The Costa Blanca has obviously been around for a very long time, but it has only been called the Costa Blanca very recently, as a matter of fact it is only since 1957 that the name was coined. It was as a result of a promotional campaign by a British airline company when they were launching a new air service from London to Valencia. The Costa Blanca is one of the most heavily visited tourist areas in the whole of Europe. Some would say that it is not the place to come if you’re looking for a quiet break. But although the Costa Blanca can offer you the high life, there is still a sedate and tranquil part of the Costa Blanca for you to explore. The Costa Blanca is famous for its white sandy beaches, it’s great social life, the fact that you can be almost guaranteed to get a suntan out here, and the fact that the tourist industry has grown to such an extent that you can partake in so many different activities, and eat so many different national cuisines in a place a place of fun, vibrant and yet relaxing … pure enjoyment.
The Village of Parcent....photo by Angus Kirk
The Costa Blanca stretches for over 200 km. It is the coastline of the Alicante province. The Costa Blanca stands at the town of Denia and stretches all the way down the coast to the Murcian border and the town of Pilar de Horadada. Two of the biggest holiday destinations on the Costa Blanca are Alicante and Benidorm.
The history of this area goes all the way back to prehistoric times. The Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Romans, and then the Arabs all invaded this area. The ancient Greeks founded the town of Javea, the first Greek settlement on the Spanish peninsula. Between Carthaginian and Roman rule cities such as Alicante, Elche, Calpe, and Denia were established. The Moors conquered the whole area in the seventh century and really left their influence not only on the architecture, but in the fields with their irrigation systems, they also introduced the planting of orange trees, lemon trees, dates, palms, and almonds trees. Another gift to today’s standards from the Arabs was there on influence of the language and customs. They founded many different towns in the Costa Blanca and in Alicante including all those towns that begin with Ben-, such as Benidorm, Benitichell, or Benidoleig. The Berber empire remained dominant here for 400 years after which there was a continuous war between the Christians and the Moors that lasted almost 3 centuries before the final Arab was expelled from Spanish soil. You will see commemorations of this all over the Costa Blanca and Alicante, with Fiestas happening generally during the summer months in almost every town in the province. James I of Aragon removed the Arabs from Alicante, but the Arabs kept fighting right up until 1492 when they were expelled by the then Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella.
The provincial boundaries were established in 1812 when the Spanish Constitution was written. This established Alicante as a region as it remains today. During the civil war Alicante, along with its neighbor Murcia, was a firm supporter of the Republican side. This area has primarily relied on the land and the sea for its income; in recent years agriculture and fishing have taken a back seat to other industries and especially tourism and construction.
Many people have the idea that the Costa Blanca is just a mass tourist trap. They believe that the towns and cities along the Costa Blancan coast are nothing more than concrete jungles offering little more than the year-long sunshine and rip off tourism. It isn’t so, yeah it is not the same as it used to be, those little picturesque Spanish fishing villages are long since gone, but there is still plenty of charm left here for the casual tourist. Cities like Benidorm have grown into places where loud social life is the norm. But there are also small Spanish villages or towns that remain almost untouched by tourism. Although they will drive for tourist trade, they haven’t sold their soul in that they are still very much constructing in the ideal way, blending in with what has been done before and avoiding the concrete tower blocks that have purged some of the towns and cities here.
If you are thinking of a holidaying here during the summer months then you should always put your holidays well in advance. In July and August, you will find it extremely hard to find accommodation if you haven’t booked well in advance. But the beauty of the Costa Blanca is that there is a year-round sunshine. So, unless you’ve got more pressing business take care of, such as taking children to school every day, you can come here in the off-season and you will find not only plenty of accommodation available, but you will also find Costa Blanca accommodation at cheaper rates.
Unless you just want to spend your time lately sun tanning yourself on the beach during the day and taking in a nightclub or a restaurant in the evening, with no intention of travelling further from those locations than you have to, you should rent a car to see some of the wonderful landscape in Alicante. You will find Costa Blanca car hire from the airport in Alicante, and most towns and cities will have plenty of car rental companies for you to choose from. The roads in Alicante are fantastic as they are throughout Spain now. But it is the back roads that really show off the Spanish landscape to its best. As you are driving between the small towns you will come across sites almost around every corner that will take your breath away. Sometimes the landscape can be very dry and arid looking, and then you’ll drive over a hilltop and come across a massive lake with lush of vegetation surrounding it. That’s the time when the Spanish landscape can make you think that you’re in heaven. The Costa Blanca is a real outdoor paradise. Although the surfaces of the secondary roads are very good, they can be very narrow and you must be careful on the mountain passes.
If you’re a walker, the Costa Blanca offers some of the most wonderful walking landscapes, especially through its rugged mountains. As you walk in the mountains you will revel at the wonderful sight of the valleys which can be filled with almond groves or orange groves. When you get up into the mountains you will come across small pockets of civilization which make up the real part of Spain. The mountains are part of the Costa Blanca because many of them come all the way down to the sea. You will find that there is a huge amount of mountain scenery concentrated in the North of the Costa Blanca. Don’t worry about accommodation if you are travelling in the mountains because you will find that the Costa Blanca hotels and hostelries in this area have greatly improved over previous years and there is plenty in the way of accommodation. The best times to visit the mountains though are in the off-peak months, the summer months can see the temperature is rising very steeply even at high altitudes.
Many people come to the Costa Black in search of golf. Well, golfing seems to be a massive growth industry in the last few years along with tourism, or perhaps because of tourism. Costa Blanca golfing can offer you a multitude of courses to choose from with courses such as Denia golf club, Alicante golf club, or Marquesa golf club in Quesada.
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