Hotels in Altea

Altea has two very different sides when it comes to finding accommodation, and it's worth knowing this before you start booking. On the one hand there's the old town, the famous white village with its cobbled streets and the church of the Virgen del Consuelo. Here you'll mainly find apartments and guesthouses, many of them without a lift and with steep streets. It's the most charming area, but also the noisiest in summer, especially in July and August, when the terraces and bars are busy until late. If you're looking for peace and quiet, you'd better look at options in the port area or on the seafront promenade, where the hotels and apartments have views of the Mediterranean and direct access to the beach, although the price per night goes up noticeably.

The other great option is the new area, which stretches from the playa de la Roda to the Cap Negret. Here villas and holiday homes predominate, many with a private pool and garden, ideal if you're travelling as a family or in a group. The main difference from the old town is that everything is flatter, there's more parking and the distances to the beach are short, but on foot. If what you want is not to depend on the car to go out for dinner or shopping, the historic centre makes it easier for you; if you prefer space, silence and don't mind taking the car for almost everything, the outskirts will give you more for less money.

As for prices, high season (July and August) sends rates soaring, and that's when it makes least sense to pay for a villa if you're not going to enjoy the pool. May, June and September are the months with the best value for money: the weather is good, the water is fine and the streets aren't crowded. To get there, the most convenient way is to fly to Alicante-Elche and hire a car (about 45 minutes on the AP-7) or take a direct bus from the airport. Within Altea, if you stay in the old town, you don't need a car; if you're on the outskirts, you definitely do. Before booking, check whether the accommodation has a lift, whether a parking space is included or not, and whether cleaning or bed linen are included in the price, because in apartments this is usually an extra that makes the stay more expensive.