Alicante's Secret Mountains

We particularly enjoyed the isolation on walks - meeting only other walkers - not Inntravel - on one of the walks out of the four that we did. We also enjoyed staying in small towns and having half board - which was essential due to the lack of restaurants where we stayed.

Really enjoyed this Inntravel holiday. The big scenery, and lushness of the area made it very attractive for walking. Not sure why we hadn't visited before!  Both Paco and Pilar were very welcoming hosts. We really felt at home. We met other Inntravellers at dinner one evening and Inntravel would be very proud if they could have heard us discussing their service. Keep up the good work!

Superb holiday - walks very well planned, accommodation cannot be faulted, will definitely use Inntravel again.

Recommendations: Because I'm older and not an experienced or regular hiker, it made a huge difference to my confidence, balance and endurance to have walking poles for the slightly trickier parts of walks. This year, I also brought a GPS and this meant that I always had an overview of where I was in relation to other roads and routes in case I was feeling unsure of where I was. I took photos of the relevant part of the maps. The phone screen is easier to access for a quick reference or check, rather than taking out the map when out walking.

Highlights:

Introductory Day: Being at the top of Sa Caseta des Moros 

Day 1: The detour with the view Pas Tancat, the profile of which gave me a marker for the earlier part of Day 2

Day 2: The country road and particularly the following descent into the Gorge: with the almond trees at the bottom it seemed like a remote, rugged paradise. The view from Els Arcs is awesome. 

Day 3: The ridge path directly after passing the Moorish Tower point. From there as far as the wired area, the views there were wonderful, delightful. A great feeling of being high up. An expansive view. (The rest of the trip was lovely through the trees, the part on the road was dull but necessary. The route ended beautifully with the valley walk.)

This is a beautiful and rugged area of Spain. So easy to access yet in the heart of small villages & quiet walks. We travelled late November & hardly saw any other walkers, yet this was a time of lovely weather & very pleasant temperature which made for excellent walking conditions. the walks were varied & interesting & the walk notes were excellent. This was my 1st self-guided walking holiday and I was impressed.

The walk from Tarbena to Castell is excellent, the views magnificent, the flowers carpeting the hillsides stunning.

The walking and the views were splendid - even better than the pictures on your website.

We had a fabulous holiday and will definitely recommend it to everyone. It is understandable that food in these out-of-the-way places is a bit on the basic side. We're inspired to take more trips like this with you in the future.

Brilliant, our first Inntravel holiday and I'm sure we'll be back. Exceptional and friendly service, great walks in a hidden part of Spain, excellent food, wine, and lots of almonds! Highly recommended. 

We would highly recommend Inntravel for their excellent package!

We had a fantastic time. We were a party of four in our early 50s. Quite challenging in places and one of our party struggled with a particluar narrow section at height. Some quite tough hills but worth the effort for the views at the top. I felt the walk was stunning. The villages were great, pretty and interesting. We went to the local bars after dinner for a nightcap each evening and found the people very friendly. On our first day we enjoyed the most delicious tapas at the restaurant just up from the hotel with a wonderful sausage and honey speciality dish. We didn't walk on our last day as the wind was very cold. We wandered around the village and visited the interesting museum. Both hotels were clean, comfortable and very welcoming. Paco, in particular, is a charming host. This was our second Inntravel holiday and we will be booking again.

Wonderful dramatic mountain scenery. At times a head for heights is required especially when walking from Tarbena to Castell de Castells - but only for a short distance. The first full day walking around Tarbena is quite challenging but don't let it put you off for the walk the following day to Castell de Castells, which although it is longer is much easier. The weather was dry and sunny in March whilst we were there but unseasonably cool around 12 - 14 degrees plus a cold north-east wind (the same Beast from the East that we had been suffering from in the UK).  Almond blossom was out and in the mountains lots of wild herbs - rosemary, fennel, thyme, etc.

Alicante seemed to duck most of the effects of the Beast from the East and the Atlantic storms which battered most of Spain as well as much of Europe. The weather was dull and damp most of the time but no snow and little actual rainfall allowed us to enjoy an enchanting area with varied walks.

A wonderful holiday in such an unexpected place. The mountains were lovely and it was hard to believe we were so close to tourist hotspots.

First time with Inntravel and you met all our expectations - slow holiday in great location and so peaceful - didn't see another walker for all seven days - we will travel with you again as the holiday was just wonderful!

We hadn't walked with Inntravel since Summer 2016 (we normally go twice a year). Our last holiday was Austria, which was okay but the weather was awful and we thought we would give the walking holiday a miss this year. Luckily my darling wife decided at the last minute that we should go, and picked Alicante. This holiday restored my faith completely; the area was fascinating, the walks were stunning, the hotels were wonderfully quirky, the weather was sunny! I've come back buzzing and refreshed. This was classic Inntravel - roll on 2018.

We enjoyed all our walks, managing to fit in 5 walks in the 4 days. We particularly liked the gorge walk on Day 2, finding evidence of wild boar (trotter prints) along the track as we went. The route over the high ridge was much easier than anticipated and the path was easy - we didn't encounter any rock falls that the notes described. Option 3 for Day 3, up to the watchtower was also very enjoyable with fanastic views along the ridge - that was the only day that we saw any other walkers - a group of French people whom we later encountered enjoying a long lunch back down in Castell in the restaurant recommended by Pilar - we had lunch there the next day, our last - well worth a visit - great food for a modest price.  

Like travelling back in time. So peaceful (except for church clocks). Lovely walks with masses of flowers and incredible numbers of butterflies. Paco and his cook Bea [Hotel de Tárbena] were so welcoming, friendly and informative. Should have stayed longer.

An excellent trip and our first Inntravel holiday. Paco at Tarbena was especially welcoming and was a mine of useful information. Our personal highlight was the climb to the old Moorish watchtower above Castell de Castells. Probably not recommended for people who are really scared of exposure but really not that difficult.

The walking routes were spot on for us as experienced walkers and April is a great time to visit, it would not be so comfortable in the summer. All our routes were quiet and we did not come across many other walkers. The packed lunches perfect however I would recommend anyone to take a couple of litres of water with them although the natural wells en-route gave us plenty of refreshments.  

The peace and tranquility of every route was completely astounding and the stunning views breathtaking, I would recommend this to any one looking for an antidote to a hectic lifestyle. We felt so healthy on our return mentally and physically. 

The whole holiday was a delight. A welcome short break in an unspoilt area a world away from the Costa Blanca resorts. We had glorious weather (mid 25 degrees Celsius in March) and walked to the accompaniment of Almond and Cherry groves in full blossom, scents of pine, wild thyme, rosemary and fennel. Fabulous walking country in spectacular scenery. My personal highlight was the circular walk to El Castellet from Castell de Castells. A steady but not difficult ascent of over 3000 meters to the summit, but the views both on the ascent and from the summit itself, of the suurounding mountains were just jaw-dropping. Don't be put off by the walking notes from making the final ascent to the Moorish ruins. It is not unduly difficult and (in our view) much less than the 'ten minutes steep climb' described in the walking notes. The views from the top are well worth the effort. We did not see a single other walker during the whole of this circuit - stunning.

Personal highlights were being lucky enough to be there when the almond blossom was out, the delicious spring water on the walks, delicious home cooking at both hotels, and the gorge walk section in particular (Option 2 - more demanding) of the Tarbena to Castells walk.

All the walks were varied and well documented. Suggest taking binoculars with you (if you have them) on the Tollos walk from Castells de Castells to enhance viewing of the Rock paintings.

The whole holiday was a great mix of active walking with friendly relaxation - perfect short break. Thank you to InnTravel for arranging everything so quickly for us and posting out the information pack the same day - excellent service and have already recommended you to several of our friends/family.

The walks on this trip were amongst the best we have undertaken, the weather was perfect and the people we encountered delightful