HOME > ALICANTE VEGA BAJA > LA ZENIA
La Zenia is a small, coastal town situated on the Orihuela Costa in the province of Alicante. Much more petite than many of its neighbours at just 1.9 km², it is well-renowned as one of the most upmarket and desirable spots on the southern Costa Blanca.
Located just a short walk from a pristine beach made famous each year by its massive Christmas Day party, the urbanisations of La Zenia are mostly made up of low-rise apartment complexes and sprawling villas, while the centre itself is packed full of bars, restaurants, cafés and stores.
Remarkably self-contained for such a small area, La Zenia is popular with both Spanish and international tourists, as well as those looking for a bustling spot for a second home, and its population is growing exponentially year after year.
How to get to La Zenia
The coastal resort is ideally served by two airports, Alicante-Elche which is 51 kilometres away and Murcia’s Corvera (53km).
Getting to La Zenia by car is very straightforward as it’s situated directly on the N-332 dual carriageway and can also be reached by the AP-7 motorway via exit 763, although this will incur some tolls.
There are regular buses operating from the front of Zenia Boulevard that connect with the nearby cities of Torrevieja and Alicante.
How’s the weather?
Like so much of the Orihuela Costa, La Zenia enjoys its own little microclimate of sorts which guarantees balmy temperatures all year round. The area gets about 325 days of sunshine with the thermometers remaining at an average of 19.3°C.
The history of La Zenia
The name of the resort originates from the Arabic word ‘aceña’ after the mill wheels that irrigated what was once solely agricultural land. The very first residential property was actually an Ibizian-style chalet built by an aviation captain but most of the valuable farmland was sold to a businessman from the Murcian town of Cabezo de Torres in the 1960s.
After the Tourism Promotion Plan of 1966 was granted and La Zenia declared a Centre of Tourist Interest, the Hotel Servigroup La Zenia and the La Mirada restaurant were built, both of which still hold pride of place today on the cliffs which separate the resort’s two beaches.
Zenia Boulevard
One of the area’s most attractive features has to be Zenia Boulevard, Alicante province’s largest shopping centre. Spanning 161,000m2 of retail heaven, the boulevard contains almost 200 shops across an open, Mediterranean-style commercial centre on the ground floor and dozens of top-class eateries upstairs.
The Boulevard also hosts Christmas extravaganzas each year complete with parades and concerts which are sure to be a hit with all the family.
La Zenia’s beaches
The resort is home to two spectacular yet very different beaches: Cala El Bosque and Cala Cerrada.
Cala El Bosque has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag, thanks to its crystalline waters and a well-developed tourist infrastructure. It stretches for 258 metres between two rock promontories and offers every kind of water sport imaginable. Perfect for families, the beach sports a children’s play area and a popular shore-side bar, but it can get very busy in the summer and it’s best to get there early to secure parking.
Just 100 metres away is the sheltered cove of Cala Cerrada, which is surrounded by a small cliff and can only be accessed by stone stairs built in the centre of the beach or a ramp beside the hotel.Beach walks
The stunning cliff walks that meander along La Zenia’s coast are not to be missed and are aren’t exceptionally challenging, so can be enjoyed by people of all fitness levels.
From Cala Cerrada, a rocky inlet takes you all the way to the next beach to the north, Playa Flamenca (Playa de las Estacas), and on to Cala La Mosca and Cala Cabo Peñas.
If you choose to go south, a stunning cliff promenade will take you to Cala Capitan in Cabo Roig.
Things to do in La Zenia
La Zenia is often chosen as an ideal base to access some of the Costa Blanca’s best golf courses: two of the most popular, just a few minutes away by car, are the Real Campo de Golf de Campoamor and the Campo de Golf de Villamartín.
The resort undoubtedly has one of the liveliest ‘strips’ on the coast complete with a plethora of international bars and restaurants, but it also caters well to year-round residents with schools, pharmacies, supermarkets and sports facilities.
Images: Sarah Keane
Mercadona trials new checkout rule that means fully emptying your trolleySome stores are testing a system that could change how you pack away your shopping at the till If you shop at Mercadona, in Spain, you might notice something different at the checkout before too long. The supermarket chain is quietly trialling a new payment.. 24/09/2026
Heat linked to 586 deaths across Valencia region this summerAlicante recorded 279 of the estimated deaths as the region endured three heatwaves and a record number of exceptionally warm nights Summer may officially be over, but with temperatures still heading for 36°C, it certainly doesn't feel.. 24/09/2026
Alicante weekend weather September 24-27: Temperatures keep climbingTemperatures will hit the mid-30s on Friday before easing back a touch over the weekend, with plenty of sunshine across the Alicante Province Autumn may have arrived this week, but you'd never know it from the weather. It's been warm all.. 24/09/2026
Turning 65 without a full work record? You may still be entitled to a pensionThe non-contributory pension offers a guaranteed income and free healthcare to those who never built up enough Social Security contributions Not everyone reaches retirement age in Spain with the fifteen years of contributions the general Social Security.. 23/09/2026
Alicante's hidden desert where you can walk through dunes beside the MediterraneanDiscover 800 hectares of dunes, pine forest and beaches in this unusual corner of the Costa Blanca You don’t need to fly to the Sahara to experience a landscape of sweeping sand dunes, with one of Alicante’s most unusual natural spaces.. 23/09/2026
Flights to Spain could cost £150 more by 2050 under new UK climate proposalsThe Climate Change Committee says airlines must pay to clean up their emissions if Heathrow expands, and passengers will likely foot the bill If you fly regularly between Spain and the UK to visit family or friends, a new report from Britain's official.. 22/09/2026
Torrevieja Greenway set for huge €77,000 repair projectPlans will cover the full 6.7km route with work aimed at making it safer and more comfortable for walkers and cyclists Torrevieja’s popular Greenway is set for a major overhaul after the City Council awarded a €77,129 contract to draw up.. 22/09/2026
The EU is capping cash payments at €10,000 from 2027, but Spain already has stricter rules in placeWhat the new regulation means in practice depends on whether you're a resident, a non-resident or running a business Cash is quietly becoming more complicated across Europe and if you live in Spain or spend significant time here, it's worth.. 22/09/2026
New rules mean your work contract has to tell you a lot more from next monthRoyal Decree 723/2026 comes into force on October 5 and expands what employers must put in writing If you're employed in Spain, changes are coming to what your employer legally has to tell you about your job. Royal Decree 723/2026 was published in.. 21/09/2026
Food shopping gets more expensive as some everyday favourites see big price risesFresh berries, citrus fruit, green vegetables and eggs have all seen sizeable price rises over the past year If your weekly food shop has been feeling a little more expensive lately, some of the latest figures from Spain's inflation data show.. 21/09/2026
Warm days ahead as temperatures creep back up: Alicante weather forecast September 21-24Plenty of sunshine is on the way and temperatures will reach the low 30s in parts of the Alicante Province After the storms and heavy rain seen across parts of the province last week, the weather is looking much calmer across Alicante this.. 21/09/2026
British fugitive on UK's most wanted list arrested in Orihuela CostaThe 51-year-old was wanted for an outstanding eight-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud and money laundering The Guardia Civil has arrested one of the UK's twelve most wanted fugitives in Orihuela Costa as part of the international Most Wanted.. 21/09/2026
Spain has burned through nearly 300,000 hectares of land this year, almost half of the EU's entire totalNew figures confirm the scale of the 2026 wildfire season, though the pace of destruction has slowed considerably since early September Nearly 300,000 hectares of Spanish land have been destroyed by wildfires so far in 2026, according to the European.. 18/09/2026
Red alert issued in Murcia as storms bring flooding and disruption across SpainTorrential rain has caused flooding, travel disruption and thousands of emergency call-outs across eastern Spain, with one man confirmed dead after his vehicle was swept away by floodwater in Barcelona Storms have caused flooding and major disruption.. 17/09/2026
Five Alicante chefs put their twist on the humble tapaThe fourth edition of La Millor Tapeta del Món brings local flavours and creative cooking to Alicante’s Central Market Fancy discovering some of Alicante’s best tapas without having to travel around the province? That’s the idea.. 15/09/2026
Foreign workers in Spain hit a record high, and their contribution to the economy keeps growingMore than 3.5 million foreign nationals are now registered with Social Security, representing nearly 16% of the entire workforce The number of foreign workers registered with Social Security in Spain reached an all-time high in August, with 3,551,759.. 15/09/2026
