IF YOU’RE looking for a city break with all the classic Spanish features but without the crowds, head to Elche.
The city sits in the Costa Blanca region in Spain and it’s just 30-minutes inland from the city of Alicante.
7
7
While Elche doesn’t have beaches but instead you can spot pink palaces and an enormous palm tree grove.
Elche is considered a hidden gem when it comes to Spanish cities.
It’s much less well-known than its neighbour Alicante and other nearby coastal spots like Torrevieja.
Elche is filled with cosy tapas restaurants and even has its own palace that looks pink in the sun.
Palau d’Altamira is a fortress built during the 11th and 13th centuries – and rebuilt later on too.
Now, it’s a museum full of artefacts showing off the history of Elche.
Entry for the museum and palace is €3 (£2.59) for anyone above the age of six, students can enter for €1 (86p) – and it’s free entry for anyone on Sundays.
Just outside the main city is a huge palm tree park and garden called El Palmeral de Elche.
Inside is an impressive 200,000 palm trees – in fact it’s the largest palm grove in Europe.
It has been described as a “relaxing, cool and peaceful” place to visit as it has thousands of palm trees.
7
7
The oasis is also home to cacti and ponds where turtles are often spotted swimming or basking in the Spanish sunshine.
The park is open to the public, and is completely free to enter.
If you do want beaches, you can drive to the coast in around 25 minutes.
The two coastal towns of Urbanova and Arenales del Sol have fine sandy beaches perfect for sunbathing on.
The four-star TUI Huerto del Cura hotel sits on the outskirts of the city and is a great place to stay for anyone wanting to explore Elche and even Alicante.
The rooms are light and airy with wicker furniture and whitewashed walls.
The hotel has a freshwater pool surrounded by sun loungers, parasols and cosy cabanas.
There’s a game room for entertainment and you can hire out bikes for a ride around the city.
You can treat yourself to spa treatments too and have a dip in the hot tub and sauna.
7
7
It’s received great reviews too, one visitor said: “This really was a lovely spoil, I felt like I was in a tropical oasis.”
Another said: “It’s a lovely hotel, well maintained. The whole place is full of greenery and is a relaxing environment. The rooms are a really good size.”
To get to Elche, Brits will need to fly into Alicante – of which there are 31 non-stop flights from the UK per day.
From there, Elche is a 29 minute drive and there’s lots of public transport too.
The C1 bus will take you from Alicante terminal directly to Elche in 30 minutes and a return fare is €2.50 (£2.16).
For more Spanish getaways, take a look at the ‘must-visit’ Spanish town away from the crowds where Game of Thrones was filmed.
check out this ‘magical’ coastal town that Spanish locals visit in the summer – with African day trips and white-sand beaches.
7
