In the first six months of 2025, the Interior Ministry recorded 811 thefts in Benidorm, against 32 burglaries of homes. Thefts are the common crime in a busy resort; break-ins are rare. So the realistic worry is not someone forcing your door. It is your bag, with your keys in it, walking off down the promenade.
If it has just happened, here is the order that works.
Minute one to ten: the money
Ring your bank or use its app to block every card that was in the bag. This is the one thing that cannot wait, because a card can be used within minutes and a key cannot. If your phone went too, borrow one: a bar or a shop will almost always help.
The next half hour: the report
Go to the police and make a denuncia, a formal report of the theft. Insurers, banks and consulates will all ask for it, and a replacement passport starts with it. List everything, including the keys and anything in the bag that shows where you are staying: a hotel card, a booking printout, a letter with the address.
That last detail matters for what comes next.
Getting in tonight
There are three ways, in this order:
- Someone with a spare. The owner of the flat, the holiday rental manager, the hotel reception, a friend or relative who holds a key.
- The building. A conserje or neighbour who can at least let you into the lobby and vouch for you.
- A locksmith. With your documents stolen, proof that you live there is harder, so have the owner or manager ready to confirm it by phone. Once the door is open, anything inside that shows the address settles it.
If you need the third option, ring the emergency line and say that your keys were stolen rather than lost. It changes what we bring.
Tomorrow: the lock
Whether to change the cylinder comes down to one question: could the person who has your keys work out which door they open?
- If the bag held anything with the address on it, yes. Change it.
- If you are in a holiday flat, the owner or manager decides, and most will want it changed before the next guest arrives.
- If you are sure nothing linked the keys to the door, the risk is low, but a cylinder is cheaper than the doubt.
A cylinder change is a short, planned job. With a photo of the lock from the edge of the open door, the right size can be brought on the first visit.
Next time
Carry the flat keys somewhere other than the bag: a zipped inside pocket, a lanyard, a belt pouch. Never put a tag with the address or the flat number on the key ring. And keep the photo of your passport, and the name and number of your host, somewhere you can reach from a borrowed phone.