adminNow, I can’t talk about Tiki Town without first mentioning Tiki Beach, which, although not located in the Old Town, has long been a go-to spot in Benidorm for younger party-goers. Even though it’s not quite what it used to be before COVID, in our opinion, it still holds a special place in the nightlife scene.
Tiki Beach
I know this review is about Tiki Town, but I feel it’s necessary to talk about Tiki Beach first, as it has been a massive part of our daytime Benidorm experience for many years. Tiki Beach has been on the beachfront for as long as I can remember. I have some vague memories of another bar possibly being on that site, though I’m not 100% sure. Anyway, the name has changed a number of times, and I’m not entirely certain what the official name is now. It was Tiki Beach, then Tiki Bar, and Aloha Beach or Bar—or both—but everyone still refers to it as Tiki Beach.
So, why the confusion over the name? We remember the young guy on his dirt bike who started the bar and built up the Tiki group. He was a cool, friendly guy who would always come over and chat whenever he saw us. But Tiki was not without its critics. Maybe it was jealousy over his success, or perhaps it was the noise. In 2019, there was a Supreme Court ruling, and Tiki Beach was shut down, but it’s still there. It seems it has changed hands but remains pretty much as it always has been—a party bar mainly for the young. You still get some big groups in there, along with a few oldies like us.
For us, Tiki Beach is the perfect spot for people-watching—seeing people at their best and their worst. With this in mind, we always sit on the concrete steps rather than inside, so we can keep away from some of the rowdiness. This was stopped for a while, and we stopped going, but during COVID, all the Benidorm bars were allowed to place tables on the pavement outside their bars. When that eventually ended, they seemed to ignore—or maybe forget—that you’re supposed to stay inside the ropes, and now they allow you to spill out onto the pavement.
Tiki Town
We’ve always avoided the Old Town for many of the reasons we frequent Tiki Beach. For us, the Old Town represents peace, tranquillity, and traditional Spain. While this does involve eating, drinking, and having a laugh, we’re a bit too old for getting drunk and being rowdy, so we prefer to watch others and laugh at their antics. Old Town, for us, is all about chilling.
Our niece came over to Benidorm with her partner for the first time in March and stayed at Don César Apartments (which was supposed to be part of this review). She struggled to get past Tiki Town, so we would often walk by, see them there, and pop in for a chat and a drink. I think the bar expanding into the old Costa Coffee space, thus spreading its footprint and taking over the corner where you get an amazing breeze during the hottest days, really added to its appeal.
Anyway, we really enjoyed Tiki Town—cheap beer, a nice atmosphere, and very clean toilets. I’ve mentioned before that my wife’s family ran a country pub for over 20 years, and she always says you can judge a pub or restaurant by its toilets—and she’s never wrong, lol.
Whilst we have not eaten here I will add that the pizza’s do look very nice and people seem to enjoy them, so if you need to soak that pint too many then this might be the spot for you plus they do have live acts on around lunchtime.
I have to say, it’s all positive about Tiki Town. My real concern is that I hope it doesn’t affect or spread into the Old Town. That said, there aren’t many large premises in the Old Town that could open a bar like this, and after saying all this, I can’t wait to visit The Jolly Roger in September when we next visit and get some New Town evening entertainment—without all the downsides of New Town.
