Nice and warm weather with a 21ºC average marks these days in the beautiful town of Jávea, on Costa Blanca, and if you plan to have a great weekend of (almost) summer, wander around a beautiful town filled with history, and enjoy rich gastronomy, here is what you wouldn’t want to miss.
Beaches
One of the main attractions of Jávea and the region around is its coastline, with 20 km of sands and hidden coves where visitors can enjoy a swim and a variety of water sports. The beach of El Arenal (Spanish for sandy) is one of the most emblematic on the coast of Jávea and centre of the August tourism boom, when the town’s population can triple. In this place, next to the Fontana Canal, sits the Parador de Turismo Costa Blanca, nice inn with privileged location only a few metres away from the beach.
Then, between the islands of Portixol and Descubridor you can find one of the most beautiful areas of the coastline, with crystal waters and a gorgeous seabed, the ideal setting for scuba diving. This water sport is also popular at Granadella Cove, another attractive spot in the coast of Jávea. Also, in the harbour of Jávea visitors can enjoy all types of water activities, such as sailing and windsurfing, when the wind conditions are good or, if not, then a nice boat trip to Dénia can be part of your plan.
History, Culture, Attractions…
While there are a string of pleasant beach towns along the Costa Blanca, what makes Jávea special is its dramatic variety: It’s really three towns in one, each with its own kind of beauty. The beauty of historical atmosphere is found in the town centre, which dates back to the late 14th century. A maze of pedestrian streets lead to a central square and the fortress church of San Bartolomé, still bearing bullet-holes from the Civil War. At night, when the church bell rings, and the amber lights reflect off the white-washed walls and honey-coloured tosca sandstone buildings, it feels as though you’ve time-travelled back to a torch-lit world of several centuries ago. Besides the impressive architectonic patrimony to be discovered, the historical centre also offers a vast network of shops, including traditional family-owned businesses, fashion boutiques, interior design stores and many more.
Gastronomy
Jávea bases its gastronomy on typical Mediterranean foods, with rich varieties of fresh fish, seafood and shellfish, among which the valuable sea urchins (erizos de mar), usually served with bread or in dry rice dishes. As local dishes, you may want to look for the tasty salazones (salted anchovies, tuna, albacore tuna), the mackerel stew (borreta de melva) or the dried octopus. Among the rice dishes (arroces), we highlight arroz a banda or a la marinera (seafood paellas), al horno (oven-baked rice), paella con boquerón y espinacas (paella with anchovies and spinach), fesols i naps (rice stew with beans and turnips), arroz negro (seafood paella in squid ink) and the arroces melosos con bogavante y langosta (stewed rice with lobster).
To go with your dinner, Jávea offers wines with the label Designation of Origin – Alicante, misteleta (sweet wine) and horchata (a soft drink made with tiger nuts). Among desserts, try those prepared with typical products from this region, such as almonds, oranges, raisins and figs, like tortà de almendra (almond flat bread), pastissets (stuffed fried cakes with filling), Coca María (sponge cake), sopà (crème caramel) or pelota dulce (sweet bread-balls).