Hotel Don Pancho

The hotel has a conspicuous and green street entrance, flanked by plants and palm trees. The brown-and-silver exterior is bland and uninteresting, but thanks to renovations completed in 2016, the interiors are more contemporary and attractive. An interesting lobby looks like the inside of an Aztec pyramid, if it were built by a modern Spanish designer. Stone columns carved with decorative pre-Columbian motifs surround gray and brown couches set on soft, textured carpeting. The wooden pool deck doesn't have much greenery, but it's lined with loungers and often hosts shows in the summer months. Most of the guests here are couples and groups of friends, owing to the lack of facilities for little ones and dress codes for dinner. 

The hotel's entrance is on the Avenue of the Mediterranean, a busy street parallel to the beach promenade where the largest concentration of shops, restaurants, and bars in Benidorm can be found. The area is often noisy and packed with tourists going to cheap bars, and fast food-restaurants that cater mostly to British tourists all along the avenue. Popular Levante Beach is a block away. The somewhat quieter Poniente Beach is about a 15-minute drive to the west. Several popular tourist attractions are within a short drive, such as Terra Mitica Theme Park (a 20-minute drive) and Aqualandia water park (an eight-minute drive). Alicante-Elche Airport is a 50-minute drive from the hotel.

Renovated in 2016, all of the hotel's 255 rooms have modern decor in neutral tones and rich wood accents, some with Aztec-like cutouts over the headboards. Most notably, all have private balconies and sea views, with rooms on the upper floors featuring excellent panoramas of the Mediterranean despite some of the hotel's taller neighbors. Free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs come standard, along with mini-fridges stocked with soda and water, but coffeemakers are absent. Superior Rooms have tea- and coffee-making facilities. Use of the laptop-sized safes requires an extra fee unless booked directly through the hotel's website. Some rooms add sofa beds. The tiled bathrooms have bidets and either shower/tub combos or walk-in showers. Toiletries, bathrobes, and slippers are also provided.

Features at Hotel Don Pancho cater to couples. The heated outdoor lap pool has a retractable glass roof for year-round use, and there's a second shallow pool right beside it. Both are surrounded by a large wooden deck with loungers and umbrellas. There are a poolside bar with an airy covered seating area and a terrace (that spills into the sun deck) where seasonal entertainment is held. Inside, there are a lobby bar and a colorful dance club with another stage. The hotel hosts activities such as wine tastings, along with salsa and flamenco dancing lessons. The buffet restaurant serves International and Mediterranean cuisine, and all rates include a breakfast. Half-board and full-board packages are also available. There's no full-service spa, but a massage room, modern fitness center, and an outdoor lawn bowling court are on-site for guests. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.