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Ever wondered what Benidorm is like at 8am when most boozy holiday goers have finally crawled back to their hotel rooms?
Well, we asked a Brit who has lived in the revered area for 40 years – and she said the stench in one part is “offensive and vile”.
But Michelle Baker, who married a Spaniard and has raised five kids in Beni, speaks passionately about the town that she believes has an unfair reputation.
READ MORE: Benidorm Brits ignore heatwave alert and strip for sun fun – guzzling beer to cool off
She runs an informative Facebook page called Benidormforever and she recently acknowledged o the army of rarely seen workers who make the place immaculate every single morning.
Michelle, who now lives 20 minutes from Benidorm, recently reviewed a hotel on the famous party strip and was therefore up for an early morning stroll.
And speaking to the Daily Star about what she encountered, she said: “I haven’t been out that late at night for a very long time although I used to a lot when I was young and I was probably the one being sick If I am honest.
“But more than seeing, unfortunately you smell it the next morning and I am always saying ‘for god’s sake, can you not put some fairly liquid in that jetwash because it stinks’.
“When you jetwash sick, and I know I am getting graphic now, but you spread it all over the place, then the heat bakes it and the acrid smell is just vile.
“But I am only talking about a section of 300 metres or less of pavement.
“It really is a no man’s land and I try to avoid that street like the plague. The bins have fallen and they probably have been sick in the bins as well, it is just a nasty nasty street.
“In some parts of the strip the smell of vomit is quite offensive in the morning.”
But aside from the pungent smell directly where the nightlife action takes place, Michelle praised the dedicated unsung hero workers who always make Benidorm spotless.
Describing her early morning walk further, she said: “The scene is calm, really quiet, the biggest noise you can hear is the beer barrels clunking from the wagons because delivery people are only allowed out until about 10am in certain parts.
“You hear the jet washers where the rowdy part is for obvious reasons.
“You hear all the staff, they move around on electric scooters because cars are shunned in Benidorm, now it is all about electric.
“If you can imagine, any one of these hotels has 200 members of staff to clean the rooms to service the bars and restaurants and they all have got to get to work, they don’t generally live near where they work.
“They will stop on route and get a croissant or something and it is just completely different to the Benidorm you see.
“I thought all you people who were out last night are now fast asleep and you don’t see this side. Someone has to get the resort ready for the next day.
“You also see people coming home who haven’t been to bed yet. You see a lot of that. There is no trouble but they have been out all night and they probably have gone down for a little swim first thing in the morning at the beach.”
And she said the tireless workers who make the town exceptionally tidy each morning are a reason why Benidorm has an 80% tourist return year on year.
Michelle, who ran a newspaper there for 20 years, also said first time visitors are always surprised by what Benidorm is actually like.
She said: “I know it is cliche but it is everything to everyone. If you want the hurdy-gurdy like my daughter, she is 21, she was out last night and she said the ambiance was number one.
“She said there was little trouble and a really great atmosphere. I wouldn’t want to go down there for love nor money any more. I am too old for all that but you go to the other side of Benidorm, I call it the Miami of Benidorm and you have the most spectacular buildings, none of them less than €400,000 the apartments within them.
“My point being, you have got two completely different ends of the spectrum and it is only a two hour flight from the UK. I love everything about Benidorm because depending on your mood you can find it here.
“When you go somewhere like New York, like Florida or Las Vegas, you kind of know what you are getting yourself in for and your expectations are high. But when people talk about Benidorm they are almost embarrassed to admit they are coming here.
“So when they get here and find it so fantastic they are like ‘oh right, that was better than I expected’. They get the Benidorm bug and they come back.”
We then asked Michelle about some of the misconceptions about the town.
Answering the question, she also mentioned lesser known parts of Benidorm that Brits are slowly starting to discover.
She said: “The biggest misconception is the one we’ve just discussed (the vomiting). Even though the strip is quite long, it is only a tiny section that stinks but people think that’s the whole of Benidorm.
“They say ‘oh no I couldn’t be seen there, I don’t want to go there' because people do walk around like perhaps they wouldn’t back in the UK, i.e with a lot of flesh on show.
“But aside from that, honestly, I promise you, I urge people to discover the other side of Benidorm, metaphorically and literally.
“Go to Poniente Beach, go to the old town, it is absolutely beautiful and people are discovering that for themselves.
“A lot of people who visit her are grown up like me and they don’t want the hurdy-gurdy kind of area and they are discovering the nicer areas and the old town and the Poniente side.
“There are two beaches, the Levente Beach, essentially where the hotels and the nightlife are, and then the Poniente, which is much calmer and nicer even though both are nice.”
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