Costa Blanca South

Alicante has a quality coastline with sandy beaches, exotic dunes, rolling hills and challenging golf courses. There is much history attached to the castle of Santa Barbara, the bastion that still stands on the hilltop today which has housed political prisoners and is now open to the public. At the foot of the castle, the ancient part of the town, with its narrow and often steeply climbing streets, is the home of most of the monumental buildings.You can find the Baroque architecture of the town hall, the magnificent collegiate church of St Nicholas (17th Century), decorated in the Rococo style and the gothic church of Sta. Maria with its Baroque facade.The buildings gradually slope downwards to the sea where the much famed Esplanade of Spain separates port from city. There is always atmosphere on the esplanade, some stroll beneath the palms on the hypnotic colours of the paviours, others lounge on the terraces sipping the local beverage. Alicante offers excellent shopping whilst the marina is surrounded by the many quality restaurants and cafes. Ten minutes to the south of the city is the main airport for the region.

Elche is Europe's greatest palm grove. Its 200,000 palm trees are fully protected against felling. Elche was originally an Iberian village - Illici - colonized later by Phoenecians, Greeks and Romans. Elche has a long 9 km stretch of coastline within its municipal boundaries providing beautiful beaches. For the shoppers, there are numerous shoe factories offering good quantity leatherwear at a reasonable price.

Santa Pola has an altitude of 140m that, in the province of Alicante on the Mediterranean coast, is high enough to command a panoramic view over the sea and also to protect the town from the easterly winds. The elongated shape of the island of Tabarca can be seen from the lighthouse.

Laying inland, Oriheula is an ancient town with many beautiful churches being declared national monuments. The main town area is very unspoilt and is well worth a visit.

Guardamar Del Segura is home to 11 kilometres of dunes and unspoilt sandy beaches. At the northern end of the beach you will find the national park and marina. This ancient town was built on a hill whose skirts were washed by the river Segura. Still preserved are the ruins of a castle and other historic remains from Hellenic times. Pines, palms and eucalyptus trees enliven this seaside town, which is also home to superb restaurants offering superb cuisine.

Torrevieja is a place where once sailing ships from Cuba anchored in the docks ready to load salt from the local flats in the 19th Century. Large quantities of salt is still produced today and the large cone shapes still reside beside the lake.

The busy prom comes alive at night with numerous, good places to eat and watch the world go by.