Marina Alta in the Northern Costa Blanca is one of the most popular destinations for expats attracting British and Northern Europeans to rent or buy in the region.  It is a coastal area with attractive options inland and offers a wonderful lifestyle.  Which are the most popular areas?

The Marina Alta region offers over 750 km of stunning terrain with a population over 180,000 inhabitants.   It sits in the Alicante Province within the Comunidad of Valencia.

Located in a privileged point geographically in Spain on the most easterly point, the Marina Alta, also known as the North Costa Blanca boasts the finest year-round sunshine and one of the healthiest climates on the planet. It offers endless possibilities for those who want to explore this incredible area including Moraira, Javea, Denia and the surrounding area.

The Marina Alta is steeped in history, a hidden paradise encompassing some of the very best of what Spain has to offer. Unspoilt white sandy beaches stretch as far as the eye can see against a backdrop of green mountains, traditional whitewashed fishing villages, castles and luscious countryside.

Denia

Denia is the capital of this region which is halfway between Alicante & Valencia airports with the impressive castle dating back to the Muslim Arabs who ruled Denia from the 8th century to the 13th century. Its also has a large port with ships sailing daily to the Balearics including Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca.

The Montgo mountain also dominates the skyline,  renowned for its rock formations, cliffs, caves and natural harbours.

Javea

From the Javea side Montgó is often said to resemble the head and trunk of an elephant.  Javea is one of the most popular destinations for expats and has three main centres:  Old Town, Port area and Arenal.

Javea´s old town has an interesting historical centre. This part of Javea still preserves its medieval layout, a network of narrow streets with white facades, bright patios, arched portals, Gothic windows and grilles and wrought iron balconies, all roofed by “rough stone” of the area. Walking through this streets allows us to go back in time.

The Port has a range of bars and restaurants along the water’s edge with views across the bay and alongside the small harbour.  Arenal is along from the Port separated by a series of beaches.  Arenal is based around an inlet with a wide sandy beach within the wider bay with a wide range of bars and restaurants and a lively promenade.

Moraira

You can explore historic Benissa with one of the largest churches in the region then drive down to the coast at Moraira. The town itself has pleasantly grown from a small fishing village to an attractive holiday location, retaining its considerable charm that attracts visitors from all over Europe. It’s also particularly popular with Spanish holidaymakers from Madrid and Valencia.
Moraira has an impressive marina, an excellent variety of local shops, markets, harbourside fish restaurants and bars and best of all has still managed to preserve its Spanish character. The two main local sandy beaches, gently shelve away into the Mediterranean Sea, both have been awarded the prestigious EEC Blue Flags for cleanliness and are well-tended and very safe for family bathing.

Calpe

Take a drive along the stunning coastal road to Calpe, enjoying the sandy coves,  dramatic cliffs, fishermen ports, and the famous Ifach rock at Calpe. Calpe Is well known for its beaches, like sandy Arenal-Bol. Nearby is the Roman site Baños de la Reina, (Queens bath) with rock-cut sea pools. On a headland to the east, the dominating Peñón de Ifach is a huge limestone rock with thriving birdlife and the Las Salinas de Calpe (salt lake) is a natural place that welcomes, at various times of the year, a large number of migratory birds, especially beautiful pink flamingos.

Inland

If you choose to take a trip Inland, the landscape radically changes and reveals a countryside full of almond, orange and cherry trees, whose small towns still conserve their traditions, caves, mountains and landscapes. The Jalon Valley is famous for its wines, the bodegas of Jalon produce a very fine Moscatel, as well as some excellent full bodied reds; there are several bodegas in the region that are worth a visit to sample the delicious wines.

In 1472 the Moors living in Jalón sent wines to the Valencian Court and this wine for many centuries was the base of region of Valencia’s economy:

The Rastro of Jalon is held each Saturday beside the river. Here you will be able to find, antique furniture amongst the wide variety of offerings. The weekly open produce market is held every Tuesday in the main square.

The Marina Alta also offers an incredible range of sports with golf courses designed by sporting  heroes like Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.  There is also a growing number of Pro cycling teams who train here due to the dry and mild weather with an average maximum daytime temperature of 17°C and only four days of rain on average in December make for excellent training conditions.

Overall the stunning scenery married with all year round sun makes the Marina Alta a hard act to follow when considering where to move to in Spain and is definitely one of the most popular destinations for expats.

If you are considering moving to Spain see the recording of our recent Move To Spain Virtual Roadshow webinar series to get all the information you need to plan your move.

If you are ready to make the move to Spain why not book yourself on one of our Expat Network Discovery Tours for an individually tailored tour of the area you plan to move to.  Find out more.

To assist you in planning your move to Spain download our Guide containing all the information you will need to make the move: