taxi driver added: “Eighty per cent of the people here are British.
“The problem is pickpockets looking for British drunk guys.
“They pose as sex workers, offer a service, and once the guy has dropped his trousers they take everything.
It’s rougher than the worst bits of Newport. But I bloody love it
Sun source
“We see it every night, men who have nothing because it’s been nicked.
“It’s not good for us, because people go home and say you’ll get robbed.
“It puts people off coming here.
“The criminals just focus on the tourist streets.”
The women can be seen standing on street corners just seconds away from the main strip, sporting short skirts and high heels, like many of the partygoers.
Online groups about Benidorm have reports of tourists being punched by bouncers when they start to cause trouble.
Some posts advise avoiding a street off the strip as it is “muggers alley”.
Yet despite the darker edge, most revellers aren’t put off.
As one woman from Newport, South Wales, told The Sun: “It’s rougher than the worst bits of Newport. But I bloody love it.”