THINKING OF A SUMMERY HOLIDAY THIS FALL? FIVE IRRESISTIBLE REASONS WHY YOU WOULD DO WELL TO CHOOSE AMAZING ALTEA FOR YOUR DESTINATION!
A lovely town southeast of Madrid that could give Santorini a run for its money
by Rose Maramba
We’ve slipped officially into Fall last 23rd of September. Even with the climate change where mild sunny temperatures persist in the seasonably cold Northern Hemisphere, you will still need a reasonable guarantee that such will be the case if you’re looking for a place to vacation in order to escape from the depressing post-summer syndrome. More so because, climate change or not, Fall weather could cause a drastic drop in temperature at a moment’s notice.
Given all that, it’s hard for you to go wrong if you choose Altea for your après-verano holiday.
- ACCESSIIBLE. You don’t want to go into the trouble of flying out into the Balearics? Try Altea. This lovely town on the Costa Blanca is less than 500 km southeast of Madrid. Less than five hours away by road.
– - SUNNY MICROCLIMATE. Shielded by the Sierra de Bernia mountain ridge, Altea enjoys a mild microclimate that provides 219 hours of sun in October. Moreover, those in the know will tell you that October is the best month to be there. Average daytime temperature: 23.5ºC/74.3ºF.
With this kind of weather, you’re in for sun and blue skies! You can definitely engage in outdoor sports, including swimming, biking, hiking. You might even try camping. On the scale of 1 to 10, your chances for camping is a good 8/10! Golf too. (See golfing schedule for October.)
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Dining al fresco in the Fall
PICTURESQUE. Kali Travel (kalitravel.net) claims Altea is “the most picturesque town in Spain.” Whether you agree or not, the fact is that Altea is unabashedly Mediterranean. That means, among many other positive possibilities, you can still dine al fresco in the evenings. And in a most welcome, relaxed ambiance, too.
– - TOURISTY BUT NOT OVERLY. Despite boasting all amenities and attractions (it is the Cultural Capital of the Autonomous Community of Valencia), Altea, unlike most other highly touristy towns, isn’t overrun by tourists. No place for frantic fun seekers, it appeals more to laidback travelers.
A coastal town set against the backdrop of dramatic cliffs, you’ll have your pick of pebbled beaches (Albir, Cala del Mascarat, Cap Negret, La Roda, L’Olla, Solsida) – the turquoise sea imbuing them with vibrant life and light.
So there you have it, sunny beaches in a town of bewitching sights that won’t let you wallow in post-Summer blues.
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the blue-domed Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Consuelo
SANTORINI OF SPAIN. Altea is known as the Santorini of Spain, what with its whitewashed houses in a maze of twisting cobble-stone streets that afford tantalizing glimpses of the bay, and a blue-dome church, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Consuelo, to boot. Only it’s more beautiful than the world-famous Greek island. Or so some would claim in all honest belief.
Where else should you be when the calendar tells you sparkling Spain has moved on and left summer behind but you feel like a vacation?
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Images
Featured image (Altea)/Miguel Gutierrez Rodriguez, CC BY2.0 via Flickr
Dining alfresco/Josemanuel, original uploader, CC BY-.SA3.0 via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Consuelo/ConradMoeller via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA2.5, cropped
