La Serena Altea

Benidorm may be only a few kilometres away, but feels as though it's on another planet. La Serena is in the hillsid village of Altea, not on the coast (though the sea can clearly be seen from the terrace and most of the bedrooms), and is a delightful, boutique hotel with designer-style, air-conditioned accommodation, a small pool, a restaurant serving breakfast (which was very good) and dinner (which I didn't try), both in the dining-room, and on the terrace at the back of the hotel. Altea, whilst far more upmarket than most of the coastal resorts, still receives large numbers of tourists; but La Serena, though only a few minutes' walk (up a steady but not particularly steep hill) from the centre of the village, lives up to its name and is wonderfully quiet and peaceful. It is, though, extremely difficult to find (though easy enough once you know where it is), even with a map, as it is hidden on a back street with little in the way of signs from the village or the approach roads. Definitely worth the effort, though, and the (non-trivial) cost!