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Alicante , anyone been there?

Hi,, this july we are flying to london to meet a friend.. an"beach " type break.. She suggested Alicante as a nice place.. and found us a nice package with air and hotel/with breakfast for 500 gbp.

Well we went with it and booked ( she is coming with us) on her recommendation ,now, she herself hasnt been there but has been to Benidorm and thought Benidorm was " a bit much" as it a bit too rowdy hen and stag party .

We like lively but not rowdy spring break type atmosphere.. we are in our 50s.. so a few lively clubs is fine.. but mostly want a nice old town with plenty of nice cafes and restaurants..

Beach looks pretty typical of a city beach from what I can see.. is swimming good there.. .any snorkelling ?

Any advice or tips would be great.

We are staying at the Melia hotel

Thanks .

Posted by
5541 posts

I've never been to Alicante but it is a popular destination for Brits looking for a bit of sun and sea. It certainly enjoys a better reputation than Benidorm which, whilst I have never been nor intend to go to, has a reputation of being host to the worst of the British tourist, in essence avoid like the plague.

The hotel pictures look nice enough. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Posted by
45 posts

Alicante is a city, not a nice old town. For that hire a car and drive north to Altea.

Posted by
3562 posts

We just watched House Hunters International last night. A couple from Texas buying a place in this city. I think it is a popular expat destination. It looked wonderful on the TV!

Posted by
162 posts

Alicante is a beautiful city, right on the coast. You will have a lovely time. I stayed there for 3 or 4 nights which is plenty. The Melia is a very nice hotel, you will like it. They have a great bus system which I took daily. There is a lovely Mercado in town; a beautiful old building with two levels, meat on one and produce on the other. Lots of good restaurants, a very lively paseo along the beach area with many good meal deals at certain times of the day.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!