Alicante Mini review

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We recently sailed aboard the Legend of the Seas on a transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale. I learned a lot from reading Cruise Critic before we left. However, it was hard to locate specific information about the various port cities. [Alicante, Malaga, Madeira, and Tenerife] So I am doing a mini review with pictures for each port

 

If you want to read the full review of the TA this is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/newthread.php?do=postthread&f=83

 

If you are only interested in Alicante--keep reading. :D

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Alicante was our first port of call. It looked like a very large modern city as we sailed into port. But, the ancient fort on the hill dominated the skyline.

 

 

I read that Alicante is the port city closest to Madrid.

 

 

Alicante does not get as many cruise ships as other Spanish ports. The port area had few passenger amenities and not many people we encountered spoke any English. I am not complaining—yes, I know I was in Spain. It was different from Barcelona and Malaga, where most people spoke enough English for me to make my requests understood. Here I needed to use my high school Spanish to ask where the restroom was. [We would have been in trouble if I needed much more than that. LOL]

 

The city operates a free port shuttle that takes you from the ship to the entrance to the port. [leaves around every 15-20 mins] When we exited the shuttle the Hop On/Hop Off bus operators were doing a hard sell for their bus. Their brochure rate was 10 €, but they said they had a special senior rate of 7€. [We must all have looked pretty old because that is what they charged everyone.] So, we bought tickets.

 

We got off at stop 2—Castle Santa Barbara, a 13th century castle on a hilltop over 500 feet above sea level. It had magnificent views of the city, mountains and the port.

 

View from the top

 

 

 

There is a castle called Castle Santa Barbara. This is a 13th century castle on a hilltop over 500 feet above Alicante.

 

 

You can see the Legend in the background.

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

 

There is an elevator across from the beach [2.5 €]. This would be within walking distance of the port shuttle stop unless you have mobility issues. There is no entrance fee for the castle.

 

 

There were artifacts in display cases from the Neolithic period up to modern times. Although we did not visit it, stop 1 on the HO HO bus was the Archeology Museum. [it won the award as best museum in Europe a few years ago—that is saying something!]

 

 

 

More. . .

 

They also had replicas of the weapons they used. Here are pictures of a catapult and a spikey thing [note the technical term ]. Looking at the castle from below I wondered how anyone could successfully storm the walls. But, after looking at their crude weaponry I could see how a large group of determined soldiers might do it.

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Here are some more random castle views.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful mosaic:

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Then we boarded the HOHO bus and set off for the next stop, the Alicante city market. It is located in the modern section of the city, although it is in a historic building.

 

 

There were travelers from many countries. So, when a stop was near there would be a brief prerecorded description in Spanish, and then it was repeated in English, French, and German. [i think those were the only languages]

 

The market was very similar to one we visited in Barcelona. There were lots of vendors selling meats, dairy and fruit. There were a few that sold other goods. I bought a pineapple/orange marmalade at one stall as a gift for my Mom and a bottle of body lotion at another [i forgot to pack any].

 

We walked to the bus stop and waited for the HOHO to arrive. There was a pretty large group and it was not very orderly. When the bus arrived people began to board. We got near the door at the same time as another couple. I stepped aside and motioned for them to board. Yep—you guessed it, the driver said the bus is full and we were left standing on the corner. LOL It was 20 minutes before the next bus arrived. My DH told me no more mister nice guy.

 

Next we drove to the commercial center of Alicante where the large stores and shops are. I am not a shopper so I did not get off here. This fountain is nearby.

 

 

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Another random city view:

 

 

Back at the port we walked along the seaside Esplanade. It is a wide mosaic-tiled walkway made from more than 6 million tiles. There were many restaurants and cafes along the Esplanade. It seemed very busy for a weekday. We could not find a market on the Esplanade, so we stopped in a McDonald’s and bought some bottles of water to take back aboard the ship for 1€ each. [no we did not eat there]

 

Here is DH on the Esplanade

 

 

I loved this little Carousel—but, it was not open.

 

 

There is a long beach beside the Esplanade. [Playa del Postiguet] I had took the opportunity to wade in the Mediterranean Sea. You could rent chairs, umbrellas and/or tents. Two loungers and an umbrella were 18€ for the day. You see people were sunbathing and swimming.

 

 

 

The water was warmer than I thought it would be

 

Edited November 14, 2013 by DragonOfTheSeas

[DragonOfTheSeas]

On the way back to the port bus I walked along the sea wall and took one last look at the city.

View of the beach from the sea wall:

 

 

 

You can get more information on Alicante from this website

http://www.alicanteturismo.com

 

with a street map here

http://www.alicanteturismo.com/generales/callejero.asp

 

We enjoyed our visit to Alicante.

 

I would be glad to answer any questions you have.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Here is a good map of alicante that gives the correct name of all the things that I did not. :)

 

[sandm]

Thank you for this review. My husband and I took the train here from Barcelona pre cruise in October. We had a most wonderful 3 days enjoying this town. Your photographs captured some highlights and reminded us of why we loved Alicante.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Thank you--we enjoyed our brief stay.

 

I am sure you visited some other sites in the longer visit you had. Please add your suggestions. I found the information available on Alicante was very slim.

[OldBoot]

Thank you for your review. We'll be in port in Alicante in a few short weeks. Seems like the HoHo was a good idea. Or, in hindsight would you have skipped it and just enjoyed the Castille de Santa Barbara and the Esplanade?

[pris993]

If we are simply interested in shopping, wonder if it would be just as easy to take a taxi for bus.

 

My DH speaks spanish... so not concerned. We do enjoy visiting markets in Spain and the Mediterranean. Plan to do some shopping on our cruise, since we arrive in Barcelona on Easter Sunday and plan to stay for 3 days.

 

Thought it would be enjoyable to shop for some Easter speciality items.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Yes--If you just want to just shop at the market or the Cortes Ingles a taxi would be the way to go. the bus would take longer to get there.

[TourDeCruise]

Thank you for your thorough and helpful review. How did you find Alicante to be as far as an enjoyable and relaxing place to have tapas and wine with wifi access as compared to Malaga? We enjoyed tapas, wine, and wifi access in the old city center of Malaga earlier this month.

 

It looks like there is enough to see in our day in Alicante on our Celebrity Equinox TA next year with a visit to the castle, the archaeology museum, and hopefully the Lucentum Roman ruins in the Albufereta neighborhood around 3km from the city center.

 

I have a few questions that you might be able to help me with. Do you know if the Lucentum ruins are on or near a HOHO bus stop? Did you see a walking trail without or with little car traffic to get to the castle, or are we best to take the elevator or the HOHO bus to get up to the castle? Is the "museo" shown on the left side of the map the archaeology museum?

 

Thanks again,

Kathy

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Thank you for your thorough and helpful review. How did you find Alicante to be as far as an enjoyable and relaxing place to have tapas and wine with wifi access as compared to Malaga? We enjoyed tapas, wine, and wifi access in the old city center of Malaga earlier this month.

Alicante feels more like a modern Spanish city. To us, Malaga had an old world feel. There were many places to sit on the Esplanade right along the water. In Malaga we stopped for a time in the square near the Cathedral. But, the view was much better in Alicante.

 

It looks like there is enough to see in our day in Alicante on our Celebrity Equinox TA next year with a visit to the castle, the archaeology museum, and hopefully the Lucentum Roman ruins in the Albufereta neighborhood around 3km from the city center. Yes, there is enough to fill your time. We did not visit the roman ruins outside of toen.

 

I have a few questions that you might be able to help me with. Do you know if the Lucentum ruins are on or near a HOHO bus stop? The HOHO just made a circuit around town. It did not go that far out of town.

 

Did you see a walking trail without or with little car traffic to get to the castle, or are we best to take the elevator or the HOHO bus to get up to the castle? I have read that there is a trail to get to the castle. We did not take it. We took the HOHO. We walked the trail/road to the castle in Malaga. After doing that I suggest you take the bus. LOL:D

 

Is the "museo" shown on the left side of the map the archaeology museum? .

 

Archeology museo is the stop before the castle on the HOHO. It is on the high ground and not visible on the map above.

 

The HOHO goes to the musueum and catle first and then curves around to the market [mercado] and along the avenue to the plaza de los Luceros [this is where the shoppers get off]. After a few more blocks it heads back to the waterfront and the sites along the Esplanade

 

This is a good link for information on Alicante. http://www.alicante-spotlight.com/alicante.htm

 

I hope you have a good cruise!

Edited May 28, 2014 by DragonOfTheSeas

[TourDeCruise]

Thank you once again for your good suggestions and information. I know what you mean with the castle in Malaga as we went up there earlier this month - by bus! We walked 10-11 miles that day anyway without hiking up to the castle and instead using the bus for part of the day. Supposedly it takes 45 minutes to hike up to Malaga's Gibralfaro. For Malaga, Celebrity arranged an abbreviated Do-It-Yourself (DIY) version of a HOHO bus with only 3 stops (Gibralfaro castle, Plaza de la Merced, & Cathedral); we took that excursion to get up to Gibralfaro castle where we spent 1.5 to 2 hours touring and down to Plaza de la Merced (olives, wine & wifi there) where we walked the rest of the way around Malaga on our own to see the Roman theater, Alcazaba, the city park, and various streets in the historic area.

 

The HOHO bus will be best for us in Alicante especially at the reasonable 7€ price. Then we'll find out where the Lucentum ruins are and walk there. A break on the Esplanade for wine and tapas or the delicious Spanish olives is a great suggestion. Fortunately, I still speak Spanish fairly well although not as fluently (probably 85% fluently back then) as 35 years ago, but certainly still good enough for getting around Spain.

 

Kathy

[DragonOfTheSeas]

The HOHO bus will be best for us in Alicante especially at the reasonable 7€ price. Then we'll find out where the Lucentum ruins are and walk there. A break on the Esplanade for wine and tapas or the delicious Spanish olives is a great suggestion. Fortunately, I still speak Spanish fairly well although not as fluently (probably 85% fluently back then) as 35 years ago, but certainly still good enough for getting around Spain.

 

Kathy

 

It sounds like a good plan. We found less people spoke [or understood English] in Alicante than our other stops. But, we never had difficulty finding someone that could help us.

 

PS--the McDonald's on the Esplande had bottles of water on the dollar menu.[or in this case the euro menu--1€ each] :p We bought several to take back to the ship.