The Jalón valley and surroundings

The location

Alcalalí lies in the Jalón valley, which is also called the ‘Vall de Pop’ (in Valencian). That valley is on the east coast of Spain, the Costa Blanca. Both Valencia (to the north) and Alicante (to the south-west) are about an hour’s drive away. A (hire) car is highly recommended. Unfortunately, public transport on the Costa Blanca does not amount to much.

Everything close at hand

At 20 km there are several types of beach, at 3 km a large supermarket, and in the village itself various restaurants, bars and a baker. Several walks start directly from Alcalalí, and cyclists come face to face with the famous Coll de Rates. All kinds of lovely walks start from the other villages nearby as well.

In Alcalalí you will also find several restaurants, a pharmacy, a tabac, a hairdresser, a cash machine and a shop for all sorts of practical things (household, garden, kitchen, beach, writing and drawing supplies). The Jalon Valley Help second-hand shop is open every morning too, selling clothes, puzzles and books (sometimes in Dutch).

Denia, Altea and Benidorm

Denia is a somewhat larger town, 15 km away. It is an old fishing town with a pleasant centre and a castle. There is of course also a harbour, the chance to do all kinds of water sports, and a (sandy) beach. Altea is a nice little town with an old centre built on a hill. Near Benidorm you will find several large theme parks, with or without water fun as you prefer.

Beach

Denia and everything north of it is wide sandy beach. On the other side of the Montgo mountain lies Javea, with a narrow strip in the old town and, a little further on, a wide beach with everything you could want (Arenal). South of Javea (Portixol, Granadella) and Moraira (Fustera, Pinets), by contrast, you find magnificent rocky bays with smaller beaches.

Walking

Straight from Alcalalí, but also in 101 other places in the area. From completely flat (to the villages in the valley) to tough and rugged, and everything in between. The walk at Benimaurell gives a lot of value for your metres of climbing, with views over both the Jalón valley and the Orba valley. Or the Coll de Rates, of course. Do e-mail us if you would like to know more.

Cycling

Straight from Alcalalí the Coll de Rates is of course a must! No climb offers so much view for so few metres of ascent, so it suits the less well-trained cyclist too. But the inland country behind the Rates is wonderful cycling as well: quiet, good roads, friendly fellow road users and sometimes spectacular views. In Alcalalí there is a cyclists’ bar at the crossroads, and in Jalón there is even a genuine Belgian cycling café. It is no accident that you see so many professional riders training here in the off-season. The route maps are on our photo site; do e-mail us if you would like to know more.

Other activities

In the immediate area there are, however, many more options for active and passive amusement. We are of course happy to give you our personal tips on that.

There is also, of course, plenty to discover on the internet — see the links below and the links on other pages, for example.

• Turismo – Alcalalí (the village)
• Turismo – Vall de Pop (all the villages in the Jalón valley)
• Turismo – Costa Blanca (the region)
• La Vall de Pop en bici (Teulada – Benissa – Parcent) – Cicloturismo en la Comunidad Valenciana
• Dénia Castle
• Verrassend Valencia

Where is Villa Arbolada?

The villa stands in Solana Gardens, on the edge of Alcalalí and in the middle of the Jalón valley. Denia is about 15 km away, the beaches about 20 km, and Valencia and Alicante both a good hour’s drive. From the contour lines on the map below you can see at once that we sit against the hillside; top right in the map you switch between ‘Contours’ and ‘Road map’.

Would you like directions from your own starting point? Plan your route to the villa in Google Maps.