Xàbia Mini Guide
Xàbia (also known an Jàvea) is known as the Amancer de Espana or dawn of Spain because its position jutting out on the east coast means it sees the sunrise first. It is an idyllic town on the Costa Brava which the World Health Organisation has even ranked as having one of the world’s healthiest climates. This small town near
Alicante is a popular resort for tourists who are attracted to the fact that it has more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in Spain as well as top class beaches on which to enjoy the weather. One of these is the crescent shaped Arenal beach which has many restaurants, bars, cafes, ice cream parlours and gift shops to cater to the needs of visitors.
For those who want to go out and enjoy the balmy night air there are renowned clubs such as Achill, Penelope and Moon. These establishments invite big name DJs such as David Guetta, Fedde le Grand and the Hed Kandi label to play during the summer months. If you want to drink beforehand try the Jalousie cocktail bar or go for tapas at La Boheme, all of which are on the Arenal seafront. Another place to eat out or go shopping is the Avenida del Mediterraneano which runs along the harbour.
The mountain Montgo, which is shaped like an elephant, provides the backdrop to this town which is centred around a busy fishing port. The port is one of three parts of the town of Javea, sometimes called Xabia and its 24,000 inhabitants are split between the port, Arenal, and the old town. In the old town be sure to see the church of San Bartolome and the museum of Soler Blasco in the Calle Primicias which has Javea’s old treasures and jewellery. All these attractions have combined to make Javea a popular holiday and retirement area, especially with the British.
It can be extremely busy during the summer months but there is plenty of villa accommodation which is located in quieter areas. Javea is equidistant between
Valencia and Alicante airports. Hiring a car from either of those terminals is a good idea as the bays on either side of Javea; Cabo San Antonio and Cabo San Martin, are worth seeing as is much of the rest of the Costa Brava, including the coastal towns like
Denia and
Calpe.