THE RIDING PARADISE
MOTORBIKE TOURS SPAIN: THE RIDING PARADISE WHERE THE MOUNTAINS KISS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND THE ROADS WHISPER YOUR NAME.
Some places feel like they were sketched by a motorcyclist with a divine sense of geometry. And then there’s the Marina Alta on Spains sunny Costa Blanca, where Motorbike Tours Spain, tucked into the peaceful hills of Pedreguer, turns that geometry into a living, breathing riding experience.
This isn’t just a tour company, it’s a doorway into a better version of your motorcycling life.
Richard and Laura, the couple running Motorbike Tours Spain, prove that the best riding holidays aren’t built from timetables or flowcharts, they’re built from passion, warmth, and proper local knowledge. You’re welcomed like a friend, even family, not a booking number. They talk roads the way wine experts talk vintages (kind of handy with the vineyards on their doorstep). And they tailor each day with the same energy as someone introducing you to their favourite band, excited, proud and eager for you to feel what they feel (again, appropriate as Thin Lizzy collaborator, Stampede, UFO and Grand Slam guitarist, Laurence Archer, is one of their ride leaders). There’s a deep joy in that. It’s a humanity you can’t manufacture or fake.
Now, let’s talk about the Costa Blanca and Marina Alta region.
This corner of Spain is outrageously, unfairly beautiful. The Mediterranean Sea is so blue and bright it feels backlit with lazy coves. Fishing harbours, bustling but relaxed towns and evening light that makes every whitewashed wall glow. Perfect for a morning ride or a sunset roll home.
But on two wheels, it’s the mountains that are the real treasure. A sprawling network of twisting, climbing, looping ribbons of tarmac running through peaks, pines and terraces. The terrain is dramatic but calming, wild but welcoming. Every ascent brings cooler air; every ridge brings a bigger view; every descent brings another storybook village. When I say villages, I mean picturesque places such as Alcalalí, Murla, Benigembla and Pego, each one a pocket of old Spain wrapped in sun-warmed stone, terracotta and church bells. They’re small, friendly, authentic, and each seems positioned specifically to offer the perfect coffee stop before the next batch of beautiful corners.
The day I spent with Richard took in just over 80 miles, it was the purest demonstration of what this region does best, a Greatest Hits compilation if you will. A smooth roll through Alcalalí to ease you in… A climb to Murla and Benigembla where the mountains rise like theatre curtains… A sweep toward Planes where the air grows sharper and the views stretch forever… A quiet glide along the deep blue edge of the Embalse de Beniarrés, a mirror to the mountains…Then the drop through Llombai, the twisty fun toward Benirrama, and that joyous, flowing final run into Pego before looping back to the Motorbike Tours Spain base in Pedregeur.
It may have only been 80 miles, but it was the kind that feels like 800 in terms of variety, beauty, and “I wish this never ended” moments. It’s the sort of loop that convinces you, quite suddenly, that Spain might be the best motorcycling country in Europe.
As for your steed, Motorbike Tours Spain uses Yamaha Tracer 700s, and honestly, they’re the ideal dance partners. Light, flickable, easy to throw into hairpins, stable on sweepers and comfortable for long days. Powered by that wonderful parallel twin CP2 engine, a little growl, a lot of character, and enough torque everywhere you need it. On these roads, the Tracer 700 feels tailor-made, like Yamaha designed it with the Marina Alta as part of the brief.
Finally, the villa, your haven of relaxation after riding.
It’s a villa with soul. It’s not some anonymous Air B’n’B, it’s Richard and Laura’s home, the ground floor converted to not just accommodate you but to make you feel at home. Perched on a hillside above Pedreguer, it makes you want to sit outside all morning doing absolutely nothing except existing and drinking in the scent of the mountain whilst sipping the local red.
Expect:
A sun-kissed pool (heated with a retractable roof if you’re out of season),
a sauna and a jacuzzi, even a gym, if you have any energy left at the end of the day.
Broad terraces perfect for cold beers and slow sunsets.
Clean, cool, airy rooms.
Quiet surroundings full of cicadas and scent of warm herbs
There’s an inviting games room with a bar and social areas where you can let your hair down or just chill and debrief the day.
The villa has a true sense of privacy and calm that makes the real world feel far away. It’s romantic in the effortless way good places are romantic, relaxed, warm, timeless. The kind of base that turns a riding trip into a proper escape.
Now I’m on a roll, let’s talk about the food… dear god, yes, the food, I’m salivating as I write this just thinking about it. Every stop on a ride is another reminder that this region cooks with soul:
Paella Valenciana the old way.
Orange-wood roasted meats
Fresh seafood from the coast
Locally grown almonds turned into desserts
The perfect local wines, don’t get me started on those.
And of course, don’t forget the simple café snacks and tapas that taste better because the air smells of pine and warm earth (with the satisfying tick of a warm engine and smell of warm tyres topping it off).
This is food connected to the place, not dressed up, not diluted, just Spain being Spain and doing Spanish things… this isn’t your Red Lion Pub and Bobs Benidorm fish ‘n chips… this is culinary education and enlightenment.
The culture is the same: church bells that ring at random times, old men in shaded squares, tiled walls, Moorish terraces, Roman roads, siestas that actually make sense, and a pace of life that politely tells you to slow down and breathe.
If you do decide to go and pay a visit to Motorbike Tours Spain, and I wholeheartedly recommend you do, they do everything with care.
Stress-free airport pickup from either Alicante or Valencia.
Proper briefings and route options that adapt to you
No pressure, no rushing, no “one size fits all”
Just good people making sure you have a great time. It’s motorcycling with heart.
So with that in mind, if you’re tempted you’re going to want to know the prices…
There is no fixed length of stay, it can be tailored to you. Stays are for a minimum of 2 riders and a maximum of 4 riders and 4 pillions. That said, single or a pair of riders can join another group.
An example of a 4 night stay, including transfers, 3 day bike hire, 3 days of guided tours, fuel and food (including evening bar) costs €1200 (about £1051) per rider (including tax), a pillion is €550 (£481.72) and a long stay option works out at €110 (£96.34) per person per night.
Considering what you get for your money this is exceptional value considering the villa, the roads and the personal service. The only extra thing you have to pay is your flights, my record low cost to Alicante is £39 return…
Full details and up to date prices are on their official website, where everything is clearly laid out and easy to book.
My verdict?
A heart stirring, sunlit slice of motorcycling heaven. Motorbike Tours Spain is the perfect fusion of sublime roads, epic mountains, sparkling Mediterranean coastline, pretty villages, sensational food, beautiful accommodation and genuinely warm people. My 80-mile loop was just a taste, but what a taste. This is the kind of riding that stays with you. The kind that lifts your spirits. The kind that reminds you how good life feels on two wheels, in a place built for joy.
Motorbike Tours Spain doesn’t just show you Spain. It shows you the Spain every rider dreams of. And if you go… tell them Sancho sent you!
Sancho Antonio
