Puig and Bravo marry in Oliva after 8 years together

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Ximo Puig and Gabriela Bravo held a civil wedding at a beachfront restaurant in Oliva on Saturday 12 September 2026.
• AEMET has activated orange warnings for flash floods and possible waterspouts along the northern Alicante coast, even as Alicante city stays warm and dry.
• Resurfacing works on the CV-821 start on Monday 14 September, closing one lane on avenida del Aeroplano in Alicante.
• The Colegio de Enfermería de Alicante is running a free online course on preventing domestic accidents from 24 September to 24 October.
• Rojales and Finestrat are among the Alicante municipalities where foreign residents now outnumber Spanish nationals, according to TodoAlicante.

Today's essentials

Puig and Bravo marry in Oliva after 8 years together. Ximo Puig, former president of the Generalitat Valenciana and now Spain's ambassador to the OECD in Paris, married Gabriela Bravo, the former regional minister of Justice, Interior and Public Administration, on Saturday 12 September 2026 at the Kikoport restaurant in Oliva, on a terrace looking straight out over the Mediterranean, just metres from the beach.

The civil ceremony was made official by notary César Belda, according to El Español, with guests convened at 12:30, TodoAlicante reports. Bravo, a career prosecutor born in Ràfol de Salem, and Puig had kept the plans low-key, and the choice of a beachfront venue in Oliva rather than a grand hall set the informal tone of the day.

The two press accounts differ on the scale of the event. TodoAlicante describes an intimate, family-sized gathering with a limited number of guests, while El Español puts the figure at more than a hundred people, including a long line-up of political names: finance minister Arcadi España, Balearia president Adolfo Utor, former interior minister Antonio Camacho, secretary of state for communication Lydia del Canto, Mediterranean corridor commissioner Joan Calabuig, former Diputación de Valencia president Toni Gaspar, MP Vicent Sarrià, former PSPV spokesman Manolo Mata, former Gandia mayor José Manuel Orengo and former regional education secretary Miguel Soler.

The celebration leaned heavily on Valencian culture. According to El Español, the banquet tables were named after poets García Lorca, Miguel Hernández and Francisco Brines, the latter a Cervantes prize winner, and Valencian press reports say Bravo recited verses by Brines to express her feelings for Puig. The menu was designed and cooked on site by chef Ricard Camarena, born in Barx and holder of two Michelin stars, El Debate reports: a cocktail spread ran from veal steak tartare, avocado-wasabi salmon and Camarena's signature ensaladilla toast to Valencian clóchina mussels, Mediterranean bonito tartare, an oyster with galangal horchata and Iberian ham croquettes, followed by a reworked fideuá and red tuna tartare, and torrijas with mantecado ice cream for dessert.

The couple met during the so-called Botánico government, the PSPV-Compromís coalition, when Puig, then president of the Generalitat, appointed Bravo to his cabinet. Valencian press reports date their relationship to 2018, roughly eight years before the wedding, and note that it was a second marriage for both of them.

What this means for you: Kikoport is a real, reachable seafront restaurant in Oliva if you want to see where the day unfolded, and Oliva itself makes an easy day trip up the coast from the northern Costa Blanca by car or by train on the Alicante-Valencia line. If it is Camarena's cooking that catches your eye, his flagship restaurant sits in Valencia city rather than on the coast, so plan a trip inland to the capital rather than looking for it near the beach.

Weather today

A warm, dry Saturday across the Costa Blanca. Expect a warm and mostly dry Saturday 12 September across the Costa Blanca, with highs around 27 to 28 degrees, partly cloudy skies and no rain in the forecast, according to Open-Meteo.

In Alicante city, temperatures range from 23 to 28 degrees under partly cloudy skies, with rain chances at 0 per cent and a light breeze topping out near 17 km/h, so a hat and water are all you really need for a day out. Inland around Pinoso the morning starts cooler at 16 degrees before climbing to 27, while the southern coast at Santa Pola sits between 22 and 28 degrees, both with a wind reaching about 19 km/h. It stays comfortable well into the evening, making late-afternoon plans the easy call.

Transport & traffic

• Alicante airport crossed 12 million passengers. Alicante-Elche airport passed the 12 million passenger mark back in 2016, a figure AlicanteOut cites to underline how central air travel has become to the Costa Blanca. For anyone flying in and out of the region, that milestone is a useful reminder of the airport's scale: it remains the main gateway for visitors and residents alike, which means peak-season queues at security and car hire desks are the norm rather than the exception. Building in extra time at the terminal, especially on summer weekends, is the practical takeaway.
• CV-821 resurfacing shuts a lane from Monday. Resurfacing works on the CV-821 begin on Monday 14 September along a stretch of roughly 2.4 kilometres, with one lane closed on the avenida del Aeroplano near the parque del Consorcio, according to elperiodic. Drivers on that route should expect slower traffic and tailbacks while the single-lane restriction is in place, so it is worth leaving earlier than usual or picking an alternative road if you commute through the area. The works are a short-term disruption, but they will bite most during the Monday morning rush.

What's changing for you

• Free online course on home accident prevention. The Colegio de Enfermería de Alicante is offering a free online course on preventing domestic accidents, open to the wider public of Alicante province and running from 24 September to 24 October, according to elperiodic. Because it is free, online and aimed at residents rather than only health professionals, it is an easy one to sign up for if you have young children or older relatives at home. Keep an eye on the nursing college's channels for the registration link so you can enrol before the September start.

Local news to know

• Where foreigners outnumber Spaniards. Rojales and Finestrat rank among the Alicante municipalities where foreign residents now outnumber Spanish nationals, TodoAlicante reports.
• Sea trips from Alicante's port. From Alicante's port you can reach a string of Mediterranean destinations by boat, AlicanteOut notes in a round-up of the best sea trips from the city.
• Benidorm Pride 2026 wrapped up in early September. Benidorm Pride 2026 ran from 1 to 6 September with a Pool Party, the Ñ Divas Disco, a White Party, a parade and a Main Stage After-Party, according to Life in Benidorm.
• AEMET orange alert on the northern Alicante coast. AEMET has activated high-risk orange warnings for flash floods, and even possible waterspouts, along the northern Alicante coast and parts of Catalunya, Olive Press reports.

Tonight and tomorrow, the Costa Blanca

• A busy weekend in Benidorm. Benidorm fills the weekend of 11 to 13 September with events, including the fifth Benidorm Cocktail Contest and the Red Flags party at Marakka, according to Life in Benidorm. Expect tribute shows and club nights across the resort right through Sunday, so there is plenty on if you fancy a night out.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow