Explanada de España and the marina

The Explanada is the most recognisable floor in Alicante: millions of small marble tiles laid in a wave pattern that runs the whole length of the promenade, with palms on both sides and the marina beyond. Shoot along the line of the wave and the pattern pulls the eye to the horizon; shoot across it, from a low angle, and you get graphic colour under the feet.

Morning light comes in from the sea and the palms cast long shadows across the tiles — that is the hour worth booking. By midday the same spot is flat, hot and full of terrace tables, and in the evening it turns into the city's promenade, which is good for candid frames and bad for clean ones.

Postiguet beach sits at the eastern end, under the castle rock, and the marina at the western end gives white boats and reflections for a second look without moving the car.