Cheap resorts in mainland Spain?

tishybabe

Hi. I've never been to mainland Spain and would like to book a last min deal there. The flights are cheaper than in the islands (about £200 flying from Liverpool or Manchester) for August.

I would love a place that has one Spanish charms (I.e not every other restaurants selling English breakfast!!), a town nearby, maybe a marina with restaurants and bars there but not too lively as going with hubby and 8 yr old daughter.

Thanks for your recommendations xx

budgetflyer

NERJA on the Costa del Sol.

Fly into MALAGA

Doshwaster

If you get a cheap flight into Malaga then there are a load of cheap resorts heading westwards from Torremolinos and Benalm!dena to Fuengirola all connected by a cheap and efficient train. None of them are especially classy but if you want sun, sea, sand with good value accommodation, food and drink then you really cannot go wrong - and it's easy to avoid the All Day Breakfast places. Things only start getting more expensive when you get further down the coast to Marbella.

If you go east of Malaga then the resorts tend to be quieter and more Spanish.

AlexMac

Nerja on the Costa del Sol in the far (and very hot) south is lovely. But even on the Costa Brava in the north east of the country there are small resorts which are more Spanish than Grockle; I had a cheap independent hol one August in L'Escala with the godsons and the beach was full of Spanish kids and families (none of them drunk!) at midnight, and restauarnts kept to local hours - dine at 10-midnight, rather than at 6-7 with other Brits. We flew cheap to Girona and rented a car but even a package to Tossa del Mar would still be not wholly Britchav!

But take a look at the Costa Verde in the regions of Cantabria and Asturias- the slightly cooler North coast, on the Atlantic Bay of Biscay. Generally cheaper flights to Bilbao or Santander, and Brittany ferries packages are doable with a car

AlexMac

Oh- and I shouldn't be advertising other travel websites (sorry Martin!), but when booking cheap packages, and to avoidreally awful hotels, I get two screens up and switch between the offers on expedia or lastminute or trivago or wherever, and the independent reviews on tripadvisor. com; which has a fast search bar. Take extreme reviews with a pinch of salt of course, and read between the lines, to get a generally accurate pic

daveyjp

Valencia has everything you need.

A very Spanish compact city centre, a great beach a 10 minute bus ride from the centre, an absolutely huge sealife centre which your daughter will love and the best paella in Spain.

zaksmum

Benidorm is still a favourite of mine with still maybe some Spanish charm in the old town.

Cheap and cheerful as you can get a large ice cold beer for 1 Euro. I love it there.

trets77

we like Javea, it does have it's fair share of places serving Full English Breakfasts on the beach front, but the old harbour and old town are lovely and well worth an explore. Not full of drunk lobster brits and there are some really great places to visit nearby.


Benidorm will be seen from a distance on the drive up if you land in Alicante. This is the nearest you want to get to it.

deva

Nerja and surrounding area can work out v cheap- last summer we were there for three weeks and rarely paid for a meal, inside hunting out decent free tapas and sticking to small drink. Breakfast in apartment, lunch free or sandwich on beach and tapas in bars in evening.

Enjoy

Legal_Al

20 mins from Alicante airport, direct on a quiet motorway. Beautiful promenade with a marina at one end. Very few Brits and lots of Spanish and Italian restaurants all at good value. :beer: You will not be disappointed.