36 Discovering The Costa Blanca COSTA NEWS, October 14-20, 2016

Orihuela Costa is a gorgeoussuccession of 11 sandy beachesand coves stretching along theSpanish Mediterranean coast,between Torrevieja and Pilarde la Horadada, in the south ofAlicante Province. As the nameimplies, it’s the coastal area ofOrihuela, a fascinating histori-cal city packed with medievalmonuments some 20 km in-land.

In the 1980’s this part of theCosta Blanca became verypopular and many Brits boughtreasonably priced holidayhomes here in the new urban-isations; some of them stayedand made their homes inSpain, others have since retiredhere.

More than 16 kilometres ofcoastline are mainly intercon-nected by promenades, coastal

By Karen Marco paths and cycle tracks, so apartfrom enjoying lazy days on thebeach, Orihuela Costa is idealfor walking and cycling. Withan average of 320 days of an-nual sunshine and a mildwinter climate, it’s a popularplace throughout the year.

Two leisure harbours, golfcourses, a huge shoppingcentre at La Zenia, and anamazing variety of restaurantsjust add to the area’s natural at-tractions and means there’ssomething for everyone to do.

Orihuela Costa fromnorth to south

PLAYA DE PUNTA PRIMAJust to the south of Torrevieja,Punta Prima beach is backedby a stone seawall with steps(and a lift) up to the pretty sea-front promenade lined with

palm trees. It carries the Euro-pean ‘Blue Flag’ quality stan-dard along with the majority ofOrihuela beaches.

PLAYA FLAMENCACala Mosca is a deep, shel-tered sandy cove. From hereyou can walk along Playa Fla-menca seafront (which featuresa huge sundial) to neighbour-ing Cala Estanca, anotherlovely cove with golden sands.It’s a popular beach with all theamenities such as restaurantsand beach bar, kiddies playareas, sports zones and also fa-cilities for the disabled. Theseafront promenade leadssouth as far as Cala Capitán.

LA ZENIAA popular area with plenty ofrestaurants and cafés nearby.Cala Cerrada is a fine sandycove backed by cliffs which af-ford panoramic views over theOrihuela coastline. Around theheadland you’ll find CalaBosque, a popular sandy beachsuitable for all the family, withspecial facilities for the dis-abled.

CABO ROIGSheltered by Cabo Roig head-land, Cala Caleta is ideal forpaddling and swimming as thesea is habitually calm. Thiscove is just south of Cabo Roigmarina, where you can see thelandmark XVI century watch-tower which was used to warnof the pirate attacks which fre-quently took place along theCosta Blanca centuries ago.Restaurants and water sportfacilities are just some of thenearby attractions. CalaCapitán is a wide sandy covewith a small islet jutting intothe sea. Amenities includechildren’s play parks, beachsports, facilities for invalids,and a ‘chiringuito’ beach barcafé in summer. Calas deAguamarina is the stretch ofcoastline between Cabo Roigand Campoamor; quiet littlecoves with areas of fossilizedsand, reached down steps fromthe promenade.

CAMPOAMORThis is traditional classy re-sort with a marvellous leisureharbour. Enjoy walking or cyc-

ling along the paths throughthe nearby pine woods whichhave shady picnic areas. LaGlea beach is located to the leftof Campoamor leisure har-bour. Attractions include anarea of protected sand dunes,a choice of hotel accommo-dations and restaurants aswell as the chance to practice avariety of water sports. This ispossibly one of the most at-tractive beaches on OrihuelaCosta. On the right-hand sideof the harbour, Playa Bar-ranco Rubio is Orihuela’slongest beach (655m). Thecontrast of reddish cliffs,golden sands and turquoisesea is quite distinctive.

PLAYA MIL PALMERASA beautiful open stretch offine white sands below reddishcliffs situated beside the cane-lined Cañada de Matamorosriver. A summer beach bar andchildren’s play areas are someof the attractions.

Read more about the CostaBlanca on my personal travelblog: www.kalitravel.net

Orihuela Costa

Campoamor port. Photo by Trini Alcaina and Mª José Quiles

Cabo Roig Tower and Leisure port. Photo by Paco Pertegal

La Glea beach, Campoamor. Photo by Trini Alcaina and Maria José Quiles