"I was there". How many times have we dreamed of being able to use this phrase when seeing the beautiful landscapes of a movie in the cinema or in front of the television? Traveling is an enriching experience that offers infinite possibilities according to the tastes of each person.
Choosing the perfect destination for your getaway is the first decision when planning a trip. Wonderful beaches, warm temperatures, vibrant cities full of culture... every type of traveller has their perfect plan in mind. But, did you know that there are even those who take advantage of their holidays to walk the streets, enjoy the landscapes or climb the mountains of their favourite movies?
If you are one of this group, have experience in starring in movie trips or want to debut in this facet, we propose three perfect destinations that will take you to the filming locations of very popular series and movies. Surely you recognize them... Imagine yourself there!
In addition to serving as the setting for countless fictional scenes, Benidorm has two series that bear its name in which the daily life of the capital of the Costa Blanca is the common thread of the plot while its streets, beaches, hotels and venues, are its stage.
The British comedy series “Benidorm”, created by Derren Litten, was the pioneer with 10 seasons airing between 2007 and 2018. A phenomenon in the United Kingdom, garnering the favour of millions of viewers and critical acclaim with a prolific track record in which even included a prestigious BAFTA award for best situation comedy.
Such was the success of the series that, after its end on the small screen, it has led to a hilarious theatrical show written by Litten himself that continues to tour the UK and Ireland today.
The popular Spanish channel Antena 3 has also wanted to import such success to our country and in 2020 launched its own version of the Benidorm series in which several tourists from Northern Spain come to the town willing to make the most of their experience in Benidorm.
But the cinematographic experience of Benidorm is much more extensive, since in the middle of the last century the Benidorm Song Festival became the platform for artists of international stature like Julio Iglesias and attracted the spotlight from all over the world. Artists like Manolo Escobar settled in this incomparable city and famous directors and producers chose their locations as movie sets, series, music videos or advertising campaigns.
Fugitiva, almost entirely recorded in Benidorm, Cuéntame cómo pasó, Aquí no hay quien viva, Los Serrano, Crematorio… are just some of the popular Spanish series that have visited the town over these last decades. In addition, the future seems to continue in this wake as the prestigious Spanish film director Isabel Coixet is currently shooting the movie “Snowing in Benidorm”.
Lights, camera, action... discover the magic of cinema in any of our hotels in Benidorm!
The captivating charm of Mojácar seems reason enough to choose this corner of the southeast of the Spanish peninsula as the setting for any audiovisual production. But if we add to this the richness and particularity of the landscapes that surround the municipality, we find a potential for cinema so special that it has given rise over time to a whole complex of film studios with a theme park included.
The arid and extensive landscape of the Tabernas Desert makes this area the only proper desert on the entire continent. A peculiarity that served in the middle of the last century for Hollywood and northern European film studios to travel to Almeria to shoot their films, set in the old wild west.
There, Fort Bravo stands out, where some mythical films of the “Wild west” genre were shot, and where films of this and other genres are still being filmed today. In this corner of Andalusia it is possible to find a whole Navajo village, a typical Mexican town, a fort and even towns with Salones and Sheriffs Jails, where the classic scenes from the movies are recreated daily to the delight of visitors.
Lawrence of Arabia, Patton or Death had a price are some of the hits shot in these lands.
The Cabo de Gata Natural Park is the icing on the cake for any self-respecting filmmaker. A few kilometres from Mojácar, this natural space of undeniable beauty where the sea and the land merge whimsically,welcoming the sets of some films that we all have in our memory such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or Conan the Barbarian.
Visit our hotels in Mojácar and feel like an intrepid adventurer during your holidays following in the footsteps of the most international stars.
With this phrase the tourist city of Peñíscola is vindicated to attract filming from all over the world. And it seems that it has taken effect, since anyone who falls back on its old town immediately detects that it is the perfect option to travel back centuries in a single instant.
Its location on a small peninsula surrounded by nature, the total absence of circulation and the magnificent state of conservation of its buildings, monuments and urban fabric transport anyone into the past, always with the Mediterranean as a backdrop.
But the relationship between Peñíscola and the seventh art, dates back more than a century, when in 1913 the Barcelona-born Fructuós Gelabert and the German Otto Mulhauser shot the spy film Ana Cadova in the town. A cinematographic idyll in which the city still enjoys and that was consolidated in 1988 with the creation of the Peñíscola International Comedy Festival.
The list of feature films shot in Peñíscola is extensive and its streets have seen actors and actresses of the stature of Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren have enjoyed the charm of the municipality in the filming of films such as El Cid or Paris Timbuktu.
In recent years series have taken over and Peñíscola has taken on such international productions such as Game of Thrones or the successful Spanish series El Barco, El Chiringuito de Pepe or the Ministry of Time.
To respond to the interest of those who want to discover the details of the various filming while enjoying the charm of Peñíscola, the Tourist Office and the Municipality of the municipality have created a cinematographic route that brings together the most interesting locations in the Peñíscola del cine. What better plan than visiting our Papa Luna Hotel and feeling like an artist for a day?
The endless white sandy beaches of the Costa de Azahar often overshadow the many other charms that this incredible area of the Mediterranean coast awaits travellers. This is the case of the Coves de Sant Josep, some very interesting underground caves that hide the longest underground navigable river in Europe and whose walls house cave paintings. Are you going to miss it?
