Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

March 24, 2010

Cabo Roig Orihuela Costa

Filed under: Costa Blanca,Holidays,Spain — Tags: , , , , , , , , — needahand @ 1:55 pm
Cabo Roig Bay and Marina

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.

Cabo Roig Map.

March 21, 2010

Benidorm Costa Blanca

Filed under: Costa Blanca,History,Spain — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 8:33 am

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.

February 20, 2010

Villajoyosa Benidorm Costa Blanca

Filed under: Costa Blanca,Spain — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 4:56 pm

Well worth a visit if you are travelling around the northern Costa Blanca in Spain, the town of Villajoyosa, located a few kilometres south of  the huge holiday resort of Benidorm, is one of the prettiest in the region. Well known for its multi-coloured houses, Villajoyosa is an old fishing village, turned holiday resort, it has several fine beaches and a charming fishing harbour, where you can watch the locally caught fish, landed and auctioned off. Whilst in Villajoyosa be sure to visit the chocolate factory and the chocolate museum, for this is one of Spain’s major chocolate producing towns, its turron and chocolate delicacies well known throughout Europe. If you can pick your time to visit, try to coincide with a local fiesta, so that you can join in with local customs, the Fiesta de San Isidore is held in May, and in September, a fiesta in honour of the Archangel Michael takes place. If you are visiting between May and October you can expect the Villajoyosa weather to be sunny and dry, as the town experiences over 300 sunny days each year. The nearest airport for Villajoyosa is at Alicante, if you are hiring a car and need a road map you will find a useful one here: Alicante Airport Map.

Get a dedicated guide to Villajoyosa here: http://www.villajoyosa.my-costa-blanca.co.uk/

November 22, 2009

Hiring a Car at Alicante Airport

Filed under: Costa Blanca,Spain — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 11:01 am

It was very noticeable that during the summer past it was very difficult to obtain car hire in the Alicante and Costa Blanca regions. Here in Cabo Roig we had lots more enquiries for car hire than we have ever received before and it seems that the major car hire companies set aside many less cars this year than in previous years due to the recession, and demand outstripped availability making it almost impossible to book car hire in the area after about April time. It would therefore seem advisable, if you are travelling to the area next summer, to book your car early to avoid disappointment and the get the exact car that you require, rather than just opting for whatever is available. The vast majority of visitors to the area arrive at Alicante airport, so the best , and it seems cheapest option is to book an Alicante airport car hire, rather than booking one at your resort destination. Many visitors are somewhat reluctant to jump straight in at the airport, but in the long run this will prove to be the best option and you should not be put off as the roads in this part of Spain are excellent and signposting generally better than in the UK. Bon voyage. To help with your journey, you can find a handy Alicante airport map here: Alicante Airport Map.

October 30, 2009

Almoradi Spain

Filed under: Costa Blanca,History,Spain — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 5:15 pm

Situated just inland from the Costa Blanca coastline, the historic town of Almoradi lies close to the River Segura and has a resident population of around 18,000. The history of the town is the stuff of legend, as the town was supposedly founded by King Brigo in 1196 BC, firmer evidence exists of settlement by later civilizations such as Greeks, Romans and Visigoths, and the name comes from the Moorish occupation of the town in the 8th-13th centuries and actually means “my will and desire”. Almoradi fell into decline after the Christian reconquest and suffered badly in the 1829 earthquake which devastated the region. Almoradi is the HQ of an ancient water tribunal founded to resolve disputes over water, which is scarce in the region, fines are still dispensed in ancient Spanish coins. Almoradi is located near to Ciudad Quesada and Rojales on the southern Costa Blanca.

October 29, 2009

El Campello Alicante

Filed under: Costa Blanca,Spain,Travel — Tags: , , , — needahand @ 11:38 am

A small town and coastal resort located to the north of Alicante, El Campello is a popular holiday destination for both Spanish and International visitors. Boasting stunning views along the surrounding coastline, El Campello is in a fine spot, and itself has some wonderful beaches. Dotted with ancient watchtowers dating back to the days when Barbary pirates raided this coastline, El Campello has survived mostly as a fishing village over the centuries and has only found itself as a tourist resort in recent years. Typically for towns of the region, El Campello enjoys numerous fiestas and festivals, perhaps the main one, and the one which local look forward to all year, is the Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) festival, which takes place in October. The town benefits for a fine climate with El Campello weather, generally sunny and dry for most of the year, though it can get a bit chilly during February. El Campello is situated between Alicante and Villajoyosa, about 13 kilometres from Alicante city centre. El Campello Map.

If you are holidaying in El Campello you may need to get transfers from Alicante airport, you can find details of how to book here: Alicante Airport Transfers. If you are driving you can view a map of Alicante here: Alicante Map.

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