Spains

Spain’s hidden gem, Altea, is making moves as one of the newest holiday hotspots with its vibrant atmosphere and beautiful beaches, perfect for those looking for a break from the city.

Spain will forever remain a firm favourite for holidaying Brits every year – despite the ongoing unrest over tourist saturation in key towns and cities.

Just nine miles away from the ever-popular Benidorm, Altea is a city and municipality in the Valencian community. It’s a beautiful and charming coastal town on the Costa Blanca, known for its vibrant culture, beautiful beaches and less busy than other destinations, whilst still providing Hispanic beauty.

For those still looking for a holiday that’s not too far away from home and isn’t overcrowded with tourists, this beautiful Spanish seaside city is one of the best places to visit – and the flights are cheap.

READ MORE: UK’s most travel-obsessed city revealed as average Brit visits seven countries

The closest airport to Altera is Alicante. In the month of May, flight prices start from £50 from Bristol, Birmingham, London Luton, Newquay, Exeter, Leeds, and Norwich. Nonetheless, prices are subject to change depending on the time of purchase, season, and demand.

According to a survey conducted by Which? Travel, it was named Spain’s best coastal destination, scoring high points for attractiveness, safety and friendliness. The site said: “Because it’s the Costa Blanca that travel snobs who deride the region don’t know, the historic, villagey one where blue-tiled church domes glitter above a hill of sugar-cube houses.”

“The one whose romantic setting – a wall of mountains on one side, the Mediterranean on the other – attracted artists, kickstarting tourism along this coast in the late 50s.”

With Altea having a 3.7 mile long coastline with pebble beaches and crystal clear waters, they added: “When day-trippers leave by late afternoon, a lucky few get to revel in a pipsqueak beach resort.”

Altea’s gastronomy is heavily influenced by its location in the Costa Blanca with fresh seafood, paella, black rice, fideua (which is similar to paella) and the Nougat of Altea being the most known dishes. Restaurants in Altea offer a range of different culinary experiences, from traditional to modern, showcasing its local flavours.

READ MORE: Spanish holiday hotspot is a ‘timebomb waiting to explode’ as Brits issued warning

Things to do in Altea

Despite not being as well known as other Spanish destinations, Altea has a lot to offer to locals and visitors alike. From indoor to outdoor activities, you will never run out of things to do – and among the best ones are:

• The Church Square
• Mirador de los Cronistas
• Portal Vell
• Castell de L’Olla
• Casco Antiguo de Altea
• Mercadillo de Altea
• Paseo Maritimo Joaquin Planell ded Altea
• Altea Beach

Altea is also known for its relaxed atmosphere. Therefore, visitors won’t find late-night clubs or party areas. Nonetheless, there are tons of bars, restaurants and music venues for visitors to enjoy. But don’t worry, party areas like Benidorm are just a short car ride away, or taking the Line 9 tram, which will take you there in less than 15 minutes.

If you’re looking for a relaxed holiday away from the hustle and bustle of busy city life, look no further: Altea is for you.

REE says the outage cannot be blamed on Spain’s high share of renewable energy, cause not clear yet.

Spain’s grid operator has denied that solar power was to blame for the country’s worst blackout, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces increasing pressure to explain what went wrong.

Red Electrica de Espana (REE) on Wednesday said the source of the outage had been narrowed down to two separate incidents of loss of generation in substations in southwestern Spain, but stressed that it was too early to draw conclusions, as it had yet to identify their exact location.

REE’s head, former Socialist minister Beatriz Corredor, told Cadena SER radio that it was wrong to blame the outage on Spain’s high share of renewable energy.

“These technologies are already stable, and they have systems that allow them to operate as a conventional generation system without any safety issues,” she said, adding she was not considering resigning.

Life across the Iberian Peninsula was returning to normal after a power outage halted trains, shut airports and trapped people in lifts in Spain and Portugal on Monday.

Just before the system crashed, Spain’s solar energy accounted for 53 percent of electricity production, wind for almost 11 percent and nuclear and gas for 15 percent, according to REE data.

Political opponents criticised Sanchez for taking too long to explain the blackout and suggested he was covering up for failings, after his left-wing coalition government invested in expanding the renewable energy sector.

“Since REE has ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack, we can only point to the malfunctioning of REE, which has state investment and therefore its leaders are appointed by the government,” Miguel Tellado, a parliamentary spokesperson for the opposition conservative People’s Party, said in an interview on RTVE.

Tellado called for an independent investigation to be conducted by Spain’s parliament rather than the government probe Sanchez has announced. The prime minister has not ruled out a cyberattack, although this has been dismissed by REE.

Antonio Turiel, an energy expert at the state-owned Spanish National Research Council, told Onda Vasca radio station on Tuesday that the fundamental problem was the grid’s instability.

“A lot of renewable energy has been integrated without the responsive stabilisation systems that should have been in place,” he said, adding that vulnerabilities stemmed from “the unplanned and haphazard integration of a host of renewable systems”.

The government had forecast private and public investment of some 52 billion euros ($59bn) through 2030 to upgrade the power grid so it can handle the surge in demand from data centres and electric vehicles.