From the balcony of Alicante Loft on the 13th floor of ESTUDIOTEL ALICANTE residential block in the city centre we have a literally dazzling view over the city and
across to the sparkling sea.

To the left, there’s the Castle of Santa Bárbara up on a rock, followed by the rooftops of the old town and the marina full of yachts,. Finally there’s the commercial and container port, leading to the view of the mountains in the distance.

The weather is great- sunny and breezy, not too cold. and that view has put us in the best of moods. Full of energy and excitement. All this and we haven’t even stepped out of our apartment yet!

Our Airbnb host, Paloma, has kindly left us a bowl of lemons- which we will consume for the rest of our stay in cold drinks and squeezed over food. Our home from home is more than we expected but it’s time to head out and meet the city.

And here are the things we got up to.

Sweet Spanish Breakfast

First stop is desayuno (breakfast) at CAFETERIA IRUNA Plaza Los Luceros 18 for the freshest and crunchiest churros you can get as two guys are busy making them to order.

One turns the handle of the machine pushing out tubes of dough which he then catches and forms into a loop shape which is popped into the hot oil. Once the churros is cooked golden, the second guy scoops it out with a sieve and coats it with sugar.

Castillo Santa Barbàra

You can take a taxi, a lift or just walk up to this honey-coloured stone castle with stops along the way to admire the wildflowers (and catch your breath!). it’s free of charge to get inside the castle complex. From the top you’ll get some great photos of the landscape around you: city, mountains and view across the sea.

Lunch in Barri Vell Santa Creu

This is Alicante old town. Winding streets with colourful buildings, small doorways and pots of cactus and flowering plants are dotted everywhere.

We stopped for lunch at ‘RINCÓN DE ANTONIO’ San Rafael 13: grilled pimiento de Padrón (Padrón peppers) with ensalalda (salad) and sangria.

Procession of Thrones

Holy Week in Spain is a big event and there are many processions along the streets with the constant roll of drums in the background. The one we saw was on Good Friday so it was all fairly solemn.

First there were the women dressed in all black with the traditional lace mantilla headdress, followed by the penitents with the spooky pointed hoods; and finally the huge throne arrives shouldered by men and women dressed in red and white.

Flamenco Evening at ‘TABLAO EL MENTIDERO’ Muelle Levante 6, 16

Down by the Marina you can find this flamenco tablao (stage). For 25 Euros each you get a seat with a good clear view of the stage and a drink included.

It’s in a modern setting but once the lights are dimmed and the show begins it’s just like your traditional flamenco show. There are two singers and one guitarist to accompany the three dancers who take turns to dominate the stage. It’s colourful, dramatic and vibrant.

Shop Like a Local at Mercado Central

This covered produce market has been around for over a hundred years and is still going strong with plenty of locals doing their shopping here.

There are meat stands on the top floor, and fishmongers below ground level, as well as bars and fruit and vegetable stalls dotted around.

We bought some marinated pork and chicken skewers and a bunch of local spinach to prepare at home in the apartment.

The place is tip top clean and is a whole learning experience in itself as you’ll see food items never seen before and if you’re a language nerd like me, you’ll enjoy discovering new and unusual food words.

Outside in Plaza 25 mayo there are fresh flower stalls and a really busy cafeteria for your morning cafe cortado and toast y tomate.

Aperitif and Dinner with a View

We chilled ‘at home’ for a starter of olives, sheep and goat’s cheeses with rosada wine followed by our meat skewers and spinach from the market. All this while taking in the day to night change in the sky. We have never stayed in a real ‘room with a view’ before and this one was so worth it with the ever-changing scene of ships coming into port and cloud formations changing from one moment to the next.

Traditional Easter Cake

You can find the Mona de Pascua traditional Easter pastry in every baker’s in Alicante. It’s a simple brioche pastry cake with a boiled egg in the middle under a pastry cross.

Easter Sunday down at the Beach

Playa del Postiguet is just 15 minutes walk away. The sand is perfectly clean and the water cold and sparkling in the sunshine. This is why we come to the south of Spain in April. Our parasol resisted the occasional gust of wind until it popped out of the sand and cartwheeled into the ocean!

Visit the Ocean Race Museum

This museum down by the Marina is free of charge and is really worth it even if you’re not a yachtie. You’ll discover the history of this sailing race and get a behind the scenes idea of life on a boat for the crazy (which I say with great respect) and courageous sailors who have taken part.

Fun fact: despite consuming around 5500 calories a day in the form of astronaut- style rehydrated food, each sailor will lose around 11 kilos during the race.

And if you though it was just about the competition then consider this green fact: the races focus on collecting data about the health of the oceans through the Racing with Purpose programme.

Try Pinchos at Lizarran- Casa De Pinchos, Plaza de Los Luceros

This chain of clean and stylish bars makes eye-catching pinchos which are typically snacks of crusty bread piled up with tasty toppings and speared with a wooden skewer. You can serve yourself and then take the skewers to the till at the end of your meal to calculate how much you need to pay.

Every now and then you’ll hear the ‘clang clang’ of the bell being rung which means there are more pinchos coming out of the kitchen and the waitress will soon appear with more goodies.

Bike Ride

Alicante doesn’t have a big network of cycle paths so you won’t see many people on bikes and I’d recommend it only if you feel confident on a bike.

Anyhow, we did manage to do a 20 km round trip along the coast to Playa San Juan, parts of which go through an old train tunnel that was carved out of the rocky mountainside.

If you love Spain as much as we do, I hope you’ll find these tips useful. Until next time- adiós!