A superb Blue Flag beach serving the resort of Albir on the northern Costa Blanca, Playa Raco de L’Abir is mostly composed of small pebbles though not to the point of being a discomfort, being mostly smooth and easy on the feet. An extremely popular beach especially during the busy summer months, Albir beach has some fine facilities, much as you would expect from a busy tourist resort. For those who forget to bring, or don’t have sun loungers and umbrellas, there are a good selection available for hire on the beach at reasonable rates, and these are well worth investing in. For the kids there are pedalos for hire, and for the more energetic there are also water sports facilties, including water skiing, para-sailing and windsurfing, you can also have a go on the banana boat or the doughnut. Most visitors will prefer to simply bask in the sunny weather and top up their tans. For the safety of swimmers there is generally a lifeguard on duty during the busiest hours and swimmers should watch out for the flags which inform of the latest conditions, do not swim if a red flag is flying. All in all a great beach, in a lovely resort which is located just off the N-332 only six kilometres from the busy resort of Benidorm and three kilometres from Altea. Albir Map.
March 25, 2010
March 24, 2010
Cabo Roig Orihuela Costa
Cabo Roig Bay and Marina
One of the most popular holiday destinations along Spain’s southern Costa Blanca coastline, Cabo Roig is a beautiful and desirable resort. Renowned for its clean sandy beaches, its lovely marina and its excellent strip of bars, shops and restaurants, Cabo Roig offers everything you would want for a great family holiday. Though it is very busy during the summer months it is actually a superb location for a holiday any time of the year. Easy to reach from both Alicante and Murcia airports, Cabo Roig is handily placed for visiting other attractions along the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida.
The eye-catching 16th century watchtower, around which Cabo Roig originally grew, is now part of a restaurant complex which overlooks the recently modernised marina. An estimated 2 million euros was spent on the refurbishment of what is now one of the Costa Blanca’s most desirable mooring spots.
There are a number of excellent beaches to visit whilst on a trip to Cabo Roig. The main beaches are Cala Caleta and Cala Capitan both very popular with holidaymakers. Also within easy reach are the beaches at Campoamor, La Zenia and Playa Flamenca. All of these beaches are kept very clean and are usually raked every day, they are also safe for children.
Cabo Roig, along with the entire Costa Blanca region, has a wonderful climate and the sun shines on over three hundred days per year, the mean temperature being about 20 degrees C. You can usually expect to see little rainfall between May and October and the days are generally long and sunny. When rain does fall it is usually during the winter months, November and February being the most common months for rain. December and January are usually sunny and pleasant but with cold nights.
There is plenty to do in and around Cabo Roig, why not start with a trip into the nearby town of Torrevieja, with it’s wonderful promenade and marina and it’s many fine beaches? If you are visiting during the summer months, don’t forget the Aqua Splash park with its gigantic slides, refreshing pools and excellent picnic area. If you feel a little more adventurous you may wish to try out the go-karts at Punta Prima, here you can drive the full size karts or the kids can have a go on the mini karts or even the mini quads. In the summer the circus comes to town and this is a great attraction for the children and adults alike, being an old style circus, it has plenty of animals performing tricks to amaze and entertain. The younger at heart may prefer a trip to the busy resort of Benidorm, a journey of around an hour and a half (a coach picks up in Cabo Roig a couple of times a week), Benidorm has some wonderful facilities including Aqualandia, Terra Mitica and the Mundomar Marine Animal Park. Sporting enthusiasts may partake of the golfing, the water sports (the water sport resort of La Manga is only a 40 minute trip), or the fishing – there are angling safaris available for those preferring fresh water angling.
If you are looking to buy a property on the Costa Blanca, then Cabo Roig would be an ideal location, with plenty of variety ranging from 1 bedroom apartments to beautiful detached villas on the seafront.
Cabo Roig is easily reached by way of the N-332 coastal road (Cartagena to Alicante) or from the AP-7 motorway junctions 768 or 763. The closest airport is Murcia (San Javier) which is approximately 20 minutes drive away. Benidorm is located further north but can also be easily accessed from the N332.
March 13, 2010
Lagos Algarve Portugal
One of the busiest tourist centres on Portugal’s Algarve coastline, Lagos was in fact one the capital of the region and its harbour welcomed in the great Henry the Navigator as he returned from his historic voyages. The ancient fortress and sections of the old city walls survived the devastating Lisbon earthquake of 1755, as did a couple of its churches. In the old town, you will still find narrow, cobbled streets, which look much as they have for centuries. To view the best of the town’s attractions head for the Praça da Republica, the centre of life in Lagos. Modern day Lagos is a bustling holiday resort, popular with the younger set, it offers a superb sandy beach, plenty of bars, shops and restaurants, a good choice of facilities and a wonderful climate, with Lagos weather ideal for summer holidays and also suitable for winter breaks and sporting holidays. Lagos is at the western end of the Algarve, near to Portimao, and provides a good base for exploring this part of the region, other towns worth a visit include Sagres and Portimao.
Map.
March 11, 2010
Los Gigantes Tenerife
The well known Tenerife resort of Los Gigantes is situated in the west of the island near to the town of Puerto de Santiago. Getting its name from the huge steep cliffs beside which the resort stands, Los Gigantes has its own small black sand beach, some decent hotels and the usual holiday facilities expected of a package tour destination, the weather is a little cooler than the southern resorts. The coastline around Los Gigantes is quite spectacular with cliffs rising to around 800m in places, being at the southern end of the Teno mountains. Los Gigantes is an ideal spot for a more laid back peaceful holiday, being somewhat less crowded than the better known resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas to the south, there is however still a good choice of bars and restaurants and plenty of entertainment on offer, especially in some of the bigger hotels, the biggest attraction is the weather and it is a popular spot for a winter holiday. Los Gigantes can be reached from the TF-47 highway, it is approximately ninety kilometres from the nearest airport at Reina Sofia.
March 10, 2010
Playa de Aro Costa Brava
One of the Costa Brava’s best loved beach resorts, Playa de Aro is situated between the towns of Sant Feliu de Guixols and Palamos around 35 km from the provincial capital Girona. Apart from the obvious attraction of its 2 mile long beach, Playa de Aro can also offer visitors a wonderful water park in the form of the Aquadiver Waterworld, the Magic Park amusement extravaganza, a Pitch n Putt golf course and a ten pin bowling alley, together with one of the best nightlife scenes along this popular part of the coastline. The sun is of course another major attraction with Playa de Aro weather offering some 2,500 hours of sunshine each year, the best months being from May to October. To get away from the crowds of the main resort you can enjoy the coastal path where you can enjoy some delightful scenery and discover some isolated bays and coves. Playa de Aro offers a great choice of hotels and is located off the C-31 south of Palamos.
March 8, 2010
Surfing in Perranporth Cornwall
Situated along north Cornwall’s wave battered coast lie a number of popular surfing hot spots, one of these, the village of Perranporth is not quite so well known as nearby Newquay but warrants a visit if only for the fact that it’s beach is generally less crowded that that of Newquay. Perranporth in fact has a splendid beach, which can reach a length of almost 3 miles at low tide, the slight downside is that the beach disappears almost completely at high tide, making it a little dangerous. During the months May to September there are usually lifeguards on duty at the beach giving a feeling of extra security when surfing. Perranporth beach is regarded as a good place for beginners, or to actually learn to surf, with a wide range of waves experienced there. The bigger breakers are produced by hundreds of miles of uniterrupted ‘fetch’ and provide a challenge even for experienced surfers. Those wishing to try their hand at this popular sport can get lessons and learn more from the Perranporth Surf School (tel: 07974 550 823
07974 550 823). Perranporth is situated on the B3285 around 6 miles south-west of Newquay and 8 miles from Truro, it can be easily reached from the main A30 road.