About this place
The Casa Carbonell is one of the most elegant and beloved buildings in Alicante, a grand, ornate apartment mansion of the 1920s standing proudly at the landward end of the Explanada, overlooking the sea. Designed in a rich, eclectic style with corner towers, balconies and lavish detailing, it was commissioned by Enrique Carbonell, a wealthy textile manufacturer, as both his home and a prestigious apartment block. A popular local legend, probably more colourful than true, claims that Carbonell built this dazzling mansion out of spite, to overlook and outshine a rival in the nearby city of Alcoy who had slighted him. Whatever the truth, the result is a landmark of great beauty, its white facade glowing in the sun above the palms of the Explanada, and one of the most photographed buildings in the city, especially lovely when floodlit at night.
Key facts
- 1925 year — The ornate mansion was built in the 1920s for the textile magnate Enrique Carbonell
- 1 legend — Legend says it was built out of spite to outshine a business rival
- 1 landmark — Its elegant facade over the Explanada is among the city's most photographed
📍 Carrer de Sant Ferran 4, 03002, Alacant / Alicante