By Karen MarcoThe historical Altea ‘old town’is poised on a hillside overlook-

ing the Mediterranean Sea,guarded by the imposing SierraBernia mountain ridge. Steeped

in Mediterranean culture, Alteahas always been a refuge forpoets, artists and musicians.

The atmosphere is decidedlyrelaxed and unmistakablyMediterranean; fine dining alfresco, stylish restaurants andpizzerias with haute flair,trendy pubs, pretty patios androoftop terraces...Altea is ro-mantic and unforgettable!

An emblematic blue domedchurch sits at the top of theancient village; a maze of nar-row cobbled streets lined withtraditional houses, white-washed walls with bright bou-gainvillea and geranium-filledbalconies, twist up to the livelychurch square. There are secretcorners to discover on the wayup to the plaza, with glimpsesof the sea and mountains atevery turn, and amazing viewsof Altea bay.

A wide promenade andboardwalk define the modernseafront which is bordered by aremarkable variety of restaur-ants and street cafés - a choiceof Mediterranean, Spanish,European, or even Asian cui-sine…and cocktail bars rangingfrom the smoothly sophisticatedto colourfully Caribbean.

Shopping ranges from ex-clusive high street fashion ex-travaganza, to handmade jewel-lery and gifts sold at craft stalls,beachside sketches or paintingsin an artist studio. Browse themany art and craft shops, anddiscover the handicraft fairsand stalls, which you can findset up somewhere in Altea mosttimes of the year.

Altea Bay is part of the pro-tected Sierra Helada NaturalPark. If you are fortunate youcan see bottlenose dolphinsswimming in the sparklingclear sea. Eight kilometres ofcoastline stretch southwardsfrom the Morro de Toix head-land, a succession of pebblebeach and coves.

Mascaret beach is next toCampomanes Marina, an ex-clusive yachting harbour withrestaurants and cocktaillounges. You can enjoy a varietyof nautical activities includingsailing, scuba diving, jetski, out-rigger, SUP, kayak, boatscharters and guided tours. LaBarreta and La Solsida are se-cluded naturist coves, access-

ible on foot.L’Olla is a long pebble beach

located between the tiny har-bours of El Senso and El Portet.There are a couple of beach res-taurants serving local cuisine,and shady picnic areas. It’s agreat place to hire a kayak insummer or for a quiet stroll inwinter.

Continue along to Cap Negretbeach and the scenic AlgarRiver Estuary. There are sign-posted walks and bicycle routesinto the surrounding country-side. A brand new promenaderuns from here to Altea’s centralbeaches and the main stretch ofseafront restaurants.

L’espigó is the name of Al-tea’s newly inaugurated beach -the old seawall and lagoon havenow been replaced by a magnifi-cent white pebble beach whichis sure to be popular thissummer.

La Roda is Altea’s mainbeach; pebble with large sandyareas, it is ideal for families…there are kiddies’ play parks,beach volley and other games,and even yoga classes on thebeach! There's a huge choice ofrestaurants, ice-cream parloursand cafés.

Further along the wide es-planade you’ll see the fishing

port, leisure harbour and AlteaNautical Club, where there’s asailing school and numerouswater sport activities. There isa pleasant walk along thewaterfront to Cap Blanc beachand El Albir at the southernend of the bay, defined by theSierra Helada cliffs and Albirlighthouse.

Altea is conveniently lo-cated in the centre of the CostaBlanca - the perfect base for aholiday, whether you’re lookingto relax beside the sea in thesunshine or want to explorefurther afield…

Altea is fast becoming one ofSpain’s most sought-after desti-nations, fantastic for families,friends or couples… peaceful butlively, traditional and trendy,classy but laidback, mountainsand sea…Altea has a character-istic charm of its own.

ALTEA - the most picturesquetown in Spain

Getting there:Nearest airport: El Altet, Ali-cante (71km)By road: AP-7 motorwayexit 64 or N-332TRAM from Alicante City

See more Costa Blancafeatures on my travel blog:www.KaliTravel.net

Photo courtesy of Altea Tourist Info

Photo K. Marco

Photo courtesy of Altea Tourist Info

28 Discovering The Costa Blanca COSTA NEWS, February 3-9, 2017

-Car repairs-Avda. de Valencia, 11 bajo

Tel: 956 040 919 - Mobile: 633 117 114E-mail: medicauto@hotmail.es 03590 ALTEA (Alicante)