Altea is beautiful small Spanish town, located on the Costa Blanca coast line. It’s beautiful white washed buildings and view of the Mediterranian sea make the landscape of Altea truly breath taking. Altea is full of charm and character in the old town, good eateries, friendly locals and has a good balance of activities vs relaxation. I can honestly say it is now one my favourite towns in Spain.
Why go to Altea?
In all truthfulness. I wasn’t too pleased about going to Altea. My partner and I had decided on Majorca for our next trip and I was now set in my head to holidaying here, sadly the hotel we earmarked for our stay sold out before we had our leave dates approved with work and flight prices then also skyrocketed. My partner suggested Altea having previously visited on a day trip saying it was a beautiful place and the weather should be good so I took his word for it and I was truly blown away. Altea did not disappoint! We visited in early October and the weather averaged between 30 to 26 degrees whilst we were there so it is defiantly a great autumn/winter spot for getting some sun.
Something to note: Altea old town is on a hill and it is a lot of steps to walk up to reach the top. However if walking is not your thing, you can get a taxi up to the top and back down which is not too pricy but it is something to be aware of. I am not a great with steps but I managed them and averaged 10,000 steps a day whilst in Altea as it was so beautiful that walking was a pleasure here.
Travel
The nearest airport to Altea is Alicante Airport. The flight time from Manchester to Alicante is 2 hours and 45 minutes so if you’re a nervous traveller, this is a manageable time to be in the air.
Alicante is a busy airport so be prepared for queuing at passport control.
We flew with TUI and purchased Pommery Champagne on board for only £35! The smaller bottles of Prosecco were not that much cheaper per ml so it was well worth it. We watched the sun rise on our early flight, drank our champagne and shortly touched down in Spain before I could say ‘should we order another bottle?’.
TOP TIP: if you are travelling from Manchester terminal 2, I highly recommend the 1903 lounge.
Getting from Alicante Airport to Altea
We did a package deal with First Choice (TUI affiliate) which had transfers included. We chose to do this as it was better value for money for our party of two rather than arrange private transfers which looked to be between €70-€100 euros each way for a 45 minute taxi journey when doing our research.
I have to say, having not done a coach transfer in over 10 years I was dubious as to how tedious it would be but actually it really wasn’t bad. We waited about 5-10 minutes before the coach left the airport, the driver was friendly and put our luggage on board for us. Each stop prior to us literally lasted about a minute, the driver was extremely efficient to drop off passengers. If this option is economically sensible to do so, I would suggest looking into it.
Getting around whilst in Altea
Altea stretches quite far, from Albir to the Altea Hills and Muscarat so you may need taxi’s to get around. Taxi’s are readily available at various taxi ranks dotted throughout the town. Uber does not operate in this area so bring cash for taxi’s. Altea town itself is easily walkable (once at the top) and so is the promenade. Our Hotel did a free shuttle bus into Altea which came in very handy so check with your hotel if they provide this service.
Where to stay
We stayed at Hotel Cap Negret which was perfectly located for us. Right on the beach front and a 15 minute walk to the town and promenade, it was perfectly located. From what I could see most (if not all the rooms) appear to have some sort of sea view. We stayed in room 503 which was on the top floor and gave us a great view of the sea and the town, at night when the Church of El Consuelo was illuminated, it was beautiful to sit on the balcony and just relax with a night cap.
The hotel had a free shuttle bus going into Altea operating every half an hour between 10am – 1pm and 5.30pm to 8.30pm.
The Beach
The beaches in Altea are stones. Water shoes are advisable for swimming here. Cap Negret beach has quite large stones so it is not the best for sun bathing without a deck chair but on the plus side the beach was beautiful, quiet and unspoilt. The sea was not too cold and made for a pleasant swim. You can also spot an old bunker monument from the Spanish civil war along the beach.
Things to do in Altea
Visit the old town. The town is beautiful, full of white buildings and cobbled streets, one could call it Spain’s answer to Santorini. The streets are filled with great restaurants and boutique shops. You will are bound to be drawn into at least a few of them!
At the top of the town is Altea’s gem the church of El Consuelo. It is so beautiful, visit during the day to see it’s impressive decor inside. At night you can see it lit up at night sitting proudly at the top of the town showcasing all Altea has to offer. We did note that the lights on its dome shaped roof seemed to sparkle for about 30 seconds at 2 minutes past the hour. Stop for a meal here if possible.
Be sure to stop at the Mirador Cronistas de Espana viewing point when you are by the church of El Consuelo. It gives you a panoramic view of Altea and majestic Mediterranean sea views.
Stroll along the promenade – there are many bars and restaurants along here. It is clean and feels really safe. There’s a romantic feel walking along the promenade which you don’t always get on the Spanish coastal line which is tourist heavy.
Altea markets There are two markets within a 5 minute walk of each other on Tuesday mornings only.
The first market at the bottom of town is a flee market where you can find things from bags and shoes, to hand painted kitchen utensils and pottery.
The second market is the food market, there you can pick up things such as fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, olives and baked goods. We got an Altea tomato and some olives and pickles to have with some fresh bread, manchego and jamon for our lunch that day. It was simple but superb, fresh ingredients cannot be beaten.
Spend a morning at Fuentes del Algar. This is a beautiful set of waterfalls which isn’t far from Altea. It really is a must see, you feel like you are in the Caribbean. A taxi journey costs around €25 each way from Cap Negret hotel but you can also book this with a tour operator as an excursion to take away the hassle of taxi’s. Go early to avoid the crowds and definitely bring your water shoes here, you’ll need them. Tickets were €5 per adult on arrival. It really is well worth it.
Take a day trip to the nearby towns. We went to Calpe for the afternoon. Calpe boasts a beautiful sandy beach and has formidable rock Penon de Ifach as its backdrop. There were some lovely spots along the promenade, we stopped by Semsa beach club which had a great vibe with a DJ playing ibiza-esque tunes.
Go wine tasting at Enrique Mendoza winery. This was a really fun, insightful and memorable experience. With 7 wines to taste, Enrique Mendoza really opens your eyes to different wine styles and challenges your thoughts on wines that you perhaps have already thought you don’t like. For example, I have never been a chardonnay fan but tasting one at this experience made me think twice about this and perhaps it is more about the quality, grapes and blending style rather than the type of wine. This is defiantly worth a visit!
Other things to do
Catamaran experience – Unfortunately due to my partner’s seasickness this wasn’t an option for us but I would highly recommend to get out on the seas if you can, it’s always great fun and a memorable experience.
Cycling – Altea is a popular tourist destination for cycling due to its hills and scenic coastal views.
Where to eat and drink
I have placed these restaurants in order or preference with the top recommendation being my favourite. We did eat at other places not listed here but I would not recommend them so I have not mentioned them here. On average price of our meals were €60 to €65 for 4 drinks, 1 starter and 2 mains shared between two.
El Cranc Chiringuito
El Cranc did not disappoint. Come here for an exquisite lunch right on the sea front. This was the most amazing meal of all the eats we had in Altea. El Cranc is famed for it’s rice but I went for fish as that was what I was feeling being by the sea and all. Everything was seasoned perfectly and cooked to perfection. The fish was delicate and the star of the show were these little fried cod balls that were light, fluffy and full of flavour! The restaurant is small and has three rows. You need to book on their website to avoid disappointment. Top Tip: the seating is done in order of when you booked so book well in advance for a table in the first row by the sea.
DeLab
Wow! DeLab shocked myself and my partner. The service was the best of all restaurants hands down. The vibe was amazing, great ibiza tunes were playing but it didn’t feel pretentious at all. You could see the chefs working at the back of the restaurant, A was looking on in awe and amazement at the level of talent of the chefs.
Order the Korean beef skewer. This was outstanding. I could go on and on but please try this for yourself. This place is muy caliente!!
In Bocca al lupo restaurant
This is located in the town centre near the church. It is a steep walk up so if your hotel offers a shuttle up to the top of Altea, it is much easier to get a car to the top of Altea and then walk down a few steps to the hotel. You might be an avid walker but bear in mind the heat also and give yourself an extra 10 minutes walking time than what your phone sat nav says as it doesn’t take into consideration the uphill walk. Going down is a breeze so you can walk down with ease.
The restaurant is beautiful, the backdrop of sun setting behind the Sierra Bernia mountains is just breath taking. When booking, as for a table by the window and check what time the sun is due to set to get that beautiful backdrop of day to night transitioning.
As for the service, it was great, staff were attentive and very welcoming despite being around 30 minutes late and they did not rush us out at all.
For my main I ordered a Boschetto pizza which was amazing, it had burrata, truffle, mushrooms, mozzarella and and parmesan. The burrata was the best I’d ever had. The mushrooms were well seasoned and had great texture. The dough was not too think and dense. The truffle was delicious and plentiful. In Bocca 10/10 for me.
Himalaya Tandoori restaurant
This was a lovely Nepalese restaurant we went to. The service was outstanding and food was incredible. This was some of the tenderest chicken I’ve had and was seasoned to perfection. Normally I wouldn’t opt for curry based dishes in Spain but A loves it and I can say that I am converted. The tandoori chicken and mixed started were winners for me. The also offered us free limoncello or whiskey at the end!
Semsa beach restaurant
We stopped at a couple of places and found the gem that is Semsa beach! There was a DJ playing some great tunes. The atmosphere was relaxed and cool and the service was good.
This place doesn’t skimp out on portions – A had about 20 prawns in his dish and my Caesar salad was huge, it was more like a mountain of cheese but extremely tasty nevertheless. We also also ordered the croquettes trio which were some of the best I’ve ever had. Packed with flavour without being too rich and sickly. They know how to do croquettes here. If you order one thing to eat here as light bites, go for this.
Drinks were great also. Go for the Lychie Paradise, this has vodka, lychees, elderberry as its main ingredients. Go here for drinks and people watching, for nibbles or a full sit down meal, you won’t be disappointed.
Little the Italy restaurant
This is a lovely Italian restaurant right in the centre of the old town of Altea next to the church of El Consuelo in the plaza inglesia. We came here on our first night without a recommendation or research but it didn’t disappoint. A had a pepperoni and ham pizza with jalapeños which he asked for well done (he likes the ham crispy) and it same out perfect. I ordered the pumpkin ravioli and that was also amazing. Service was a little slow but it was a busy Saturday night.
Sigarro Chiringuito
Sigaro is located very close to El Cranc, probably about one or two minutes walking. We stumbled upon this Chiringuito and honestly, it was a pleasant surprise. It looks like what you expect a Chiringuito to look like. Staff were friendly and the sea views were picturesque.
The food was nice. A ordered fried baby calamari which was very tender and well seasoned. There was no complaints. I opted for some sardines and we had patatas bravas to share. Come here for either drinks or light bites in the sun for lunch.
Zetto bar
Conveniently located on the promenade, Zetto bar is open late and does great cocktails. The bar tender here is second to none and will produce some fine cocktails. This was the best place by far for a night cap before heading back to our hotel. Don’t miss this if cocktails are your thing.
Final thoughts
You can do as little or as much as you like here. It’s a lovely place to come for a relaxing week in the sun but there are also some unique experiences and beautiful coastal line to make great memories. Add Altea to the list for a 5-7 week break for relaxation and wonder. Compared to other places I have visited in Spain, it is also quite inexpensive which is an added bonus. It truly is worth visiting and I highly recommend!
That’s all from me, I hope this was helpful and please do let me know if you’ve been and have other recommendations!
Take care! X