24 Hours in... Alicante
Rodrigo Diaz Wichmann
Rodriguez Diaz Wichmann
Where to stay in Alicante
Once seen as the gateway to the Costa Blanca's dubious pleasures, Alicante now eclipses its boisterous neighbours; the El Barrio district delivers a definitive take on stylish Spanish hedonism, says Trevor Baker
WHERE TO SLEEP Hospes Amérigo is a five-star boutique hotel built around a shaded courtyard, where you'll experience the sleep of the pure. Despite being at the heart of El Barrio's flirtatious nightlife, it still retains the tranquil virtues of the convent it once was.Rafael Altamira 7 (00 34 96 514 6570; www.hospes.com). Doubles from €102
The Hostal Les Monges Palace may be low-budget but it doesn't scrimp on character. With quirky furnishings such as a splendid Thai bed in one room, gilded mirrors and kitsch paintings, it's the antithesis of a modern chain hotel. If it doesn't already have a ghost, then a headless nun somewhere is missing a trick. Calle San Agustín 4 (00 34 96 521 5046; www.lesmonges.es). Doubles from €45
Pictured: the terrace at Hospes Amérigo
Where to eat in Alicante
For several hundred years, the views from La Ereta park, just below the walls of Santa Bárbara Castle, were the preserve of Moorish kings and other invaders. The food at Restaurante La Ereta, though, is startlingly modern: chef Dani Frias takes local favourites and combines them in delicious new ways - try the pepito de cabrito, a gorgeously sticky sandwich of baby goat dripping with rich syrup between two thin slices of crispy fried bread.Parque de la Ereta (00 34 96 514 3250; www.laereta.es). About €100 for two.
The hams hanging from the ceiling at La Taberna del Gourmet make it clear that this is a place for proper, traditional tapas, despite the modern design. Since it was voted the best tapas bar in Spain in 2009, a number of similar gastrobars have popped up, serving delicatessen-style food in streamlined surroundings. Calle San Fernando 10 (00 34 96 520 4233; www.latabernadelgourmet.com) About €50 for two.
In every Spanish region, people have their own idea about what you should eat at Christmas. Throughout the country, however, there's agreement that Alicante's favourite sweet, turrón (honey, almonds, sugar and egg white) is a must. There are two kinds: the soft stuff from nearby Xijona, which has the consistency of solidified peanut butter; and Alicante's harder, nougat-like version. Stock up at Turrones 1880. Calle Mayor 9 (00 34 96 521 9281)
Las Manolitas is a sweet café which, with its doll's-house design*,* has a feminine daintiness that borders on twee. Any passing lumberjacks or construction workers won't go home hungry, though, after filling up on the fantastic cupcakes, chocolate brownies and some of the best coffee in town. Calle Canalejas 20 (00 34 64 946 1847; www.lasmanolitas.biz)
Pictured: slabs of nougat at Turrones 1880
Where to drink in Alicante
It is currently very fashionable for Alicantinos to have their big Saturday night out on a Saturday afternoon. Many go to the terraces along Calle Castaños from about 3.30pm and sip copas (any mixed drink) at cocktail bars such as the stylishly minimalist Nic, where the gin tonic is a work of art. Calle Castaños 22 (00 34 96 521 6320; www.nicalicante.com)
Another adopted English drink, tea is taken just as seriously as gin in Alicante. At Tetería Waslala they serve more than 120 different types in an environment that is pleasingly literary, with a short story at the start of the menu and regular exhibitions of modern art on the walls. Spain aficionado Ernest Hemingway might have liked it, although no doubt he would have skipped to the back of the menu for something stronger. Calle Argensola 7
The province of Alicante has only recently started to promote its great wines, and visitors can now follow the rustic Ruta del Vino (www.rutadelvinodealicante.es) to the best vineyards and bodegas. In the city, you can try wines (such as Enrique Mendoza's Santa Rosa Cabernet Sauvignon) at reasonable prices at Va de Vins, which runs wine-tasting courses on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Calle Castaños 33 (00 34 96 8205)
The region's traditional soft drink is horchata, and nowhere does it better than the 95-year-old kiosk Peret on the esplanade. Here, they still choose the best chufas (tiger nuts), scrub them, crush them, and add water and sugar just as they did almost a century ago. The result is wonderfully refreshing - a bit like a glass of milk, but dairy free. Explanada de España
Pictured: a cocktail from Nic
Where to party in Alicante
Step carefully through **Coscorrón'**s tiny door (the name means 'bumped head'), and you'll find a bar unlike anywhere else in Alicante. The soundtrack is modern jazz, the walls are covered in a decade's worth of hipster graffiti, and the potent, no-frills Mojitos are deservedly renowned in the city. Calle Tarifa 3
Towards the end of a long night in El Barrio, those who don't want to go home yet head towards the sea and El Puerto, a long pier with dozens of slightly garish bars and clubs. Among the more typical nightspots is the incongrously named Capitán Haddock, where salsa rules the waves until long after dawn. Carretera del Puerto 13 (00 34 96 520 6201; www.capitanhaddock.es)
Pictured: the tiny bar at Coscorrón
Where to shop in Alicante
To see how seriously food is taken in Alicante, you just have to look at the modernist facade of the Mercado Central. In some countries, a building like this would be a cathedral; here, it's a temple to gleamingly fresh fruit, deliciously ripe fruit, vegetables, meat and much more besides. Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio 2 (00 34 96 514 0841)
If you happen to be in the city with a partner you're unsure about, it might be best to avoid Calle Gerona, the street at the heart of what is known as la zona de las novias (the fiancées' district). Every other shop, such as elegant Rosa Clará, seems to have a beautiful wedding dress in the window, and even the least romantic couple might start getting ideas. Calle Gerona 12 (00 34 96 514 6874)
Pictured: a stall at the Central Market in the city
What to see in Alicante
With its clean, white walls, the MACA (Museum of Contemporary Art) is strangely calming, like being inside a seashell. It has a beautifully curated collection of works by Picasso, Bacon, Dalí and Miró, as well as some very interesting local artists such as the abstract painter Juana Francés and sculptor Eusebio Sempere. Plaza de Santa María 3 (00 34 96 521 3156; www.maca-alicante.es)
Don't miss the walk up to Ermita de la Santa Cruz, an 18th-century convent, through the flower-filled streets that circle Mount Benacantil. If you're here around New Year, you'll also see The Ride of the Magi (5 January), when the three kings arrive in town on floats along with (in a slight departure from Biblical orthodoxy) cartoon characters including Spongebob Squarepants.
Pictured: artworks at MACA
Insider guide to Alicante
INSIDER GUIDE
María José & Geni Perramón San Román Owners of restaurants Monastrell and La Taberna del Gourmet
'When I was a child,' says María, 'I was always the one who was excited when food came to the table. They called me la tragona [the food lover]. After I married, I had three children but was cooking a lot, and eventually went to work for Jean-Louis Neichel [the chef at El Bulli prior to Ferran Adrià] in Barcelona, before returning to Alicante and opening our first restaurant.'
'In the 1990s, El Barrio wasn't very nice,' says Geni. 'But we took a risk. La Taberna opened in 2004. If we eat out, Nou Manolín [www.noumanolin.com] is the city is very good. I love their artichokes.'
'We also like to go into the mountains and the countryside,' adds María. 'We go to Pinoso, one hour outside Alicante, and have the paella at Paco Gandia [www.pacogandia.com], where they cook it on a wood fire. And chocolates from Paco Torreblanca [00 34 96 598 5889] are the best.'
Monastrell, Rafael Altamira 7 (00 34 96 514 6575; www.monastrell.com)
La Taberna del Gourmet**,** Calle San Fernando 10 (00 34 965 20 42 33; www.latabernadelgourmet.com)
Pictured: the entrance to La Taberna del Gourmet
Published in Condé Nast Traveller December 2012.
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