Alas, all good things must come to and end and Friday was our last full day in Benidorm. Once again in the true spirit of adventure we decided to do something new. We set off in the morning to get the bus from the other side of Old town to Terra Natura Zoo. Now we knew the #1 bus went from this location but which side of the road?? There was a stop on both sides saying exactly the same thing. Not helpful in the least. We really didn't know what to do, and I suspect that we missed one bus from being on the wrong side. However, we did finally get ourselves on the bus and we were on our way! Its only a short journey as the zoo is just outside Benidorm. They were offering half price tickets during this off peak season which made it well worth going. It was a beautiful day, cold but sunny. Pretty perfect for walking and exploring really.
Once we arrived, we bought our tickets and then set off to explore. The zoo is well laid out and reminder us a little of sea world - only with animals. Terra Natura Animal Parks lets visitors make contact with animals with barriers invisible to the human eye. Its a great experience. You can wander into areas with goats, deer, llamas, donkeys etc and they get right up close and personal. They are obviously well used to interacting with humans. You don't get quite so close to the bigger animals. There is also a great aviary where you can actually walk through and are in amongst the birds. Really lovely and so interesting. The zoo was not crowded and we really enjoyed looking around. A word of warning for anyone going during the off peak season though, a lot of the out lying gift shops and food outlets were not open. Having said that there were still places to eat and shop, just don't go expecting everything to be open cause it won't be. We spent around 4-5 hours at Terra Natura but I think you could make a whole day of it if you wanted. We were mindful that we had to get the bus back, thankfully this was a little less complicated. The bus stop was outide the zoo and across the road. Though they only sent a mini-bus so I am glad we got there early and there was enough room for everyone.
When we got back we got off near Old Town and had our usual wander around the shops, stopping for coffee at 'Granny's tea rooms'. I had spotted it earlier in the week and thought we would give it a go. It was a tiny place and looked just like an old English tea room. Granny (who was English) wasn't very personable though which was a shame. The place was empty and I can't help wondering if her personality had something to do with it.
Dinner was a sad affair as we knew it was our last at the hotel for this year. We never want to leave, but I guess you have to for the next adventure to begin! After dinner we put on our big winter coats and went for a long walk along the promenade, savouring every last moment. Our final stop for the night was San Remo's for a coffee before returning to the hotel.
Saturday soon came around and after a final breakfast we were on the coach by 8.30am heading back to the airport. Good bye Benidorm, see you next year for sure!
The next adventure is just around the corner - so watch this space!
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