Mad few days away? This is it!

Alicante is where you fly to if you want to get to Benidorm right? It sure is but if Benidorm isn't really your scene then maybe Alicante is better suited.  It's pretty much the polar opposite of Benidorm and with 335 days of sunshine a year and temperatures reaching 40 degrees centigrade in the height of the summer it is a perfect yet affordable holiday destination.

If you are thinking of a few quiet days away then think again.  I have been to Alicante many, many times over the years and I am yet to see it quiet and without a fiesta in progress!  Alicante is Spain at its best and is the holiday destination of the city dwellers of Madrid.

If you are looking for something a little different and to experience the true party spirit of Spain the truck over to Alicante for Las Hogueras de San Juan.  On the 20th June large areas of the streets are fenced off and giant statues are built in the streets; when I say giant I really do mean giant........

Following the building of the statues they have a week of firecrackers, fireworks (during the daytime) and endless parties and parades through the street.

Then at midnight on 24th June it's the 'crema'! Firefighters take to the streets in preparation for (as an English citizen) one of the most dangerous things you will ever experience.  Every giant statue across the city are set alight.  Lets just say they go up like the time you thought it would be a good idea to douse the BBQ with petrol from the lawnmower to "get it going". As pieces of burning ash rains down on the public, standing so close you begin to wonder if you may melt yourself the firefighters come into their own and those extra large hoses they are holding aren't for putting the fires out!  Prepare to get drenched.  In the UK this wouldn't be fun but in the hot summer nights of Spain in crammed streets full of young attractive Spaniards it suddenly seems like one of the best things you have ever done.

Following the 'crema' there is a week of chilled out fireworks on the city's main beach at midnight.  If you are going with a partner or someone you are hoping to be your partner then this is the romantic hotspot.  If you are going with friends then buy some beer from the supermarket and share a few drinks on the warm sand with the fireworks as your movie.

During the day Alicante can be quite full on during the fiesta and after staying out so late you may want to chill out on the beach.  For €1.60 you can catch the bus to a nearby beach called Playa de Urbanova.  It's a quiet long stretch of white sand, gay friendly and clothing optional for your all-over tan.

So, if its a slightly different few days away you are after then this may be the one for you.  Enjoy.......