Visiting Guadalest town (Alicante, Spain) and having lunch at Xorta restaurant🌱🍗

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The last time I visited Guadalest was around 30 years ago and since I was very young and didn't remember it very well, I decided to pay a visit to this famous town, which has been declared a Historic-Artistic Site and which is part of the association of The Most Beautiful Towns in Spain.

Arriving the castle, located on a cliff that dominates the entire valley.

The castle, which already existed in Muslim times after the Christian reconquest, passed through various hands of Catalan-Aragonese nobles until the Crown sold it to the Infant Don Pedro and his descendant passed it on to the Cardonas, who would become the Marquises of Guadalest.

In the 18th century, the castle suffered significant damage due to various earthquakes and the War of Succession and in the 20th century, it was reconstructed, converted into a museum and the construction of its dam began.

Panoramic view of the reservoir from the castle tower.

Close up of the reservoir.

Apart from being an Asset of Cultural Interest, in 2016 it entered the Federation of the Most Beautiful Towns in the World.

The area of the town where the castle is located is only 16 square kilometers and its population is estimated at just over 240 inhabitants.

The King's Castle on the left, the Mediterranean Sea in the background and a commemorative plaque on the upper right corner, on which the following sentence can be read, translated into four languages: "Wanderer, stop a while and think of the marvellous works of God and of your short passage on Earth. Guadalest begs you to respect its deads."

Close up of the King's Castle and the cliff.

After visiting the castle I decided to have early lunch (I had no reservation, but I highly recommend you to make a reservation if you plan to have lunch here) in a typical restaurant and try their thick broth with meatballs and their baked lamb.

Xorta restaurant (12th km., Callosa road) is specialized in Spanish-traditional cuisine such as paella, different meat and bushmeat, fresh fish and diverse tapas.

It has a large cozy room with a large window, overlooking the valley and the sea and a central fireplace, which in winter heats the entire room.

Inside the restaurant.

Views from my table and a glass of beer (€2.50).

It is a family business so the atmosphere is calm and the service pleasant.

They have a ⭐4.5 rating on Google Maps and my personal rating was ⭐4.

Roasted lamb, for a single person (€18) (1).

Roasted lamb, for a single person (€18) (2).

Lemon mousse (€4.50) (1).

Lemon mousse (€4.50) (2).

Overall evaluation of the restaurant: 6.5 points out of 10.

Photographs taken with my Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G camera.

Source on which I relied to give some accurate info about Guadalest castle, town and surroundings: (1), (2)

Source on which I relied to give some accurate info about Xorta restaurant: (1)