Going out
Luxury hotels and premium spas on the Costa Blanca: our exceptional addresses
Yes, the Costa Blanca is a genuine luxury destination: the world-famous SHA Wellness Clinic, five-star hotels in tropical gardens or former convents, and exceptional spas. Here is our selection of places to recharge with high standards.
Michelin-starred dining on the Costa Blanca: the star tables and our favourites
Alicante province lines up 17 Michelin stars across 13 restaurants in 2026, led by three-starred Quique Dacosta in Dénia. Here are the starred tables, the addresses locals keep to themselves, and how to plan your visit.
The Costa Blanca music scene: bandas, festivals and the song legacy of Benidorm
The Costa Blanca has a musical identity found nowhere else in Spain: the deep-rooted bandas and their competition in Alicante, the ADDA and its open-air shell, and Benidorm as a capital of Spanish song, from the 1959 Festival to today's Benidorm Fest and Eurovision.
Alicante wine route: the only Fondillón in the world
The Alicante wine route is the only place on earth where you can taste Fondillón at the source: a naturally sweet Monastrell aged at least ten years. Head inland to the Vinalopó (Monóvar, Pinoso, Villena), by car, and here is how to plan the day.
Dance on the Costa Blanca: from the fiesta (Moros y Cristianos) to the stage (CSDA, Abril en Danza)
On the Costa Blanca, dance lives first in the street, in the Moros y Cristianos parades of Alcoy and Villajoyosa, but the province also has a real stage history: Antonio Gades, Asun Noales, the Abril en Danza festival and one of Spain's six public advanced dance schools.
Renting a sunset boat trip on the Costa Blanca: prices, licences and where to book
Yes, you can head out for sunset on the Costa Blanca without owning a boat, and sometimes without a licence, from 65 euros no-licence in Torrevieja up to a 500 euro sailing yacht charter in Alicante. Verified marinas, real prices, and the rule that changes on 1 October 2026.
Who is Quique Dacosta, Dénia's three-Michelin-star chef?
A self-taught chef who reached Dénia at 14, Quique Dacosta has held three Michelin stars there since 2012 and won the Chef Mentor 2026 award in November 2025.
Day trips from the Costa Blanca: 8 ideas for a day out
Guadalest, the Algar waterfalls, Tabarca, the Elche palm grove, the Peñón de Ifach: eight day trips from the Costa Blanca, much of it by TRAM without a car.
Where to eat a real rice on the Costa Blanca (and why it isn't paella)
Arroz a banda, caldero, arroz con costra: the codes of Alicante rice, the tourist traps to avoid, and 12 checked addresses from Dénia to Orihuela Costa.
The almuerzo on the Costa Blanca: the ritual to adopt, from Dénia to Alicante
The savoury mid-morning break explained: what goes in the bocadillo, the cremaet to finish, what it costs, and 11 checked counters from Dénia to Villajoyosa.