What to expect at La Terrasse, Benidorm's cocktail bar with a view

Benidorm has more bars than it knows what to do with. Most of them are pubs with a TV on and a laminated menu. La Terrasse is not one of those, and that's the whole reason to go.

It's a cocktail bar up high, with a view, at Av. de Estocolmo, 4. It's rated 4.6 on Google from 519 reviews, which for a bar in this town is a serious number. Here's what that actually means for your night, and when you'd be better off somewhere else.

What La Terrasse actually is

Think of it as the smart option. The drinks are proper cocktails, made with some care, not a vodka and mixer slopped into a plastic cup. The setting is on the upscale side. And the crowd is a mix - locals who like a good drink and visitors from all over, rather than one big stag party.

The view is the bit people talk about. The bar sits up above street level, so you're looking out over Benidorm rather than at a wall of scooters and sunburnt knees. That changes the feel of the place. People sit, they sip, they stay for a second drink. Nobody's rushing.

On the rating: 4.6 across 519 reviews is a big sample. A bar can fluke a 5.0 with a dozen happy mates. It can't fluke 500-plus people landing on 4.6. It also means not everyone walked out thrilled, which is normal for any busy bar. Go in expecting good, not perfect.

What to expect on the night

Go before dark. A view bar is a sunset bar. Turn up while there's still light, watch the town switch its lights on, and you've had the best hour the place has to offer. Arrive at midnight and you've paid view-bar prices for a view of the dark.

Budget for cocktails, not pints. Nobody comes here for a cheap round. If the plan is six lagers and a plate of chips, this isn't your place and that's fine. Come for two good drinks and treat it as the nice part of the evening.

Dress one notch up. It's an upscale setting, so swap the flip-flops for actual shoes. You won't need a jacket. You will feel out of place in a vest and swim shorts.

Weekends get busy. This is Benidorm, and anywhere with a good rating and a view fills up on a Friday and Saturday night. If you're a group, go early or check whether they'll hold a table for you. Midweek is calmer and the view is the same.

The honest bit

You're paying for the view and the setting as much as the liquid. Some people love that trade. Some people would rather have three drinks at street level for the same money. Know which one you are before you walk in. It's also a sit-down, sip-slowly kind of bar. If you want to dance, or shout at a football match, you'll be bored within twenty minutes.

How it compares

The directory has a very different kind of bar in the same category, and it's a useful contrast. Tiro con Arco Santa Bárbara in Alicante, at Av. Jaume I, 30, is an archery range with a bar attached. You grab a bow, you order your drinks, and you shoot at targets between rounds. It's rated 5.0 on Google, but from 14 reviews, so read that as "everyone who's been loved it" rather than a proven track record.

Here's the split. La Terrasse is a sit-and-look night. Santa Bárbara is a do-something night. If it's a date, or you're out with your parents, or you just want to feel like a grown-up for an evening, La Terrasse wins. If you've got a group of mates who'll get restless after one drink, the archery bar is the better shout. One has a view. The other has a story you'll tell for a week.

They're also not in the same town. Alicante and Benidorm are a tram ride apart, and not a short one, so this isn't a do-both-tonight situation. Pick based on where you're sleeping.

Against the standard Benidorm bar - the pub with a screen, a happy hour and a bloke on a mic - La Terrasse is simply a different product. Those places are cheaper and louder, and some nights that's exactly what you want. This is for the other nights.

If you're based in Alicante instead

Benidorm's an easy trip, but not everyone wants to make it. If you're staying in Alicante city, eat first and then go do the archery thing. For dinner, Da Ciro in the old town is a solid pizza stop, and Enso Sushi on Plaza Gabriel Miró is the pick if you'd rather have Japanese. We've written both up properly.

The verdict

La Terrasse is the bar you go to when you want Benidorm to feel a bit classier than its reputation. Good cocktails, a view, a mixed crowd, and a rating earned over hundreds of visits rather than a handful. It's not cheap and it's not a party. It's the nice drink before, or after, whatever else the night turns into.

Put Av. de Estocolmo, 4 into your maps, aim to arrive while it's still light, and order one drink before you decide whether to stay. Get there before dark. The view is the point.