adminThere is a particular cruelty to bad ice cream in hot weather. You have earned it. The walk along the seafront, the sun doing its worst, the long deliberation over which flavour. Then the thing arrives tasting of nothing in particular, half-melted before you reach the nearest bench. It is one of the minor disappointments of holiday life, and entirely avoidable if you know where to go.
Benidorm Old Town has no shortage of places offering ice cream. What it has rather fewer of is places offering good ice cream. With that in mind, here is an honest account of three parlours, what they do well, and what they do not.
Heladeria Arcoiris
Tucked into the Old Town along Calle De Santa Fac, Arcoiris has the advantage of location. The Old Town is worth visiting in its own right, and stumbling across an ice cream parlour in the course of a wander has an appealing logic to it.
The prices are the lowest you will find in Benidorm. A single scoop will cost you €1.30, two scoops €2.00. The portions are generous for the money, and the flavours rotate daily, which at least keeps things interesting. On any given visit you might find pistachio, Crema Catalana, coconut, melon, or strawberry cheesecake alongside the standard chocolate and vanilla. They also serve waffles, though we’ve never tried them and the reviews suggest these are best left alone.
The ice cream itself is the problem. It is not offensive. It is simply rather flat, the sort that reminds you it exists without particularly justifying its existence. The flavours are present but muted, and after a few spoonfuls you find yourself noticing the price more than the taste. One does not leave feeling cheated exactly, but one does not leave feeling that anything of note has occurred.
Arcoiris is fine if you are in the vicinity and your requirements are simple. As a destination, it gives you little reason to make the journey.
La Krem Heladeria Artesanal
On Calle De Esperanto in the Old Town, close to Hotel Madeira Centro, La Krem is a recent arrival. It was new on our last visit at the end of 2025, and it has the feel of somewhere that has arrived with something to prove.
It is modern and notably clean, the sort of clean that tells you standards matter here rather than merely the appearance of them. The display counter runs the length of the room, the ice cream presented behind glass in generous trays. Beyond the scoops, the menu extends to sorbets, waffles, and crepes, making it a proper destination rather than a quick stop.
The flavours are where La Krem separates itself from every other parlour in Benidorm. These are not your standard vanilla and strawberry. Extra Dark is a deeply rich, almost bitter chocolate that takes the flavour seriously rather than simply suggesting it. Dubai layers pistachio beneath real chocolate and earns its name. Malaga is a gentler combination of almond and orange that somehow manages to taste both fresh and indulgent. Each one is distinct, thought through, and actually tastes of what it claims to.
The staff are warm and will happily let you try before you commit, which matters when the flavours are this unfamiliar. It is not the cheapest option in Benidorm, though it is worth noting that ice cream in the town rarely is. What you are paying for is the difference between something good and something genuinely memorable.
Yogufruta (Cops Yogufrut)
Over on Alameda Alcalde Pedro Zaragoza, near the central beach, Yogufruta occupies a prime position for passing trade. The range is reasonable, with a decent selection of ice cream alongside frozen yoghurt options that give it a slightly different character from a straight heladeria. The yoghurt base suits the heat, and there is enough variety to make a choice feel worthwhile.
The difficulty is everything around the ice cream. The premises are not particularly clean, which tends to affect the experience of eating in a way that is difficult to argue away. One finds oneself thinking about it when one would rather be thinking about the ice cream.
The staff are unwelcoming in a way that goes beyond mere indifference. There is an active quality to the surliness, a sense that your presence is an imposition and your custom a minor inconvenience. Ice cream eaten quickly because you want to be somewhere else is not quite the same pleasure as ice cream eaten slowly because you are happy where you are.
Yogufruta is not without merit as a choice of product. It is the surrounding experience that lets it down.
The Verdict
La Krem wins this without much contest. It gets the fundamentals right, quality, range, cleanliness, and adds something the others lack entirely: staff who are genuinely pleased to help you choose. That combination is rarer than it ought to be.
Arcoiris comes second. It is cheap, and in a modest way it does what it says. If you are already in the Old Town and your requirements are simple, it will serve.
Yogufruta finishes third. The location is convenient and the choice reasonable, but convenience is a thin justification when the alternatives are a short walk away. Ice cream is a small pleasure. There is no good reason to let indifferent service and questionable hygiene take the edge off it.
Go to La Krem. Take your time. Try a few flavours before you decide. Then find a bench and make the most of it.
