Alicante has a fantastic location between the mountains and the sea which provides the city with a special kind of beauty.
It's a city with three thousand years of history behind it. In order to understand it and enjoy it all the more, we should consider not only its present but also its past, and delve a little more deeply into the idiosyncrasies of the city and its inhabitants.
Alicante's mild climate makes beach-life feasible practically all year round. You certainly have a lot of beaches to choose from:
La Playa de San Juan, seven kilometres of golden sand flanked by a road enabling you to stop wherever you want.
La Albufereta, a quieter residential stretch of sand, protected by the headland of the Serra Grossa.
El Postiguet, situated almost within the city itself, at the foot of the Benacantil Mountain, next to the port.
For scuba divers we can recommend the shores of the Isla de Tabarca off the coast.
A seaport down to its bedrock, gastronomy in Alicante is closely linked to the Mediterranean, with the additional importance of rice in combination with fish being the basis of Alicante's cuisine. So be prepared to try dozens of different, savoury rice dishes during your visit. In mentioning some of these rice dishes, the first and foremost is the rice a la alicantina, using chicken and rice as basic ingredients. Also of note is the caldero (stewed with fish), el arroz a banda (rice in fish broth), el arroz con costra (rice with baked egg on top), arroz negro (with squid in its own ink).
Additionally forming part of Alicante's culinary stock are its salted seafood preparations, known as salazones, including mojama (tuna roe), bacalao (cod), huevas (roe), pulpo seco (dried octopus), anchoas (anchovies) and melva (which is similar to bonito roe). These are all good tapas before a meal or as a starter, usually offered in the now fashionable presentation of the montadito, i.e. "mounted" on a small slice of toasted bread.
As well as boasting some great beaches and food, Alicante offers so much more. You can visit one of its museums, take a city walk, get active and do a sport (there's water sports, tennis, golf and more) or do a spot of shopping.
Alicante is an ideal destination for a family holiday, as it has plenty of places to visit which are child-friendly - and there's something to suit younger and older kids, too.
When looking for your perfect accommodation, you are probably best off searching the Internet for your accommodation, whether it is a house rental, a self catering apartment or whatever you are looking for, as you tend to get the best deals that way.
Depending on how many you need the rental property to cater for will determine the type of vacation rental property you will need to look for. Bearing in mind self catering accommodation will most likely be the best value. Most rental properties now are up to a good standard with all the basic necessities catered for.
Whether you are looking for a long or short term rental, you should be able to find your ideal property in Alicante.