A Benidorm enthusiast unveiled the bizarre sight many tourists have likely walked right past in the popular area for holidaymakers
Benidorm, a long-standing favourite among British tourists for its budget-friendly pubs, stunning beach, and charming old town, also harbours a lesser-known, somewhat eerie attraction—an enormous abandoned shopping centre.
One self proclaimed Benidorm enthusiast, Lucy, stumbled upon this hidden curiosity, possibly overlooked by many tourists, and decided to delve into its history on her YouTube channel.
She noted that while there are still some active businesses on the periphery of the mall, there’s an expanse of desolate stores that await within. Though on the outside, the ground floor hosts a cafe, bakery, travel excursion outlet, and various clothing shops, Lucy revealed that the upper level stands bare and deserted.
Around the fourth aspect of the vast complex, she observed how except for a couple of small enterprises, the remainder appears sealed off from the world. The Benidorm expert remarked: “Now we’re going to take you for a look inside where you’ll really start to see what I mean about this place being abandoned.”
Venturing further inwards, Lucy adds: “On this entrance you’ve got signage, and you can see there are 77 units in this shopping centre. Only about a third of them are occupied, according to that sign, but I’ve counted at least five of them on that side that have actually closed down.”
As the camera pans across the vast, empty corridors, it’s evident that this shopping centre is a massive, abandoned space that has been untouched for years. Given its prime location and expansive size, Lucy, says that it’s a “shame” that this once-thriving hotspot has been left to decay.
She expressed her bewilderment, saying: “I just can’t understand it. You would think businesses would be fighting over such a good location but it’s almost like people have just forgotten that it exists. I actually really struggled to find out any information on this place in my 20 odd years here, I only remember it looking pretty similar to how it is now, a sad sight, an empty shell of a shopping centre.”
Determined to uncover the centre’s history, Lucy began asking around and discovered that it was originally one of five campsites in Benidorm, back in the 1970s. It wasn’t until the 1980s that it was transformed into a bustling shopping centre, known as Loria, named after an old water feature that once stood on the site.
The centre was also formally known as El Centro and even boasted a cinema as part of its complex. “I only managed to find one picture of the cinema online, it was called Cine Centro and some people I have spoken to do have fun memories of that Cinema, but I don’t think it lasted very long either, Lucy tells viewers. ” Lucy shares with her viewers.
“Then, without the facilities and without the cinema to bring people here, the shops that were here, just drifted into oblivion.”
According to the YouTube channel, future plans for Benidorm in 2025 could see the construction of an access road at the back of the Rincon Deo area, potentially leading to the development of a large shopping centre. However, this raises the question: does Benidorm require a new shopping hub when there’s already a location awaiting investment and revitalisation?
