The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Spain:
The Mediterranean Coast
The stretch of coast that reaches south from Valencia nearly to Cartagena is known as the Costa Blanca (White Coast) because of its fine, powdery beaches. Fortunately, with a few notable exceptions, these beaches have been spared the extreme overdevelopment that plagues the Costa del Sol. Although the beaches at Valencia and Alicante are of your basic crowded, dirty, urban variety, the town of Gandía, halfway between the two, more than makes up for them. Benidorm, dominated by an admittedly beautiful beach, marred by countless high-rise eyesores, and discos with names like Penelope and Star Garden, is the Costa Blanca's nighttime playground. The small, ancient village of Villajoyosa, 10 km south of Benidorm, is a pristine village sporting multicolored window shutters, funky old buildings, and lots of aging fishermen.
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