When: 20/10/2011
Where: Alicante, Spain
Stayed: AC Hotel Alicante, Marriot
For us, the town of Alicante felt a bit like receiving only the bottom half of a muffin to eat. Probably sounds a tad harsh, but we couldn’t help but feel like some of the best parts of the Spanish culture had disappeared, leaving in its place a dated and slightly over-commercialised town that was set up to cater for Brits abroad (and unsuspecting Aussies…). The facade in the town was run down in parts and much of the advertising looked like a throw back to the 90’s. After the pristine streets of Stockholm, Alicante looked like it was in desperate need of a good scrubbing behind the ears and there was a faint scent of forlornness about the place. However the old town still retained some of it’s quaint charm with cobblestone streets and enough alfresco dining to keep even the most persistent restaurant hopper interested. The beach was clearly the hero of the town with red and shiny tourists giving their skin a good beating before heading home. After all, if you’re not sunburnt you haven’t really had a holiday…
The unexpected welcoming committee set an interesting tone for the trip. After the initial shock at seeing 4 prostitutes strutting their stuff out the front of our hotel, we moved to a state of amusement followed by awe at the impressive tone of the bare gluteus maximus we had a clear view of. Was it a man or woman? Who cares, props for keeping it in such great shape and having the guts to go pant less on a main road!
The hotel we stayed in came complete with all the mod cons you’d expect from a new hotel that specialized in the corporate crowd. Slightly snooty staff, over-priced drinks, hallways so dark you can’t see your nose and a phone requiring an operating manual to call reception. Gotta love a modern hotel. All was forgiven however thanks to the incredible breakfast spread and roof top pool and bar which became our stomping ground for the next 3 days. This turned out to be a saviour of sorts given the proximity of the hotel to the rest of the action. The reviews on trip advisor assured us the location was spot on for town and beach access – all very accurate; IF you had a car. Not sure what’s more disappointing – the location of the hotel or the truth to the rumors that Trip Advisor is unreliable…
In our usual ‘we’re not really tourists’ style, we made it our business to find the little local gems to eat and drink at. The first night we fought gallantly against the tide of restaurant owners trying to pull us into their haunts. By following the dolcit tones of a local, we discovered a hole in the wall tapas eatery that blew us away – Cerveceria Sento. Patatas Bravas, lamb burgers, balsamic chicken and meat straight off the hock – all very simple but oh so very good. We failed miserably on the second night as we succumbed to the bright lights and sales pitch of a young spaniard in what turned out to be a tourist trap. The english menus and the hawkers pacing up and down the footpath should have been warning enough to steer clear. We were punished accordingly with paella that was barely edible and a bill that was twice the price of our meal the previous night. Oh how we continue to learn the same lessons when travelling…
Despite our hit and misses on the eating front, Carrer De Castanos provided a welcome plethora of drinking holes each night. The generosity of ‘Jim’s’ tapas with the G&T and beers kept us coming back for more. This is the Spain we grew to love last time around!
Some very welcome sunshine, a good book, a bar on hand for afternoon beers and a refreshing pool on our doorstep rounded out our trip to Alicante. Despite some of our reservations about the town and volume of tourists, Alicante provided just what the doctor ordered for us at this point in the year – relaxation.
Cathy & Justin Abroad 