February 2025
Alicante stole my heart in so many ways.
For one, I celebrated Valentine’s Day here on a little solo date/trip.
For the past several years, I’ve redefined this day that’s traditionally spent with your significant other, and treat it as a day of love in all forms — most especially, self-love.
Because there is no greater relationship than the one you have with yourself.
I say this not in a secretly-bitter-because-I ‘m-single way, but truly from the fact that you are the only person guaranteed to be with you the rest of your life — why wouldn’t you devote intentional time to show yourself love?
Anyway, this year I decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a beach trip to Alicante.
Because living in Madrid means one becomes desperate for beach time when they can get it.
I spent the weekend at a gorgeous beach house in the San Juan area of Alicante, just outside of the main city center.
I fell in love with the golden sun above the long stretch of the Mediterranean, the contrast in landscapes I found from a local guide inland from the coast, and the incredible regional food.
Here are some of my memories over my 3 days here.
jump to:
- A hidden oasis in the desert
- Villajoyosa
- Altea
- The foooood
- What I Wish I Knew Before Going:
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A hidden oasis in the desert
Villajoyosa
Villajoyosa literally translates to “the joyful town.”
It makes sense once you stroll around the vibrant pastel houses surrounding the coast!
It’s also less than 50 minutes from Altea, which my friend and I visited afterward via public transport.
Altea
Altea is a popular pueblo blanco (white village) on Spain’s Costa Blanca, about 2 hours by train/bus from Alicante’s center. While there wasn’t much to do, it was charming to visit and walk around.
The foooood
(L) I really liked this food called gachamiga that I’ve never seen outside of Alicante before
(R) Best paella everrrr (and it was the cheapest I’ve found in Spain)
What I Wish I Knew Before Going:
- Alicante’s region is pretty spread out. I relied on public transport which got me along the coast pretty well, though having a car would’ve been much faster. BlaBlaCar is also a good option.
- Once again, DO NOT rely on Google Maps for hiking routes. My friend and I tried to get to this cove on the coast for sunset, using GM… we ended up walking along the side of a highway and along a gravel road that led nowhere, and having to hitchhike back.
- Here is actually where you have paella. Alicante is in the Valencian region of Spain, which is where paella originates. Anywhere else in Spain won’t be as good.
- I assumed because San Juan Playa is not that far distance-wise from Alicante’s center, it wouldn’t be difficult to use public transport in between. Though not exactly difficult, it is not that efficient. So keep that in mind if you plan to stay in the San Juan area vs. Alicante’s center.
- Alicante’s city center is not so cool compared to other cities in Spain. For me, the main appeal was Alicante’s beaches and charming coastal towns.
Check out my Alicante posts on my Insta @lydiaschultzz
https://www.instagram.com/lydiaschultzz/
gottacaseofwanderlust 
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