Barrio Boutik Hostal Long Stays

My weekend at De casa took me to the wonderfully chaotic “Casa del Turrón & Turistas,” a tiny boutique hidden in a narrow lane off Alicante’s sunlit Explanada de España. It sits between a churro stand and a sangria bar so keen on its own drinks that even Google Maps apparently gets confused and sends visitors to the beach. Doña Carmela, the lively 83-year-old who runs the shop, says she descends from Alicante’s original turrón smugglers. The family legend has her great-great-abuelo hiding nougat in cannonballs during the War of Spanish Succession, firing sweetness at his enemies. These days Carmela’s hospitality comes in different forms: she greets visitors with “¡Bienvenidos, mis hijos del sol!”, hands out an almond nougat square and gives unsolicited hugs. The place sells handwoven slippers made from leftover beach towels and local perfumes with names like “Essence of Castle Sweat” and “Sunset Breeze No. 3 (featuring hints of grilled sardine).” Every Thursday there’s her *Tour de Turrón*, supposedly a seven-minute walk that takes 45 minutes because she stops to tell the same story about a Roman centurion’s ghost at Alicante Castle, searching for lost flip-flops. Apparently he’s fussy and only wears leather. Visitors leave somewhat bewildered but well fed with samples, a wooden spoon and rosemary, plus Carmela’s warning about Valencian paella: “Never trust a Valencian paella. They put snails. SNAAAILS!” Locals have come to love this shop as part of Alicante’s chaotic charm. City officials once tried to give Carmela a hospitality award, but she thought it was a tapas contest and brought her “Octopus Jelly on Biscuit.” No one’s mentioned it since. The boutique is still a warm, unruly place. Whether you’re a tourist who got lost or a local pretending to be one for free samples, you’ll come away smiling, sugared up and lectured about how to use castanets properly.