Alicante

Friday, midday

Check into a room with a balcony at the Melia Alicante, (double rooms from £81, www.melia.com) with both a view of Santa Barbara Castle and the beach. It’s worth paying extra for ‘The Level’, with its dedicated lounge.

12:30pm

The Mercado Central is one of the largest covered markets in Spain. All sorts of foodie treats are on offer or just buy your own fish and ask one of the amenable local cafes to cook it.

2pm

Take the elevator or hike up to Santa Barbara Castle (www. castillodesantabarbara.com), one of Spain’s largest medieval fortresses.

4pm

Head for Playa Postiguet, a wide sweep of clean sand fronting shallow waters. Enjoy a swim before a sundowner in a beachfront café.

7pm

Take it easy with dinner at Terra at the Melia, where paella dishes star. Try the fideua, which is similar to paella but with noodles rather than rice.

Saturday, 9am

Take a stroll along the Esplanada de Espana, a tiled, palm fringed promenade that eases along for a mile just back from the waterfront.

10am

Alicante held the Volvo Ocean Race for the third time in 2017 and an impressive museum (http:// museovolvooceanrace.esatur.com) on the waterfront tells the tale of this arduous maritime challenge.

Midday

For old school tapas head to D’tablas (www.dtablas.es). Hulking legs of jamon, pungent cheese and ice cold beer await.

4pm

Alicante is famous for its deliciously sweet Turron. Follow the locals and buy the best at Turrones Espi (www. turronesespi.com).

8pm

It’s easy to see why La Taberna del Gourmet (http:// latabernadelgourmet.com) has been named Spain’s finest tapas bar. Enjoy a lip smacking feast of cured and air dried meats and cheeses, washed down with some of the seriously underrated Alicante wines.

Sunday, 9am

Playa San Juan is one of the best beaches in Spain so enjoy a few hours of glorious sunshine on this pristine 3km strip. ■