Spanish Resorts - Benidorm and The Costa Blanca

Benidorm - By far the biggest tourist resort on theAlicante province, the Vega Baja has a name which
Costa Blanca and probably the whole of Europe, themeans 'Low Fertile Valley', an important area for the
town of Benidorm is visited by over 4 milliongrowing of fresh produce, citrus fruits in particular, it
holidaymakers each year, and it is not hard to seealso has a beautiful coastline with some fine beaches
why it is such a big draw. Benidorm basically, has it all,and popular resorts. The capital of the district is the
beautiful wide, sandy beaches, which stretch fortown of Orihuela and the largest of its coastal towns
miles, a huge variety of bars, restaurants and liveare Torrevieja and Guardamar del Segura, where
entertainment, superb luxury hotels with excellentsuperb white, sandy beaches are lapped by the
facilities, a vibrant and exciting nightlife and numeroussparkling, tranquil waters of the azure blue
fabulous tourist attractions including theme parks,Mediterranean Sea.
funfairs, safari parks, animal shows and a wonderfulVillajoyosa - Located on the northern Costa Blanca
water park. For a family holiday with plenty to docoastline between Alicante and Benidorm, the town
Benidorm cannot be matched on the Costa Blanca, orof Villajoyosa is famous for its brightly coloured
in fact anywhere else in Spain.houses. The reason for the vibrant blues, yellows and
Denia - Situated in the northernmost area of thereds of the seafront houses was a practical one, as
Costa Blanca region is the beautiful coastal resort ofthey were painted so that the town's fishermen
Denia, it's medieval castle dates back to the 11thcould spot their homes from far out at sea and sail
Century and was begun by the Moors during thesafely home to their loved ones. Villajoyosa is often
Arab conquest. Even further back in time, Denia wasreferred to as 'Chocolate Heaven' due to its
a Greek colony and was also settled by the Iberiansproduction of Spanish chocolate delicacies since 1881
and the Romans. During the 19th Century, Deniawhen one Don Valenciano Lopez Lloret started his
became an important area for the growing of raisinsbusiness there.
and a group of English raisin traders lived there untilCabo Roig - The resort of Cabo Roig is one of the
the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's The 20th Centurycoastal towns of the Vega Baja district of the
brought the new industry of tourism and Denia hasAlicante province, situated in an area of the coastline
become a popular location for tourists seeking aknown as the Orihuela Costa. Cabo Roig originally
seaside holiday.grew up around a sixteenth century watchtower
Elche - Famous for its huge palm forest (Palmerarwhich was constructed to warn the neighbourhood
D'Elx), its 4th Century BC bust 'The Lady of Elche'of impending attacks from Berber pirates which
(Dama D'Elx) and its haunting medieval drama 'Theoccurred frequently along this part of the coast
Mystery of Elche' (Misteri D'Elx), the Costa Blanca citybetween the 14th and 17th centuries. Cabo Roig is
of Elche is the 3rd largest in the Communidad denow a popular holiday resort with 2 superb beaches
Valencia. Its 220,000 (in 2006) inhabitants live in a cityand an exclusive marina and yachting club. One of the
surrounded by over 200,000 palm trees - the largesthighlights of Cabo Roig is the stunning cliff walk from
palm forest in Europe. A mostly agricultural area upCala Caleta to La Zenia, providing some breathtaking
until the 19th Century, Elche developed an thrivingviews along the way.
shoe-making industry which is now one of the mostCalpe - Situated on the northern Costa Blanca
important in Spain.between the towns of Javea and Altea is the lovely
Playa Flamenca - Located in the Orihuela Costacoastal resort of Calpe. Best known for the
district of the southern Costa Blanca, Playa Flamencaspectacular rock formation, the Peñon de
could not be called a traditional Spanish village, in factIfach, Calpe is popular with both holidaymakers and
up until the early 1970's it was just an area of barrenday-trippers. Calpe's excellent sandy beaches are
coastline. Developed by a group of Flemish investors,busy during the summer months and provide a good
Playa Flamenca has become one of the most popularselection of water sports facilities. With a history
destinations along the coast, the newly improvedgoing back to Roman times, Calpe has some
beach and promenade have given the resort a muchinteresting places to visit, including the remains of a
needed facelift. The busy Saturday market is one ofRoman fish salting factory which stands beside the
the big attractions of Playa Flamenca and thousandsseafront promenade. The stunning rock, the
of shoppers head there every week looking for aPeñon de Ifach, watches over Calpe like a
bargain or two.protective mother, and it is now a conserved area
Vega Baja - The most southerly district of thewith a wide variety of flora and fauna.