Trip Advisor, the largest travel web site in the world has named five Benidorm establishments among the best in Spain.
Unlike other awards, the Travellers Choice Awards are based on the comments and opinions of millions of travellers over the course of a year and cover over 650,000 hotels world wide.
The awards are known as the “Oscars” of the travel industry and this year 9 hotels in the Valencian Community have been rewarded. Five of these hotels are located in Benidorm: Riviera Beach Hotel, Benimar Apartments, Villa Venecia Hotel Boutique, Hotel La Cala and the Terralata Apartments.
The awards and categories are as follows:
The Riviera Beachotel is placed in fifth position in the category of Top 25 Hotels in Spain.
The Villa Venecia Hotel Boutique has been mentioned in two categories, in ninth place in the Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Spain and then placed sixteenth in the Top 25 Small Hotels in Spain.
The other hotels awarded in the Travellers Choice Awards are recognised in the Top 25 Bargain Hotels in Spain as is the case with the Benimar Apartments, classified in sixth place, followed by the Hotel La Cala in 19th place and the Terralata Apartments placed 25th from all the Hotels in Spain.
The Benidorm and Marina Baixa ALGTB, (The Lesbian, Gay, Transsexual & Bisexual Association) have announced the dates of the 2013 Gay Pride event which will take place in Benidorm from the 8th to the 15th of September 2013.
This is the third year for “Benidorm Pride” and it has proved to be a great success. So much so that this year it has been exhibited at FITUR, the International Tourist Fair in Madrid, as an alternative, offering not only a beach holiday but also a cultural, sporting and leisure Festival. They hope to make the event one of the highlights of the city as well as making Benidorm one of the best international LGTB destinations.
The Association, in collaboration with the Benidorm Town Hall and local sponsors will organize cultural, sporting and leisure events throughout the week to celebrate the diversity of the group members.
The event will be officially published in May, with the opening of the new web site and the publication of the calendar of events.
Mandi one of the Asian Tigers that resides in the Benidorm Theme Park, Terra Natura has just been to the dentist!
The six year old tigress had not been eating which alerted staff at the Benidorm park. They monitored her closely and decided to intervene when the situation did not improve. She was sedated and when examined it was found that she had broken a fang.
Seven people took part in the orthodontic procedure, including two vets, two Terra Natura park keepers and three dental surgeons. The 125 kilo tigress was given an anaesthetic and then administered gas to keep her sedated during the procedure.
The surgeons removed the nerve from the tooth and Mandi has been given antibiotics and painkillers. All her food will be cut into small pieces over the next few days and any bones removed.
A tiger’s fang can measure approximately 6 centimetres compared to the 2 centimetres of our eye teeth.
The Asian tiger is considered to be the largest cat species. In the wild this tiger would probably have died, not being able to hunt and feed, as the pain from a broken fang coming into contact with its prey or the meat would be extremely painful.
Experts at Terra Natura, the animal and nature park in Benidorm introduce young Susto to another female rhino.
Susto caused quite a stir when he was born in Terra Natura in Benidorm in February 2012, as he is the only Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) to be born in captivity in Spain.
Before he was conceived his mother Shiwa shared her enclosure with another adult female called Nisha. Both females came to the Benidorm park in 2004 and were only apart when taken to mate and then during Shiwa’s pregnancy.
Since Susto’s birth, mother and calf have lived alone to avoid any possible attacks from Nisha but the time has now come for the two adults to be reunited and Susto introduced to other adult rhinos. Susto needs to adapt to other members of the species to be able to develop both physically and psychologically.
Mother and calf appeared calm when reunited with Nisha, but Nisha had other ideas and there was a moment of tension when she threatened the mother and calf.
Shiwa protected her offspring admirable and now staff from Terra Natura will pay close attention to their behavioural patterns over the next few days and will separate them again if the aggressive behaviour continues and then reintroduce them again until they become familiar with each other again.
Watch the video of Susto’s birth.
Read previous articles:-
Great Expectations in Terra Natura Benidorm
Terra Natura Benidorm confirms pregnancy of an Indian Rhino
Terra Natura Benidorm install a camera system to monitor the imminent birth of a baby rhino
Baby Indian Rhino born in Terra Natura Benidorm.
Benidorm Island has a legend which tells the story of Roldan, son of Princess Bertha, Charlemagne's sister, who fell in love with a beautiful young girl. The girl had a mysterious illness that had condemned her to death. She could only be saved if the last rays of the sun could pass the enormous Puig Campana Mountain. Roldan did not hesitate and armed with his sword “Durandarte” he attacked the giant mountain. The piece of rock fell into the sea forming the island.
The legend , like all legends is beautiful, but geologists affirm that the island, along with the smaller island La Llosa is a continuation of the neighbouring Sierra Helada mountain that continues down under the sea and surfaces again forming the two islands. The smaller island of La Llosa is almost completely submerged, at its highest point it is only 6 metres above the surface and its base is 30 metres deep.
Both islands are important marine reserves, protected because of the high ecological value to the area. The plant life and birds that nest on the island are protected, for example the Audouin gull and the Cormorant amongst others, some of them making their nest in the cracks and caves of the cliffs. Benidorm island is a paradise for divers as moray eels, octopus and sargo take refuge around its rocky base.
There is a path that enables you to walk to the top of the island and a restaurant opens daily, offering one of the best paellas in the area. Benidorm island is not inhabited but at the beginning of the 19th Century a few hundred people fled to the island to escape a cholera epidemic in the area.
The island is also known as the Journalists' Island. In the Town Hall archives there is a document dated 26th of May 1970 , signed by the then Mayor of Benidorm, Jaime Barcelo and the President of the "Associated Spanish Press Federation", Lucio del Alamo. In this document the Federation is appointed Patron of the island along with all Spanish journalists.
To purchase tickets for the boat trip to the Island or one of the other boat trips to Calpe or Tabarca Island, click here.
Take a look at some other photos of Benidorm Island
Watch our video of the boat trip to Benidorm Island.
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