If so, you can take a trip along the Costa Calida and check out Murcia, Spain.

You can easily make the trip to Murcia a day trip from Alicante.

You can even get a Murcia car hire for your exploring.

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Murcia, Spain is a popular place for students, with around 30,000 students in Murcia during the school year.

In fact, it is called “University City.”

If you prefer to look for cheap flights to Murcia, the San Javier airport services the area.

Plenty of international airfare carriers fly into the Murcia airport.

Once you land, you can get a car hire in Murcia, or take a bus or taxis, to get to your Murcia hotel.

There are plenty of hotels in Murcia, including cheap Murcia hotels, but they can book up quickly.

Fans of water sports will enjoy Murcia as it is located at the northern shore of Mar Menor.

For other fun, you will find museums and cathedrals to explore in Murcia.

One of the must-see attractions in Murcia is the Cathedral of Murcia.

There is more to the cathedral than just enjoying the interior.

You can climb to the top of the tower and enjoy sweeping views of the city and the surrounding area.

Other things to do in Murcia include:

• the Almudi Art Palace
• Museo de la Ciudad museum
• Gran Casino
• Spa La Manga, which is located at the Hyatt Las Lomas Village & Spa

Since then, I’ve noticed that I left a few attractions off that list.

In fact, I have 3 more must-see attractions in Alicante, Spain that you will want to add to your itinerary.

Basilica of Santa Maria

The Basilica of Santa Maria is the oldest active church in Alicante. It was built between the 14th and 16th centuries in Gothic style. It was actually built over the remains of a mosque. In the 18th century, a portal in Baroque style and a Rococo-style high altar – both of which you can still see today.

Central Market

If you want to be able to mingle with the locals while in Alicante, you should check out the Central Market. It is in an early 20th century building. Stop by in the morning, except on Sundays when it doesn’t happen, to do your shopping or just people watch. Flower sellers can be found out back. And take note of how one of the two stories of the building is a half basement. This is due to the sloping streets of Alicante.

Fogueres Festival Museum

The Fogueres Festival Museum focuses on the history of the famous Alicante Las Hogueras de San Juan festival. The festival takes place in Alicante each June and is known for its characteristic bonfire. At the museum you can see mock bonfires, costumes, ‘ninots indultados’ (effigies) and film clips from previous festivals.

As of late summer 2010, TripAdvisor lists 482 hotels in Alicante.

Whether you are looking for Alicante resorts along the Alicante coast or another Alicante location, you should have no problem finding what you’re looking for in accommodations in Alicante.

The Villa Venecia Hotel Boutique in Benidorm is currently the top rated Alicante hotel. According to their website, the hotel is the first all-inclusive Mediterranean hotel along the Costa Blanca. Nightly rates range from €115 – €216.

Hospes Amerigo is another top-rated hotel in Alicante. Guests can enjoy a spa, a rooftop pool, a bar, a restaurant and a tea and coffee bar. Nightly rates for this Alicante hotel range from $126 – $217.

Located in the center of Benidorm is another top-rated Alicante hotel, the Hotel Royal. This hotel is near the Old Town and Levante Beach. Nightly rates range from €62 – €160.

Hotel Don Pancho in Benidorm is another top Alicante hotel you can find along the Costa Blanca. It is situated just 100 meters from Levante Beach. On July 27, 2010, the Hotel Don Pancho was awarded the “Thomas Cook the Award for Excellence” for customer recognition of exceedingly high standards of service and quality of accommodation. Nightly rates range from €85 – €170.

The Gran Hotel Sol y Mar in Calpe is only a few meters for Arenal Beach. This Alicante hotel has a nightclub, a spa, restaurant, pool and more. Nightly rates range from €81 – €196.

You can look for more top-rated hotels in Alicante, you can refer to the TripAdvisor website.

Hotel ratings are also available on traveling booking websites, such as Expedia and Travelocity.

Other places to look for Alicante hotels include

• Orbitz.com
• OneTravel
• Hotwire.com

While Alicante’s beaches are a major draw, there are other attractions in this Spanish city that you will want to check out.

Here are the top 5 attractions in Alicante:

1. Castle of Santa Barbara

This 9th century castle was built by the Moors into Mount Bencatil. It is free to visit the Castle of Santa Barbara, which is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain. You can walk up to the castle to take the elevator at Avenue de Juan Bautista Lafora.

2. Nightlife

In Alicante, the nightlife is a big part of the city. You won’t find happy hour starting in Alicante at 5pm though. In Spain, happy hour starts close to midnight. During happy hour, you can enjoy cheap drinks and the occasional free shot. Old Town Barrio, located in the center of the city, is THE place to go for happy hour in Alicante. Hot bars include Mulligan’s, Dos Gringos and Carpe Diem. After that, move to the clubs in the Puerto district around 3am.

3. Postiguet Beach

Possibly the most popular beach in Alicante, Postiguet Beach is a good place to go any time of day or night. Don’t worry about safety at night because there are streetlights at the beach to keep it well lit. You will also find plenty of restaurants and bars within walking distance.

4. Old Town

The Old Town district of Alicante has wide, cobbled streets that you can walk. You’ll find old churches, great architecture and museums along the Old Town streets of Alicante. See the Santa Faz monastery, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari and the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts.

5. Tabarca Island

For a nice getaway, take a catamaran to Tabarca Island. It’s a nice, peaceful place to spend the afternoon. You can hike along the coast or enjoy a picnic near the water.

Romería de la Santa Faz marks the traditional Christian pilgrimage each year on the second Thursday following Holy Week.

The eight kilometer pilgrimage gets started at 8 am at San Nicholas Cathedral. It ends at Santa Faz Monastery.

Along the way, short breaks called “paraetas” are taken where you sip typical Alicante wine and eat anise rolls.

Las Hogueras is an Alicante festival that coincides with the Summer Solstice.

Each year on June 20th fireworks are launched into the sky to mark the start of the Alicante festival.

Las Hogueras de San Juan lasts through June 29th each year, with the climax on June 24th when bonfires are set all over the city.

Music, dancing, bonfires, food and fireworks are some of the things you can enjoy at this Alicante summer festival.

International calls from the US can be expensive, but there is a new way that you can make your international calls from the US for free. It’s called FreePhone2Phone and here’s how it works.

You have to listen to a 12-second ad in order to make the free international phone call. After listening to the ad, you can make a 10-minute call to one of 55 supported countries. During the last half-minute of the call, a warning tone beeps every 5 seconds.

If you try to make more than one call a day to the same number, you are limited to 5-minute calls after the initial 10-minute call. However, you can make as many 10-minute calls as you want to different numbers.

Your international calls are limited to primarily landlines, as it is too expensive to call cell phones overseas.

FreePhone2Phone can be used with your home phone and your cell phone.