The disgrace of La Cala Beach in Finestrat

If you have ever visited La Cala beach in Finestrat near Benidorm you will have seen that there is a huge building still in scaffolding just in front of the beach. This building should one day become one of the largest hotels in Benidorm, hotel room-wise, unfortunately, the imposing building was never finished, and what's more, the works were stopped more than 20 years ago due to a legal issue. The original hotel would have too many floors and would therefore block the view of the sea from the buildings behind it. Something that today is otherwise little taken into account when you see the current building frenzy in the city of Benidorm.

The land on which the Atrium Beach hotel, as the imposing hotel would be called, is built is owned by one of the largest hotel groups in Benidorm and the Balearic Islands.

Picture by Harry Fabel

The owner of the company was eventually ordered to demolish the hotel, but after years of legal discussions, the developers were fined hugely and ordered to remove a part of the building, namely two floors. Also, a part of the land where the hotel gardens and swimming pools would be built must be given back to the municipality and the local population in the form of a small park.

The rest of the building will remain unfinished for years to come until probably the hotel group will still be proven right, legally or politically. They have the time and money to wait for it. Meanwhile, the whole building and the old construction cranes are rusting and are a disgraceful stain on the beautiful La Cala beach of Benidorm Finestrat.