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BENISSA - Fustera Beach
 Benissa
- (12 Klm inland from
Moraira) A small, typically Spanish market town, it has a beautiful Cathedral and
interesting squares and shops.
Altea - (29 Kms south
from Moraira)
Another typically Spanish town on the coast, which has now been much
settled by English/German and other N. European expatriates.
It has a
large street market and an excellent shopping centre.
There is a long promenade lined with bars/restaurants but the beach is
stony and shelves very steeply.
The old town, now extensively
renovate is quite fascinating. The streets are narrow and steep with overhanging balconies
and there is big square with a domed Basilica.
There are stunning views
along the coast from Altea and a number of good restaurants.
Altea also has a golf course and
an interesting marina just outside the town to the north.
CALPE - Peñon de Ifach
 Calpe -
(12 Klm south from Moraira)
Boasts the Peñon de Ifach, which sits out on the coastline like a
mini-Gibraltar.
It has long beaches of soft, clean sand (Levante Beach
especially, which is on the north side of the Peñon).
The is
an interesting fishing harbour and fish market with a number of Restaurants close by
which obviously specialize in sea food including the Badal Restaurant.
There are
large shopping
areas with an extensive range of shops, stores, bars and restaurants.
Denia -
(24 Kms north from Moraira)
was once a thriving commercial port and now hosts a yacht-marina. Denia is
now the Marina Alta county town with important law courts, customs offices
and the commissioner of police.
There are lots of good shops,
an old castle dominating the town from a
hilltop and some good sandy beaches.
You can take a ferry trip from
here to Ibiza either for the day, or for a few days break.
The train station is right in the middle of the town, just yards
from the main shopping street.
JAVEA - L'Arenal
Beach
 Javea
(Xabia)
- (12 Kms north from
Moraira) is a resort popular with English tourists and residents and comprises an old town
centre with newer developments on the coast.
There is a fishing port with a
market in the evening and a good sandy beach.
Gata de Gorgos -
(13 Kms inland and north from
Moraira) An old Spanish town on the RN332 Alicante/Valencia.
Gata is famous for
basket- and cane-ware.
Guadalest - (32 Kms
inland from Moraira) An ancient fortified town built up a steep mountainside
which is now
entirely tourist with many shops along the steep, winding streets
selling souvenirs, leather goods, local weave material, glassware etc.
There is a steep winding path up the rocky pinnacle which dominates
the town, with stations of the cross on the way and a little open chapel at
the top.
If you take the route through CALLOSA D'EN SARRIA, you will pass
through some splendid mountain country.
Guadalest
also has a large lake which is
actually a reservoir. You can
drive right around it by taking the turning just before the town (-marked "Embalse
de Guadalest"), crossing the dam and arriving at the town from the back
end via a couple of other villages.
Jalón Valley -
(Starts
22 kms inland from Moraira) Famous for its groves of Citrus and Almond trees,
includes the towns of Jalon, Alcalili, Parcent and Lliber.
There are lots of restaurants that specialise
in the local cuisine, such as paella, and the Jalon wine is quite famous.
Benidorm - (40 kms
south from Moraira) is Spain's "holiday city". It goes without saying that
the Benidorm beaches are the best in Europe with imported sand that is
hoover-ed every night.
The street level is packed
with bars, restaurants, cafeterias, discos, night clubs with skyscraper
blocks of apartments above and hotels in between plus dancing-bars, floor shows,
theme parks,
slot-machine arcades etc. etc. - and the holiday
fun continues day and night 24/7.
Most holidaymakers who choose the
Moraira area for their holiday would not even consider
Benidorm as an alternative but it is impossible to avoid the fact that, as
the sun goes down, the Benidorm really comes to life. There are few cities in Europe that can compete.
Because of the large number of
year-round visitors entertainers are attracted from
around the world to the nightclubs and discos.
Benidorm Palace provides a spectacular show with beautiful dancers and lavish costumes - good family entertainment!
Close by at Villajoyosa there is
a casino where roulette and blackjack are played all night long. (You will
need
your passport and a jacket for the men).
In case you are worried about
drinking and driving, there are
evening coach trips which include entrance to the various establishments and
you can chance the short journey from the coach stop or arrange a taxi back
to your villa.
 Alicante -
(70 Kms
south from Moraira) The provincial capital and a seaport city with around
400,000
population.
It has a long portside promenade
(Paseo
Maritimo), which is paved in terrazo of local marble and lined with palm-trees.
Although a major city,
Alicante has a good beach and the adjoining towns of San Juan and
Campello also have excellent sandy beaches.
There is good shopping in
Alicante - with department stores open all day long (no
siesta) - and a superb selection of fashion boutiques.
The Santa Barbara Castle sits
on a hill, dominating the city and a cliff railway runs up to it.
Valencia -
(100 Kms
north from Moraira) is the capital city of the autonomous state and Spain's third City
after Madrid and Barcelona with around 1,000,000 population.
The city is set on a river estuary,
which is normally dry and although it is a coastal town, the seafront is
mostly dock areas.
It was from Valencia that El Cid rode to turn back the
Moslems and the old City centre contains many historical treasures of that
period, as well as one of Spain's largest and oldest Cathedrals and
a bullring ranked as one of the foremost in Spain.
The city centre is large, as
you would expect of a town the size of Birmingham, with many stores and speciality
shops.
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 Moraira
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