Costa Blanca: Itineraries

A Top Day in Costa Blanca

I've lived in the Comunidad Valenciana for over 15 years and love it. But I still crave a thing or two from home. So, I begin my day in Benidorm with a full English breakfast - the works: beans, sausage, bacon and eggs in the plural as a minimum. But with two Spanish extras: it must be eaten outside, on a shady terrace, accompanied by a decent espresso. I eat early, then head down to the beach for a quick swim and sunbathe before the crowds arrive. Then it's in the car and down the motorway to Alicante, a living, working provincial capital of which I'm very fond. I wander around its old quarter, taking in what's new (there's always something fresh in this dynamic city), call by its splendid, very visual Museo Arqueológico Provincial, then lunch at one of the restaurants down by the port. I like my sand and sunshine but I also feel the call of Alicante province's less travelled inland valleys. I drop into Elx to visit its new multimedia archaeological museum, and follow this with a wander through its date palm gardens, a Unesco world heritage site. Then it's back into the car for a drive up the tranquil Vall de Laguar - spiky, rumpled and a world away from the coastal fleshpots. Here I pull on my boots and stride out along one of the marked trails to work off lunch. I've a soft spot for fishing ports so, keeping an eye on my watch, I make sure I'm back beside the coast by late afternoon, in time for Denia's weekday wholesale fish market, where the day's catch is auctioned off. A quick burst down the motorway brings me back to Benidorm, where I sip a pint of Guinness and talk football in one of its many sports bars. A little weary after the early start and long day's driving, I head back to my hotel and crash out early, unlike most holidaymakers, who continue to carouse late into the night.

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