We fancied a change of scenery at the end of March and decided to have a couple of nights away.  We’d never visited Elche, despite it being quite close to home, so decided on a night there and a night in Alicante, which is one of our favourite cities for a short break.

In Elche we stayed at the lovely Hotel Huerto del Cura.   Rooms are individual cabins set in the beautiful gardens, and rooms are spacious and comfortable.  Our room rate included a buffet breakfast which was very nice, with a good selection.  You can also get eggs cooked to order. 

There’s a bar, restaurant and lovely pool although it was too cold to use it when we were there!

The hotel also has a gym and spa, with a massage service.  There is a secure car park which in 2026 costs €13/day for hotel guests.  If you’re heading into the centre of town, around 10 minutes walk away there is a large free car park at Carrer Porta de les Tafulles, although it is very popular and you may struggle to find a space.

You have to walk through the Palmeral of Elche, the enormous palm park which sits in the middle of the city. The shade of the 200,0000 – 300,000 palm trees, the fountains, and the walkway down to the Río Vinalopó make it a nice place to go for a stroll although when we were there some of it was a bit scruffy.  There are several entry points, but you can easily enter the park next to the Archaeological Museum and the Altamira Palace at Carrer de la Diagonal del Palau, 7.

If you’re there on a nice day, you must climb the Clock Tower of the Basilica de Santa Maria.  It’s open daily from 10.30am – 3pm.  It’s a steep climb and the steps near the top get pretty narrow but it’s worth it for good views of the city.

Elche Restaurants

We were only there for a day but had a nice chicken salad and huevos rotos at the popular Monumental.  At night we had a very nice meal at Taboo.  The salmon was very nice and the pork fillet in mustard sauce was cooked to perfection, both served with a nice selection of vegetables and potatoes.

We’ve stayed in Alicante many times before and you can read more about this lovely city and our previous visits here. This time we stayed in Amelia Habitaciones on the edge of the old town. The room was amazing value for money.  The bed and pillows were super-comfortable, the shower was great, there was a fridge and coffee machine and it was in a perfect location.

Things to do in Alicante

Even if you’ve visited a city many times it’s possible to find something to do that you’ve never done before! In this case, we visited the streets under the castle. Climb up Calle San Rafael a pretty street that leads to Calle Dean Zaragoza for the La Casita de las Macetas Azules, a white house covered in bright blue flower pots. Calle del Sol and Calle de la Virgen, Carrer San Lluis are also very pretty. Calle San Antonio offers great views over the city.