Exploring España: Alicante

If I'm honest, Alicante was never on my list of places to go, but having to cancel my Tunisia holiday at short notice left me with few options. Before I knew it, I'd booked a reasonably-priced flight and a rather less reasonably-priced hotel. Time to see what this Brit favourite had to offer...

Alicante has been inhabited for over 7,000 years, initially by hunter-gatherers who made their homes on the slopes of Mount Benacantil between 5,000 and 3,000 BC, and later by Greek and Phoenician traders who brought with them the alphabet, iron and the pottery wheel.

In the third century BC, the armies of Carthage and Rome began to fight for the Iberian peninsula. Carthage won out, establishing the fortified city of Akra Leuka (meaning White Mountain) on the spot where Alicante stands today. Their success, though, was short-lived, and Akra Leuka, Lucentum in Latin, fell to the Romans. By the fifth century AD, with Rome in decline, Lucentum was conquered by the Visigoths. Three centuries later, Lucentum was conquered by the Moors who called the city Medina Laqant, or al-Laqant, the origin of its present-day name.

For the next five centuries, the Moors rules al-Laqant, and their legacy lives on to this day in the form of Castillo de Santa Bárbara, the ninth century fortress sitting atop Mount Benacantil. The castle's name dates from 1248 and commemorates the day of Saint Barbara when Alfonso X, King of Castilla y León and Galicia (r. 1252-1284), drove the Moors out of Alicante in the name of Christendom.

Mount Bencantil overlooking the beach

The rock formation known as La Cara del Moro (the Moor's face)

I landed in Alicante at around 08:30, and was in the city centre by 09:30 where I was greeted by the sun and an empty beach. First things first – some breakfast at a beach-side café.

Good advice from my tea

 

 

The surprisingly empty Playa de Postiguet

Same beach, different view

 

Refreshed, I went to my hotel. It was far too early to check in, but I figured I'd be able to at least dump my case. Turns out, they had a room available. I checked in, found my room and changed my jeans for a skirt and my boots for flip-flops. Let the sightseeing commence.

I hadn't done a whole lot of research into Alicante so I decided to just start with the obvious – the castle. My lack of research meant that I had no idea how to get up there and thus I found myself scrambling up the side via the tiered garden known as Parque de la Ereta. Word to the wise: climbing 166 m (544 ft) in 31°C (88°F) heat is a bad idea. But somehow I made it. The views were spectacular.

Appreciating the shade in Parque de la Ereta

The view from the park

Flowers that appealed to me

Trees at the foot of the castle

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the top (yay!) and found the entrance to the castle. The complex was huge and with temperatures continuing to rise, exploring it was tough going. The views were worth the pain; not sure about the sunburn though.

Inside the castle complex

View of the beach and the marina

Metal archer

Another view of the marina

The view to the other side

Aim and fire...

Not keen to attempt the long walk downhill, I opted for the lift I'd just found. Within minutes I was back on the ground, a stone's throw from the beach. Hungry now, I headed for La Explanada de España, which is home to a number of restaurants and cafés.

Designed in 1867 by the architect José Guardiola Picó (1836-1909), La Explanada is an elegant, palm-tree-lined boulevard comprising 6.6 million black, cream and red marble tiles depicting the waves of the Mediterranean.


The gorgeous Explanada de España

I somehow managed to drag myself away from La Explanada long enough to get some food. Nonetheless, it was a place I would visit again and again during my five-day stay in the city.

La Explanada by night

While much of my holiday was spent taking day-trips to nearby towns, I actually enjoyed my time in Alicante. Though far from the exotic trip I had had planned, my fears of it being little more than a haunt for sun-seeking British chavs were unfounded. Instead, I found it to be a pleasant, walkable city with a relaxed atmosphere. Tunisia it may not have been, but I definitely don't regret going.