Hotel Perla Benidorm

Location is the single biggest reason guests pick the Perla over flashier seafront 4-stars. The hotel sits on Avenida del Mediterráneo right where the Old Town starts to fold down towards Levante Beach. That means you wake up two streets from the famous tapas alleys (Calle Santo Domingo, Calle La Palma) and a five-minute stroll from the cleanest end of Levante.

If you want supermarkets, pharmacies, the daily market, the Iglesia de San Jaime viewpoint or the Balcón del Mediterráneo, every single one is within a 10-minute flat walk. For families and older couples this matters — you are not crossing the busy Avenida del Mediterráneo every time you want a coffee.

The English-zone strip (Calle Gerona, Rincón de Loix) is around 25–30 minutes on foot, or a €6–€8 taxi if you want to head out to the cabaret bars in the evening. Plenty of Perla guests treat the hotel as their daytime base and head up to the English square only for shows.

Rooms at the Perla are exactly what you'd expect from a long-running 2-star in the Old Town — clean, simple and functional rather than stylish. Most rooms are twin or double, with tiled floors, a small en-suite shower room, air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with UK channels on most floors, and a Juliet balcony.

The newer-refurbished rooms on the upper floors offer partial sea views over the rooftops towards Levante; these are worth asking for at check-in even if you booked the standard rate. Triple rooms are available for small families, but space is tight — if you have older children, two adjacent doubles tend to work better.

The hotel is lift-served and there is a small reception area open 24 hours with multilingual staff, which is unusual for a budget Old Town property and is one of the most commonly praised features in reviews.

Breakfast at the Perla is a continental-plus buffet — cereals, breads, cold meats, cheese, eggs, pastries, fresh fruit, tea, coffee and juice. It is included on most BB rates and is more than enough to set you up for a beach day. Special diets (gluten-free, vegan) are handled with notice rather than from a dedicated station.

Half board is available and good value, particularly in shoulder months. The Perla restaurant runs a Spanish-leaning set menu with a couple of choices per course. Most guests, however, take BB and eat out — the tapas alleys are literally on the doorstep, and a full Spanish menu del día runs €12–€16 across the Old Town.

The Perla does not have a large resort pool — this is genuinely a city hotel, so if a big lagoon pool is essential, you'll want to look at one of the larger Levante hotels. There is, however, a small sun terrace and Levante Beach is a five-minute walk for an actual swim in the Mediterranean.

Standard amenities include free Wi-Fi throughout, daily housekeeping, 24-hour reception, lift access, luggage storage on arrival/departure days, and a small bar/lounge. There is no on-site parking — the nearest public car park is around the corner at Plaza Triangular.

Recent guest reviews are consistent: people book the Perla for the location and the price, and almost all leave happy on both counts. The recurring positives are the friendly multilingual reception team, the spotless rooms (housekeeping is a clear strength), the very generous breakfast for the price, and how walkable the Old Town is from the front door.

The recurring negatives are typical 2-star caveats — small bathrooms, basic decor in older rooms, and some street noise on lower floors at weekends (you are in the Old Town, after all). Asking for an upper-floor room at booking takes care of the noise complaint for most guests.