Alicante with Kids: Our Overnight Birthday Adventure in Spain 🇪🇸

Two days, one night, four McDonald's and a surprisingly brilliant beach holiday!

Travel dates: 5–6 August 2026
Travelling: One adult and two children
Flights: Manchester to Alicante
Accommodation: SOHO Suites, Alicante

A Birthday Adventure in the Spanish Sunshine

I've done plenty of city breaks, day trips and sightseeing adventures, but I'd never actually been on a proper beach holiday before.

So when I decided to surprise my lad with an overnight trip to Alicante for his birthday, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

I'd only booked the trip three weeks before we travelled, and with just one night in Spain, I wanted to make the most of every minute.

What followed was two days of swimming in the Mediterranean, exploring a castle, discovering hidden water fountains, visiting a museum and somehow managing four trips to McDonald's! 🤦‍♂️🤣

And the biggest surprise? I actually loved the beach holiday experience!

Day One – An Early Flight and an Unexpected Walk

Our adventure began with a ridiculously early 05:45 flight from Manchester Airport.

We landed in Alicante at 09:30 local time, giving us almost a full day to enjoy the city.

I'd planned things so we could head straight to the beach rather than waste the morning waiting for our accommodation to be ready.

We jumped on the airport bus, which took roughly half an hour to reach Alicante and cost €14 for the three of us.

The plan was to get off near Puerto del Mar, where our apartment was located.

Unfortunately, I managed to get us off near Puerto Park instead! 🤣

This meant an unexpected half-hour walk through Alicante in the August heat before we reached where we actually needed to be.

Not quite the start I'd planned, but at least the sun was shining!

Straight to Playa del Postiguet

Our accommodation had luggage storage lockers right beside the apartments, so we dropped our bags off and headed towards the beach.

We walked along the beautiful Explanada de España, Alicante's famous palm-lined promenade with its colourful mosaic pavement.

Our apartment was only a two-minute walk from Playa del Postiguet, which was one of the main reasons I'd chosen it.

I'd also thought ahead and had the kids travel with their swimming gear already on underneath their clothes.

No hunting around for somewhere to get changed — they were ready to get straight into the sea! 😂

Being August, I'd expected the beach to be absolutely packed, but it was surprisingly manageable.

There were plenty of people enjoying the sunshine, but we had no trouble finding somewhere to put our towels or getting into the water.

And the sea was lovely and warm!

The kids absolutely loved it, and I was beginning to understand the appeal of a beach holiday.

An Unexpected Early Check-In

We'd only been at the beach for around 40 minutes when I received a message from the owner of our apartment.

He'd managed to get everything ready early, so we could check in ahead of schedule.

Perfect!

We headed back, collected our bags and got settled into SOHO Suites.

The apartment wasn't massive, but it had everything we needed and didn't feel cramped with the three of us staying there.

For a short family break, the location was fantastic.

Being so close to the beach meant we could easily pop back whenever we needed to, which turned out to be particularly useful later in the day!

Another lovely thing about our apartment's location was that the Basilica of Santa María was practically on our doorstep. It's a beautiful historic church with an impressive stone façade, and it was nice having somewhere like that right beside where we were staying. We didn't go inside, but it was another reminder of how much Alicante has to offer beyond the beach.

Beach Time, McDonald's and an Afternoon Siesta

After checking in, we had a little wander around Alicante and stopped for something to eat.

I'd been looking forward to trying some traditional Spanish food.

Unfortunately, the kids had other ideas.

McDonald's it was! 🤦‍♂️🤣

After lunch, we headed straight back to Playa del Postiguet for another couple of hours of swimming and enjoying the sunshine.

Eventually, though, the early start and August heat began catching up with the kids.

They were starting to flag, so we headed back to the apartment for a break.

That break turned into a proper Spanish siesta, with both kids falling asleep for a couple of hours! 😂

To be fair, after such an early flight and all that swimming, I couldn't blame them.

Once they woke up, we decided to head back out for an evening stroll along the Explanada de España.

I was still hoping to find somewhere serving local food.

The kids, however, were absolutely adamant they wanted McDonald's again.

Yep, twice in one day! 🤣

After eating, we headed back to the apartment to wind down. I'd got a few things planned for the following day, and I wanted everyone to be ready for another adventure.

Day Two – One Last Morning at the Beach

We got up early the next morning, ready for another busy day.

Or at least, that was my plan.

My little girl had other ideas.

She announced that we were going back to the beach before checking out! 😂

With the beach just two minutes away, I couldn't really argue.

So off we went for another morning of swimming in the warm Mediterranean Sea.

We were having such a good time that I completely lost track of time.

When I finally checked the clock, I realised we had just 40 minutes to get back to the apartment, shower, get dressed, pack everything and check out!

Cue a mad rush! 🤦‍♂️🤣

Somehow, we managed it.

We dropped our bags back at SOHO Lockers, where the apartment owners had given us a discount code.

This brought the storage cost down to just €1 per day, which was an absolute bargain.

With everything safely stored, it was finally time for some sightseeing.

Well, almost.

First, the kids wanted lunch.

And yes, you've guessed it — McDonald's number three! 🍔🤣

Walking Up to Santa Bárbara Castle

After lunch, we headed back towards the apartments before making our way up to Santa Bárbara Castle.

The castle sits high above Alicante on Mount Benacantil and is one of the city's most famous landmarks.

There is a lift available, but obviously I decided we were walking! 😂

The kids weren't particularly impressed with this decision.

Walking uphill in the August heat wasn't exactly their idea of a fun birthday adventure.

We stopped several times along the way to take breaks, and roughly halfway up we discovered something that made the climb much more enjoyable.

A Hidden Surprise at Parc de l'Ereta

While walking through Parc de l'Ereta, we stumbled across a water feature tucked away just off the main trail.

It had jets of water shooting up from the ground that the kids could run through.

Naturally, they loved it!

After climbing uphill in the heat, it was a brilliant little place for them to cool down and have some fun.

There was just one problem.

They were now much more interested in playing in the fountains than continuing up to the castle! 🤣

So I had to negotiate.

I promised them that if they carried on walking to the castle, we'd stop at the fountains again on the way down.

That seemed to do the trick!

Family tip: If you're walking up to Santa Bárbara Castle with children, Parc de l'Ereta is worth exploring. We found the water feature roughly halfway up, although I wouldn't rely on the jets always being switched on.

Santa Bárbara Castle – Worth Every Step!

Eventually, we made it all the way to Santa Bárbara Castle.

And I'm so glad we did!

The views from the top were absolutely amazing.

Looking out across Alicante, the harbour and the Mediterranean Sea made the entire uphill walk worthwhile.

We spent time exploring almost all of the castle, wandering through its different areas and stopping to admire the views.

It's a fantastic place to visit, and for me it was one of the highlights of the trip.

After all that exploring, we treated ourselves to an ice cream before beginning the walk back down.

Of course, the kids hadn't forgotten my earlier promise.

There was absolutely no chance of us passing Parc de l'Ereta without stopping at the water fountains again! 😂

So we headed back for another splash around before continuing down towards the city.

Would I recommend Santa Bárbara Castle? Absolutely. The views alone make it worth visiting, although if you're travelling with young children in the height of summer, you might prefer taking the lift!

Cooling Down and McDonald's Number Four!

By the time we'd made it back down from the castle, the heat was really getting to us.

We headed towards SOHO Lockers, which had air conditioning, and spent about ten minutes inside just cooling down. 😂

It was a welcome break after all that walking!

The kids were getting hungry again, and despite my best efforts, they still weren't interested in trying anything other than McDonald's.

So, for the fourth time during our overnight trip, we ended up there again.

Four McDonald's in two days.

I genuinely couldn't make it up! 🤣

At least everyone was happy and fed, because we still had one more attraction to visit.

Museum of Illusions – A Brilliant Last-Minute Discovery

With some time left before our flight home, I decided to look for something else we could do.

I came across Alicante's Museum of Illusions and thought we'd give it a try.

It was a completely last-minute decision, and I wasn't really sure what to expect.

As it turned out, I was really impressed!

The museum had optical illusions, animated videos and interactive exhibits that the kids could get involved with.

One of the highlights was the rooms that made it look as though you were standing on the ceiling.

They were great fun, especially for taking unusual photos!

What I liked most was that it wasn't just somewhere you walked around looking at things. There were plenty of exhibits for the kids to interact with.

We spent approximately 45 minutes inside, and admission cost €32 for the three of us.

Considering how much the kids enjoyed it, I thought it was money well spent.

It ended up being one of the unexpected highlights of the trip.

My verdict: Definitely worth considering if you're visiting Alicante with children, especially if you want something different from the beach.

One Last Play Along the Explanada

After leaving the museum, we headed back along the Explanada de España towards our luggage lockers.

There are several little play areas along the promenade, so naturally the kids wanted to stop and have a go.

Even after two days of swimming, climbing a castle and exploring a museum, they somehow still had energy left! 😂

It was a lovely way to spend our final bit of time in Alicante before heading back to the airport.

Back to Alicante Airport

Once the kids had finished playing, we collected our bags and headed to the airport bus stop near Puerto del Mar.

This time, thankfully, I managed to get us on the bus without any unexpected detours! 🤣

The journey took roughly half an hour.

On the way into Alicante, we'd paid €14 for the three of us. On the return journey, the driver kindly let the kids travel for free, so I only paid €4.70.

Our flight home wasn't until 23:15, which meant we'd had nearly 38 hours between landing in Alicante and taking off again, despite only booking one night's accommodation.

By the time we boarded the plane back to Manchester, both kids were completely exhausted.

They were fast asleep almost as soon as we got on board! 😂

I think we'd definitely made the most of our little adventure.

What Our Alicante Overnight Trip Cost

I booked this trip just three weeks before travelling, so I wasn't expecting to get the cheapest possible prices, particularly during the school summer holidays.

Here's what we paid for the three of us in August 2026.

Food, ice creams and any other spending aren't included in these figures.

I could probably have saved money on the flights by booking further in advance.

The apartment wasn't the cheapest option either, but I genuinely think it was worth paying extra for the location.

Being able to walk to the beach in two minutes, return for an afternoon rest and store our bags nearby made the whole trip so much easier.

For me, that's one of the biggest lessons from this adventure: when you're only staying somewhere for one night, location can be worth paying extra for.

My Tips for Visiting Alicante with Kids

• Choose accommodation close to the beach. Being able to return to our apartment whenever we needed to was a massive advantage.
• Use luggage storage. We made the most of both days without having to carry our bags around.
• Prepare for the summer heat. Take water, plan breaks and don't underestimate how tiring the sunshine can be for children.
• Consider the castle lift. We enjoyed walking up, but it was a demanding climb in August.
• Make time for Parc de l'Ereta. The water fountains we discovered were a brilliant surprise for the kids.
• Don't overlook the Museum of Illusions. It was a last-minute decision but turned out to be one of our favourite activities.
• Keep your plans flexible. Sometimes the kids just want to swim, play or have an afternoon nap!
• Check airport bus stops carefully. Getting off at the wrong one can add an unexpected half-hour walk. Trust me! 😂

Could You Visit Alicante on a Day Trip from the UK?

One thing that really surprised me was how straightforward it was to get from Alicante Airport to the beach.

The airport bus took roughly half an hour to reach the city, and Playa del Postiguet was only a short walk from where we needed to get off.

That makes Alicante an interesting option for a day trip from the UK, provided you can find suitable flights.

With an early arrival and a late departure, you could potentially enjoy several hours on the beach, explore the Explanada de España and have something to eat before returning to the airport.

Of course, you'd need to allow plenty of time for airport transfers and security, and flight schedules won't always make it practical.

But after experiencing how easy it was to get around, I'd happily consider doing it myself.

In fact, I'd probably pack my swimming gear and head straight for the beach again! 😂

Would I Visit Alicante Again?

Absolutely!

Before this trip, I'd never really experienced a proper beach holiday, and I was genuinely surprised by just how much I enjoyed it.

Most of my travels have involved exploring cities, visiting attractions and squeezing as much sightseeing as possible into the time available.

Alicante gave us a lovely mixture of both.

We could spend hours relaxing on the beach and swimming in the warm Mediterranean Sea, then head off to explore a historic castle or visit a family attraction.

And everything felt so easy to get to.

Most importantly, my lad really enjoyed his birthday present, and both kids absolutely loved the beach.

I think swimming in the sea was easily their favourite part of the entire trip.

And that's what made it special.

We didn't need an expensive resort or a week-long holiday to make some brilliant memories together.

I'd definitely return to Alicante, whether for another overnight adventure, a longer beach holiday or even a day trip.

Next time, though, I'm determined to try some proper Spanish food!

One night, two kids, four McDonald's, a castle, plenty of swimming and some fantastic birthday memories. What more could you ask for? 😂🇪🇸

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