Costa Blanca Holidays

Benidorm didn’t get to be one of Spain’s holiday behemoths for nothing. This town likes to flaunt its best assets – sandy beaches and fun-packed nights – but there’s another side to it, too. Benidorm actually goes all the way back to 1325, so the winding, cobbled old town and Baroque domed church are as authentic as they come.

• Agir Benidorm
• Hotel Riudor
• Hotel Corona Del Mar

Even though there’s only a small mountain separating Altea from the Costa Blanca’s loudest resort, Benidorm, the two towns couldn’t be more different. Altea lives life at a much slower pace – neon-lit nightspots make way for seafront tapas bars, and you’ll find traditional restaurants in lieu of Brit-style pubs and fast food joints. The bustling centres of the area's two biggest cities, Alicante and Valencia, are an hours' drive up and down the coast, too.

• Cap Negret Hotel

This small coastal town sits on the northern tip of Spain’s Costa Blanca, neatly pocketed between the mountains and the sea. Originally a fishing village, it’s grown into a lively holiday place – Madrid’s city slickers flock here to parade its palm-lined avenues and eat in the marina restaurants. But the town hasn’t lost its traditional Spanish charm, courtesy of its cobbled streets and old market square.

• Villa Portichol

This little beach town on Spain’s Costa Blanca has a typically Spanish feel – there’s the thousand-year-old castle in the town centre, rustic seafood restaurants along the beach and colourful fishing boats bobbing in the harbour. There’s another side to this place, though – the cosmopolitan marina is dotted with bars, and there are designer boutiques along the tree-lined Carrer Marques de Campo.

• Villa Juan
• Villas Benicadims
• Denia Villas - Geminis