Villas in Santa Pola
Santa Pola suits couples and small families who want a working fishing town with beaches, about 15 minutes by car from Alicante airport. About half the homes here have a private pool, and most sleep four to six. Summer is crowded, as the town's population more than doubles with holidaymakers.
- Villas
- 6
- From, per week
- £348
About Santa Pola
Santa Pola is a fishing and tourist town of about 37,800 people, which was the port of Elche in Roman times, when it was called Portus Illicitanus. Its 16th-century castle stands in the centre and now holds the Sea Museum and the Fishing Museum. The beaches include Levante, Varadero and Gran Playa, plus the Santiago Bernabeu coves, with white coves that draw divers and windsurfers. Seafood is the reason to eat out here, and the food market opens Monday to Saturday mornings. The town's salt pans, still worked, are a protected wetland of international importance with flamingo colonies. Restaurant hours get patchy in winter. The homes are close together in town.
Is Santa Pola right for you?
- Best for
- Couples wanting seafood, beaches and a short airport transfer
- Not for you if
- You want a quiet August, because Santa Pola's population more than doubles in summer.
Near Santa Pola
Tabarca
A small island with a walled precinct and a marine reserve; boats leave from Santa Pola's port and take about 15 minutes.
Gran Alacant
A town about 5 km north of Santa Pola along Alicante bay, a few kilometres from Alicante airport.
Cape of Santa Pola
The headland that completes the coastline around the town, where the present lighthouse was built on the old Atalayola tower.
Getting to Santa Pola
Alicante-Elche airport is about 15 minutes away by car, and taxis run the transfer. Costazul buses link Santa Pola with Alicante, about 20 km away, and Torrevieja, while Vectalia runs to Elche. A car helps for the salt pans and beaches beyond town.
When to go to Santa Pola
Summer is peak season: the population more than doubles, with visitors from the rest of Alicante province, the Basque Country, Madrid, France and the UK, and boats to Tabarca leave from the port promenade. Out of season the town is quieter, though restaurant hours become less reliable.
Villas in Santa Pola
3-star property
Tamarit Beach
Santa Pola, Costa Blanca, Spain
4
2
0
Air ConDishwasherGarden+9 more
from£50
per night
Bungalow Santa Pola II REF 060
Santa Pola, Costa Blanca, Spain
6
3
0
Air ConMicrowavePool+7 more
Bungalow Santa Pola I REF 059
Santa Pola, Costa Blanca, Spain
4
2
0
Air ConMicrowavePool+7 more
3-star property
3-star property
3-star property
Santa Pola villa holidays: questions answered
How do you get from Santa Pola to Tabarca island?
By boat from the port promenade. The crossing takes about 15 minutes, and Tabarca, the only inhabited island in the Valencian region, has a walled old precinct and a marine reserve around it.
Can you see flamingos in Santa Pola?
Yes. Santa Pola's salt pans, still in use, are a wetland of international importance protected as a natural park, and they hold flamingo colonies as well as rare marbled teals.
Is Santa Pola busy in August?
Very. Santa Pola's population more than doubles in summer, with visitors from the rest of Alicante province, the Basque Country, Madrid, France and the UK, so book early for the summer weeks.
How far is Santa Pola from Alicante airport?
Close: the drive takes about 15 minutes, so a short taxi ride covers the transfer. Alicante city itself is about 20 km from Santa Pola.
Nearby towns to Santa Pola
Written by the TrustedVillas team. Last reviewed November 2026.
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