The train to Alicante

What a wonderful service Today we are taking a day off and going to Alicante on the train. We board the train in Denia at around 10.10am and are surprised on how cheap the train is. At 11.15€ return, it's excellent value. Pensioners over 65 pay just 6€ return. The trains are almost new, spotlessly clean and very safe. They're also very easy to use. You can buy a ticket at the ticket office or use the machine on the train. If you don't have a ticket, the fine is 50€ and the guard checks all tickets. It might be a rather long journet but the scenery is beautiful. You pass Gata de Gorgos, Altea and Calpe and arrive in Benidorm where you have around 15 minutes to change trains. The next train goes into Alicante city and we found the Mercado the best stop for the historical centre. The stations are all very clean and safe and disabled friendly. On arrival in Alicante, the escalator brings you right outside the market. You can see more details about the train service here

When returning from Alicante, study the timetable carefully as the last train at night only goes as far as Altea and you have no connecting train to take you to Denia. The last train arrives into Denia at around 22.15pm. It makes me wonder why trains aren't like this in the UK. From what I remember, trains and stations are old, scruffy and often unsafe places to be. They're also considerably more expensive. The train on the Costa Blanca is a wonderful way to get around and without doubt, the best way to see Alicante.

Train journey times Denia to Benidorm on L9 - 1 hour 17 minutes Benidorm to Alicante Mercado on L1 - 1 hour 14 minutes Total journey time = 2 hours 31 minutes

Our busy weekend touring Spain

It's been another successful weekend touring and we have taken in lots of places, lots of photographs and new videos. All of which are online now.

Alicante city
The weekend started in Alicante city where we based ourselves in a small hotel on the main Ramba, right in the heart of the city and just 100m from the cathedral. It turned out to be a wise choice, avoiding the larger hotels out of the city and having to travel in each day. As with any visit in Spain, the only problem is the car. Parking in Alicante is at a premium so we opted for the underground car park and paid 9€ a night.

The port and marina in Alicante is modern, clean and full of life. We resisted the large casino but enjoyed a lovely meal by the water's edge. From here we made our way into the historic city where we took in all the sights.

Alicante is rich in history and superb architecture. Many of the buildings are of Classical and Renaissance style and a sight to behold. There are remnants of the Moorish era as well as early Iberian excavations.

The beaches in Alicante are of the best in the region. Golden sand stretches for miles and the paseo runs alongside, with lots of places to rest and drink.

As we tucked ourselves into bed after a hard day's work, the city was just coming alive. I looked from the hotel window at 4am and the main street looked like lunchtime. There were as many people out as there were during the day and they were all having a ball.

Read more and watch our video here.

After two nights in Alicante, we packed up and moved on.

Santa Pola

Not far from Alicante is the most wonderful seaside resort of Santa Pola. The beaches are superb but the real gem is the 16th century fortress that stands right in the heart of the town. The very helpful tourist office made sure we didn't miss anything before moving on later in the day.

You can read our full report and watch our video here.

Torrevieja

We haven't been to Torrevieja for 10 years so our visit this weekend was well overdue. I must say that since our first visit, much has changed in Torrevieja. The council have worked hard to clean up its image and presentation. Roads have been renewed and scruffy old buildings have gone. The beaches are as good as they always were but the town public areas have been totally revamped.

Torrevieja is a great holiday resort if you like that sort of thing and it certainly makes a pleasant visit. Whilst in the area we took a look at the salt industry by visiting the saltlakes and a salt production plant. Quite an education.

Read more and watch our video here.

Future plans

Very soon we will be re-visiting the cities of Almeria and Cartagena where we will make our usual videos and update our website information.

Digressing

It's times like this when we really appreciate and love the job we do. We are so lucky to be exploring Spain as our job, however we often forget how lucky we are when it gets tough, or even moreso when it gets expensive. We must have one of the most expensive jobs out and the rewards are personal more than financial. It's such a shame that the economy is in such a mess as it does tend to take the shine off the job.

The way Idealspain explores Spain in such fine detail and to such an extent is what makes us so different, and of course, so special. There are no other websites like Idealspain and 90% of the Spain guides are assembled by copying our work from a council flat in the UK. I suppose it's the same with any job - if you do it well, the leeches will feed off you.

Unitl our next visit
Steve and Sandra
Idealspain