Jacarilla combines a distinctive garden with architecture associated with the name Fontalba and several trails of different types. When looking for a hotel, you can first consider whether garden and architectural heritage or hiking should shape your stay.

Garden Grounds and Design

The Fontalba Garden and pine forest together cover 20,000 square metres within a walled estate. Their design is neo-historicist and includes Neoclassical, Arab and Renaissance ornaments. The garden contains sculptures, fountains and a sundial, as well as a pagoda by the pond. An avenue of slender palm trees recreates La Vereda de las Palmeras.

The garden grounds can therefore be viewed on several levels: the different ornamental traditions shape the overall impression, while the avenue and individual features add their own accents. For travellers interested in designed landscapes, this combination offers a distinct focus alongside the town’s buildings.

Palace and Church Architecture

The Casa-Palacio del Marqués de Fontalba is considered the last aristocratic building in the comarca. The Palacio del Marqués de Fontalba was built in 1920. It has two storeys, a portico and a balustrade; its façade is decorated with tiles. Together, these details describe both the building’s layout and the design of its façade.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de Belén also has distinctive architectural features: its bell tower stands in the centre of the façade, and the church also has stained-glass windows. The tower’s central position and the windows offer two different points of reference for viewing the church building. This means that Jacarilla’s architecture is not limited to the Fontalba Palace.

Circular Routes and Hiking

Ruta 1, Tramo Básico, is a circular route through the urban area of Jacarilla. It passes places considered particularly significant or of tourist or cultural interest. Ruta 6, Tramo Básico – Vereda las Palmeras – Camino del Copo, is also a circular route; it runs through the recreational area by a meander of the Río Segura. The two routes therefore differ in their setting: one is in the urban area, while the other is by the river meander.

A 2019 route description characterises Ruta verde Camino de la Cueva as moderately difficult, well signposted and 6.6 kilometres long. Check the current signage before setting out. Ruta de la Cueva begins near the Casa-Palacio of the Marqués de Fontalba in Jacarilla. You should also take current trail conditions into account for the routes in the Jacarilla-Camina programme.

When choosing a route, its format, surroundings and—in the case of Ruta verde Camino de la Cueva—the stated length and difficulty are useful points of comparison. You can first decide whether you would like to explore a circular route in the urban area, the trail through the recreational area by the Río Segura or the described hike; then check the conditions for each.

Getting There and Choosing Accommodation

Jacarilla lies on the CV-920, which connects Orihuela with Rojales and Guardamar del Segura. This road provides a geographical point of reference for planning, without turning the different garden, architecture and route themes into a fixed itinerary.

When choosing a hotel in Jacarilla, you can tailor your stay to these interests: the Fontalba Garden and Palace offer garden and architectural heritage, while the routes vary in type and setting.

Discover more destinations: Tangel, Beniarrés, El Tosalet, Lorcha, Daya Nueva, L'alfàs Del Pi, Petrer, Benilloba

For the broader travel overview: Alicante.