We love Altea and have stayed there several times, often to celebrate special occasions and often with friends visiting on holiday.  You can read about previous trips and see some of our photos on the main Travel Jimmy website here

Click here to book a hotel in Altea, view lots of photos and read reviews by other travellers.

In November 2022 we stayed one night at Blue Sardine Hotel on Carrer la Mar, 54, close to the beach but still walkable to the old town if you are reasonably fit (it is a steep uphill climb!). It’s a nice small hotel with stylish rooms, very comfortable beds with super-soft sheets and big fluffy towels (always a good sign!) and a good fridge. There’s no reception but you get easy instructions for check in and out and are given room keys on check-in. There are lots of different room types that you can choose depending on your budget. Free parking is just 5 minutes walk away, near the station. Breakfast isn’t available, but there are plenty of cafes nearby, and we had a really nice breakfast at Casa del Mar Hostel Restobar just across from the hotel on the sea front.

Gran H La Marina Hotel Altea

 

In June 2020 we decided to enjoy freedom from lockdown and a birthday celebration by having a night in Altea.  We stayed at the  Gran H La Marina Hotel next to the station.

Gran H La Marina is a nice stylish small hotel in a good location close to the beach and right next to the railway station. Excellent breakfast with fresh fruit, tostada and croissants was included in price in the hotel’s cafe on the station platform.

There was plenty of free parking available close to hotel. Great value for money.

In February 2015 we stayed one night in the lovely Hotel Abaco. It’s a well run family hotel with very friendly, helpful staff, attractively designed, comfortable rooms, with hydromassage baths, aircon, minibar. Some of the rooms even have a small balcony.

The hotel is in a good location, just 10 minutes walk from the old town. The rooms are all different, with individual themes such as Moulin Rouge, Moroccan, Copa America, etc.

It’s a nice place to go for a special occasion because they offer many romantic add-ons such as candles, rose petals, cava and chocolates. We’d recommend that you look for a deal that includes breakfast. Visit their website or click here to book a room at Hotel Abaco, view lots of photos and read reviews by other travellers.

Hotel Abaco Room Altea
Hotel Tossal d'Altea

Other Altea Hotels

We have twice stayed at Hotel Tossal D’Altea, a beautiful converted olive mill on the edge of town, but only about 10-15 minutes walk to the old town and close to Altea Concert Hall. The rooms are large and modern and many have a small balcony with lovely views.  We were there in late September so didn’t get a chance to use the swimming pool, but the pool and area around it were very nice. Breakfast was a bit disappointing to be honest. We read comments about omelettes made to order, etc but when we were there there was no sign of that. There’s an outdoor area where you can sit and have a drink – we had a very nice glass of cava!

There is free, private parking at the hotel. Visit the Hotel Tossal D’Altea’s website for more information, or click here to reserve a room, view lots of photos and read reviews from other travellers.

If you’re looking for a budget option in Altea, Hostal Fornet on the edge of the old town offers good value clean rooms and a great location.  There’s free parking less than 5 minutes away.

Altea Bars & Restaurants

There are a lot of bars and restaurants in Altea and one of our favourites is Cafe Opera down by the sea front.  They have a big selection of amazing salads, baguettes and specials.  Their desserts and coffees are excellent too,  Xef Pirata in the old town is great for tapas with a twist, and Bussola an Italian across from the Cap Negrat hotel on the main road is very nice.  We didn’t have such a good experience at the Italian restaurant La Tradizionale – the pizza base was quite soggy and the pasta very bland.  We won’t be returning!

Another favourite is Cafe Rosa, a friendly restaurant on the sea front.  Their chilli burgers are great, the nachos very tasty, the pork fillet with sate sauce (see right) is delicious and be sure to leave some room for their wonderful apple pie!  Just along from Cafe Rose, Diferens has a nice vibe,. good coffee and always seems popular.  We’ve stopped for a drink a couple of times, but haven’t eaten there yet.

Up in the old town, we’ve had a couple of delicious lunches at Dels Artistes in the square. We’d noticed that it always seemed to be busy and decided to give it a try and we’re glad we did as the food is very nice. We had the Menu del dia both times which cost €18 (drinks not included). The mains were excellent – the Mixed Grill, Des Artistes Alteamixed grill (see left) was absolutely delicious with all meats cooked perfectly and super-tender. The tarragon chicken was also really tasty. Desserts were nice too. In fact, the only disappointment was the prawn cocktail.

We had a nice meal in November 2022 at Shabby Chic on Calle Salamanca in the old town. We shared a delicious salad with Burrata and strawberries, then had duck with a red
Duck with red fruits at Shabby Chic Alteafruit sauce (see right), and cajun chicken for our mains. Both were delicious. We had a bottle of red wine and water and the bill came to just over €60, so not cheap but very nice food. They are closed on Mondays and have recently opened another branch in Albir.

Oustau on Calle Mayor in the old town is another nice restaurant with a lovely ambiance, excellent service and good food. The prices aren’t cheap, but give good value for money with a good selection of food including steaks and several fish dishes. It’s the sort of restaurant that would be perfect for a special occasion. The fillet steak with strawberry sauce was very good, the sole meuniere very tasty and the tagliatelle with prawns was delicious, if a touch heavy. The steak and fish were served with a nice selection of vegetables and potatoes.