La Torre de la Horadada is a coastal town, a district belonging to the municipality of Pilar de la Horadada (population 22,000), in the province of Alicante, Spain. This coastal village has recently experienced significant development thanks to tourism. Its name comes from two factors: first, the 16th-century watchtower; and second, the location of the tower: Punta de la Horadada (the "horadada" is due to the fact that this land jutting out into the sea has small caves made by the water, that is, it is perforated or holed). La Torre de la Horadada boasts several Blue Flag beaches. Among its beaches, Los Jesuitas, El Conde, El Puerto, and the unique and small Cala de la Lombriz, with its fine sand and crystal-clear waters, stand out. Legend, known only to the locals, tells that the beaches and their inhabitants were the subject of frequent pirate attacks, and that thanks to the system of watchtowers and the use of sea shells as a warning system, it was possible to put an end to them. The pirate chief had his hand pierced with a red-hot iron, thus giving its name to the area: La Torre de la mano Horadada, which later evolved into "La Torre de la Horadada," the current name. The watchtower belonged to the coastal surveillance system and was built in 1580 on top of a previous tower. It marked the traditional southern limit of the Kingdom of Valencia, and during the 19th century it was used for signaling with the optical telegraph. It is very well connected to the airports of San Javier (15 km) and Alicante (60 km) via the A7, and has several shopping centers nearby, such as Zenia Boulevard and Dos Mares.