TRAVEL

By Air

Alicante is the cheapest and most popular airport to fly to.  There are charter services from all over the UK as well as scheduled services from Heathrow and Gatwick.  We personally prefer to fly to Valencia because it is far quieter but it only has scheduled services (BA (GB Airways) and Iberia).  Tuesdays and Saturdays are the most popular charter flight days to Alicante but there are daily scheduled services to both Alicante and Valencia.  There are a large number of companies specialising in charter flights to Alicante.  One of the most competitive and reliable ones is a company called AVRO.    They operate services from most UK airports and are easily contacted by telephone (0208 695 4444) or booked through your travel agent.

By Car

Driving to the Costa Blanca is not recommended unless you have at least 3 weeks on holiday.   To be comfortable, you need to allow yourself at least 3-4 days travel in each direction, the driving time is about 18-19 hours.   In addition to the cost of the ferry you need to compute petrol and road toll charges.  Petrol prices in France are about the same as the UK and slightly cheaper in Spain as they are fixed by the State. 

The direct ferry from Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain is another option but it takes 24 hours, is quite expensive and you still have a good 10 hours driving when you arrive. 

CAR HIRE

You will definitely need to have a car!!

In order to get a cheap hire car you need to pre-book before your entry into Spain.  Government regulations do not appear to allow the local companies to deal direct with incoming passengers, forcing them to hire away from the airport or rent from one of the more expensive, major operators like Hertz or Europcar.  To avoid this problem, we always use and recommend Victoria Car Hire.  Victoria have been in operation since the late 1980's and have their local offices in Calpe, which is just along the coast from the villa .  You can book over the Internet on www.victoriacars.com.  You will need your passport number, drivers licence number and incoming flight details when you book.  Payment is by Credit Card or cash, which you can choose to pay on arrival at Alicante or Valencia Airports.