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The principle villa holiday resorts
are found in north Costa Blanca (Javea, Benitachell, Moraira, Benissa
Costa and Calpe.
The northern Costa Blanca is typically mountainous with cliffs and sandy
coves and is surprisingly very green and fertile.
 Moraira has grown from being a small fishing village to a
bustling holiday
and retirement town. Moraira is still small, compact and ideal for a
families. The buildings are all low-rise and there are few hotels.
The Moraira valley is absolutely stunning, like a huge garden
with pines, palms and other trees interspaced with white villas and
vineyards.
Moraira's marina was built over the old fishing harbour and the
fishermen have designated moorings there, plus an open air auction
slab where the catch is sold every morning.
Moraira has a variety of good restaurants, and most have patios or
tables right on the street.
Moraira's cobbled main
street is narrow, has a variety of local shops, is closed to traffic
after lunch and becomes a pedestrian precinct.
Moraira has a street market every evening during the summer sell
a variety of locally produced clothing, jewellery and souvenirs; there
are several artists who produce a portrait, in crayon or charcoal, on
the spot, for a small fee.
The Moraira Friday market is one of the busiest in the Costa
Blanca, offering fresh fruits and vegetables
as well as other locally-made goods and produce.
 The
main beach in Moraira is sandy but small, which is probably why
local development has focused on villas with private pools. There are
several other small beaches in Moraira and some rocky coves.
There are a limited number of hotels in Moraira and a few apartments for
rental in the town centre but the principle holiday rental offer
is villas with private pools and groups of villas with shared pools and
other amenities.
Benissa is an
inland town and the municipality stretches down to the coast. The
coastal area is know as Benissa Costa and it is effectively just
an extension to the "Moraira Area" and the same holiday rental
offer of villas with private pools.
The Jalon Valley is a lush, green fertile basin located around 20
Klms from the coast. In late January and early February the whole of the Jalon
Valley is covered with pink and white almond blossom and the area is
famous for the locally produced wine, which is fairly potent and rather
sweet.
Sprinkled among the vineyards and almond groves are several small
villages - Alcalali, Liber, Senija, Parcent, Murla etc.
 The village of Jalon
is at the heart of the Jalon Valley. At the Old Square there is a
fountain around which there is an open market held on Tuesday mornings.
The Jalon river meanders through the valley and it used to be
just a dry river bed for most of the year. These days, thanks to climate
change there is a steady stream from most of the year which reduces to a
trickle, but with many pools of substantial depth, during the hot summer
months. Running water is everything in a sub-tropical climate and the
restoration of the water flow has improved the natural ecology of the
area. There are even small fish in the pools that survive the drought
each year and fortunately live on the mosquito larvae.
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 Benitachell is
generally considered to be a further extension of the "Moraira Area"
and features a tranquil and picturesque
village, originally an Arab settlement, with a stunning
coastline, which is formed by mountainous outcrop with high cliffs that
descend vertically into the sea.
Holiday accommodation in Benitachell is provided in the several urbanisations surround the old town, the largest of which,
Cumbre del Sol, has spectacular sea-views, its own little beach
and several commercial centres with supermarkets, shops, bars and
restaurants.
Javea (also known as Xabia)
has a full range of tourist accommodation to offer - hotels, apartment
complexes with pools and many villas with private pools.
It's rugged coastline features many secluded coves and several sandy beaches.
New building developments in Javea are
subject to height restrictions which mean there are no high-rise
buildings unlike in other Costa Blanca towns such as
Calpe or
Benidorm.
Javea is quite large
and can be zoned in three distinct areas -
There is the Old Town of Javea where you
can wander down ancient cobbled streets or visit the local market
(Thursday). The 15th century Gothic fortified church of San Bartolome dominates the centre.
Alongside is the indoor market, open every day for local fresh produce.
The Port of Javea
was built around the old fishing harbour and now has moorings for
private yachts. It has now been extended into a huge bay, protected
by the sea wall, and houses numerous shops, restaurants and, of
course, the fresh fish auction area.
The
bustling Arenal beach area area is set around a sandy blue flag beach
and features shops, bars, restaurants and a wide promenade.
During the summer evenings there are
a variety of stalls selling local handmade articles.
Many of the
bars have live music and there are several discotheques.
 Calpe is a
best known in the
Costa Blanca for the 'Penon de Ifach' - a stunning
granite feature over 600 metres high, which dominates the town and can
bee seen for miles around.
The town of Calpe is on the south side of the Penon and Calpe
harbour is on the other.
Both sides feature magnificent sandy beaches. Both Calpe beaches are
long and wide with excellent facilities including children's play areas.
Calpe street market sells fresh fruits and vegetables,
as well as other locally-made goods and produce, and market day is
Saturday.
The Calpe harbour area has a busy fish market and is famed for
its fish restaurants; the fresh fish and seafood is displayed in glass
chillers and you select your choice - which is cooked before your eyes!
Calpe holiday rentals on offer are mainly hotels and apartments
in the many high-rise blocks right on the sea-front There is, however, a
small number of villas further back among the foothills.
Further along the coast to the south but still within the municipality
of Calpe is the charming Puerto Blanco and the Maryvilla complex.
Here there are many villas with private pools and very few (low-rise)
apartment blocks.
The sporting marina of Puerto Blanco is, itself, a strange
anomaly. It was built in the 1970's by a local developer without
permission (or so the Marine Authority claim). They intervened by
building a motorway-style crash barrier across the access road so that
vehicles and boat-trailers cannot pass. However, life goes on defiantly
and yacht owners simply use other marinas for launching. A weird
situation!
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