When I first went to Calpe and Altea 30 years ago I remember being treated as something of a novelty. Back then an English family abroad not speaking a word of Spanish really stood out to the locals. How times have changed!

My parents had an apartment in Altea, a typically Spanish town, about 40 minutes north of Alicante and 20 minutes from Benidorm. Of course, everyone had heard of Benidorm with its English speaking bars and huge hotels. Today its even bigger, with new hotels still being built, its spread is far and wide, linking the Old Town with the Poniente Beach and the ‘newer’‘part with the beautiful Levante beach.

The beach is a massive attraction, pale soft white sand, lots of parasols and all the water sports you can think of. There are also several theme parks with the biggest two being Aqualandia water park and Terra Mitica.

Travelling north, through Alfaz Del Pi and Albir you reach Altea. Travelling by car gives you three choices from the airport; The motorway that runs from the French border and Barcelona down the coast to the south of Spain. The old “N” road through towns and traffic lights or the winding coast road with the crowds. There used to be the scenic option of taking the Lemon Express – a small train linking Alicante, Benidorm, Altea, Calpe, and Denia. Sadly, due to track upgrades this ‘olde worlde’ train no longer runs but more modern trains have replaced it.

Altea itself is now an up market resort with lots of restaurants and a beautiful promenade alongside the pebbly beach. Altea Old Town is perched on a hill and is well worth a visit. The old white church with its traditional blue tiled roof overlooks narrow cobbled streets and winding steps. Old meets new in Altea with its link to the motorway, access is easy and several hotels have gone up over the years. Located just outside Altea, the SH Villa Gadea is a stylish 5 star hotel with sea views, lagoon-style pools and an extensive spa with an ice cave. Then there’s the many villas and apartments dotted on the hillside with Altea Hills being like a resort all of its own.

As you travel north, keeping the Mediterranean Sea on your right, the winding road takes you through tunnels cut through the Sierra Bernia Mountains. After 15 minutes you reach the seaside town of Calpe, once a small fishing port and now a thriving town heavily reliant on tourism. You see Calpe way before you get there thanks to its imposing rock jutting out of the sea. The ‘rock’ the Penon de Ifach is very similar in size and shape to the Rock of Gibraltar and is a massive draw for visitors to the town.

Up until a few years ago, Calpe only had a couple of hotels with the rest of the accommodation being in apartments or private villas. Now, along with most Spanish resorts it has grown and spread far beyond the small harbour. The port is well worth a mention for its abundance of fish restaurants as are the beaches with their wide stretches of white sand and flat promenades.

The Costa Blanca truly lives up to its name the ‘White Coast’ – with its magnificent white sandy beaches its easy to see why the British still flock here all these years later.