Experience a real and vibrant city on the Spanish Costa Blanca: if you are looking for a quiet holiday Alicante is much more appealing than its noisy neighbour Benidorm.
It has the same beautiful beaches and the same almost year round sunny weather but Alicante has not been infiltrated by packages holidays to the same extent as other Spanish travel destinations. Instead Alicante is where Spanish people choose to take their holidays and the attractive Postiguet beach welcomes scores of Madrilenos (residents of the capital city Madrid) every summer. This sandy beach is equally appealing during the day and the night.
Located in the Valencia region, Alicante was settled by Greeks and Phoenicians before the Romans eventually built the heart of the old town, formerly know as Lucentum (the city of Light). The barrio is full of charming streets like the Avenida Federico Soto, the Explanada de Espanya and the Rambla de Mendez Nunez. Down these narrow streets you can find numerous cultural attractions such as the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts and the Archaeological Museum of Alicante. To get a good overview of the city you should head up to the Castle of Santa Barbara which is one of the largest Spanish medieval fortresses and was built by Muslims in the 9th century. Entry is free but you have to pay to use the elevator if you want to make the 166 metre journey to the top. In the north of Alicante you can also see the 19th century Castle of San Fernando.
But Alicante is not only attracting tourists for its cultural attractions and sunny climate, but also for medical tourism, coined scapel tourism by angry Spanish doctors. The Spanish doctor s trade union (Simap) has said that non Spanish EU nationals in Alicante, where Britons are by far the largest group, now account for 15 to 20 of people treated in local hospitals.
Dr Juan Benedito of Simaptoday said: Spain s health service is quick and free as well as offering a wide range of services. It is not surprising that people come here.
Meanwhile a local hospital general manager said: We get an increasing number of cases of foreigners coming to this hospital. They take advantage of the facts that they own a home on the Costa del Sol and that their own country does not cover all that we offer in Andalucia.
Whatever the reason for why you want to go to Alicante there are now even more great cheap options to get there. Although airline bmi baby cancelled its route from Manchester to Alicante, competitor Monarch is offering one way flights for £37.99 inclusive for the same route to replace the bmi service. Liz Savage, managing director of Monarch Flights and Holidays, said: Monarch is already the market leader on 10 out of 11 routes from Manchester and with almost 1.8 million seats available this coming year, we look set to retain this position. Monarch are looking to increase their flight schedule from all leading UK airport to Alicante and other top Spanish destinations.
Author Resource:-
Javier Castillas writes for http://www.rhinocarhire.com. He normally writes articles about Spain and car hire Alicante but was asked to do a piece on the overall benefits of moving to Alicante. Rhino search for the best rates across Spain to ensure you get the best car hire deal.
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