The second city of Spain is so famous it's often mistaken for the country's capital. In fact, Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalonia, and one of the best all-round stag do destinations in Europe.
Barca combines several elements of a cracking weekend away, so much so it's hard to do justice to it on just one stag. There's football, courtesy of the best team in the world; there's a beach; there's culture. You could be on a beach bar crawl one minute, and hitting the casino the next. And you have to watch a game at the Camp Nou if you can.
Barca has her share of erotic pleasures, too. If you're looking for a traditional stag do, check out the Bagdad Sex Club. This place has it all. It's rightly advertised as one of the most explicit and daring shows in Europe, and has been known to encourage audience participation above and beyond the call of duty.
'Marbs' is often seen as the upmarket equivalent of Benidorm, but that's doing a disservice to both cities. Benidorm is an out-and-out party spot for Brits on the lash. Marbella is the infamous stamping-ground of the richest people in Europe, a colourful combination of movie actors, superstar musicians and gangsters. Max Clifford once described the legendary Puerto Banus marina as'like Soho', half seedy and half glam.
'Glam' is right. Houses in and around Puerto Banus can cost more than £50m, and you're just as likely to run into Lord Sugar here as Pink. If you're looking for the kind of stag do where they have champagne parties instead of foam parties (seriously: Nikki Beach sprays its revellers with champers every four hours), Marbs and Banus are where it's at.
Nobody's anybody in this part of the world if they don't party on boats. Make sure you spend at least one afternoon in the ocean when you charter a yacht in Marbella. If that's not your thing you could go dolphin spotting, then, when you get back to dry land, check out your dining options. With an upmarket clientele, Marbs is one of the best stag do spots in the country for haute cuisine and fine dining.
With more than 2,000 bars and clubs to choose from, Benidorm does the stag party bar crawl like nowhere else. The question is, how are you going to narrow down your choices and have the night of your life?
The easiest way to score stag do success here is to let someone else do the thinking for you. Hell, after all the free shots you'll pick up just walking down the street, you won't be in a fit state to make any decisions for yourself anyway. Try out the smashed bar crawl for a proper introduction to Benidorm. This is where the wheat separates from the chaff, the men from the boys, etc. It's also where potentially hospital-inducing quantities of alcohol are consumed. Drink sensibly.
Benidorm isn't just about getting loaded and having a good time. There's a reason this slice of primo Costa Blanca real estate is so popular, and it's the weather. On the morning after the night before, miles of sandy beaches are littered with recovering stags and hens - and the town's stag do activities make the most of the great outdoors too.
Head to Terra Mitica on a theme park activity day in Benidorm to really blow the cobwebs away: the rides here include a massive discus that spins you round until your head is ready to fall off, and the Magnus Colossus, one of the biggest and scariest wooden rollercoasters in the world. Eek.
Even the outdoor karting in Benidorm is best done in the fresh air. Sort out your hangovers and get on it.
Date Posted: Wednesday 2nd September 2015
Author: Jim Alexander
