My parents decided to up and leave to live in the Costa Blanca when i was 18, that was nearly 7 years ago now. At the time I was not ready to leave all of my friends and girlfriend, but 7 years on i would love to do the same thing with my fiancee!
My parents have lived in Javea and Moraira, which are 2 areas within the Costa Blanca, around half an hour North of Benidorm. I will try and cover as much of the sights, sounds and smells of the area in this review, and try to recommend different places where i have had much enjoyment.
I'll start with Javea. This is a town which is split into 3 parts - The port area, the town, and the beach area, known as the Arenal. The port area contains several lovely little restaurants, especially fish restaurants, all at reasonable prices. The town area is a maze of streets, all typically Spanish looking, and a regular setting for 'Bull runs' which is where Bulls run through the streets, and everybody has to run out of the way! Yeah, bizarre i know.
The main attraction to Javea is Arenal. This is a large stretch of golden beach, and several bars/restaurants run down the full length of it. During every one of my annual holidays to visit my family, i have spent nearly every night at Arenal, and have become a regular at many of the bars. In the middle of the summer season it really has a fantastic atmosphere. There are market stalls running along the length of it aswell, full of gifts, crafts, charicature painters etc. The majority of the bars stay open until the early hours of the morning, i have even
helped the owners of 1 bar take the bins out at 6am before now!
In my opinion there are 3 bars very worthy of a visit to anyone holidaying in Javea. The Champagne bar is a very posh looking bar, which is always absolutely packed, but so full of atmosphere. They do incredibly tasty (and dangerous!) cocktails, and the service, considering the volume of people, is excellent.
The next bar to recommend is Carnival Cafe. This specialises in delicious Mexican food, such as Fajita's and Nacho's, and also usually gets very busy but still has good service. The majority of staff here are English and are courteous. The other bar worth a mention is Copacobana. This is only a small bar towards the end of the beach, but it gives great, friendly service, has lovely cocktails, and because its a little quieter, it's good to go to for a quiet game of pool!
I never tire of the Arenal area of Javea, because to me it has everything, sand, sea, good food and drink, beautiful ladies ( although i'm now engaged) and it even has a little fair for the kids Accomodation in Javea i am not too familiar with, as i have always stayed with my parents, but there are several hotels around the beach area, and the surrounding area has many new apartment developments, and many continue to be built. It is definately a town which is growing rapidly, and becomes more and more popular each year.
Moraira is a nearby town which is where my parents currently live. Its is a quieter resort than javea, but it too is growing year after year in popularity. There aren't so many beach bars in Moraira, but there are several great little restaurants, including some fantastically priced Chinese restaurants. The beach area in Moraira is small but clean, and it has a little castle next to the beach. Again, i am unfamiliar with accomodation, but there are many new apartment developments, and existing hotels in and around the town, including the one my mother works at 'Los Limoneros'. Every week there is a brilliant market in Moraira, as there is in many of the towns in the Costa Blanca. This market sells anything you can think of - crafts, food, music, videos, clothing etc.
The main place to visit in the Costa Blanca, and the main attraction for thousands of tourists every year is Benidorm. Think Blackpool, heat it up a bit, remove the trams and you've got Benidorm! Whenever i holiday in Spain i always spend at least a couple of days and nights in Benidorm, because there is a hell of a lot to do. Admittedly its fairly touristy and cheesy, but not so much that its not enjoyable. The following attractions are ones which i have had enjoyment out of in Benidorm.
Mundomar is a kind of aquatic zoo, which contains sealions, penguins, dolphins etc, and various shows and activities. The dolphin show here is a must see, and you really can get up close to the dolphins and even have your picture taken stroking them or swim with them! The dolphins make you realise how clever they are, and they always seem happy! Mundomar is a good place for a family day out, and the cost is fairly reasonable.
Adjacent to Mundomar is Aqualandia, which is a water slidefun park, and this place is brilliant. It contains many water slides and attractions, and is the perfect way to spend a hot summers
Pictures of Costa Blanca (Spain)
dolphin at mundomar
day. The down side is that during the high season, the queues for all the slides are very big, and there is a danger of getting burnt standing in a queue in the sun all day! But if you go slightly out of season then it really is a great day out. There are slides which you have to ride in a big tyre, on mats, or just on your bum! And there are a couple of lethal looking slides, which are literally vertical and about 60 foot in the air. I've been on them once, but i would, never go on them again as they are just too scary! I must be getting boring in my old age! On the whole though, Aqualandia is very much recommended.There is also a theme park in Benidorm called Terra Mitica, which was built a few years ago. Unfortunately i haven't been there yet, so i can't comment much on it, but all the reports i've had off people that have been are very good. it is a very good family day out by all accounts.
These are the main parks in Benidorm. The rest of the city comprises of 2 massive stretches of golden beach, complete with many amazing sand sculptures, with bar after bar and restaurant after restaurant lining the full length of the beach. There really are bars and restaurants to suit all tastes - music bars, cabaret bars, fish restaurants, pizzeria's, the list goes on. Back from the beach Benidorm shops a plenty, ranging from cheap novelty shops to high quality boutiques. It also has amusement arcades, wax museums, go kart tracks, plenty to amuse kids and adults alike.
One thing to beware of in Benidorm are the maniac drivers, its very dicey driving in and around the city, and trying to find a parking space is virtually impossible in the high season. Also, because its such a touristy place, it does have its fair share of rowdy typical British holidaymakers, so expect large groups of intimidating blokes! There are plenty of large nightclubs In Benidorm, open all through the night, such as Pacha, Ku, etc. There are quite often top name DJ's playing in many of these clubs, and they are packed out during the summer.
Car hire is a necessity really for anyone visiting the Costa Blanca, unless you just want to spend a whole week in Benidowm. With a car you really can get out to see some of the other sights, such as the vineyards of the Jalon Valley, the mountain and coastal roads which are beautiful drives, the ancient monastery town of Guadelest. There are other beach resorts aswell along the coast such as Calpe, Denia, Altea, although i am unfamiliar with theses towns so cannot comment.
To get a better idea of what the Costa Blanca really has to offer, you must visit yourself. On the one hand you have the tourist hustle and bustle of Benidorm, and on the other you have beautiful vineyards, mountain walks, and beautiful peaceful beach coves. I would recommend a visit to the Costa Blanca to anyone.
***********UPDATE, JULY 16th 2004*************
I have just got back from another trip to my parents for my summer holidays, and have once again soaked up the sights, sounds and smells of the Costa Blanca. This time however i went to the Terra Mitica theme park, so i just want to say a little bit about this. It was a fantastic day out, and as i went on a weekday and the English schools hadn't yet broken up, it was really quiet, i didn't have to queue up for any of the rides at all.
The park is split up into different areas including Egypt and Greece etc, complete with temples and pyramids. The park is truly impressive and a lot of time has gone into its design. The rides are very good aswell, There is a hanging rollercoaster very similar to the Nemesis at Alton Towers which is a thrilling ride. Another main feature is the large wooden rollercoaster on the side of the mountain, which is a very long, rickety but entertaining ride! There are a couple of log flume rides, one of which completely soaked me to the bone, but luckily as it was stupidly hot, i dried within a few minutes!
All of the food is reasonably priced, and there are gift shops dotted around everywhere. Expect to do a lot of walking though, as the rides and attractions are all spaced out quite far apart. Anyway, a brilliant day out was had by all!
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I have been to Benidorm and remember it as being fun. This summer we went to Marbella which was also very nice. I think the weather could definately attract me to live in southern europe but I think I'd prefer Italy. Triciax
bigcat 20.05.2004 20:02
A well written informative review. My wife and I are off to Spain in June but to the Costa Dorada instead
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Feb 17th, 2004
(Jul 16th, 2004)
very helpful by (100%):
