The Elche palm grove

Follow the N-332 and then the CV-84: in barely 25 km, Alicante gives way to Elche’s alluvial plain along the lower Vinalopó, ringed by low limestone hills. Here, an Andalusi-era oasis grid unfolds, watered by the 11th‑century Acequia Mayor and its splitters. The Huerto del Cura—home to the seven-suckered Imperial Palm—sits near Huerto del Chocolatero and the Altamira complex; at Elche’s archaeological museum, the Lady of Elche faces Iberian works from the 5th century BCE. It’s Europe’s largest palm grove, inscribed by UNESCO in 2000, where date scents mingle with a still-legible medieval hydraulic fabric.

From there, the pace is unhurried: hotel pickup in Alicante, your Mercedes on standby, and the driver handles traffic while you tour, sip a coffee on Plaça de la Merced, or stroll the Avenida de la Comunidad Valenciana. In Elche, your private chauffeur in Alicante fine-tunes stops, secures timed entry at the Huerto del Cura, waits during your MAHE visit in the Altamira palace, then detours to the Pont del Ferrocarril lookout for a wide view of Phoenix dactylifera rows. Return when you wish, perhaps after a quick horchata break.