Spain - The North Costa Blanca

Mention Spain's 'Costa Blanca', and most people will think of big, bold and beautiful Benidorm, with it high-rises, all-year round sun and some of the most stunning beaches in Spain. And it's true, Europe's most popular tourist resort is the still the place where people of all ages and inclinations go for a wonderful holiday - everything from tea-dancing in the cafs on the prom to scuba diving in the Med, bright with kaleidoscopic sea life.

For decades whole of the Costa Blanca was tarred with the same brush - and a brash brush at that; everything was supposedly high-rise and low class, and the beaches covered with pinkly grilled bodies. Nothing could be further from the truth; if it was why would Javea have been the retreat of choice of the rich, looking for a bit of a hideaway; why would the iconic Spanish songster, Julio Iglesias, have sunk an awful lot of his hard-earned cash into a luxury development just outside Altea; and why would Starwood Hotels, owners of the Westin and Sheraton chains, have sunk vast amounts of money building what's virtually a Mediterranean village just outside Benidorm, which was chosen as the location for Mercedes world-wide launch of their new models in 2008?

Dnia, with its stretches of beautiful coastline filled with rocky coves and long sandy beaches is almost at the northern tip of the Costa Blanca. It nestles at the foot of the impressive "el Montg" and is a town with an historic past, such as its Roman Castle, which still stands proudly overlooking the Mediterranean. It is also a busy ferry port, with daily crossings to the nearby Balearic Islands as well as hosting a very stylish Yacht Marina with many fantastic bars and restaurants. It is also the only resort in Spain that has guided way marked routes - underwater!

Moving south to Javea, once the resort of choice for those who retired with a few bob in the bank, but which has become much more cosmopolitan, emphasized by a recent census that showed fifty-two percent of the population as being non-Spanish. Nonetheless, it feels distinctly Spanish and these days appeals to a wide ranging visitor and resident population.

In effect, there are three faces to Javea; the old town, still very Spanish with its narrow streets and historic buildings; the port area, which has the fishing and leisure ports and most of the day-to-day commercial enterprises; and the Arenal, the beach area almost entirely given over to tourism.

From whichever direction you approach Calpe, the dominating view seawards is of the Peon de Ifach, a 332 metre rock that is now a nature reserve but has been used since Phoenician times as a defensive standpoint against pirates and Barbary raiders. Latter-day colonisers have firmly ensconced themselves in the town, creating a spot by the sea where German bakeries rub shoulders with Scandinavian design stores and British bars, where you can enjoy a pint of bitter and a full fry-up for breakfast. A major benefit of this internationalism is that there are some excellent restaurants, where you can dine on dishes from around the world.