We were looking for a very last-minute Easter school holiday trip, anywhere warm to escape the terrible April weather.
The last available flight we could find to anywhere warm was to Alicante in Spain – and the Dormio apartments resort was about a 25-minute drive or so from Alicante airport.
We found the place on Airbnb. It looked decent from the listing, but we’re always apprehensive about whether such places are as good in real life as they look online.
The good news is that the Dormio resort turned out exactly as it appeared and we were very happy with the choice.
It’s a complex of several hundred apartments within a resort right next to a small beach, most apartments having direct sea views over the sparkling Mediterranean.
It’s not a massive resort, it’s small and seems quite newly-built – everything is very smart and modern and clean.
The central area of the resort has a pool and sunbathing area, which is next to an indoor adult-only spa with jacuzzi pool, steam room, sauna and massage treatment facilities, which you can book at an extra cost.
The resort has its own private beach – a small, sandy beach which is literally a few steps’ walk from where the apartment blocks are.
There’s a restaurant with a beach terrace area and another smaller swimming pool with more loungers overlooking the beach.
The overall feeling of the place is one of a small, quiet resort for relaxation (which is exactly what we wanted), more than being a lively venue with loads of activities and entertainment going on.
It was really quiet and peaceful when were were here, although that was well outside peak season and no doubt it’s a lot busier in the summer holidays.
There is a kids club, but our children are way over the age where they’d be interested in that, and were happy just sitting around the pool or on the beach or the apartment balcony.
The apartment itself was superb. It seems they list a small number of ‘superior’ apartments on Airbnb, which are larger than most and have big balconies with sea views.
It was extremely modern and clean inside with a smart kitchen, decent bathroom and shower, comfortable beds (and sofa bed).
The best part was the very large balcony / terrace which had electric sun shade, loungers, sofas, a table and even an outdoor shower.
The resort restaurant (called Nuzzi) was superb. We ate in there only one night, as we were out and about the rest of the time, but the meal was very high quality.
Bear in mind they want you to make a reservation, it seems even when they’re not busy or full, and I read some reviews of people being turned away from the restaurant for not having one, even when it was empty!
The only thing we would say to beware of is that you really ideally need to have a car if you’re staying here.
It’s about 25-mins drive from Alicante town, but there’s not much in the way of other amenities nearby. A couple of small shops (including one in the resort itself which is very small and limited) but no big supermarket and no restaurants within easy reach.
There is a tram stop nearby, which will take you to Alicante, but that’s quite a long journey with quite a bit of waiting.
Having a car will mean you can get further afield to some of the other attractions around the Costa Blanca, which will be much harder, if not impossible, if having to rely on public transport.
Overall we were very happy with our stay here – it was perfect for our short Easter break and we had a very relaxed and enjoyable time using it as a base for exploring the area further afield, and coming back to to relax in the evenings.
Maybe it’s a bit more hectic when it’s full in the peak summer holidays, I don’t know. But we had a great time during the April holidays and can definitely recommend staying here.