Alicante

This Month in Alicante:

Shopping: Take a trip to El Corte Inglés department store in Alicante. You'll find it on fashionable Avenida Maisonnave. It's tops for fashion, jewellery, leatherware, and china... the choices are endless. Take a glass of wine in the top-floor cafetería when your legs give out.

Sightseeing: Travel south of Alicante to Torrevieja for the month-long Feria de Mayo, started by an exiled Andalusian bar owner in 1988. The fiesta is staged on the Torrevieja fairground and celebrates all things Andalusian, including flamenco music, traditional costumes and Andalucian horses which perform equestrian displays.

Key areas: Altea old town offers gourmet restaurants set around the imposing church in the main plaza. The surrounding streets are a warren of art studios and quaint village houses dating back to the 18th century. Magnificent views of Benidorm Bay.

Day trips: Finestrat Pueblo dates back to the Moorish occupation and the Reconquest. The old town, granted its village charter in 1276 AD, still bears signs of the towering walls that protected the village in the time of Ibrahim, the Moorish lord. The streets are lined with houses from the 16th century, famous for their ornately carved doors.

Alicante News & Gossip

Spa Retreat

MANY OF US let ourselves go during the festive season and by 1 January we've put the port into portly. Here, our luxury spa expert reveals her top spa breaks to book now in order to shed those post-party pounds.

FOR SUN WORSHIPPERS

SHA WELLNESS CLINIC, ALICANTE

The location With dramatic views over national parkland and the calm Mediterranean from a broad sunbed terrace, it's hard to believe that this cliff - top haven is so near busy Benidorm.
The treatments Offering macrobiotic food, this is the ultimate cold turkey after overindulgence. The medical team provide a health makeover, anti-aging treatments and healthy-living lessons to help you keep resolutions past New Year.
The stay SHA Wellness Clinic, 5 Verderol, El Albir, Alicante, tel: +34 966 811 199, hotels.easyJet.com.
Getting there It's a 50-minute drive from Alicante Airport.

FOR CITY SLICKERS

ES SAADI PALACE SPA, MARRAKECH

The location Designed around an ancient eucalyptus tree, the five-floor Palace is a highlight of the family-run Es Saadi Resort, which has offered understated opulence since the 1950s.
The treatments There are two spas, plus the in-house Dior Institute for beauty enthusiasts. Choose the intense detox weekend for purifying heat baths, revitalising body scrubs and detoxifying body wraps.
The stay Es Saadi Palace, Rue Ibrahim El Mazini, Marrakech, tel: +212 (0)5 2444 8811, hotels.easyJet.com.
Getting there It's just a 20-minute drive from Marrakech's Menara Airport.

FOR NATURE LOVERS

L'EAU DES CIMES, GENEVA

The location A classic Swiss setting in the Alpine valley of Val d'Anniviers puts guests in the heart of skiing and walking country, while the tiny village of St-Luc is full of old-fashioned charm.
The treatments Mineral-rich mud from Moiry Glacier, mixed with locally grown herbs and organic oils, give the menu a botanical feel, while a slimming massage will reduce any glutton's gut.
The stay L'eau des Cimes Alpine Spa, Hotel Bella Tola & St-Luc, Rue Principale, St-Luc, Switzerland, tel: +41 (0)27 475 1444, bellatola.ch
Getting there St-Luc is a two-hour drive from Geneva Airport.

Alicante Trivia

• May: Spain produces 44 per cent of all the earth's olive oil.

• April: With a landmass covering 506,000m2, Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe after France.

• March: The Roman name for Alicante, "Lucentum," means "City of Light" because of the white cliffs on which the city is built.

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