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Costa Blanca Holidays - Something for everyone
Costa Blanca - Popular Holiday Resorts & Beautiful Landscape
Stretching for 270km along the central east coast, the Costa Blanca is a surprisingly special region of Spain to take a holiday. Although best known for its beautiful beaches and the bright lights of Benidorm, the Costa Blanca has many secrets that draw visitors back year after year for their holidays. Tawny mountains rise above hillsides covered with scented orange and lemon groves, whilst quaint Moorish villages offer a lifestyle that has remained unchanged for centuries. Combine these with sun drenched beaches and it is easy to understand why the Costa Blanca is such a popular holiday destination.
Moutainous Landscape
Inland from the main holiday resorts you will find some beautiful scenery. Mountains that meet the sea in the Marina Alta, the area at the north of the Costa Blanca, mean that you can still find secluded beaches with soft white sand and clear blue water. The coastal resorts in the Marina Alta include Denia, Calpe & Javea. For those who like adventures on two wheels, heading north from Alicante towards Alcoi and even further up to areas like Altea, Benidorm and Denia, there are many routes available for road cyclists of all levels. If you are a real aficionado, you can take heart in knowing that riders such as Lance Armstrong based team training camps out of Altea and Denia, and that riders such as Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Victor Hugo Peña, Matt White and twice world champion Oscar Friere live and train in the area.
Costa Blanca - Lively Resorts & Historic Cities
The Costa Blanca is famous for its lively holiday resorts, the most notorious being the resort of Benidorm. You can see its high rise buildings for many miles along the coast. Other lively resorts include Calpe offering a variety of activities for the whole family, whether you want to relax on the beach or climb the 'Penon de Ifach' - the imposing rock overlooking the town. Historic towns in the area include the city of Alicante, where you can explore ruins and museums or sample the local cuisine and nightlife. Pretty Altea, just north of Benidorm is well worth a visit with the old part of the town almost untouched by tourism. Denia in the north of the Costa Blanca region is also worth a visit.
Costa Blanca - Traditional Spanish Cuisine
The people who live in the Costa Blanca tend to enjoy consuming local produce - thus most of the dishes that you will find prepared in the villages of this region are made from locally grown, fished, farmed or hunted products. The result of this is not only an authentic "home grown" meal, but it allows the gastronomic traditions of the area to be preserved as well. While there is a diverse collection of meals to be found throughout the province of Alicante, you will notice that the rice dishes tend to dominate the scene. From the traditional paella to stews and oven baked dishes that date back to the 16th century, the Alicantinos love their rice. Paella is perhaps the most famous dish from the Alicante area. Traditionally made from rice and either rabbit or chicken (or both), along with shellfish and vegetables (typically garlic and a red pepper), the ingredients of the paella can vary considerably.
Great holiday resorts with high quality accommodation
There are many holiday resorts to choose from on the Costa Blanca, all with something for everyone. The liveliest include Benidorm, Calpe & Alicante with their mix of restaurants & nightlife. For those wanting peace & quiet, the resorts of Moraira, Benissa & Javea offer tranquility and a taste of real Spain.
All the Costa Blanca holiday resorts offer an excellent selection of accommodation for holiday rental, from quaint apartments to luxury villas with private swimming pools.
Things to do on the Costa Blanca
The Costa Blanca is a great holiday destination, offering more to visitors than just the sandy beaches and busy resorts:
- Golf - Golf on the Costa Blanca is almost as popular as on the Costa del Sol. The famous golf resort of La Manga is just south of the Costa Blanca near Murcia. Other golf clubs include Alicante Golf, designed by Seve Ballesteros, or Villamartin Golf, which hosted the Spanish Open.
- Guadalest - Inland from Benidorm, you begin to work your way further into the mountains on narrow winding mountain roads towards Guadalest, where you will find el Castell de Guadalest, a castle built into a narrow ridge from which there are spectacular views of the valley to the north.
- Elche - 23kms inland from Alicante, Elche is twice a world heritage site, firstly for its medieval mystery play and secondly for its enormous 'palmeral', palm tree forest.
- Orba Valley - Running inland from Denia, the Orba Valley is home to the Girona River and charming, atmospheric little villages such as Tormos, Rafol, Benidoleig, Sagra and Pedreguer. These five villages are collectively known as the 'Rectoría'. The charm of the 'Rectoría' villages is that they remain totally uncommercialised.
- Terra Mitica - one of Europe's most exciting theme parks and Benidorm's main tourist attraction. It has something for all age groups and for all 'fear thresholds'!
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