Today’s picture is of us fishing at the Embalse de Pedrera reservoir located near to Torremendo just inland from the Costa Blanca coastline of Spain. We took part in an angling safari last August to try out the local carp fishing which is said to be good. In the event although we had a good day out the fish weren’t really biting and only 2 small carp were caught, one by myself and one by Nathian, David (featured in the photo) unfortunately went fishless. The cost of the angling safaris are 70 euros per person (they picked us up from Cabo Roig), which I think is reasonable although we would have liked to have caught more fish and perhaps have tried some different baits and methods, but as they say “that’s fishing”.
April 4, 2010
Carp Fishing in Spain
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March 27, 2010
Pedreguer Ondara and Els Poblets
Three small towns located on the northern Costa Blanca, Spain, all worth a visit if you are in the area are Pedreguer, Ondara, and Els Poblets. All near to the renowned coastal resort of Denia the 3 towns of all hold some interest. Ondara a stronghold of the Arabs during their occupation of the Iberian Penisular, has among its a attractions a bullring dating from the nineteenth century, mostly destroyed during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the bullring was later rebuilt, also of interest in Ondara is the Clock Tower, built in the Arabic style and the Assut dam, dating from the Moorish occupation. Els Poblets, formerly comprised of three small villages is now a popular tourist location with some exclusive villas, this area has some of the most expensive properties in the Costa Blanca region. Els Poblets has some remains of an ancient Roman villa, showing evidence of its early settlement in the 1st century BC. The pretty town of Pedreguer is surrounded by vineyards and orange groves, and is close to the delightful Jalon Valley, worth is visit is the old town where you will find the 16th century parish church of Santa Cruz. These three towns should keep you occupied for at least a whole day, if you have some spare time, head into Denia and head for one of the seafront restaurants where you can perhaps try one of the local fish dishes.
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March 25, 2010
Costa Blanca Beaches Albir
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.
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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.
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March 21, 2010
Benidorm Costa Blanca
Sea, sun, sand and sangria – the Spanish resort of Benidorm certainly offers all of these and plenty more besides. Situated in the Costa Blanca region of south-eastern Spain, Benidorm is, these days, the major destination in Europe for tourists looking for a seaside holiday, with in excess of four million visitors per year, this is a serious resort, the fabulous warm Benidorm weather attracting more and more visitors every year. Most visitors today would find it hard to believe that
Benidorm was just a tiny fishing village up until the 1950’s when a growing tourist industry would result in huge changes not just to Benidorm but also many other towns and villages throughout Spain. The history of Benidorm, of course, goes back much, much further, with evidence of settlements as long ago as 3000 BC.
Fragments of Punic and Roman ships have been discovered in the Bay of Benidorm and there are also remains of a Roman villa in the area. However, the recorded history of Benidorm starts during the Moorish Conquest, when the first genuine settlement was built by the Moors and Benidorm became a fishing community of some significance. Benidorm and the region was reconquered for the Christians by Jaime I of Aragon (Jaume I) in 1245 and in 1325 the town was awarded its first charter. The original Benidorm Castle was built at around this time and was constructed in the area of the old village. Although no evidence now remains of the castle it was, at the time, very important in defending Benidorm from frequent attacks by Barbary pirates.
An irrigation drain built in 1666 to supply water to the surrounding land brought some improvements to the area and by 1715 the population of Benidorm had risen to 216. 1740 saw the start of construction on the Parish Church of San Jaime and the population grew rapidly by 1794 had topped 2,700. Although agriculture contributed to Benidorm’s economic survival during these years, fishing remained the prime industry and Benidorm’s fishermen gained a reputation as tuna fishermen.
By 1857 the population had risen to 3,750 but dropped back once again in 1920 when an outbreak of phylloxera seriously damaged a thriving grape growing industry. At around the same time there were signs of an emerging tourism industry in the area aided by the building of a narrow gauge railway. A small but growing number of tourists headed for Benidorm from inland towns such as Madrid.
Disaster loomed for Benidorm in the early 1950’s as fish catches fell dramatically, however an increase in tourism and a plan drawn up by the town in 1956 for improvements in the town targeted at leisure and tourism, was well founded, it resulted in a huge growth in population, which further accelerated in 1967 on the opening of Alicante (El Altet) airport.
Modern day Benidorm is a successful holiday resort with numerous hotels and rental accommodation properties catering for holidaymakers of all ages, nationalities and tastes. There is lots to see and do in and around Benidorm, there are 2 superb beaches (Playa levante and Playa Poinente), some wonderful theme parks such as Terra Mitica, the Aqualandia Water Park and Mundomar Marine and Exotic Animal Park, whatever you are looking for Benidorm certainly delivers. Benidorm Map.
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March 12, 2010
Hurchillo Costa Blanca
One of the Vega Baja villages of the Costa Blanca, Spain, Hurchillo is a charming little village with a population of less than one thousand. A chance to see a piece of the real Spain away from the busy Costa Blanca coastline, Hurchillo is reached via the road from Orihuela, and is a bout 9 kilometres from that town. A maze of charming cobbled streets welcomes visitors, together with the smiling faces of its people who are very friendly. Not to be out gunned by its bigger and better known neighbours, Hurchillo has its own village square and church and also its own feast day and fiestas during which it honours the Patrona Nuestra Señora de Montserrat. Damaged like so many other villages in the earthquake of 1829, Hurchillo relies mostly on citrus farming for its economic survival. Other villages worth visiting around Hurchillo include Bigastro, Beniel, Jacarilla and Cox.
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