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The Costa Blanca, "the white coast", is rightly famous for its long white
sandy beaches.
The well known and lively resort towns with their exciting crowded beaches and narrow streets crammed with restaurants, bars, shops, and of course, people, are maybe what first springs to mind when thinking of Alicante and the other towns which dot the coast between Murcia and Valencia, but that is only half the story - you don't have to go very far to find long peaceful stretches of golden sand backed by waves of dunes covered in tufts of marram grass, or quiet little coves tucked in between tall cliffs ... the Costa Blanca is a beach lover's paradise.
One of the best beaches in at San Juan, just north of Alicante itself, and next to Mutxamel (Muchamiel) and El Campello.
Three kilometres of golden sand stretch all the way to El Campello, meaning that although this fantastic spot can get crowded in places, you can always find some space. This blue flag beach is great for children and has disabled facilities. The promenade is tasteful and whilst there is a truly magnificent selection of restaurants and bars, it does not feel overdeveloped or urban.
For those who want a true city beach, the best example, probably in the whole of the Mediterranean, is the wonderful Postiguet beach in the heart of Alicante. It has perfect fine golden
sand, is remarkably clean and also has disabled facilities.
This beach really is the place to be for beach volleyball and an absolute must for anyone who loves a really lively seaside spot with lots to do - if you are blessed with teenaged children, bring them here.
By total contrast, the other side of Alicante, following the coast road toward the airport, El Altet and Arenales del Sol, has some of the quietest stretches of beach and some of the best kept
secrets. Apart from a couple of small clumps of apartments, these beaches are backed by rolling dunes and are almost unknown to the foreign visitor.
The dune areas are protected and these beaches are quite wild in character, with no facilities. Only slightly further south, on the same beach, the small and tasteful town of Arenales del Sol fills this void with a few shops and restaurants, lifeguards, playgrounds and disabled facilities.
If these golden sands are still not quiet enough, the protected El Carabassi may be the one for you. Further south still, the Carabassi beach is in the protected area around the salt
marshes between El Pinet and Santa Pola. This is a virgin beach, with few facilities, but does have the blue flag, lifeguards and disabled access.
These fine golden sand beaches continue south to
El Pinet which is also close to the salt marshes but set in a pine woodland area.
The El Pinet beach is slightly more developed with camp grounds, sport facilities and, as always, the blue flag, lifeguards and disabled facilities.
Between the salt marsh beaches of El Carabassi
and El Pinet, and the long peaceful stretches of Arenales del Sol, is the noisy hubbub of Santa Pola.
The best of the lively resort towns, Santa Pola has everything, but still retains a certain charm despite the tourism and obvious development. The town is still a working fishing port, its catch serving most of the southern Alicante region and beyond. There are several long sandy beaches, and all of them are busy in summer, and all are well served with facilities. The town itself gets very busy at high season, and has a huge range of resturants, bars, shops and hotels.
One of the least known of the beaches in all the region is the small beach on the tiny island of Tabarca, ten miles from Alicante, and only three miles from Santa Pola (regular ferries run from
either city), the island has a permanent population of just 20.
Tabarca was given to the people of the original Tabarka island (which is why it is often called Nueva Tabarca, or new Tabarca) in
1768 by Spanish King Carlos III. These 300 lucky ones, who cost the Spanish king 1,200 pesetas each, were Tunisian prisoners held on what used to be a Spanish colony. Under pressure from two
monks, Carlos III took pity and agreed to rescue them, giving them the island of Tabarca to be their new home.
The main beach is small, but well served with facilities such as showers and life
guards, and although the sand is rather coarse, the sea is a beautiful transparent turquoise and the sea bed around the island was created a marine reserve in 1986, and consequently it's a great place
for diving with its subtropical waters and fantastic array of marine life.
Of the island's 15km of coastline, 11kms of it are beach, so even if the main spot in town is not to your taste, there's plenty of other sandy corners to choose from.
The Alicante region has
something for everyone, from crowded and noisy urban beaches, where everyone's a show-off, to peaceful virgin stretches of sand nestling between forests and grassy dunes, from tasteful and gentle
promenades with playgrounds and excellent disabled facilities, to the translucent waters of Tabarca, perfect for diving.
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