Yesterday we hired a car in Benidorm, wanting to explore beyond the coastal town and resort.

Car hire was from Europcar and was approx. 69€ (£54) for one day. Bargain.

https://www.europcar.es/es-es/oficinas/espana/benidorm?utm_campaign=BVNC05&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=local

[We also hired bikes earlier in the week from Monkey Bikes- 13€ for a days hire] http://monkeyrentbenidorm.es/monkey-bike/

We took the coastal road down to Alicante, where we stopped for a picnic lunch and a wander.

We wanted to drive the mountain roads, so took the CV-800 to Alcoi, then the CV-70 down to Benidorm. We wound our way up, over and through the mountains in a very sultry 35 degree heat. The landscape was mostly barren, interspersed with a very occasional villa, a derelict building or a small village.

The drive took approximately two and a half hours. It was a rugged, parched and lonely terrain- just us and the cicadas. We loved every minute of the drive. Certainly a vastly different Benidorm from it’s traditional, stereotypical boozy image. Get out and explore this beautiful Costa Brava region.