Brits Agree With Gran Who Said Benidorm Holiday Was Ruined By 'Too Many Spanish'

A gran who complained that her holiday to Benidorm - in Spain - was ruined by 'too many Spanish people' is not the only Brit to be left angered by the native tourists at the popular holiday resort.

Freda Jackson, 81, said she had been left in tears after she returned from her holiday because of 'rude' Spanish guests and claimed that entertainment and food catered solely to the Spaniards.

SWNS

She said: "The hotel was full of Spanish holidaymakers and they really got on our nerves because they were just so rude.

"One evening a Spanish guy nearly knocked me flying and he just walked off without even apologising.

"The entertainment in the hotel was all focused and catered for the Spanish - why can't the Spanish go somewhere else for their holidays?"

ITV/Benidorm

Freda and her friend demanded a refund for their £1,133 ($1,446) holiday from providers Thomas Cook because of other complications with their trip, including the fact that the hotel was on a slope and she was initially placed on the 14th floor, despite making her mobility issues clear.

And while it might seem strange to be complaining about Spanish people on a holiday to Spain, Freda is far from the only aggrieved Brit that had come back from a Benidorm break complaining about the natives.

Talking about Hotel Poseidon Playa on TripAdvisor, one reviewer said it was the 'worst holiday' they had ever had.

Tripadvisor

The review explained: "No complaints of staff or the hotel, just the very rude ignorant pushy Spanish that invaded the hotel. We did read up on reviews that said there were few Spanish, but not so many they overtook the hotel."

She echoed Freda's complaints that the evening entertainment was '99% Spanish' and said there were so many Spanish guests that she couldn't get up on the dance floor to cut some shapes.

A representative from the hotel said they regretted the negative experiences with the entertainment but said it was normally highly rated by guests of all nationalities.

ITV/Benidorm

Another holidaymaker added to the complaints about the entertainment, saying: "It was all in Spanish, I know it is in Spain but everything was catered for the Spanish, the food, the music."

They added that a Spanish OAP 'would have had a ball' there, but criticised the hotel for not catering to tourists of different nationalities.

Tripadvisor

And a third person said: "Lovely clean hotel, pricey bar for drinks, terrible for the Spanish giving you filthy looks soon as they realise your English!"

Other guests, however, were delighted with their stay at the hotel, saying that it was in a fantastic position for the beach and had excellent food.

One said: "Would go back in a heartbeat."

SWNS

And in a response to one unhappy customer, the manager of the hotel pointed out that they do cater to international tourists with 25 international channels on the rooms' TVs and even serve shepherd's pie and Yorkshire pudding on certain days.

Thomas Cook offered £556 ($709) to Freda Jackson and her friend as a goodwill gesture after they initially rejected a £75 ($95) discount.

The compensation is for a last-minute change of flight - not because of the allegations about Spanish holidaymakers.

A spokesperson from the company said: "Due to a system error Ms Jackson was not informed of a change to her flights until six days before departure.

"We are very sorry for the inconvenience this caused and are investigating to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"We have offered Ms Jackson and her travel companion a gesture of goodwill to try and put things right which we hope she will accept."

Topics: benidorm, Spain, Community, UK, Holiday

Nathan Standley

Nathan Standley is a freelance journalist and LADBible contributor. He graduated from Durham University with a degree in Anthropology before going on to do a Master’s degree in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He also writes articles for The Versed and is the Cultural Editor of The Common Sense Network.