Country Article / Postcards

ONE SPANISH COASTAL RESORT THAT ISN'T AWFUL

Date: 05/18/2003

Dear International Living Reader,

Amazing! A popular Spanish coastal resort that I actually like. I'm in Denia, on the Costa Blanca. Flanked by over 7 miles of sandy Mediterranean beaches on one side, and rocky rust-colored coves on the other, it's all fairly low-rise...and low-key.

Topped by an old castle, the streets behind the harbor front are a painter's palette of brightly colored little houses. Cobalt-blue cottages cluster beside ones colored salmon-pink, mossy green, bright tangerine, and primrose. Many have a songbird in a little cage outside the front door. And in front of these cottages are an array of seafood restaurants. (And paella isn't the only dish to choose from, but more about food in another postcard.)

What else do I like about Denia? It hasn't lost its Spanish identity. At this time of year, most visitors are Spanish, and there seem to be few concessions to foreign tourists. I had to go into a farmacia as I'm suffering from a combination of flu/jet lag/too many sleepless nights during Valencia's fallas fiesta. The chemist didn't speak English, but by dint of coughing, sniffling, and showing her the bags under my eyes, I've been given some kind of remedy. And after only three doses, I feel a whole lot better.

Denia is clean, neat, and there's the opportunity for long healthy walks breathing in the ozone. I ambled for almost 3 miles from my hotel in Les Rotes (the rocky cove area) into town along a well-kept seafront promenade. Sapphire-blue Med on one side, pretty villas set in gardens full of pine trees on the other, and up above Mount Montgo and its curious rocky outcrops.

Yes, there are also miles of urbanizations (suburbs) ribboning out along Les Marines, the sandy beach side of Denia. The ones nearer town look the pick of the bunch. I traveled the full 7-mile length, and the farthest out urbanizations don't fit my idea of desirable. Prices are all over the place, but you could buy a 660-square-foot apartment in a tastefully designed residence with communal pool for 130,000 euro. Considering it's only 50 yards from the beach, that doesn't seem unreasonable. A small three-bedroom villa in the pretty El Poblets urbanization is 165,000 euro.

Steenie Harvey
for International Living

P.S. Even more amazing...I haven't come across any shops selling the nasty tourist tat that's so prevalent on the Costa del Sol or the central part of Portugal's Algarve. If you're looking for a place on the Spanish coast, Denia is definitely one to put in the notebook.