Javea, Costa Blanca, Spain

The town of Javea is located in the Spanish region of Alicante on the Costa Blanca. This popular resort is often referred to as the jewel in the crown of the Costa Blanca and it's easy to see why. The World Health Organisation once named it as having one of the healthiest climates in the world, enjoying more recorded hours of sunshine per year than any other place in Spain.

Thousands of British people have come on holiday to Javea, fallen in love with it and decided to make it their permanent home. It's certainly not one of Spain's biggest tourist centres - but Javea offers a high quality holiday for visitors of all ages.

Situated midway between Valencia and Alicante airports (about an hour's drive from each if you use the toll paying motorway) Javea is easily accessible but has never been inundated by package holidaymakers. There are only a few hotels so the bulk of the tourist industry relies on the wealth of self-catering apartments and villas available here.

Look at a map of Spain and you'll see a distinctive triangular landmass jutting out into the Mediterranean halfway down the east coast. Javea is at the tip of that triangle. That's why it's known locally as "Amanacer de Espana" or Dawn of Spain - because as the sun rises in the east among the first places to catch its rays are the three headlands of Javea. A wonderful sight.if you're up early enough!

Javea's most distinctive feature is the mountain known locally as "the Montgo". This provides a dramatic backdrop for the resort and those who live in Javea swear blind it's an elephant, turned to stone, with its trunk dipping into the sea for a drink. It's a strange phenomenon but you can even see the elephant's eye close as the sun goes down (especially if you've had too much sangria!).

Javea is divided into three distinct sections, all quite different to one another. There's the old town - the original Javea, set slightly back from the coast and the place to visit if you're interested in Spanish history and culture. Here you'll find charming, narrow streets, shopkeepers speaking the local language "Valenciano" and a truly Spanish feel to the place. Thursday's a good day to visit when there's a big market in the Plaza de la Constitucion.