Raisingkids’ editor Catherine and her family take a look at a new resort which is promising to reinvent Benidorm as a luxury family destination.

There's no getting away from it – Benidorm's a bit of a hard sell. It's easy to think it's all high-rise hotels and chips and sangria. But as we sat, sipping a cold glass of beer high in the hills above one of Spain's longest-serving resorts, we could see how short-sighted a view that would be.

We'd been invited to come and take a look at the Real de Faula golf resort and spa – a multi-million euro resort opened by Sheraton and Westin hotels last year. The resort pitches itself squarely at the family market and we were here to put it through its paces.

Having already made a dent in our annual family carbon footprint by flying out to Spain, we took the green option once there and eschewed the car in favour of the tram. A brand-new electric tramline links Alicante with Benidorm, and the ride which snakes along the Costa Blanca is a much nicer way of arriving at Real de Faula than a sweaty hire car.

The look of the resort is astonishing. Its architect was given carte blanche (or should that be carta blanca?) to tour the Valencian region and come back inspired by the area's most beautiful sites. The hotel's main buildings take after a local cathedral and mediaeval town hall and the rest of the resort huddles together like a perfectly preserved Spanish town high on the hills overlooking the bay in Benidorm.

Sunshine Seekers
We were staying in the Sheraton half of the resort. Real de Faula is split into two hotels, the Sheraton for families and the Westin for couples – but you can eat and drink anywhere and put it on your room tab. Our Junior Suite was perfect for a family, with a large double bedroom, immaculate ensuite, spacious balcony and a large lounge with a dining area and sofabed which was made up for our daughter each night.

Blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine of the kind we'd been denied in England this summer, the resort makes much of its swimming pools. There are around five in total – including one with a man-made beach beside it. Our daughter Emily, 4, was in seventh-heaven and much of the holiday consisted of her bobbing in the water while we read books by the swimming pool edge.

Play Away
Real de Faula has two distinct children's clubs; the one based at the Westin is for the youngest guests under 5, and the Sheraton has a playground and playhouse aimed at older children. Handily you don't need to book ahead to use the children's clubs and they're flexible enough to offer an hour's care here and there. We used it at midday when it was too hot for Emily to be outdoors. She spent a happy hour or two making papier mache pots and drawing while we enjoyed a carefree drink at the bar. Helpfully, when we wanted to go out on our own some nights it was the same lady, Loli, from the crèche who came to babysit, which was lovely for Em who adored her.

If we had a niggle – and believe me it would be a minor one – about the resort, it would be that the food failed to live up to the surroundings. Staff were always helpful, but the numerous restaurants dotted all over the place weren't up to the quality we'd expected. One meal at the hotel's tapas restaurant La Alquitara – which you'd expect to be particularly good here – was memorable only for its awfulness!

But food aside, we'd heartily recommend Real de Faula to families. The indoor games room, playground, tennis courts and multiple pools make it perfect whatever age your kids are – and with a nice mixture of nationalities as guests, there's plenty of children here for them to make friends with.

Location, Location
On the resort's doorstep is the theme park of Terra Mitica with the largest wooden rollercoaster in the Mediterranean, not to mention the nearby waterpark, Aqualandia, and zoo Terra Natural. All are worth a visit, as is Benidorm itself. You can hardly come here without making a trip down to the main promenade which is a lovely place to walk in the early evening. It's even nicer when you can head back up the hill to Real de Faula and watch the fiesta fireworks exploding over the bay.

Information
For more information about family holidays at Real de Faula, click here. As we publish this feature (21 August 2007) the resort was offering a deluxe room in the peak season at £110 including breakfast. We flew to Spain with Thomson.

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