Areas of Alicante

[Plump82]

Could anyone recommend areas of Alicante that would suit a long weekend.

We love Málaga and Barcelona so would like to try somewhere that might be the same idea? Good food and drinks and some sightseeing but not a huge amount. We go long weekends in December as our birthday present to each other so it's really just a time to relax and enjoy being away.

I know nothing about Alicante but ideally would like to be near the beach (understand it won't be sunbathing weather but it's lovely to have a stroll along one) and easy to get to and from and the airport.

Thank you!

Alicante is a very compact City so you won't have a problem with this at all. There are plenty of hotels which are a street or two back from the area of the beach and the Marina. Have a look at the map on Jet2 City Breaks and you'll see what I mean, they are offering 4-5 hotels in this area. We stayed here in December 2019, our hotel was just underneath where the castle is and about 5-10 mins walk to the beach and the marina, and in the streets behind there are a couple of lovely squares with Christmas lights and restaurants with outdoor seating, heaters and blankets. We stayed room only, aside from the last day, as there were plenty of options for breakfast in the neighbouring streets. I can't remember what it was called but it was a fairly average city hotel.

I don't know what your budget is, but there is a Melia hotel on the strip of land between the beach and the marina, I imagine this has amazing views. If my memory is correct it has a covered swimming pool. If I went again I would love to stay there for a couple of days. It was out of our budget at the time.

As already mentioned Alicante is really compact, nowhere near the size of Barcelona and smaller than Malaga too.

There's several bars / restaurants etc around the Cathedral, towards the Teatre Principal and along Calle San Francisco (mushroom street). There's also several on the promenade and marina, although these are more pricey.

Hotel Milagrosa is just behind the cathedral, walking distance to the beach and close to lots of bars and restaurants. The Melia is great if you want a sea view. The Melia is actually right next to the bus stop for the C6 bus which goes directly from the airport to the centre.

If you're travelling between April-Sept then consider the Port Alicante which is just outside the city centre but close to Playa San Juan beach which has lots of great restaurants and bars and is still only 10-15 mins by tram to the city centre.

There's several airbnbs and a few guest houses in the Barrio Cruz, known as the old town area, but this can be quite hilly and lots of cobbled winding streets with no access by car so not always suitable.

If looking on a map, draw a line from the train station, along Avenida Alfonso el Sabio to Mercat metro. Anything between here and the promenade is in a good location. The closer to the promenade you are the flatter it is too.

Thank you both so much for all this information.

I'll have a look at all suggestions, I had actually added Hotel Milagrosa as a favourite on Booking.com so that's good to know it's in a good area.

We're planning for a trip in December and just for a couple of days (traveling on 1st and 4th day) so would rather be in the centre.

Good to know about Barrio Cruz as well - thank you.