02/27/06

Further a field Only 15 minutes away you can go Tenpin Bowling in Torrevieja and visit the wonderful waterpark for excellent family fun. Elche is famous for its palm trees and leather shoes and is a 30 minute drive. Or why not try Benidorm approx 1hr 30 drive away famous for its lovely sandy beaches and lively nightlife. You could also visit Benidorms theme park called 'Terra Mitica' with its many roller coasters for a great day out.

Golf Information. Please see the Golf page

The climate in this area is more predictable than it is in other parts of Spain. There is almost constant sunshine through most of the year and cooling sea breezes during the hottest spells. By mid February, there is heat in the sun and ideal golfing conditions prevail until early May. October through to Christmas is also a popular period.”

Local markets
Monday Elche, Orihuela, Santa Pola, San Pedro del Pinatar
Tuesday Alicante, Orihuela
Wednesday Guardamar, La Mata, San Miguel de Salinas
Thursday San Javier, Rojales, Alicante
Friday Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada
Saturday Almoradi, Playa Flamenca, Santa Pola, Elche, Alicante
Sunday Elche, El Campo de Guardamar, El Zoco Benijofar

BEACHES There are an enormous number of fantastic beaches in the area. Almost all of these are safe, blue flag beaches with lifeguards in attendance during the main summer season.

Each beach has its own character and it’s worth trying out a few different ones to see which you prefer…

The closest beach (our favourite!) is Campoamor. This is a much larger beach, also with a beach bar and sunloungers, and where parking is easier. There is also a proper beach restaurant opposite the small marina. There is a banana boat here and pedalos for hire. You can also hire jet skis. This beach gets quite busy in the height of the summer, but tends to start to clear at about 3pm.

Also close is La Zenia. Here you will find sun-loungers to hire and a couple of beach bars. To the left hand side of the La Zenia hotel is a very quiet more “natural” beach and to the right hand side is the beach with the bars etc. If you buy lunch or drinks at the hotel, you will be able to use their facilities as well – they have a great pool and a children’s play area

Additionally, there is a restaurant adjacent to the hotel where you can pay to use their pool. The major drawbacks here are that it can be tricky to park and the beaches are quite small and can get busy

The beaches at Cabo Roig and Cala Capitán are small rocky coves, reached by descending steps. These beaches are very popular and there is also a marina and restaurants adjacent to some.

There is a nice beach at Mil Palmeras and here you will find a whole area of small beach bars and restaurants – some predominantly English and German - - few Spanish ones, it has to be said!

Going south, you will find the beaches of the Mar Menor – for example at Santiago de la Ribeira or Los Alcazares. The Mar Menor is an inland salt water lagoon, separated from the Mediterranean by the La Manga strip. The water is significantly warmer than the Mediterranean and as still as a mill pond; there are hardly any waves at all.

The closest Mar Menor beach is at San Pedro del Pinatar which is only 10 minutes from CAMPOAMOR a lovely beach (called Villanitos or Lo Pagan) and there are lots of shops and cafés here. This is also where the therapeutic mudbaths are – and there is a fantastic walkway between the Mar Menor on the right and the mudbaths on the left. Here you can promenade all the way to the very tip of the La Manga strip – but you can’t get across!!

The beaches of Torre de la Horadada and El Mojón are also worth going to…. A little bit like La Marina, but on a smaller scale…. Afterwards, you can stroll down to Torre de la Horadada and sit in one of the little ice cream parlours or cafés above the Marina. It is a very pretty little town, especially down by the sea-front.

Cities & Towns

CITIES AND TOWNS  

Alicante : 40 mins
Alicante is the provincial capital and is the main city of the Costa Blanca. It is an easy drive from Playa Golf.

It is a prosperous and bustling coastal city, which in spite of its many foreign tourists, remains truly Spanish. It dominated by the ruins of its ancient castle of Santa Barbara and has everything you would expect of a Mediterranean city: baroque buildings, churches, museums, excellent restaurants and very interesting shopping.

Alicante's palm-lined avenues, seafront paseos, excellent beach and marina, surrounded by quality restaurants and bars, make it perfect for a day trip.

Murcia : 25 mins
Murcia is the capital city of the province of Murcia. Much of the province is planted with fruit, olives, rice, nuts and vegetables . Inland lie arid and beautiful mountain ranges, vineyards, historic towns and forgotten villages – where few tourists venture

Murcia is known as the “capital of Baroque”, as no other Spanish city can equal the number of monuments built in this style. Everywhere can be found churches and civil buildings with exuberant facades. The many palaces and stately houses are mostly situated around the lively and bubbling streets of the old quarter.

Murcia is a truly Spanish city which makes few concessions to tourism and apart from its excellent restaurants and bars serving local cuisine and tapas, offers excellent facilities for shopping

Elche : 20 mins
Elche is Europe’s greatest palm grove and is approximately 20 minute’s drive from Las Ramblas. More than 300,000 palm trees grow in Elche, in verdant parks and shady squares and lining streets and gardens. Elche was originally an Iberian village – Illici – colonized later by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. It is thought that the palm groves originated in Phoenician times and today they are protected against felling by law

Elche stands on the Vinalopo rive and is Spain’s shoe-manufacturing capital. It is a stronghold of the Valencian language and one of the most historic towns in the region.

Elche is famous for the Cleto-Iberian Dama d’Elx stone bust, found in 1897 and now in Madrid’s archeological museum. The elegant headdress of the bust shows her to have been a woman of power and standing. The Dama d’Elx is is thought to be of a high priestess carved from limestone by Iberian sculptors around 475BC. A copy may be seen in the Huerto del Cura gardens in Elche.

Orihuela : 15 mins
Orihuela is a town of ancient lineage , unswamped by tourists, with a mix of historic monuments, crumbling palaces and a gentle pace of life. If you would like a taste of untouched provincial Spain, it is well worth a visit. A trip to Orihuela can be easily combined with a trip to Elche

Torrevieja 15 mins :
Torrevieja is a place where once sailing ships from Cuba anchored in the docks ready to load salt from the local salt flats in the 19th century. Consequently their influence can still be felt around the town.

Torrevieja is a much more exciting place than some would think! Due to a substantial earthquakes in 1828 and 1829 there is little historic architecture worthy of note. However, there is plenty of local colour and atmosphere to compensate for this

The town centre is bustling, with numerous boutiques and street cafes. The seafront is pedestrianised and you can stroll along the paseo past the casino and many bars, cafes and restaurants. Initially, the bays are rocky, with steps down into the sea for swimming, but sandy beaches follow. There is an "ethnic" market stretching down from the town centre to the seafront along a tree lined marble floored walkway. This is open every afternoon until late at night and is very busy on Friday and Saturday evenings, with lots of ambience. Behind the market is a funfair. At the end of the market, before the seafront paseo, is a large marina.