A Spanish resort popular with celebrities has been labelled as Spain’s worst seaside spot in a new survey. Puerto Banus was described as “tacky” and a “seedy dump” in the Which? Survey of Spain’s best coastal resorts.
Popular holiday destination Alicante ranked in the top ten, while Benidorm came in 12th place. However it was the popular Puerto Banus area southwest of Marbella that came bottom of the list, Birmingham Live reports.
Destinations were rated on eleven criteria including the quality of the beach and seafront, safety, food and drink, accommodation, and value for money. Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “This survey shows that there are plenty of fantastic Spanish beach resorts that will easily beat the best-marketed destinations like Marbella and Torremolinos. You don't even need to look far, with beautiful Nerja and its quaint white washed streets also to be found on the Costa del Sol.
“For those looking for a city break with a dose of sea and sunshine, San Sebastian can’t be topped - it's rightly famous for its excellent restaurants and authentic cuisine, and comes complete with a pretty old town and fantastic beaches.” Puerto Banus achieved a score of just 55 per cent.
One holidaymaker warned the area had “deteriorated” over their years of visiting. The Brit tourist, in response to the survey, added “it’s still a place for the rich and to be seen but has become tacky” and a second respondent said “it is a seedy dump”.
The top ten Spanish seaside towns according to Which? Survey included San Sebastian in top spot, ahead of Nerja and Cartagena in second and third respectively. The rest of the top five was rounded off by fourth spot Javea and fifth place Sitges.
In sixth was Altea, while in seventh and eighth were Estepona and Moraira respectively. The rest of the top ten saw ninth spot Alicante and in tenth Cadiz.