Whilst on our trip into the mountains around the Costa Blanca, after our visit the stunning Fonts de l’Algar, we decided to carry on up the mountain road towards the mountain-top village of Guadalest.
We weren’t totally sure what was here or whether it’d be worth driving the extra distance up the winding mountain road but it turned out it was definitely worth the trip.
We were here in the relatively quiet season of April, which was a great time to visit without crowds of other tourists and with the weather being glorious, sunny and warm but without the intense summer heat that might make walking up and down the steep alleyways and steps of Guadalest town less enjoyable.
As you reach the top of the mountain road up to Guadalest, you arrive at a car park which, at this quieter time of year, had plenty of space – then a short walk across the main road and you’re into the narrow, winding streets of Guadalest, with its extremely picturesque shops and pavement cafes.
We walked around exploring the narrow streets, eventually reaching the main town square which has superb views down the valley to a huge lake and dam, with beautiful mountain views all around.
We sat around relaxing in a small pavement-side cafe for a while, just enjoying the perfect mid-afternoon Spring Spanish sun before heading back to the car, back down the mountain road – and towards our final destination of the day, the village of Altea.
We found a car park on the edge of the village and then headed for the traditional narrow streets and whitewashed buildings of Altea village.
Altea is the kind of classic Spanish village you imagine from postcards or paintings of rural Spain.
Traditional, old whitewashed buildings line narrow cobbled streets full of small shops, restaurants and cafes.
You can wander round these streets and eventually find your way to viewpoints which look out from its mountain-side position down to the sea.
The main village square is lined with restaurants and cafes and we sat here having our dinner, enjoying the superb, relaxed atmosphere of a traditional Spanish village in the early evening sunshine.
Combining a visit to Altea with visiting Guadalest and Fonts de l’Algar earlier in the day was a perfect day trip away from the busier, more touristy Alicante coast and into the natural, mountain countryside.
The three stops are in easy driving distance of each other, leaving plenty of time to visit all three places in one day.
And in little more than a 45-minute drive from the resort of Benidorm, or just over an hour’s drive or so from Alicante town, you get a completely different experience from those places, of natural, rural, traditional Spain. It was definitely our favourite day of our holiday to Alicante.