A Brit who “turned his back” on his beloved Benidorm to finally try a newholiday destination instantly regretted it – and vowed to stick to what he knows best from now on.

James O’Brien, a self-employed investment trader from Reading, visits the popular Spanish resort five times a year. But this month the 39-year-old took a trip to Benalmadena, another Costa del Sol resort, to see if the grass was greener.

However, he then went viral on Facebook after writing a post explaining that “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”.

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He said his holiday was “boring” and all he imagined throughout his underwhelming trip was “wish we just went Benidorm” and “imagine if we was in Benidorm now”.

James explained there was a lack of entertainment, bars, atmosphere and that the walk along the “depressing looking beach” was ruined further by being next to a busy road.

Signing off his humorous post, he said: “Yes it's January but if we was in Benidorm at least we would have had plenty of entertainment, nice walks, nice beaches, plenty to do/explore and could get a kebab at 3am. Just confirms how much we love Benidorm and how much it has to offer. We won't be making this mistake again!”

After his post got picked up by various Benidorm pages, James had a quick chat with the Mirror about why he loves the Costa Blanca resort and why he was compelled to make the post.

He said: “I felt I had to write something as I turned my back on Benidorm for the first time in years and it backfired on me.

“I first visited Benidorm in 2015 and fell in love with the place. I have lived there and have been going back around five times per year ever since. I have been lucky enough to have visited various other places over the years but Benidorm just has something special that I have never found anywhere else, I just feel at home when I’m there.”

James added that the entertainment was “unbelievable” both day and night and that it goes on 365 days a year. He said the people were all friendly and that everyone there simply wanted to enjoy a good time.

In the past, he used to go just for the strip, but the more he went, the more he realised how big Benidorm really was.

He now also spends time in the Old Town which is a “different world” to the strip where he takes in the architecture while visiting wine bars and eating tapas.

The holiday lover explained that past the Old Town was the Poniente side where there are two stunning beaches before adding that the Rincon de Loix neighbourhood offers family friendly entertainment, hotels and restaurants.

He added: “I could keep going, the place is huge and has so much to offer and caters for all different tastes and ages, you really could have two or three different holidays in one as there is so much to do and experience.”

The spot James hated, Benalmedena, is roughly five hours from Benidorm and just outside Malaga.

The picturesque coastal town has amusement parks, a harbour, aquarium and plenty of bars and nightlife. But this clearly, according to James anyway, has no match on Benidorm.