Polop

Polop de la Marina is a classic Valencian hill village crowned by a medieval castle and famous for its 'Font dels 221 Brolladors' — a long fountain wall with 221 spouts, each engraved with the name of a Spanish town. Sitting just 8 km inland from Benidorm, it offers cooler temperatures, mountain views and an authentic village atmosphere within easy reach of the coast.

Of Moorish origin, Polop took its current form after the 13th-century Christian reconquest, with the castle defending the entrance to the Guadalest valley. Spanish writer Gabriel Miró made the village famous in his early-20th-century novels, and a literary cemetery on the castle hill commemorates him.

Slow, traditional and surprisingly cosmopolitan thanks to its long-established international community. Life revolves around the village square, the church, the weekly market and the cooler micro-climate that makes it a refuge from coastal summer heat.

• 1.Climb to the Castell de Polop and Gabriel Miró cemetery
• 2.Photograph the 221-spout fountain wall
• 3.Walk the old town and Mudéjar church
• 4.Hike or mountain-bike the Sierra de Bernia trails
• 5.Day-trip to nearby Guadalest village and reservoir

Traditional inland Valencian — putxero, rabbit and snail rice, sausages and local cheeses — with a handful of well-regarded village restaurants and tapas bars.

A handful of charming small hotels and casas rurales in the village and surrounding countryside; most international visitors stay in Albir or Benidorm.

Continue exploring the North Costa Blanca.