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The Costa Blanca region stretches for some 200 kilometers along the Mediterranean coast of Spain. This is a popular Spanish tourist and holiday destination, but not quite as popular or built up as the well known Costa del Sol to the south. As a result, the region has much to offer those who like the beautiful countryside as well as the wonderful beaches and warm weather without all the commercialization and crowds of the southern areas. There are still tourist resorts, but there are also quiet Spanish villages, beautiful coastline and lots of things to keep anyone, young or old, busy.
The Costa Blanca starts below Valencia around the town of Gandia and travels south along the coast through the resort town Benidorm, then Alicante and ends around Torrevieja. At the north end of the Costa Blanca are several small towns that are ideal for places to visit or have a house. Denia and Javea are smaller towns that make a nice retreat from the larger, more tourist oriented towns on the southern end of the region.
The town of Javea is located on a promontory with gorgeous beaches tucked into small bays. The town itself is really two towns in one - the seaside, harbour area and the old downtown in the Arenal area. Aduanas del Mar is the urban center developed around the harbour, where you will find plenty of restaurants and café bars spread around the port. To the north of town is the Montgó Natural Park (Les Planes). Here, you can the visit the historic windmills and get lovely views over the bay of Jávea. There is plenty of nature to explore with trails and lots of scenery in the park.
The beach resort of Calpe,a modern beach resort, is a bit farther down the coast. It has an attractive old quarter and the distinctive Gibraltar-style Peñon de Ifach rock which dominates the skyline for miles around. Altea is considered one of Costa Blanca's most beautiful towns with its medieval cobbled streets leading up to the blue-domed church. The plaza here has one of the best views on the Costa Blanca.
A bit further south is the quite town of Villajoyosa. The laast stop along this stretch of coastline is Torrevieja. This is an international tourist resort preferred by British and Scandinavians, and is quite popular with those who have decided to stay for good. Right in the middle of the region are the two major towns for tourists and those who work - the tourist capital of Benidorm and the regional capital of Alicante.
The largest resort in the region is Benidorm, with one of the highest concentrations of high rise hotels and condominium towers in all of Europe. There is the Terra Mitica theme park on the edge of town and several of the best beaches in Spain. The nightlife is also quite popular here, with many younger people out until all hours. The Balearic Islands are an easy ferry ride or short plane trip away, particularly the closest island of Ibiza.
Alicante is the regional capital and largest city on the Costa Blanca. It is also one of the fastest growing in the country, thanks in large part to tourism. The city has some 325,000 residents and 740,000 in the greater metro area. Many retirees from throughout Europe make this city and its surrounding area their home for much of the year. Alicante offers 7 kilometers of golden sand beach, a beautiful seafront esplanade, the Paseo de la Explanada, as well as superb shops and restaurants. The seafront esplanade was laid in 1957 and consists of more than six million small marble tiles that represent the colors of Alicante, which are red, cream and black.
There are plenty of golf courses and resorts along the whole Costa Blanca for those who like to enjoy the game. Near Javea is the Club de Golf Oliva Nova. The 18-hole course here was designed by Seve Ballesteros and is one of the most popular golf resorts in the country. The Club de Golf La Sella Denia course, also nearby, was designed by another famous Spaniard, golfer Jose Maria Olazabal. In Benidorm is the Real de Faula Benidorm golf course, designed by Nicklaus Design, and it is one of the best known courses on the Costa Blanca. Another Seve Ballesteros designed course is the Alicante Golf Club, just north of the city. These are just a few of the many options for golfers in this region.
Travel to the Costa Blanca is easy, and you can get here from most anywhere at any time of the year. Alicante is the major regional transportation center, with Alicante International Airport (ALC). This airport handled over 9 million travelers in 2007 and has flights to most major cities in the UK. On the other end of the Costa Blanca to the north, Valencia Airport (VLC) handled nearly 6 million passengers last year and also has flights to most UK airports. Both airports have many flights on discount carries and offer reasonable prices and schedules. For those who want to take the train, there are RENFE trains from Barcelona down the coast and Madrid.
