The beautiful seaside town near Benidorm that's a £27 flight from Manchester Airport
This picturesque town has cobbled streets, pebbled beaches and buildings that rival Santorini - just 15km from holiday hotspot Benidorm
Spain is one of the UK’s most beloved holiday destinations and for good reason: it has amazing weather, incredible beaches and gorgeous scenery.
But over the past year mass-tourism has been a concern in holiday hotspots and many Brits will be keen to avoid crowded locations like those you’d find in Benidorm.
Yet just a stone’s throw away from this iconic resort is a seaside town which couldn’t feel more different, offering holidaymakers a much calmer experience.
Just 15km from Benidorm is Altea, a beautiful town offering idyllic scenes where mountains meet the sea, the Mirror reports. It was named among the best Spanish seasides to visit in a Which? Survey and it’s easy to see why.
The town is just under an hour from Alicante Airport which has flights from Manchester Airport from £27 one way in May, with returns available for a similar fee (although this does not include baggage or seat allocation), so it’s perfect for a spring getaway.
A former fishing village, part of Altea’s charm is that locals have been keen to protect it and preserve its historic character. It features beautiful white-washed buildings scattered across the picturesque hillside.
Recognised for its fairy-tale town centre that sits above the hilltops, Altea boasts pebbled beaches and stunning architecture that features iconic navy domes. The seaside town is home to a small 15,000 residents - perfect for a tranquil trip of good food and picturesque sights.
The town’s church-styled domes are reminiscent of those in Santorini and the town is particularly popular with German tourists and older travellers.
Which? writes of the town: "The historic, villagey one where blue-tiled church domes glitter above a hill of sugar-cube houses. The one whose romantic setting – a wall of mountains on one side, the Mediterranean on the other – attracted artists, kickstarting tourism along this coast in the late 50s. They’re still here, too.
"Ateliers and galleries are scattered throughout the old town, a cats-cradle of cobbled streets beneath the church, perfumed by bougainvillea, knotting into tiny squares. When daytrippers leave by late afternoon, a lucky few get to revel in a pipsqueak beach resort that scored joint-highest for tranquillity."
Dubbed 'the artist's capital of the Costa Blanca,' the town is home to a variety of galleries, street artists and creative events throughout the year. Its unique blend of mountainous ranges and quaint coastal homes has inspired a host of painters, sculptors, and musicians for decades. Altea's year-round exhibitions, concerts and the International Contemporary Art Fair will provide a feast for your eyes.
As well as its independent art, Altea is home to sweet cobbled streets and beautiful churches surrounded by clusters of bougainvillea - a dainty purple flower locals knot into squares.
Additionally, a luxury development of Altea Hills can be found in the northern part of its town. Situated on the edge of the woods between the development and the N332, visitors will be able to find an enormous Russian Orthodox wooden church which startles in the sunlight due to its gold domes and spires. The historic church was built in 2007 by a Russian entrepreneur.