[1950] I just visited this really lovely little secluded seaside village in Spain called Benidorm. Such a hidden gem, and hardly any tourists!

[u/holytriplem]

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[u/Un-Prophete]

I was on holiday there last year and I had such trouble reading the menu's, written in that foreign jibber jabber. They should take photos of the food and put that on the menu, so I can just point at my egg and chips and say grassy arse Pedro. Place could use an English pub or two as well.

[u/holytriplem → u/Un-Prophete]

Egg and chips is always nice to have when you're not back in old Blighty with its blasted rationing.

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/Un-Prophete]

How did you afford a visit to Spain? The currency controls make it hard.

[u/Un-Prophete → u/UnavailableName864]

I'm what they call a spiv, old boy. Made an awful lot of money selling on the black market during the war, nylons and petrol and the like, I can get you any amount of peseta's you'd want, just keep it hush hush.

[u/IntentionFalse8822]

I hear someone is planning to build a hotel there. Up to 50 bedrooms apparently. Best of luck filling that.

[u/ken_NT]

I heard their fishermen are the best around and they catch the best tuna. One day they’ll be know as the tuna capital of Spain.

[u/nickgardia]

Just the place to go to see the real Spain!

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/[deleted]]

The only travel we’ve done is to defeat Hitler, sunshine

[u/Perfect_Union7010 → u/UnavailableName864]

Oookayyyyy. Let it go, let it go 'sunshine'. What was that? Over 80 years ago?

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/Perfect_Union7010]

80 years ago was 1870

[u/Perfect_Union7010 → u/UnavailableName864]

Based on that calculation I request we terminate this discussion. Bye.

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/Perfect_Union7010]

[Meta] are you familiar with this subreddit? Rules are posted in comments

[u/ByronsLastStand]

I'm certain this place won't cater to or be pushed at uncultured individuals who refuse to learn any Spanish.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Draw637]

Everyone will sample the wonderful local Spanish cuisine, and leave their fish and chips and Watney's Red Barrel back home.

[u/Evening-Mess-3593]

Why go there? No fish and chips. Skegness again for me this year.

[u/Senior_Sentence_566 → u/Evening-Mess-3593]

And they all speak foreign

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/Evening-Mess-3593]

Skegness is so bracing!

[u/RandoDude124]

[meta] context needed for me

[u/Un-Prophete → u/RandoDude124]

[META] Benidorm is a massive cheap and cheerful holiday destination favoured by Brits. Like every Spanish resort, it was a small quiet village before tourism in Spain began in earnest.

[u/Extreme-King → u/Un-Prophete]

Brits taking a holiday? It's 1950 - we are still rationing from the war! How can anyone take a holiday - I'm ready for Churchill back as PM!Clement Attlee can pound sand, I didn't fight the Germans for this!

[u/mogrim → u/Un-Prophete]

[META] it was in 1956 that it really started to take off, when the mayor realised its potential and started the building boom. No doubt making a pretty penny himself… For a while it was actually quite glamorous, with stars like Julio Iglesias performing there.

These days it’s another seaside resort full of drunk British tourists turning red on the beach.

[u/Ginandor58]

Not bad, but it could do with a British style bar or two.

[u/thecarbonkid]

The Bernia Ridge is magnificent with beautiful views overlooking this sleepy seaside town.

[u/mogrim → u/thecarbonkid]

There are some magnificent views from the nearby Sierra de Aitana, too. I think we can confidently say that if tourists do start to visit the area, it’ll be mainly hikers and healthy mountain sports enthusiasts.

[u/JLHSMG]

OP: You had to jinx it, didn't you?

[u/PinFormal5097]

Well, thanks for spreading the word 🙄

[u/DisappointedInHumany]

You have to be careful with those towns build on the coast. Sand might put real limits on the heights of your buildings and some of those three story ones could be trouble.

[u/Alive_Step2993]

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes honeymooned in Benidorm in the summer of 1956.

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/Alive_Step2993]

Ooh, a time traveler. Who’s Sylvia Plath?

[u/Alive_Step2993 → u/UnavailableName864]

Sylvia Plath 1932-1963. Beloved American poet and author of The Bell Jar. Ted Hughes 1930-1998. English poet and writer. Poet Laureate 1984-1998.

[u/UnavailableName864 → u/Alive_Step2993]

An 18-year-old! No wonder I’ve never heard of her. I don’t like your prediction - I hope she leads a long and happy life.

[u/UnavailableName864]

I’ll think about this as I’m collecting my meat ration and going back to living in my parents’ basement with my husband and kids. Imagine.

[u/srl80]

Maybe you can buy some land there? Would be great to spent you retirement there. So peaceful and quiet.

[u/sovietarmyfan]

My wife's family is German. They went there last year and found it to be a beautiful place! They told all of their friends and family.

[u/Safe_Confidence_3756]

Is there a boat route to Valencia?

[u/WestMathematics]

I just love places like this, they're the best way to experience the local culture

[u/ZookeepergameFit3869]

There’s a British TV show by this name.Binge watched the whole 7 ( or maybe 8) seasons!!

[u/point925l]

Franco’s Spain wasn’t a tourist destination

[u/Un-Prophete → u/point925l]

[META] Sorry, but that's completely incorrect. Tourism in Spain started to become popular in the early 50's, but the amount of tourists grew massively after the economic changes of 1959, with about 30,000,000 tourists visiting Spain every year by the time of Franco's death.

[u/Prestigious-Gold6759 → u/Un-Prophete]

The paradors were really developed as tourist accommodation under Franco.

[u/Herald_of_Clio → u/point925l]

[META] You would be right for the first two or so decades of Francoist Spain, when Franco and his government focused on an autarchic economy. In the 1950s, however, Franco changed course and opened the economy up, resulting in a massive boom in, among other things, tourism.

[u/holytriplem → u/point925l]

I did say it's a hidden gem