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Alicante Celebrate Living
Alicante is located on Spain’s eastern coast, about halfway down the Costa Blanca to the south of Valencia and Benidorm. Alicante is one of Spain’s oldest cities, tracing its history back to the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. It’s famous for its excellent weather. It offers countless sightseeing attractions- cathedrals and churches, stunning beaches, amazing Mediterranean weather, and a very vibrant nightlife - if you can handle the late hours.
In fact, just 45 minutes drive north of Alicante is another haven for night birds. Benidorm is very popular due to its many bars, restaurants and fun attractions for kids and adults, such as Terra Mitica, Terra Natura, Mundomar and Aqualandia.
The Spanish truly love to live. And this passion is the main ingredient found in their cuisines.
Savour Alicante
Alicante, like most of Spain, is famous for its cuisine. Almost every restaurant in Alicante offers some variation of paella, the country’s most celebrated dish. The traditional one-pan recipe pairs short- grained rice with ingredients like rabbit, chicken, seafood and snails. The all-seafood version, often taken by outsiders to be the most authentic paella, is actually a later development.
Alicante cuisine, always brings two things to mind: freshness and quality. The local cuisine adds its own original flavour to its paella dishes by giving big importance to the rice and fish combination. A must-try is paella a la alicantina, a lovely
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combination of rice and chicken or pork, tender artichokes, and seasoned with a touch of red or green pepper and the arroz a banda (rice in fish broth).
One thing visit you should bear in mind is that late hours observed in Spanish kitchens are taken to an extreme here: Except at a few tourist establishments, it’s bad form to turn up for lunch before 2 p.m., or for dinner before 9:30.
Here’s a great way to bring home the special flavors of Alicante, make your own paella.
Do’s:
• Tips are expected when visiting a bar or restaurant. Hotel porters, theatre ushers and taxi drivers should be given tips as well.
• Always carry small change because you will require it while using public bathrooms.
• Be prepared to have late lunches and dinners. It is advisable to take a nap (“siesta”) to adjust oneself to the Spanish schedule.
Don’ts:
• Don’t wear shorts when going to the church. It should only be worn on the beach or the resort.
• The Spaniards talk very rapidly. So don’t be taken aback about the way they speak. They don’t even pronounce the z’s and the internal c’s of any word.
HOW TO GET THERE
The distance between Barcelona and Alicante is about 650 km (approx. 400 miles). It is a 6
to 7 hour drive. You can take
the Autopista motorway, where you need to pay a toll on some parts. It is less crowded, than the Carretera Nacional road which
is free, but often very crowded. Plan on a few breaks and you
will definitely enjoy the drive (especially around the Costa Blanca where the Autopista offers some wonderful views along the coast line. The train from Alicante to Barcelona takes about five hours and depart from Barcelona Sants station. Buses from Barcelona to Alicante take about 7 and a half hours. There are also scheduled flights to Alicante.
stay
2827 Albir Garden
3053 Parque Denia Club
3/28/11 11:03:34 AM