There are few people in the UK who have never heard of Benidorm with millions heading there each year. But just 15km from the popular holiday hotspot lies a little known gem, recently crowned Spain’s top coastal destinations for British holidaymakers on a budget.
According to Which? Travel, who conducted a survey of 1,000 people, the serene, whitewashed jewel of Altea is Spain’s best escape, sweeping up in categories such as charm, value for money and scenery. According to Which?, the Spanish city is a “historic village destination where blue-tiled church domes glitter above a hill of sugar-cube houses”. Made up of cobbled streets and white stone houses, the city is an authentic drop of Spain close to other areas of the region that have lost some of their original Spanish charm.
Its main square boasts a variety of restaurants from tapas to seafood, with many possessing stunning views of the town’s beach and blue sea.
At the heart of the community, tall churches stand tall and dominate the landscape with blue and white domes shimmering in the bright sunshine.
The town has a bohemian feel to it, with art-lovers well catered for through the variety of sculptures, canvases and creative art shops and galleries dotted across it.
Absent are the sports bars and chain restaurants that are more prevalent in Benidorm and other popular destinations, allowing Altea to maintain its Spanish charm and traditional way of life.
Owing to the reduced levels of tourism in the area, the town’s locals are friendly and welcoming, free of the jaded annoyance of people originating from Spanish towns and cities overrun with tourists and its impacts.
Which? describes Altea as: “The one whose romantic setting – a wall of mountains on one side, the Mediterranean on the other – attracted artists, kickstarting tourism along this coast in the late 50s.
“They’re still here, too. Ateliers and galleries are scattered throughout the old town, a cats-cradle of cobbled streets beneath the church, perfumed by bougainvillea, knotting into tiny squares.”
Not only is the town great value when visiting, but it is ideal for those travelling on a budget, with flights starting from as low as £50.
Britons can get return flights to Alicante, the closest airport to Altea, from around the UK, including Bristol, Birmingham, London Luton, Newquay, Norwich, Exeter and Leeds/Bradford.
