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For Benidorm at its most flamboyant, try this enormous hotel packed with enjoyably kitsch details. All the usual facilities, plus a special children’s play area.

This bland and boxy 1970s four-star parador has a stunning setting right on the beach, and it’s surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The large, light rooms have terraces overlooking the Mediterranean. Facilities include pool, gym and sauna. There’s a fine restaurant.

This utterly charming mountain inn is run by a friendly British couple. Delicious local cuisine is accompanied by wine straight from the barrel. Also on offer are tailor-made walking, biking and activity holidays.

This sweet, tiny pensión right on the seafront in the old port of Xàbia offers no frills (except en suite bathrooms), but the location is perfect. Out of season, prices drop even further.

On the fringes of maze-like old Oliva, this pretty inn has five simple but stylish rooms. Breakfast is served at a long wooden table on the terrace. Two rooms are suitable for families, one is wheelchair-accessible.

A medieval mansion has been restored to house this stylish hotel, with 16 rooms and nine suites, some with spectacular terraces. Each room is individually decorated with an elegant mixture of old and new.

In the heart of historic Ontinyent, this hotel is functional but friendly. The village is a great base for exploring the sierras, which are dotted with natural springs and swimming holes.

This newcomer sits right on the Levante beach, and offers bright, modern rooms. Choose from no fewer than four pools (one indoors and three out, including one for kids). Watersports arranged on request.

There are three very basic camping areas within the stunning Regional Park of the Sierra de Espuña; apart from four mountain refuges, they are the only accommodation options within the park itself, and must be booked in advance from the park information office. Just outside the park, Camping Sierra Espuña has extensive facilities, including wooden cabañas for rent.

This swanky development beside the Mar Menor offers 60 luxurious “mini-suites” in whitewashed villas. There’s a restaurant and a café, plus pools for adults and children. The beaches of the Mar Menor are only 30 m (100 ft) away – those of the Mediterranean, just a little further in the other direction.