Nearby BeachA nice day at the beach should of course not be missed. There is plenty of choice of different, lovely sandy beaches, each with their own identity, for example:
· El Campello: the nearest beach with a pleasant promenade and lots of traditional Spanish tourism. On Wednesdays and Sundays there is a local market (10 minutes' drive, 11 kilometres), ·
Playa San Juan: the most famous beach in Alicante. 7 kilometres of fine, white sand and lots of entertainment (20 minutes' drive, 25 kilometres).
· The picturesque Villajoyosa, with its colourful houses and splendid promenade (15 minutes' drive, 32 kilometres),
Cities/towns
The city of Alicante, voted ´best European city at the beach´, is cozy and not too crowded. The many bars, restaurants and shops, as well as the (free) museums, the impressive Santa Barbara Fortress and the narrow streets of the Barrio give you the real Spanish feeling. (20-minute drive, 24 kilometres).
· The busy, famous (and perhaps infamous) Benidorm with its skyscrapers and many different types of amusement parks (20 minutes drive, 41 kilometers), its spacious beach and the famous tapas street.
· The town of Alcoi, (56 km). Enjoy the beautiful drive to get there and then you will find Alcoi to be a surprising, beautiful city, best known for its feasts of the Moors and Christians (around April 23rd) and the celebration of Epiphany on January 5th.
· Tabarca: the smallest inhabited island of Spain - also a nature reserve - is located off the coast of Alicante. The boat trip from El Campello, Santa Pola or Alicante is in itself a fun adventure.
· The city of Valencia (100 km) is worth a visit and easy to reach from the Villa. In addition to the cozy city center, you will find the famous Arte y ciencia district developed by the architect Calatrava.
Take a tour around by car in the mountains and along the coast with beautiful nature, panoramas and cute villages! Some suggestions: Altea (54 km), Guadalest (53 km) and the waterfalls of Algar (62 km). In spring you can drive through the almond/cherry blossom-orchards. Choose one of the wine routes or visit one of the various local markets. In short: plenty to see and do.
The Costa Blanca is also known for its festival of the Moors and Christians. In this part of Spain people commemorate the fact that the Spanish armies managed to conquer the last Arab stronghold in 1492 and thus drive the Moors out of Europe. Every village and town has its own festivities. The inhabitants dress up as Moors or Christians and re-enact battles. The two groups fight it out in the streets, amidst gunpowder fumes, noise and sometimes thousands of spectators.
In Aigües, these fiestas take place on the last weekend of August and since your hostess is part of one of the groups, you can experience the fiestas in a special way. Every day, the queens of the fiestas are picked up from their homes with the brass band; this Desperta is interrupted along the way for a drink and on Friday this happens at Villa Hoy - as a guest you are very welcome. I see it as my job to give you as much information as possible on the possibilities that suit you best and make your holiday even more unforgettable.