Explore — Villa Vamos Homes

The coast

A stretch of Spain where the days run long.

With over 300 days of sunshine a year, the Costa Blanca is a vibrant hub of activity in every season. Whether it’s high-profile sporting events, bustling boulevards, or beaches filled with families at play, there is always something happening.

We love sharing our favorite local gems with you. From charming restaurants to must-see hidden spots, we invite you to explore, learn, and immerse yourself in the region the Vamos way!

Eating well

Restaurants worth visiting and chefs worth inviting.

Eating is most of the holiday here. The food is honest, the produce is local, and the rhythm of meals -late breakfast, longer lunch, dinner that starts at nine- is part of what makes the days feel longer than they are. A short list of where we send guests, and the people we trust to cook at the casa and villas when you’d rather not go out.

At home

Some nights, the best table is the one you’re already at.

Costa Blanca Catering

A full-service catering team that takes over the kitchen for the evening. multi-course menus, drinks, staff, the lot. Built for groups who want a proper dinner without anyone having to cook or clean. Plan ahead; they book up.

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Restaurants

Other nights, the table’s waiting for you somewhere else.

Slow mornings

Wanderlust — L’Albir

The kind of breakfast spot that gets the whole day off to the right start. Long picnic tables, brunch boards built for sharing, good coffee, a hip terrace under the trees.

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Long lunches

La Plaza — L’Alfaz del Pi

A neighbourhood lunch spot with a terrace under one of the pine trees that gave the area its name. Burgers done well, salads done properly, no fuss.

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Paulino — L’Albir

The paella place. Proper Valencian rice, cooked the way it’s meant to be, served in pans big enough for the whole table. Order one and let the table fight it out.

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Dinner

No Mad — L’Albir

Bohemian-chic with a creative kitchen. Stylish interior, good energy, the sort of place a group settles into for a long, trendy dinner.

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La Cena — L’Albir & Altea

Two locations, one ethos. The Albir branch sits on the beach; the Altea branch leans more polished. Both built for shared dining. Mediterranean menu, big terraces, easy with a crowd.

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Don Dennis — L’Albir

A local favourite for proper meat cooked properly. Warm, welcoming, generous portions, and the kind of service that remembers you the second time. Reserve ahead for groups.

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De Lab — Altea

Mediterranean cuisine with a modern hand, right by the water. Sleek design, good cocktails, the spot for a celebration dinner.

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Taberna del Xef — Altea

The real tapas experience. Authentic, lively, full of flavour. pull up a table, order more plates than seems reasonable, settle in.

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El Mosset — L’Albir

The casual one. Excellent tapas, friendly atmosphere, equally good for a quick bite or a long evening of drinks and small plates.

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Slow days

Beaches, walks, and places to do nothing in particular.

Most days here don’t need a plan. The beaches are walkable from the homes, the headlands are quiet by mid-morning, and the coves further out reward anyone willing to drive twenty minutes. A short list of where to go when you’re not going anywhere in particular.

Beaches

Playa del Albir

The local beach. Pebbles rather than sand, which keeps it cleaner and quieter than its neighbours. A long promenade lined with restaurants, a calm bay, water that stays clear into the late afternoon.

Cala del Tio Ximo

A small cove tucked between Albir and Benidorm, reached by a short path down through the pines. Clear water, fewer people, the sort of swim that makes you feel like you’ve gone further than you have.

Altea Beach

Just a few minutes north. A long curve of pebbles backed by the old town, with cafés and ice cream stands behind. Better for a half-day than a full one: pair it with lunch in the white streets above.

Walks

Faro del Albir

The lighthouse walk. Five kilometres there and back along a paved coastal path with the sea on your left the whole way out. Easy, doable in flip-flops, suitable for everyone. The lighthouse at the end is the photograph.

Serra Gelada

The proper hike. A ridge walk above the sea with views down the coast in both directions. Albir one way, Benidorm the other. Two to three hours depending on the route. Best in the cool of the morning. Bring water.

Les Fonts d’Algar

Forty minutes inland. A series of small waterfalls and pools you can swim in, set in a valley of fig and almond trees. Pay the small entry, walk the loop, swim where it tempts you. Worth the drive on a hot day.

Days out

Worth getting in the car for.

Some places ask for a full day. Others a morning, a long lunch, and the drive back before the heat builds. The Costa Blanca rewards the willing. Old towns up in the hills, fishing villages painted in confectionery colours, a city or two within reach. A short list of where to go. Vamos!

5 minutes north

Altea

The white town. A hill of whitewashed houses and cobbled streets climbing to a blue-tiled church at the top. Galleries, ceramic shops, a long seafront, and the best photograph on this stretch of coast. Best in the late afternoon, when the light turns the walls gold.

20 minutes south

Villajoyosa

A working fishing town with houses painted in every colour the fishermen could mix; so they could spot home from the boats. Walk the seafront, eat in the old town, and visit the Valor chocolate factory if you’ve got kids with you.

30 minutes north

Calpe

The Peñón de Ifach is the rock you’ve seen in the photographs: a 332-metre limestone outcrop rising straight out of the sea. You can climb it (proper shoes, two hours), eat seafood at the base, or just look at it from the salt flats nearby.

40 minutes inland

Les Fonts d’Algar

Already in Slow days, but worth flagging again. This makes a proper day out paired with lunch in nearby Callosa d’en Sarrià.

45 minutes inland

Guadalest

A village built into a cliff above a turquoise reservoir, reached through a tunnel carved into the rock. The kind of place that looks like it shouldn’t exist, and is on every Costa Blanca postcard for a reason. Go early before the tours arrive.

1 hour 30 minutes north

Valencia

Paella’s birthplace, and worth the drive once a holiday. The old town, the City of Arts and Sciences, the Mercado Central, the long lunch at a horchatería. A full day of wandering, easily.

Active

For when you’d rather not sit still.

Three hundred days of sun cuts both ways. The same weather that’s good for slow afternoons is good for the morning ride, the early hike, the round of golf before the heat sets in. The Costa Blanca has been a training base for cyclists, golfers, and tennis players for decades. And for good reason. A short list of where to go when you’re feeling active.

Cycling

Road, mountain, e-bike

The Costa Blanca is where pro cycling teams come to train through the European winter. The reasons are obvious once you’re on them: long climbs into the mountains, quiet inland routes, sea breeze on the way back down. Guijarro Alfaz rents road, mountain, and e-bikes by the day or week. Costa Blanca Enduroland runs guided rides for groups who’d rather follow a local than a map.

Tennis & padel

Year-round, all levels

IQL Sports in Benidorm has six hardcourts, four clay courts, and five padel courts. There’s almost always space for a group. They run lessons, training blocks, and casual hits. Ten minutes from the homes.

Golf

30 minutes to most courses

The region has more golf courses than is reasonable for its size. A legacy of the British retirees who arrived in the seventies and stayed. Most are within thirty minutes of the homes. Tee times are usually available even in season. Play nine before lunch, eighteen if the day allows.

Hiking

Coastal, mountain, easy to serious

Beyond the Serra Gelada and the lighthouse walk in Slow days, the proper hikers go up Puig Campana (the mountain you can see from the homes) for a six-hour day with a 1,400-metre summit. The Sierra Bernia ridge walk is another. Both best in spring or autumn. We recommend Tribike Travel for guided hiking tours.

Watersports

L’Albir beach, summer months

Paddleboard and kayak rentals on Albir beach through the summer. Calm water in the morning makes for easy paddling out around the headland. Sailing and diving available further up the coast in Altea.

Sport trips & training camps

Year-round, group-friendly

Bringing a team? La Nucia’s Ciudad Deportiva Camilo Cano is a full sports complex. Football pitches, athletics tracks, swimming. Our homes are built for the kind of group that travels together. Yoga retreats, tennis training weeks, cycling camps: all common bookings here.

Getting here

Before you arrive.

The practical answers to the questions guests usually ask before they arrive.

Airport

Alicante (ALC) is the closest, around 45 minutes by car. Valencia (VLC) is an hour and three quarters but often has better connections from northern Europe. Both are easy drives down to the homes.

Transfer

Beniconnect runs a reliable shuttle service from both airports. Book ahead, prices are on their site. If you’d rather drive, all the major rental companies have desks at Alicante and Valencia.

Car rental

You’ll want one. The homes are walkable to L’Albir and Alfaz del Pi, but everything beyond that: Altea, Calpe, the day trips are easier accessible with a car.

Supermarkets

Mercadona in Albir for everyday shopping. Consum in L’Albir for the basics — a 5 minute walk from Palmera and Buganvilla. MasyMas and Mendoza in L’Alfàs are the closest options for Vamos del Pi. Carrefour out by the highway for the big arrival shop.

Markets

L’Albir has a Sunday morning market on the seafront. L’Alfas del Pi’s Friday market is bigger and worth the trip. Both wind down by lunch.

Climate

Mild year-round. Summer (June to September) is hot, dry, and bright. Spring and autumn are warm and quiet, the locals’ favourite time. Winter is mild enough to swim if you’re brave, and most days you can still eat outside.

Ready to plan

Pick a home, pick a week.

Three homes between L’Albir and Alfaz del Pi. One has room for the whole extended family, one is built around a rooftop terrace with sea views, one is coming soon. Pick the one that fits your group.