Located on the east coast of Spain, Alicante is a popular holiday destination just 25 miles south of Benidorm. The city has miles of beautiful sandy beaches lined with palm-shaded promenades. Holidaying in Alicante gives visitors the chance to sample real Spanish life unlike the more commercialised neighbouring resorts. The city attracts sun lovers, families, water sports enthusiasts, golfers and naturists. The old town

Alicante

of Alicante attracts visitors to its narrow streets, Spanish tapas bars, restaurants with various types of paella on the menu, bars and excellent shopping facilities. Visitors interested in art and culture will love the displays of treasures including Roman and Moorish sculptures, medieval tapestries and works of art by Dali and Picasso which are housed in the museums and buildings of the city. Alicante is well known for its great shopping opportunities with a huge central market selling just about everything. The streets of the town offer excellent bargain and souvenir hunting at the traditional craft shops, markets stalls, upmarket stores and designer outlets.

Playa del Postiguet Beach

Playa del Postiguet is Alicantes main beach and is a long stretch of fine pale sand. After a dip in the beautiful waters here you can enjoy a tasty al fresco lunch in one of the many beachside cafes. Other popular sandy beaches in the area include Albufereta Beach and San Juan Beach which stretches from Cabo de Huertas to Campello. At Cabo de Huertas there are secluded rugged coves and the beach of Playa del Coco are popular with those looking for quieter beaches. Local buses and trams run an excellent service which links all of the Alicante beaches.

Away from the beach there is plenty to do on your family holidays to Alicante. A visit to the cathedral and Santa Barbara Castle, the harbour and the marina should not be missed. Santa Barbara Castle sits on a hillside and not only offers amazing panoramic views of the city and the coastline but also houses several exhibitions of Arabic and medieval art. The whole family will love a tram ride along the coast to picturesque Campello, a boat trip to the small island of Tabarca and of course a visit to Benidorm. There are also plenty of theme parks, water parks and zoos along the coast for family days out. Alicante is a spacious city with lots of green space with plenty of parks, gardens and woodland where you can take a picnic

Alicante harbour

and enjoy the surrounding flora and fauna. For the more energetic there is a leisure park which is located by the Tossal Mountain where a range of activities like mountain biking, skating, mini-golf and bowling can be enjoyed. Alicante is surrounded by some beautiful countryside with woodland, mountain paths and marshland waiting to be explored. Guided walks make a welcome escape from the beaches on your family holidays to the Costa Blanca. Carrascal De La Font Roja nature reserve has beautiful pine forests which are home to a multitude of different animals and birds, including badgers, wild boar and golden eagles.

Carrascal De La Font Roja

Alicante offers a wide range of different dining venues including traditional Spanish restaurants alongside restaurants serving cuisine from around the world, from Moroccan to Thai. The city also has plenty of cafes and bars for a quiet relaxing break.

Due to the city’s close proximity to the airport and great all-year-round mild climate Alicante is a popular destination for direct holidays during the summer and also during the winter season. From May to October Alicante enjoys fine sunny weather, especially in the peak months of July and August. Summer temperatures reach up to 29C with the height of the season seeing around 10 hours of sunshine every day. Winter temperatures rarely fall below 13C, often seeing 5 hours of sunshine a day.

Levante Beach (also known as Sunrise Beach) is one of two beaches in the resort of Benidorm on Spain’s Costa Blanca, just over 20 miles from Alicante. Close to Benidorms town centre, Levante Beach has a long promenade lined with cafes and bars which is lively throughout the day and at night.

Levante Beach

At night you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment as the areas discos, pubs, clubs, cabaret venues, comedy clubs, casino and much more come to life. For those seeking quieter evenings there are lots of restaurants serving different types of food where you can enjoy some fine cuisine and have fun just ‘people watching’.

The gently shelving golden sandy beach is extremely safe for children, hence the resort of Benidorm is very popular with families. There are also organised beach activities and entertainment on offer for children at the beach which is more than a mile long.

Paragliding, waterskiing, jet-skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving and

cable-skiing

 snorkelling are some of the many watersports on offer here at Levante Beach. For those looking for something a bit different the unique sport of cable-skiing is also available here. Along with the many watersports on offer there are also diving rafts and slides for some fun in the sea.

Apart from the beautiful beach here families can enjoy a great day out at one of the areas theme parks – Terra Mitica, Mundomar and Aqualandia. Other day trips include a visit to Algar Falls and Canelobre Caves. Also on offer locally is golf, an aquarium, botanical gardens, safari park, boat and catamaran trips, go-karting, mountain biking,

Terra Mitica

rock climbing, jeep safaris, quad bike tours and glass-bottom boat rides.

Levante Beach enjoys all year round sunshine, with 5 hours of sunshine a day in the winter and 10 hours during the summer. Temperatures average 30C during July and August but can reach as high as 40C.

Levante Beach has something for all the family to enjoy when on one of the great holiday packages available to this glorious resort.

When planning your next holiday to Spain look-out for the many holiday deals which are available throughout the internet.

Peniscola is located in the province of Castello on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast) along the eastern mediterranean coast of Spain. The Costa del Azhar is just to the north of the Costa Blanca.

Often referred to as ‘The Gibraltar of Valencia’, Peniscola is a fortified seaport built on a rocky headland which reaches a height of about 220ft. The town itself is built around a medieval castle which was the location for the film El Cid, starring the late great Charlton Heston.

The ‘old town’ of Peniscola is surrounded by a huge defensive wall with two gateways, the San Pedro Gate and the Fosch Gate. Entry to the old town is by these gateways only. Once in the town you will marvel at the old white-washed houses which line the maze of tiny winding roads.

The modern part of Peniscola is a very popular holiday destination with lots of good hotels, fine beaches, the warm mediterranean sea, a marina and plenty of restaurants and bars.

The main beach here is to the north and is around 3 miles long and about a quarter of a mile wide and has sandy and rocky areas.
There are small beaches (coves) to the south which are popular spots with divers and snorkellers.

Peniscola has a good all year round climate with lots of sunshine and very little rain. The summers here are very long and hot while the winters are extremely mild.

Spending family holidays in Peniscola means that you get ‘the old’ mixed in with ‘the new’ and there is something to keep everyone happy.

Look for great holiday deals to Spain on the internet, you won’t be disappointed.