The drive from Granada to Javea in the Costa Blanca, where we are staying, was estimated to take 5 hours, thankfully the weather was forecast to be reasonable!

Leaving the Andalusia region we passed through the region of Murcia which is tiny by comparison, so we soon entered the Valencia region and then the Alicante province, which is .

As you near Alicante the terrain changes yet again and there are beautiful mountain views with the Mediterranean appearing in the distance. Every so often the familiar black bull will rear his head on a mountain side to remind you that this is still Spain, but it is easy to feel like you're somewhere else. It's less built up here and seems so much nicer than where we have come from.

Don't get me wrong, Andalusia is nice, but not as nice as the Costa Blanca, at least in my view. I'm sure the improvement in temperature and sunshine is helping me feel that way however!

We bypassed Alicante and stopped in Benidorm, just to see how awful it actually is! High rise buildings adorn the bay, but I can see why holiday makers come here, with a beach so picture perfect. There is however nothing to see, so we quickly left, after the disappointment of not even being to find a souvenir bull sticker.

Much of the Valencia region speaks Valencian as well as Castillian (normal Spanish, as we know it) and therefore the signs are often in both languages, although the closer you get to Valencia it seems to become just the one.

We have chosen Javea as our stopping point en route back to the UK as Phill lived here for about 4 years when he was growing up and of course wanted to see it 19 years on.

On the map it is the bit that sticks out on the East coast of the Costa Blanca, and may be referred to as Xabia (the Valencian name). According to Phill that is not the only thing that has changed... it seems he barely recognises the place!

I wish I had seen it 19 years ago too as it sounded lovely, although it still is one of the nicest places I have been to in Spain. 

There is a fishing village feel to this place despite it being a little touristy and a popular destination for expats. The population is at least one third non Spanish and everyone speaks English it seems, but its not like the other Spanish resorts full of holiday makers.

From the coast you can see Ibiza on a clear day and around the area are beautiful views of what look like, from a distance, untouched beaches. The town also benefits from a beautiful backdrop mountain, known as the Montgo. It looks like a lying down elephant and glows a warm brown/orange colour in the sun. It's said that he looks over the people here and I can see the advantage of the great hiking trails nearby...

Although the town is now largely populated with hotels and time shares, there are still some areas on the outskirts where agriculture continues and the stone terraces that once held grape vines and fruit trees still produce olives and some grapes and oranges. 

In the little town of Jalon, just 30 minutes away, you can take a wine tour and stock up on reasonably priced wines, although it is not openly advertised that I can see.

We decided to stay an extra night in Javea, to allow Phill to get nostalgic about his time here as a child and more so because the hotel was the nicest we had stayed in to date!

Next stop is Andorra, and a new country for me :)!