Hotels in Planes

Planes

Planes is a small municipality of about 700 people in the Condado de Cocentaina comarca of the province of Alicante, inland from the Costa Blanca. It includes the villages of Benialfaquí, Catamarruch and Margarida. The village sits at the foot of a Muslim castle with sturdy 12th- and 13th-century walls, once held by the leader Al-Azraq. Its streets are steep, with stepped lanes and fountains of fresh water. The castle, on the hill above, shows two building phases, one Muslim and one feudal after the Reconquest, and it controlled the passes of the river Serpis. James I took the place in 1245 through a pact of vassalage. Planes is known as the capital of the cherry, with a recognised designation of origin, and most of the crop is exported to Germany, France and the Netherlands. Olive oil is also an important product. Cycling routes pass through the village, and a walk leads past the Gorg del Salt and a ruined mill. It suits walkers, cyclists and those who want quiet mountain villages between the coast and Alcoy.