Benidorm Gets High and Mighty Ugly

It was life as normal at the Pheasant Plucker, the Jolly Sailor and the Bridewell, a row of three union flag-bedecked establishments dedicated to keeping Benidorm's legion of beer-drinking British tourists happy last night. Tetley's and John Smith's Smooth Bitter were on tap; there were pies, chips and all-day British breakfasts to be had and the promise of Sky Sport or karaoke later in the evening.

But the talk was not about soccer or the horses. Instead it was of their latest neighbour, a giant hotel which, even by the brash standards of Europe's tackiest resort, promises to take British package tourism to new heights.

Those who stepped outside inevitably found themselves craning their necks upwards and staring at the neon-lit superstructure of the concrete and glass Gran Bali Hotel - the newest addition to a skyline already bristling with ugly skyscrapers - which opened its doors yesterday. At 48 floors, it has the dubious distinction of being the tallest hotel in Europe.

"What happens if it is bombed? We will all die," muttered one worried Bridewell drinker.

At 186 metres tall, the glitzy, garish Bali, is Europe's 13th largest skyscraper. Its presence here confirms Benidorm's status as the high-rise tourism capital of the world.

Some 1,500 holidaymakers at a time will squeeze into the Bali's 778 rooms, together with several hundred more who already stay at a smaller hotel on the same site. Eighteen lifts, including two on the out side of the building, will send them hurtling backwards and forwards to their rooms.

Guests can have their wrinkles zapped by lasers, get their blonde streaks redone or tan themselves by the pool while enjoying a view of the neighbouring skyscrapers that populate this concrete oasis.

Fake mountain waterfalls make a vain attempt at reminding visitors of the real tropical paradise that gave the hotel its name. Jacuzzis and 150m high sundecks are on offer to those prepared to take the most luxurious penthouse suites.

The owners, who dream of turning Benidorm into a Mediterranean Las Vegas, are lobbying for a new gambling law to be passed so that they can also offer their guests the joys of one-armed bandits, blackjack and roulette wheels.

"I am proud. This is the start of a new era for Benidorm," explained Joaquin Perez, one of the co-owners. "Soon we will have more hotel beds here than even London or Paris. We must bring people from all over the world."

For Benidorm, the butt of a thousand jokes, its new £60m hotel raises an upright finger at those who sniff at the cheap, mass tourism that has turned it into one of the wealthiest towns in southern Europe.

More than five million visitors a year is not enough for Benidorm, despite the elbow-room-only crowds in its old town or the battle for sunloungers on its beaches. The Bali is just part of a plan to add 10,000 holiday beds to the 50,000 plus already here within the next two years.

Special deals with package tour companies such as Airtours and Thomson mean that many of the rooms at the Bali will be taken by some of the 1.2 million British tourists who come here every year. Elton John, due to perform in Benidorm next week, was expected to be the first of what the management hopes will be many showbiz guests to cast some glamour on the town's tawdry reputation. His camp glitz is just what the new Benidorm wants.

British tourists who went to gaze at the Bali yesterday were sceptical. "I wouldn't stay up there," said Lynn Hall from Manchester.

"Our tour rep said there were rumours that it was either sinking or beginning to lean over."

The Bali has taken 15 years to build, as the owners have slowly sunk the profits from their other Benidorm hotels into it.

Although no one can deny that it is spectacular, the Bali fails to brighten the monotony of a skyline already dominated by the 316 hotel and apartment buildings more than 12 stories high. The first one went up in 1969. Now 350,000 people are squeezed into 30 sq km.

The Bali is at its most spectacular at night, and from a distance, when it looks like a massive, silver knife, projecting beams of light up into the clouds. By day it becomes a dull, grey, concrete and glass giant, visible for miles. "We kept waiting for them to paint it," said one local.

Town authorities denied that the resort, which already has to recycle its water, had reached saturation point. "Benidorm will now have to grow upwards, just like this," said a spokeswoman. The Bali will not, however, solve all Benidorm's image problems.

One more old-fashioned hotel nearby has put up posters advising clients coming from the beach that "reception has a special thinner available to help you remove grease or tar from your feet."

But, as it prepares to take its place in the record books, Benidorm is feeling brasher and more bullish than ever.

"Anyone who insults the five million people who come here every year is insulting the ordinary people of Europe," said the town hall spokeswoman. "Benidorm is just one of those places that you either love or hate."

It's newest building is no exception to that rule.

Hot, dry, noisy and crowded

Area 3,788 hectares

Skyscrapers (over 12 stories): 316

Visitors 5.5 million a year

British visitors 1.2 million

Residents 62,000

Sunloungers 6,410

Beach length 5km

Average water temp 19.8C

August rainfall zero

Discos and disco-pubs 181

Amusement arcades 87

Visitors who want to return 83%

Visitors from Spain 41%, Britain 36%

Rubbish 176 metric tonnes a day

Average noise level in centre 63 decibels

Water consumption 12m cubic metres a year

Population growth over 40 years 1,008%