PRETTY AS A PICTURE

The views of the Javea headlands have been mesmerising visitors since Joaquin Sorolla painted here at the end of the 19th century

THE majestic umbrella pines perfectly frame what must be one of the prettiest stretches of coastline in Europe.

The countless vistas of the cobalt blue sea and its coves, playing off perfectly against the honey-coloured sandstone headlands, have helped to make Javea famous.

Best viewed from any of the 15 viewpoints - collectively known as the Ruta de los Miradores - the coastline has somehow managed to survive the worst excesses of the construction boom.

While there are a few obvious exceptions, the majority of the rutted coastline and the nearby hills are blissfully still intact and perfect for a hike.

Javea’s rugged beauty holds enough hidden jewels to share all around, writes Jon Clarke

While some visitors attempt the Mirador challenge, taking in all viewpoints over 29 kilometres, my early morning stroll to one of them, Cap Negre, followed by a hike downhill to empty Playa Ambolo was by far the best start of the day this year so far.

I’ve known the coastline around Javea for decades and, in fact, many years before I even visited, thanks to the keen eye of Madrid’s astute 19th century painter Joaquin Sorolla.

It was at his former home in the capital, now a museum, that I used to marvel at the colour and light of this marvellous region and its impressive geology. Sorolla was a massive fan of Javea (also known as Xabia in Valenciano) and would spend many of his summer holidays here, painting children on the beach or setting up his easel in the nearby headlands. To head to his museum in Madrid when I lived in the capital in the 1990s, was the best way to escape the frenetic pace of the

Continues overleaf city and quickly find yourself transported to the seaside around Javea.

Forget long, white sandy beaches, like in nearby Benidorm or Almeria, say, Javea is all about its natural protected coves.

Once a remote beach, Conde Nast Traveler named Cala Barraca as one of the Mediterranean’s ‘most Instagrammed spots’, while award-winning Playa Granadella becomes something of a roadblock in summer.

Make sure you head here out of season and enjoy the resort, that half a century ago was only connected to the rest of Spain by dirt tracks.

In summer the town of 29,000 souls (around half of them foreign) swells to over 100,000 people, which is no surprise thanks to its frenetic nightlife, bustling gourmet scene and, of course,