|
Dotted around the northern Alicante province and a day trip from Orihuela Costa are the coastal towns of Altea, Calpe, Javea and Denia. Between these upmarket family resorts are unspoilt pockets of picturesque countryside. A particularly stunning scenic trip is one that takes you from the turn off behind Benidorm to the Guadalest Valley, a landscape of tall peaks and hill villages above lush green valleys.
Benidorm, although better known for ‘package holiday’ tourism, has a wonderful beach of white sand extending for 3 miles and many amenities. Terra Mittica, Europe’s largest theme park is 3km inland from Benidorm and takes Mediterranean classical civilisations as its theme. It is open all year round.
Alicante is 35 minutes drive and boasts a prominent castle overlooking the bay and town. It has an excellent beach and an impressive modern marina development where you can eat and drink whilst taking in the harbour life. You can join the Limon Expres Train (Tel. 96 680 31 03) at Alicante (to Denia) and see some of the best views of the Costa Blanca while chugging gently along the coast and through the mountains to Gata de Gorgos, famous for its guitar factory and wicker shops which you can visit during the rail journey. A trip to Jumilla and Yecla wine country is worth a whole day. Callosa de Segura is a sleepy Spanish town in the mountains 30min drive from La Finca that has an old church in the mountains from where you can gain a stunning view back over the Segura Valley. Not far from this town is the town of Orihuela which has an exceptional ensemble of gothic, renaissance and baroque monuments and is an extremely entertaining place to visit during a Fiesta. A trip to the ancient city of Elche could be combined with a visit to Orihuela. Elche, Spain’s shoe manufacturing capital is worth a visit to see the palm tree garden alone -this is the largest palm tree forest in Europe. The blue domed basilica of Santa Maria dominates the town centre. The old town of Murcia (south of Orihuela) has a number of museums, a wealth of impressive architecture and the Cathedral is certainly worth a visit.
The Mar Menor (warm enough to swim in most of the year) is only 30 minutes drive south from the apartment and is a wonderful setting for water sports. Los Alcazares, Mar de Crystal and San Pedro del Pinatar all have excellent beaches. For beach lovers who like a lively sea, Calblanque beach on the Med side of the coast between La Manga club and the La Manga strip is a must.. Cartagena (about 50 minutes drive south from La Finca) is a historic Spanish town built around a natural harbour which has been recently redeveloped into a superb palm-tree lined waterfront of cafe bars and restaurants. It has some impressive architecture and musuems and is a good centre for shopping.
|
