PHOTOLIBRARY
THE ADVENTURERS:
This issue’s reporters are DI and JOHN BROGAN, from Coventry. Di (a clerical assistant at the University of Warwick) met John (who works for Jaguar) through her best friend – who’s married to John’s brother! Our intrepid travellers have been married 23 years, during which time they’ve visited Jersey, Dublin, Nice, Cannes, Austria, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Cyprus, Barcelona, Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Portugal, Malaga and Gibraltar… to name but a few! Travelling is even higher on their agenda now that their children, Sean and Laura, have grown up. They’re currently saving for a trip to Australia and planning more European city breaks!
DAY ONE
2.30pm
The marina
After arriving in Alicante, we checked in to our lovely hotel and went straight out to explore the marina, directly in front of the hotel. From there we walked along the pretty, tiled Explanada de EspaÑa, which runs alongside the marina, where we met a friendly (statue) bull! the walk is lined with cafés and market stalls and is apparently the most-visited place in Alicante.
5.30pm
Bodegon del mar
In the early evening we walked along beautiful Postiguet beach, a 900m stretch of golden sand right by the city centre. Winters here are mild, so it’s the perfect temperature for a seaside stroll. For dinner we went to Bodegon del Mar (Marina Deportiva, 8 Muelle Levante, tel: +34 965 217208) and enjoyed local seafood dishes while looking at the harbour, before retiring to the hotel to sample the delights of the bar!
DAY TWO
10.00Am
Tourist bus
After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we jumped on an open-top tourist bus (March to December; Turibús, www.alicanteturismo.com). First stop: the Castle of Santa Barbara, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe.
It sits high on a rocky hill and the views are magnificent. Next stop was the famous El Corte Ingles department store (www.elcorteingles.es) to indulge in that great holiday pastime: shopping!
4.00pm
Museum
One of the most interesting little museums we’ve ever seen is Museo de Belenes (3 Calle de San Agustin, tel: +34 965 202232). It’s FIlled with countless nativity scenes and makes you feel very Christmassy any time of year! By now we’d fallen in love with Alicante, and peeked in the Town Hall, which had an enormous poinsettia outside.
6.00pm
Casino
Feeling lucky, we popped into the Casino Mediterráneo Alicante (Marina Comercial, off Avenida de Juan Bautista Lafora, www.casinomediterraneo.es). Unfortunately, we didn’t win anything as we couldn’t understand the quick Spanish, but it was entertaining to watch! We were quite hungry by now, and went to a nearby restaurant called Freiduria el Chipiron (Zona Levante, tel: +34 965 201174) for a lovely meal followed by drinks at the hotel bar.
PHOTOLIBRARY
DAY THREE
10.00am
Tram line
After another wonderful breakfast, we checked out, leaving our luggage with the concierge so we could roam freely until our trip home later that afternoon. We went straight to the tram station just in front of the hotel. From Alicante you can travel along the coast all the way up to Denia, stopping at Benidorm along the way. We opted for the local line (www.fgvalicante.com), which took us all around Alicante.
12noon
St mary’s church
On our way back, we got off at Puerta del Mar, by Postiguet beach, and went for a little wander, looking at the beautiful old buildings, and were lucky enough to stumble upon a street called Jorge Juan. It’s home to the oldest church in Alicante: Iglesia de Santa Maria (Plaza de Santa Maria, tel: +34 965 216026), which was built on the foundations of a Moorish mosque between the 14th and 16th centuries.
1.00pm
Bombon boss
There are so many little cafés tucked away along Alicante’s beautiful narrow streets that we couldn’t resist ducking into one for a final snack before having to say good-bye to this fantastic place. We went into Bombon Boss Croissanteria (12 Calle San Mateo, tel: +34 966 744140, www.bombonboss.com), to enjoy a delicious last cup of coffee and a cake, and just sit and watch the world go by while we reviewed all that we’d done.
3.00pm
Postiguet
We’d left just enough time to take one last stroll along pretty Postiguet beach before collecting our cases and heading to the airport for our fLight home. Secretly, we were both hoping for snow in the UK so the airport would be shut down and we’d be“’forced’ to spend an extra day or two in our new favourite place. Unlucky for us, there were no delays. we had the most fantastic time in Alicante and can promise that we’ll be visiting again!
The hotel
We stayed at the Hotel Meliá (3 Plaza del Puerto, www.meliaalicante.com), a modern resort hotel located alongside the beautiful Postiguet beach and Alicante’s marina, just 100m from the historic city centre.
Our room was very spacious, with warm contemporary decor and all the amenities you’d expect in a hotel of this standard, including air-conditioning, satellite TV, minibar and complimentary ADSL Internet connection. Best of all was our private terrace – all of the hotel’s 544 guestrooms have balconies or terraces, and from ours we had an amazing view of Santa Barbara Castle, about 800m away.
As well as a lovely outdoor swimming pool, and wellness centre with indoor pool and beauty and massage parlours, the hotel also has cool bars and a number of cafés and restaurants – we were particularly taken by the breakfast buffet. It was the most extensive, delicious breakfast spread we’ve ever seen – there was even a chef on hand to cook omelettes to order! Everywhere we went, the staff were always very helpful and friendly, and really made us feel welcome. All in all, the Hotel Meliá is a wonderful place to stay!
Our writers stayed at the four-star Hotel Meliá in Alicante. It’s available to book from £61 per night per person on a room-only basis (based on two sharing). To book, visit www.bmibaby.com, where you can search for hotels and apartments in all the bmibaby destinations. Powered by Europe’s leading travel and leisure website, www.lastminute.com
GOT A PASSPORT & A DIGITAL CAMERA?
We’re looking for two people to visit a bmibaby destination for 24 hours. If you’re handy with a camera and happy to tell our readers what to see and do, we want to hear from you! Email bmibaby.ed@ink-publishing.com with a photo of you and your travel buddy, and tell us why you’d like to be a guest writer. Winners receive return flights to one of our destinations from your nearest bmibaby UK hub (please advise), one night’s accommodation and £100 towards transfers, meals, etc.
