Albir and Altea. Met at Alicante and driven up the coast by the road that suits the day.
The wellness addresses north of Alicante sit on a hillside above the sea, between Benidorm and Altea. We take the AP-7 for an arrival, about 40 to 55 minutes out of season, and give the driver the exact address rather than the town.
- 20+years in private travel
- Ownedchauffeur fleet in London and Manchester, a trusted global network beyond
- 24/7operations desk, one contact
- 3services on one itinerary: car, jet and yacht
In partnership with Harrods Aviation · Signature Aviation · SW Global
The geography
A hillside between a resort and an old town
El Albir is a small seaside place in the parish of L'Alfàs del Pi, on the stretch of Costa Blanca between Benidorm and Altea. Behind it the Sierra Helada rises straight out of the sea, and the road up to the lighthouse gives the area its shape: a flat promenade, then a hillside of villas on narrow lanes with sharp turns and gradients. SHA Wellness Clinic is on that hillside, at Calle Verderol 5. It is named because it is the address most often handed to a driver here, and for no other reason.
Altea, five minutes further north, is the old town of the coast: a whitewashed hill with a blue domed church at the top, a harbour below it and a good deal of one way traffic in between. Benidorm is ten minutes the other way and is a different world altogether, which matters mainly because its traffic is on the road you are using.
The practical point is the last two kilometres. Once the car leaves the coast road for the hill, the lanes are narrow, the turns are tight and the gradients are real. A driver who has not been before will get there, and will get there more slowly and less smoothly than one who has. We give the operator the exact address, not the town.
The essentials
What the transfer really involves
- AirportAlicante Elche (ALC)At El Altet, a few kilometres south west of Alicante city, with a single runway of about 3,000 metres that takes everything from light aircraft to the largest business jets.
- By roadAbout 65 to 70 kmRoughly 40 to 55 minutes on the AP-7 motorway, or an hour and more on the coastal N-332 through Villajoyosa and Benidorm.
- The alternative fieldValenciaThe other international airport for this coast, and well over twice the drive. Worth considering only when the schedule or the aircraft makes Alicante awkward.
- Private arrivalsHandled on the fieldAlicante is a busy scheduled airport rather than one built around a large private terminal, so the meeting point is agreed with the handling agent in advance rather than assumed.
Ranges for planning, checked in September 2026. On this coast the season matters more than the hour: a July afternoon on the N-332 bears no relation to a February one.
Along the coast
Alicante airport to the Costa Blanca addresses
| Destination | Out of season | July and August |
|---|---|---|
| Alicante city | 15 to 25 minutes | 25 to 40 minutes |
| Villajoyosa | 30 to 40 minutes | 45 to 65 minutes |
| Benidorm | 35 to 45 minutes | 55 to 80 minutes |
| El Albir and L'Alfàs del Pi | 40 to 55 minutes | 60 to 90 minutes |
| Altea | 45 to 55 minutes | 65 to 95 minutes |
| Calpe and Moraira | 55 to 70 minutes | 80 to 110 minutes |
Realistic ranges rather than promises, and both columns assume the AP-7 where it helps. Easter week and the August weekends are the two periods when the coast road stops being a choice.
The two roads
The motorway or the sea
The AP-7 runs inland, a few kilometres back from the water, and is the sensible route for an arrival: dual carriageway most of the way, predictable, and with the turn for Altea and Albir putting you within a few minutes of the door. Coming from a long flight, that is what we use.
The N-332 is the old coast road and goes through the middle of everything, including the middle of Benidorm. It is genuinely beautiful in places, especially the stretch around Villajoyosa, and it is a pleasant way to travel when nobody is tired and nothing is timed. In the high season it is also the reason people arrive at dinner ninety minutes after they landed. We will happily take it if you ask, and we will tell you honestly what it is likely to cost in time on the day in question.
For anything longer than a few days, most people hold a car locally rather than booking each journey. Altea, Calpe, the Guadalest valley and the ports up the coast are all within an easy drive, and having the same driver for the week means the hill lane is learned once.
Planning it properly
What the desk will ask you
Nothing clinical, and we do not ask why. These are simply the things that decide the car, the route and the departure time.
- The exact street address, not the town. The hillside lanes behind Albir are not somewhere to improvise
- The month. A February transfer and an August one are different journeys on the same road
- Whether the car should meet the aircraft, and with which handling agent, so that it is agreed rather than assumed
- Who else is travelling and when. Companions arriving a day later are entirely ordinary and easily left out of a plan
- Whether the car should be held for the stay, or for particular days. Held is usually calmer, and on this coast it is also faster
How it is put together
One itinerary, front door to the coast
- 01
The outline
Dates, the address on the coast, how many are travelling and what luggage there is. Nothing about the reason, and we will not ask.
- 02
The plan
The car from your door to the London terminal, the aircraft, the Alicante handling and the transfer up the coast, written down in one place.
- 03
While you are there
One number for changes. A car for an afternoon in Altea, a relative to collect, a departure moved by three days.
- 04
Coming home
Planned before you go and altered as often as it needs to be, with the season allowed for and the car in London told.
Our part in the trip
We look after the travel, door to door
We arrange the aircraft, and the cars in Spain through operators we know, with one contact holding the whole itinerary from your front door to the coast. We are a travel company rather than a medical one, so we bring no medical staff or equipment, give no care or advice, and neither work with nor recommend any clinic or retreat named here.
Around the trip
Related pages
Getting there
Nearby and related
Request a quote
Tell us the address and the dates
Where on the coast you are going, the dates, how many of you and how much luggage there is. We reply with aircraft options, the handling we would use at Alicante, and an honest transfer time for the day and the month in question. You need tell us nothing about the reason. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About travel to the Costa Blanca retreats
Do you work with any clinic or retreat here?
No. We have no relationship, commercial or otherwise, with any clinic, hospital, hotel or retreat on this coast, and we recommend none. Places are named as destinations for a car.
Is any of this a medical service?
No. We arrange the aircraft and the cars and look after the itinerary. We bring no medical staff or equipment and give no care, advice or supervision of any clinical kind.
Which road will the driver take?
The AP-7 for an arrival, because it is predictable. The coastal N-332 is the prettier road and we will take it if you ask, but in the high season it can add half an hour or more between Villajoyosa and Altea.
Is there a private terminal at Alicante?
Alicante is a busy scheduled airport rather than one built around a large private terminal of the kind you find at Geneva or Nice. Private arrivals are handled on the field, and we agree the meeting point with the handling agent in advance.
Are the cars in Spain yours?
Our own cars and chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. Spanish transfers come through operators we know, and one contact at Odyssey holds the whole itinerary.
One contact, wherever you are