A 3-night escape from Valencia to the Costa Blanca — suspended walkways, the clearest water in Spain, a medieval castle and a pirate treasure hunt that kept the girls going for 3 solid days.
📍 Finestrat, Alicante📅 May 23–26, 2026🚗 3h15 from Valencia👧 Kids ages 7 & 9⭐ 3 nights☀️ 25°C · Sunny all weekend
Day 1 — Friday 23 May
MAY23Fri
Valencia → Finestrat · Arrival
Depart 5 PM · ~3h15 drive · Arrive ~8:15 PM
▼
13:00
Pick up rental car
Confirm pickup location with your booking. Check fuel level before leaving.
🚗 Rental car
17:00
Leave Valencia · AP-7 south
Friday rush hour out of Valencia — use Google Maps or Waze. Clears up after Cullera. Fill up before the motorway (20% cheaper than toll stations).
~20:15
Arrive at the apartment · Finestrat
Check-in per host instructions. Communal pool and park in the complex.
10 min from the apartment. Open Mon–Sat until 10 PM. Stock up for home breakfasts, pool snacks and the Sunday beach picnic.
Also nearby: Family Cash (until ~10 PM) and Supermercat L'Hort in Finestrat village (9 AM–9 PM).
~21:30
Dinner
Options
Restaurante Puig Campana — Cala de Finestrat, 5 min away. Fresh catch, sea terrace. Open Fridays until 10:15 PM. ⭐ Our pick.
Home dinner — Pasta + salad from Carrefour if the kids are exhausted after 3 hours in the car.
Motorway stop — Service area around Gandía/Oliva. Adds 20 min but you arrive comfortably full.
🏴☠️ Friday night surprise: Hand the girls the Treasure Hunt list tonight. Watch them immediately start planning their strategy.
Day 2 — Saturday 24 May
MAY24Sat
Serra Gelada · Benidorm Hunt · Villajoyosa
Hike · Treasure Hunt sprint · Colourful old town · Pool
▼
08:00
Breakfast · Leave by 8:00 AM
Options
Home — Bread, fruit, yogurt from Carrefour. Quickest option — you need to leave early. ⭐
Carmencita Brunch · Benidorm — 4.9★. Eggs Benedict, avocado toast. Opens 9 AM. 15 min away. Adds 30 min but totally worth it.
09:00
🥾 Serra Gelada · Albir Lighthouse Trail
5 km round trip · ~1.5–2h · Easy — perfect for ages 7 and 9. Dramatic clifftop path along the Mediterranean with the lighthouse as the reward at the end. Go before 10 AM to beat the heat. Free parking at Camí Vell del Far in Albir.
15 min from Serra Gelada. Park at Parking Levante or Rincón de Loix.
🏴☠️ Items to tick off: #1 Mirador del Castell · #2 Poniente Beach · #3 Levante Beach · #4 Old Town streets · #5 Church of San Jaime (blue domes!) · #6 Port of Benidorm · #7 Parc d'Elx · #10 BENIDORM sculpture 📸 · #11 Ice cream stop 🍦
14:00
🌈 Villajoyosa · Cases de Colors
The most colourful town on the Costa Blanca. Fishermen painted their houses bright colours so they could spot them from sea in the fog. Wander the car-free old town, find the street murals, and stock up on chocolate (it's the chocolate capital of the region 🍫).
🏴☠️ Hunt #12: "Find something that makes you smile" — the coloured houses definitely count!
17:00
Back to apartment · Pool 🏊
20 min from Villajoyosa. Count up the hunt items ticked over dinner.
✅ Saturday goal: tick at least 10 of 12 items.
21:00
Dinner
Options
Home BBQ — Grilled meat from Carrefour + salad. After such a full day, the smart and delicious call. ⭐
Taberna El Barba · Altea — 4.6★. Best octopus on the coast. Open Sat from 8 PM. Treat night — book ahead. 25 min.
Day 3 — Sunday 25 May
MAY25Sun
Cala del Moraig · Snorkel · Guadalest
Crystal-clear water · Sea cave · Moorish castle · Pool
▼
08:00
Quick breakfast + pack the cooler
Eat by 8 AM. Pack sandwiches, fruit, water and snacks for the beach. Leave by 8:30 — the parking fills fast on Sundays.
⚠️ Leave by 8:30 AM — the car park (€15/day) fills before 10:30 on Sundays in May.
10:00
🤿 Cala del Moraig · Snorkelling & Sea Cave
One of the best coves in Spain. Water so clear you can see the bottom from 5m up. The Cueva de los Arcos — a sea cave you can swim into — is the highlight. The girls will not want to leave.
What you need
👟 Water shoes — ESSENTIAL (rocky pebble beach)
🤿 Snorkel masks — bring your own or hire at the kiosk (~€5)
☂️ Sun loungers — €30 for a pair + umbrella. Claim them early.
🥤 Packed cooler — the on-site kiosk is small
15m visibilitySea cave 🫣
13:30
Lunch · Guadalest (on the way back)
Options in Guadalest
Restaurante L'Hort — Mountain terrace, spectacular valley views. Set menu, great value. Open Sunday until 4 PM. ⭐
Pizzeria El Patio Plaza — 4.9★. Best pizza in the area. Open Sun 11 AM–6 PM. Perfect if the girls want something familiar.
15:30
🏰 Castell de Guadalest · Medieval village
A Moorish castle on a vertical rock needle above a turquoise reservoir. One of the most visited villages in Spain — and for very good reason. €4/person for the castle. Artisan shops, honey stalls, ice cream, and jaw-dropping views.
€4/person45–60 min
17:00
Back to apartment · Pool 🏊
40 min from Guadalest.
⚠️ Tonight: pack your bags. Monday checkout is early — aim to leave by 8:30 AM.
21:00
Dinner
Options
El Paso de Altea — Free tapas on arrival, great paella, limoncello at the end. Open Sundays. 25 min. ⭐
The Bali Blue · Villajoyosa — 4.8★. Beachfront. Open Sun 12:30–10 PM. Book ahead. 20 min.
Home dinner — Tortilla, cheese, cold cuts. Pack bags after. Zero stress for Monday.
Day 4 — Monday 26 May
MAY26Mon
Pasarela de Relleu · Drive Home
Early checkout · Gorge walkway · Back to Valencia
▼
08:00
Quick breakfast · Finish packing
Options
Home — Finish what's left in the fridge. Eat by 8 AM, bags in the car, keys handed over by 8:30. ⭐
Supermercat L'Hort · Finestrat — Opens 9 AM · 8 min away. Fresh pastries. Only if you're leaving later.
A 390m wooden walkway pinned to sheer gorge walls — 60 metres above the canyon floor. Two glass-floor observation platforms that will make everyone's knees go slightly weak. Helmets provided on site. The girls described this as "the best part of the whole trip."
🎟️ €3.50/person · Book at pasareladerelleu.es — essential on weekends ⏰ Opens 9:00 AM daily (last entry 5:30 PM) ⚠️ Closes on rainy or windy days — check Sunday night and confirm your booking 🧥 Bring a light layer — the gorge is surprisingly cool in the shade
60m drop 😱Glass floor × 2
11:15
Back to car · Drive to Valencia 🚗
Relleu → Valencia ~3h15 on the AP-7 south. Monday traffic is light.
🎉 Treasure Hunt final count: 11 or 12/12 on the drive home?
~12:30
Lunch stop · Gandía or Cullera
~1 hour into the drive. Plenty of good seafood restaurants right on the waterfront in Gandía beach.
~14:30
Home in Valencia 🏠
Return rental car per your booking. Check fuel before you hand it back.
Quick Reference
Drive times from the apartment
Cala de Finestrat beach
5 min
Carrefour supermarket
10 min
Benidorm · Villajoyosa
15–20 min
Pasarela de Relleu
20 min
Serra Gelada (Albir)
30 min
Guadalest
40 min
Cala del Moraig
1h 15 min
Valencia (home)
~3h 15 min
Key alerts
🏴☠️ Print the Treasure Hunt before leaving Valencia. Hand it to the girls on Friday night.
🤿 Water shoes for Cala del Moraig. Decathlon Benidorm opens Saturday at 9:30 AM.
🌉 Book Pasarela de Relleu at pasareladerelleu.es — confirm Sunday night that they're open (closes with rain/wind).
🥾
Serra Gelada Natural Park
📍 Albir · 30 min from apartment · Saturday morning
A 5km coastal path along dramatic cliffs above the Mediterranean, ending at the historic Albir lighthouse. Free parking. One of the most underrated nature spots on the Costa Blanca.
Go before 9 AM on Saturdays — it gets very busy once the heat builds. The cliffside views about 2km in are the best of the whole trail. The girls made it without a single complaint.
🌈
Villajoyosa · Cases de Colors
📍 La Vila Joiosa · 20 min · Saturday afternoon
The most colourful town on the Costa Blanca. Candy-coloured fishermen's houses line the seafront, the old town is car-free and entirely walkable, and it's the chocolate capital of the region.
Far more authentic than Altea and way less crowded. Park at the port and walk in from the seafront. The street murals in the Casc Antic are incredible — look for the tattooed sailor and the woman mending fishing nets.
🤿
Cala del Moraig · Benitachell
📍 Benitachell · 1h15 · Sunday
Simply one of the best coves in Spain. Crystal-clear water with 15m visibility, a sea cave (Cueva de los Arcos) you can swim into, and snorkelling with fish that seem completely unbothered by you.
The drive is absolutely worth it. Water shoes are non-negotiable on the pebble beach — our biggest tip. Leave by 8:30 AM on Sundays in summer or the car park will be full when you arrive.
🏰
Castell de Guadalest
📍 Guadalest · 40 min · Sunday afternoon
A Moorish castle perched on a vertical rock needle above a vivid turquoise reservoir. One of the most photographed spots in the Valencia region for good reason.
45 minutes is enough. €4/person is excellent value for the views. The combination of the castle + reservoir + mountain village below makes for some of the best photos of the whole trip. Go in the morning if you can to beat the tour groups.
🌉
Pasarela de Relleu
📍 Relleu · 20 min · Monday morning
A 390m wooden walkway suspended 60m above the Amadorio river gorge, with two glass-floor observation platforms. Helmets are provided at the entrance. €3.50/person.
This was genuinely the highlight of the whole weekend. The girls' faces when they stepped onto the glass floor — priceless. Book online at pasareladerelleu.es and always confirm the night before that it's open (it closes for rain and wind).
🚗 Getting there
Valencia to Finestrat is ~3h15 on the AP-7 south. Leaving at 5 PM on a Friday, budget 3h30 due to rush hour out of Valencia — it clears after Cullera.
The AP-7 is a toll road. Keep some cash or a card ready — toll booths around every 30–40km.
Decathlon Benidorm is open Saturday from 9:30 AM — perfect for water shoes or snorkel masks if you don't have them.
🛒 Groceries & budget tips
Carrefour Finestrat (10 min from the apartment) is your main base. Open Mon–Sat until 10 PM. Do a big shop on arrival Friday night.
For Cala del Moraig: bring a packed cooler. The on-site kiosk is tiny and overpriced.
For Guadalest: eat at L'Hort restaurant and skip the tourist shops — quality drops significantly the further you walk from the car park.
👧 With kids
The Treasure Hunt was genuinely transformative. The girls were motivated and engaged the whole weekend — no "I'm bored" from either of them.
Serra Gelada is perfectly manageable for ages 7 and 9 — wear trainers, not sandals, and bring plenty of water and snacks.
Cala del Moraig with kids: water shoes essential, arrive early for a flat spot near the water, and bring more snacks than you think you need.
Pasarela de Relleu: both girls were slightly nervous and completely delighted. The helmets make it feel like an adventure from the first minute.
Treasure Hunt Progress
0/12
⭐ Bonus Challenges
📷 Family selfie with the sea behind you · 🐚 Find a shell or cool stone · 🍨 Try something new to eat · 👓 Spot something blue · 🤪 Silly pose somewhere new + photo