Altea holiday apartment: Altea

My wife and I spent a fantastic week in apartment 5B in June 2009. We arrrived following a city break in Valencia and were met by the owner, Lawrence who was the perfect host. He explained in great detail the apartment, Altea and what the surrounding area had to offer. He was extremely polite & curteous and we were completely reasurred that had we had any issues he was only a phone call away. This was confirmed when my wife couldn't find a hairdryer and after a call to enquire if there was one in the apartment, Lawrence was around within a couple of hours with said item, not the type of service you get from all property owners.
The apartment was spotlessly clean and had everything you would need for a perfect stay. The views from 5B were fantastic and we spent many hours chilling out watching the yachts sail out during the day then the flotilla of fishing boats leaving the harbour late at night. The pool rarely had more than a handfull of people in/around it and is positioned to allow it to be bathed in sunshine for most of the day.
From the apartment it is about a 20-30 minute walk to the top of old town Altea with plenty bars/resuarants etc located practically on the doorstep. We had hired a car and travelled the local region a bit but this would not have been essential had we wanted to stay solely in Altea. Local bus number 10 stopped right outside taking you to the delights! of Benidorm if you should so desire.
All in all a very comfortable base in a lovely Spanish coastal town allowing complete independence but with the reassurance of an extremely helpful owner close by should the need arrise.
Would not hesitate to return and have already recommended the apartment to close family and friends.
Go on book it and enjoy!

There will be only a few words in this review regarding this property, in fact one word is enough, EXCELLENT. We have stayed several times in both the apartments of the owners and they have always been first class with regard to furnishings,quality of fittings, cleanliness and location. The owners are close by in case of need and very helpful and reliable from the time of the booking to the end of the holiday. Everything you need is only a stones throw away. We will be back.

Though I lived in Spain for 2 years in the 60's, it was some time since I'd visited the Costa Blanca and I was overwhelmed by the amount of building in recent years. I just hope that now, with the 'credit crunch' it comes to an end.
The apartment was everything described. Comfortable, luxurious even, well-maintained with all mod cons - even a teapot! That's the advantage of there being an English owner. Our only complaint - no sun-beds available by the pool.

We travelled by bus from Alicante Airport (a mere 8 euros each) and the lovely Laurence met us in Benidorm and took us to the apartment, where he'd got in supplies as we arrived on a Saturday night. Everything we could possibly need for breakfast. There were views of the harbour and the sea, the No.10 bus stop was literally outside the door, which we needed as my daughter is slightly disabled and my friend can't walk terribly far. On market day (Tuesday) it took us right to the beginning of the market, well at the back of the town. One supermarket is at the rear of the block, less than 5 minutes walk and has absolutely EVERYTHING, including wonderful fresh fish. The other supermarket, MASyMAS, is 10-15 minutes walk along the front.
There is a Panaderia next door to it which does croissants to die for (don't be too late getting up as they sell out).
We loved a new restaurant near MASyMAS, called 'Differens' run by Scandinavians. Lovely food, reasonably priced with staff who are dedicated to good service. Always busy, so the atmosphere buzzes.
You can take the bus into Benidorm and from there go up to Guadalest and other inland gems, and it's only 1 euro wherever you go.
Laurence, the son of the owner, is incredibly helpful. I won't make him blush by going on too much about him, but I hope my own son makes as good an impression on strangers as he does. He's only a phone call away which can be reassuring especially when you arrive and leave in the middle of the night. (Except I forgot to get a SIM card for my phone and had to find a telephone booth.) The Tourist Information bureau was exceptionally unhelpful. I can get by with Spanish but I went in speaking English because I've never met a member of staff in any Tourist Information bureau who doesn't speak English. The 2 employees sat below the level of their desk, didn't look up, apparently can't smile, and would only speak Spanish. They gave us a poorly printed leaflet IN SPANISH about the Fiesta when we asked for information about it.