A tranquil alternative to the nearby coastal resorts of Guardamar and Torrevieja, or the urban sprawl surrounding them, this pretty pearl of a town is full of plazas and parks.

Settled by the Arabs, Benijofar’s name stems from the Arabic word Jofar, meaning ‘pearl’. There is a charming church at its centre which sits within the Plaza de la Constitución, a modernised main square. Nearby, a venue called the Casa de Cultura has a rostrum for live events from theatre to concerts. This building overlooks the north end of the Cañada Marsa Parque, the largest of three public parks in the town.

Benijofar is great for walking and cycling tours around the Path of the Rafaels, the Parc Natural del Mata y Torrevieja and the Rio Segura. Keen hikers have the nearby mountains Sierra de Orihuela and de Callosa within easy reach. The beaches of Guardamar del Segura, Torrevieja and La Mata are accessible by car in under 20 minutes. Keen swimmers can access both indoor and open-air public pools locally. The Aquapark Ciudad Quesada is a nearby water park with plenty of slides while the Lo Rufete Multiaventura Park offers quad biking, horse riding, paintballing, archery, kayaking and more. Golfers have several courses to choose from, with the famous La Finca greens closeby.

There are no hotels in Benijofar, so it’s considered a quiet town tucked away from the hubbub of the nearby seaside resorts. It has a local market on a Tuesday and plenty of international and Spanish bars and restaurants. If the local radius of Benijofar becomes too small, there are strong expat communities in the larger, more modern towns surrounding it, like Formentera del Segura, Algorfa, Ciudad Quesada and Rojales.