Guide to Javea

"One of the Costa Blanca's quieter resorts, Javea brings together truly tempting ingredients – fine beaches, an atmospheric old town and oodles of charm."

Javea has a charm that's impossible to ignore. An easy-going feeling that says home-cooked paellas, cosy tapas bars and solid gold siestas. Unfurling around a magnificent bay between two capes, the Cabo de la Nao and Cabo de San Antonio, it's the kind of place that will have you slowing your stride and ordering a glass of sangria within seconds of unpacking. Divided into three areas – the old town, the port and the main beach at Arenal – it's best to start with the first. Patchworks of alleyways snaking between iron-balconied houses, its streets lure you into little bodegas and shops before leading to the famous indoor market – a profusion of food stalls that will tantalise your taste buds. And don't leave the old quarter until you've peered around the 12th century church and intriguing archaeological museum close by. Next stop has to be Arenal beach, with its golden sands, sandwiched by shallow waters and eateries offering everything from Chinese to Italian cuisine. Fancy escaping? In the old town and along the coast, sheltered pebble beaches offer gentle alternatives to Arenal. Boats leave the harbour to take you to Calpe and Denia. And there's always the lure of Cabo de la Nao. Stroll to the tip of this dramatic cape and let the views over Javea and towering Mount Montgo touch your soul. If you like upbeat nights and you're here in July or August, you'll find open-air flamenco and music bars that'll entertain you till late lacing Arenal Beach. For quieter evenings, Javea's marina and old harbour oblige with moonlit waterside suppers. Here, inviting fish restaurants are always ready with the day's specials and carafes of chilled wine.

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