One of the most loved areas in the whole of Spain is the Costa Blanca (White Coast) region, which is situated in the southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean coast, and is within the province of Alicante.
The Costa Blanca coastline is packed with stunning seaside resorts and the complete area is noted for its superb sandy beaches. Two of the finest resorts along this fabulous coastline are the lively town of Benidorm and the much more tranquil resort of Denia, which are both to the north of Alicante and are both well known and mature resorts.
Benidorm is the biggest, brashest and the finest resort on the Costa Blanca by a long way, and in fact welcomes more visitors than any other seaside resort throughout Europe, with over four million arriving by plane, car and boat each year. Benidorm is situated between Valencia and Alicante and is easily reached from Alicante airport (around 30 minutes by car). Benidorm is especially popular for its buzzing and vibrant nightlife, its huge sandy beaches and its magnificent theme parks.
The nightlife in Benidorm is without equal, with an enormous variety on offer, from cosy ‘English’ style pubs and Spanish backstreet tapas bars to fully fledged cabaret shows at super venues like the Benidorm Palace and Talk of the Coast with top singers, comedians and entertainers on show.
The fine beaches of Benidorm extend for miles and the two largest ones are Playa Poinente and Playa Levante, there is lots of space but both beaches can still get very packed during the popular summer months, so to reserve the best spots, arrive early. The wonderful Benidorm theme parks which are all definitely worth a visit include the Terra Mitica, Mundomar Marine and Exotic Animal Park, Aqualandia and the Terra Natura.
A little more northwards towards Valencia and around 85 kilometres north-east of Alicante is the picturesque resort of Denia. Also a long established seaside town, Denia became popular during the 1960’s and attracted numerous wealthy North Europeans looking to buy their own holiday homes in the sun. Denia still attracts holiday home buyers but has also become popular with holidaymakers who arrive in droves especially during the warm summer months.
Denia is centred around an Eleventh Century castle, originally constructed by the Moors who held sway over most of Spain in those distant times. Denia is particularly well known for its elaborate Fiestas (along with the rest of the Costa Blanca and Spain), many of which take place during the summer season and are all well worth attending.
Denia is also well known as being the port from which the ferry to the Balearic Islands departs, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza in particular, and many tourists stop off in Denia on their way to these beautiful islands in the sun.
The capital of the entire Costa Blanca region is the historic city of Alicante, which has a long and distinguished history. One of the best known landmarks in Alicante is the Santa Barabara Castle, which dates from the 9th Century, it is the largest medieval fortress of its kind in Europe and dominates Alicante city from its lofty position on Mount Benacantil. The airport at Alicante (El Altet) is the arrival airport for the vast majority of visitors to the Costa Blanca (many also arrive at Murcia these days) and has good road links to all the other towns and resorts. The Costa Blanca itself comprises about 200 kilometres of coastline, and extends from Gandia in the north to Pilar de la Horadada in the south, to the north of the region is the Costa del Azahar and to the south, the Costa Calida), it also has a sizeable hinterland with areas of mountains, plains, sierras and Natural Parks. The coast has been well known for the production of salt since Roman times and the salt lakes at Santa Pola, Calpe, Torrevieja and La Mata being of particular importance.
If you are visiting the Costa Blanca soon be sure to call in on three of its finest towns Benidorm, Alicante and Denia.