What a Benidorm holiday really costs
10 ways to save on your next Benidorm holiday
Ten changes, each with the saving in pounds. None of them means a worse holiday.
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The hidden costs of a Benidorm holiday
Bread you didn't order, safe charges, apartment deposits, street cash machines. Ranked by what they cost.
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How a family saves over £200 on a Benidorm week
Six changes save a family of four £234 without cutting a single treat.
Read itWhat the research says
Families go 42% over their holiday spending budget, about £323 more than they planned.
The Costa Blanca is Europe's cheapest package destination for summer 2026, at £864 a person.
A Costa Blanca family meal with drinks costs £92.60, more than on the Costa del Sol or in Tenerife.
Plus our own checks: every direct flight from 17 UK airports, parking at each airport, and board prices at 33 hotels, all in October 2026.
Brenda says
Budget for the week you'll actually have, not the one you plan. Book the coach, not the taxi. Pay in euros. And if you're all-inclusive, make it a hotel where it costs less than £13 a night extra. Then stop worrying and enjoy the pint.
Ask me what your week will costThe real bill for a week
Two adults from Manchester, 7 nights from Saturday 14 November, half board. Only £515 of the £1,000 is what a booking site shows you.
| Couple from Manchester, 7 nights from Sat 14 Nov, half board | Cost for 2 |
|---|---|
| Return flights, small bag only Cheapest direct each way, Manchester–Alicante our fare check, 20 Oct 2026 | £98 |
| Parking at Manchester, 7 days JetParks 3, airport's own site airport sites, 20 Oct 2026 | £58 |
| Coach from Alicante airport and back ALSA, €7.99 each way ALSA, Oct 2026 | £27 |
| Hotel, half board, 7 nights A Rincón de Loix hotel at £59.60 a night for two (rate quoted by a 2026 visitor) 2026 visitor's video | £417 |
| Lunch, drinks and snacks in town €26.50 per adult a day: tapas lunch €9, 5 pints at €2.50, snacks €5 Benidorm Total, 2026; what holidaymakers told us, 2026 | £312 |
| Sunbeds, 5 beach days Two beds and a parasol at €6 each Benidorm Total, 2026 | £76 |
| Card fees on spending 2.99% on a standard UK card MoneySavingExpert, Aug 2026 | £12 |
| Total | £1,000 |
An illustration from our own prices, not a quote. Euros converted at €1 = £0.84.
From the Dear Brenda postbag
We listen. Each letter is built from many real comments on the same subject.
We'd paid for our apartment in full before we flew, so when reception asked for another €200 on arrival we were stunned.
Brenda: Sadly common: many Benidorm apartments take €150–200 on arrival even when you've prepaid.
Our four-star hotel charged €22 for the safe, which wasn't mentioned when we booked, and wanted a €20 deposit for a pool towel that they then tried not to give back.
Brenda: Expect the safe (€3–3.50 a day) and a towel deposit (€10–20) at many hotels, and air-con charges at some apartments.
We thought it was a nice touch until the bill came with €2.50 for every roll.
Brenda: A polite 'no gracias' when it arrives is enough; nobody minds.
Everything a Benidorm holiday really costs
Where you'll overspend in Benidorm, and by how much
An honest check: answer six questions and see where your money really goes.
What the package price doesn't tell you
Flights, transfer and hotel are in. Half the holiday isn't.
Why every family overspends in Benidorm, and by how much
Families budget £766 and go over by £323. Here's where.
10 ways to save on your next Benidorm holiday
Ten changes, each with the saving in pounds.
Benidorm holiday costs by category
Every cost, one line at a time, with the cheapest way to pay.
How a family saves over £200 on a Benidorm week
Six changes that save a family of four £234.
Airport shockers: what eating at the airport really costs
A £10.05 pint, a £65 breakfast, £4 water. What eating at the airport costs a family, and where to eat for less.
Benidorm prices that have gone up
Hotels up 6.7% this year; a family meal up two-thirds since 2016, after inflation.
The hidden costs of a Benidorm holiday
Deposits, safes, bread on the bill, tourist ATMs and more, ranked.
10 free tools on Benidorm.co.uk that save you money
Free calculators and price checks built for this site.
Is all-inclusive worth it in Benidorm?
33 hotels priced: when all-inclusive pays and when it doesn't.
A Benidorm holiday then and now: 1976 to 2026
A Benidorm week still costs a week's wages, as in 1976.
Sources
- Post Office Family Holiday Report 2026, Oct 2026
- Post Office Holiday Spending Report 2025, Aug 2025
- Which?, cheapest package holiday destinations 2026, 23 Dec 2025
- Benidorm.co.uk fare tracker: every direct UK–Alicante flight, 20 Oct 2026
- Airport parking quotes, each airport's own booking site, 20 Oct 2026
- Benidorm.co.uk check of board prices on Jet2holidays and TUI, 34 hotels, 20 Oct 2026
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Benidorm.co.uk is an independent guide. Hotel and tour links are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we recommend. Prices change; each table shows the date we checked it.