Altea, Spain. (Altea)

Member Name: jadeymclady

Product:	Altea
Date:	21/08/06 (839 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely old town

Disadvantages: Not a lot to do

***General***
The sunny town of Altea lies on the Costa Blanca. It’s still quite a small town, with a few foreign tourists here and there, but is set to get busier as there is quite a lot of building work going on in the way of a Supermarket and flats.
It’s near to both Benidorm and Alicante and has it’s own single track railway and a reliable bus service.
The town is a mix of both old and new, the old part boasting cobbled streets, white washed stone houses and a beautiful church complete with glinting blue dome roof, all set upon a tall hill. The newer part lines the shore line and perimeters of the town. A neat promenade greets the sea with beaches and restaurants, whilst the remaining part of town houses almost brand new apartments and shops.
There are several beaches: Playa del Cap Negret, Playa de la Roda, Playa del Cap Blanch, Playa del Mascarat. These are mainly sandy and quite clean. The beaches aren’t usually too busy. There are some fantastic climbing frames, slides and children’s toys, volley ball nets and small water showers all available to the public free of charge. Dogs aren’t supposed to use the beach but the locals tend to flout the rules occasionally.


***My Holiday in Altea***
I would never have thought of going to Altea. Normally if I were to visit Spain it would be to visit the sights and museums in Barcelona or some where similar, or if I fancied sitting around in the sun I would’ve booked a holiday in a popular resort. It was only because a family member owns a house in Altea that I visited the town and so I had no idea what to expect.
Altea is dominated by huge rugged mountains covered in trees and poly tunnels. The town is set into these hills, in a small bay. During the morning, the town bustles with crazed Spanish drivers (I honestly don’t know how they get away with parking in the middle of roads, bus lanes, cutting each other up… it’s mad!) and lots of people. It wasn’t immediately clear to me how or when I should cross the busy roads but soon enough the town began to calm down.
As the sun rose higher into the sky, the town’s population shrunk back into their homes for a siesta. I don’t blame them either because the sun is swelteringly hot. Being on the coast and high up, it can get very windy indeed, but the sun still pounds down at astounding temperatures. This being the case, it also means all the shops and many cafes are closed between 12-3pm. This is the time to sun bath or sit in the shade reading a book on one of the beaches.
The town comes alive at night! The restaurants are busy and the shops open. The shops in the new part of Altea seemed to fit into two main categories for me; Tat Shops (You know the kind I mean, very cheap and sometimes very entertaining to walk around. Various bits and bobs, washing up bowls, fake flowers, dancing cows etc.) and expensive designer shops. The designer shops were very alluring, but very posh. There aren’t too many clothes shops that are reasonably priced, so although there are a lot of shops in Altea, shopping isn’t one the main activities that take place here.
Personally, I liked to spend my night in the old town. It was a ridiculously steep climb that was often treacherous, but it was worth it. The cobbled courtyards and lanes were lined with galleries, lovely little shops of hand made goods, stalls run by craftspeople and lovely little restaurants. The whole feel of the old town is busy yet romantic and relaxing. It buzzes and glows and can sometimes get VERY busy. It would be difficult getting a push chair or young children up the hill anyway but the vast numbers of people might also be a little scary for them and easy for them to become separated.
The old towns offers fantastic views of the town, it’s roofs, mountains and bay and is shadowed by a distinctive and beautiful church. The blue and white tiled cupolas can be seen on many business and shop signs throughout the town and dominate the local scenary. They make for wonderful photographs too.
For things to do, Altea is a little lacking. This is a town for lounging around soaking up the sun, not keeping busy. However, only a 90cent bus ride away, lies Benidorm. Shops, quad biking, water sports, Terra Natura, Terra Miticca and Mundomar will provide great days out for families of all ages. There aren’t many places for teenagers and young people in Altea either but of course Benidorm has plenty of bars and clubs. Taxis from Benidorm to Altea only cost around 15euros and are plentiful around Benidorm.

My favourite part of Altea has to be the old town. It’s fascinating and almost magical at night and is well worth the trek. The remainder of the town is nice and not too touristy. It makes for a good base camp and relaxing evenings out. I went for a week, and think that was about right. The town will have grown in a few years time and there may even be plans to cater for a growing tourist trade. Altea wasn’t my favourite holiday destination of all time, but it made a welcome break from England!

***Extra Info***
Tourist Info Altea
Carrer Sant Pere, 9
03590 Altea
Tel.: 96 584 41 14 Fax: 96 584 42 13
Email: altea@touristinfo.net

Town Hall: 96 584 13 00

Culture Center: 96 584 28 53

I flew into Alicante Airport and got a Taxi (costing around 60 Euros for four of us) straight to Altea.

Summary: Spanish town lying on the Costa Blanca, near to Benidorm and Alicante.