Villas in Costa Blanca
100 villas found

There is so much for you to see and do during your Costa Blanca Villa Plus holiday, that you must remember to leave time to relax! One place you might enjoy is the historic old town of Javea. Like so many seaside resorts here, it was originally a fishing village, but regular raids by pirates drove the townsfolk to move 2 miles inland where they built what is now regarded as the old town, a maze of cobbled streets lined with whitewashed houses, Tosca stone porticoes, gothic bay windows, wrought iron window bars and balcony railings, clustered around the 12th Century gothic church of San Bartolome. Today Javea is a small, historic town, free of high rise buildings, inhabited mainly by warm and friendly people who welcome tourists.

Calpe's salt lake known as Las Salinas Natural Park is just outside the town, about 550 yards from the Peñón de Ifach. The salt water lagoon is an important haven for wildlife, especially birds, and more than 170 different species have been spotted here. The lake attracts herons, large flocks of flamingos and other migrating birds at various times of the year. This unusual nature reserve with its reed beds was at one time an active salt works.

Whichever location you pick for your villa, be sure to visit the famous daily fish auction at Calpe, run by the local Fishermen’s Co-operative. A special market building was completed in 1991 and decorated with six huge, impressive paintings of fishing scenes and seafaring legends by the artist Elias Urbez. The good news is that it has a viewing gallery so that you can watch the auction in comfort. In Calpe, around 1,700 tons of fish are caught every year by about 160 people in 22 boats. The catch includes gilthead, whiting, red mullet, squid, octopus, grouper, mackerel and several kinds of shellfish.

Another town that is good for a day out is Moraira, a charming, upmarket seaside town with narrow cobbled streets and an impressive marina, and stunning views back across to El Peñon de Ifach. Unlike some resorts on the Costa Blanca, Moraira is still very much a Spanish community, and has resisted most of the high rise, mass catering aspects of modern tourism, protected by strict planning regulations. Its sandy beaches are set in 5 miles of beautiful coastline against a backdrop of forests, vineyards and mountains. The 620-berth Blue Flag marina, built in 1985, is an exclusive yacht haven owned and operated by Club Náutico Moraira, and is a great spot for upmarket shopping, eating and people-watching.

A region of diverse and colourful towns and cities from the bright lights of Benidorm with its skyscrapers and chip shops to the cosmopolitan resorts of Javea and Moraira to the north. The mountains that surround the area offer mountain top villages, vineyards, citrus groves and wheat fields, with the cities, full of colour and vigour offering a contrast to this laid back style of life.