Benidorm · Nightlife

A purpose-built cabaret theatre running a dance-and-variety show, with an optional dinner beforehand — meat, fish, vegetarian and gluten-free menus are all available but have to be booked in advance. It is the closest thing here to a formal night out, and it ends early enough to go on somewhere afterwards.

The strip inland from Levante beach around Calle Gerona and the pedestrian square at its top, which everyone simply calls the Square. Dozens of bars run tribute acts, drag shows and karaoke from around 8pm; the shows are free to watch if you are drinking, and acts change through the evening.

The old town between the two beaches keeps Spanish hours — tapas until late, bars after that, and no tribute acts. Calle Santo Domingo and the lanes off Plaza de la Constitución are where it is concentrated, and prices are noticeably lower than on the Levante seafront.

The promenade along Levante beach is lined with bar terraces that fill from sunset onwards, and it is the cheapest way to spend an evening outdoors here. Prices rise the closer you get to the middle of the beach and drop again at either end.

The two scenes run on different clocks: the British bars are busy by 9pm and largely done by 2am, while the old town does not really start until 11. Doing both in one night works, but only in that order — the Square first, then the 20-odd minute walk along the seafront to the Casco Antiguo.