Stags and hens ditch Dublin for Benidorm – as the booze is ‘ten times cheaper’

Image of a girl dancing on a podium in Benidorm.

Image of a girl dancing on a podium in Benidorm. Credit: Last Night Of Freedom

STAGS and hens are ditching Dublin for Benidorm – because the booze is ‘ten times cheaper’, according to Last Night of Freedom.

The budget-friendly Spanish resort has leapfrogged the Irish capital this year to be crowned the EU’s most popular stag do destination.

An industry expert believes Dublin’s demise is down to the “eye-watering” price of a pint. “A beer in Temple Bar can set you back €10, while in Benidorm you can pick up the same pint for €1,” said Matt Mavir, Managing Director of Last Night of Freedom.

“Everyone’s counting the pennies, so unless you are feeling very flush, Benidorm will win every time. A typical stag will drink dozens of pints over a weekend, so if the difference is €9, then they’ll save hundreds of Euros over the weekend by picking Benidorm”, Matt explained.

Figures supplied by the firm – Britain’s leading stag and hen party provider – show trips to Dublin are down by around 15 per cent this year as the cost-of-living crisis takes hold.

Comparatively, Benidorm bookings have more than doubled as stags and hens flock to the Costa Blanca resort, beloved by British tourists who crave sun, sea, and cheap fry-ups.

According to Matt, Benidorm’s booking boom could be worth a staggering € 40million a year to the resort’s economy – while trips there are forecast to double again in 2024.

Dublin is still a fantastic destination though

However, despite the small dip in demand for Dublin, the city – nicknamed The Pale – is still comfortably one of Europe’s leading destinations, with Matt adding it “has and always will be a treasure” within the industry.

“This weekend alone we are expecting well over 1,000 stags and hens to invade Dublin – it is more expensive than some resorts, but you are buying a guaranteed good time as the city always delivers,” said Matt, who added bookings were comfortably ahead of other party hotspots like Amsterdam and London.

“Even with the cost-of-living crisis in full swing, many groups are happy to throw caution to the wind and treat a stag or hen weekend as a big blowout, so I think that while demand for Dublin is slightly down, the city’s superb reputation means the damage is nowhere near as bad as it could have been.”

“Dublin will ultimately never go out of fashion – it is synonymous with partying – but Benidorm is definitely now the top dog in Europe”, he concluded.

NOTE: All figures are taken from Last Night of Freedom’s own booking data and the Freedometer.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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