Calpe by James Matthews - Mon 24th August 2009
Brilliant; fantastic; relaxing; hot-hot-hot! That’s the best way to describe our holiday. To start with, some might consider that Calpe is a Benidorm “wannabe”. What with the high-rise hotels and with as much as possible squeezed into limited space. Although Carrera offered privacy with its location and excellent gardens. As is made clear in the description, the gardens are mature. Aside from the privacy aspect, this creates a sun trap on the pool terrace. Every day the temperatures soared above 40 degrees on that terrace. Not everybody can stand that heat, but nobody wants to sit indoors every day, either. The shady naya is the ideal compromise. Large enough for the grandchildren to play in without feeling imprisoned, and close enough to the pool side to limit sun burn on tender knees, feet and shoulders. The villa offers plenty of room for the extended family, with privacy all round. True, we found the ground floor kitchen under-equipped, but it was not a hindrance to our enjoyment of a lovely, cool villa. The Carrio Urbanization confused my satellite navigation system. If you are using similar means to find Carrera make certain that you increase the accuracy to the maximum as the numerous roads are close together. I do not know who was closer to blowing a fuse as mine insisted that I take a non-existent right turn to a road six feet below me. That said, once I could find my way around it was easy to respect the added privacy that the maze of roads afforded. (I once stayed in a villa in Portugal in an area where the local youths loved to ride their mopeds after dark.) The tremendous heat soon had us adopting the Spanish way of taking a siesta during the hottest moments of the day, and enjoying the cool of the night. And there is no better way to enjoy that than joining the locals and other holiday makers as the promenaded along the sea front. I must make a point here: I am disabled, so I hired a mobility scooter from Amiga 24 in Benidorm. If I do not offend Villa Spain by plugging them after I was left disappointed by another firm that claimed they were “Easy” to deal with... If, like me, you struggle to walk any distance at all, or even if you are getting on in years and would prefer to take things a little easier, Amiga 24 will deliver and collect your scooter/wheelchair, manual chair or electrically propelled. It costs about €12 a day, and my Auriga 10 carried me from the villa into Calpe and around the town and back up the not-inconsiderable hill back “home” with no strain on the batteries. Back to the promenade; the local authorities have paved the long walkway and put inaccessible slopes where steps would have proved the cheaper option. So nobody is excluded from joining and enjoying the promenade, from very young children right up to the oldest and most infirm. The Peñón de Ifach is the best known landmark on the Costa Blanca and it commands most views in Calpe unless you deliberately choose to miss it out. It is a nature park, so gaudy lighting is not used. However, the pale grey rock formation is visible to the naked eye and can be photographed with suitable cameras; not the point and shoot type, alas. Well, not in its entirety. It is also possible to see Benidorm, lit up like any holiday resort, as you stroll along enjoying the cool breezes coming across the Mediterranean Sea; but don’t forget to look closer to home. There is an area that is fenced off from the public, and first impressions are that it is a building site awaiting the workers to move in. Instead, they are archaeological remains. On the seaward side you can look down on geometric formations amongst the rocks. Called the Banys De La Reina, which means the queen’s baths, they are Roman remains thought to be a part of a fish market. Of course, there are typical holiday shops along the way, selling anything from post cards, through beach inflatable’s and ice creams (helados), to footwear appropriate to the conditions. And competition keeps prices low. The hot days will probably make you feel that you don’t wish to eat so, by the time you have promenaded into the old quarter, you are probably going to feel ravenous. Again, this is where the competition between businesses will work in your favour. There are enough pubs and restaurants catering to the basic English taste, as well as German, Italian, French, Belgian, Swiss... I won’t go on, except to say that typical Spanish eateries are short on the ground in Calpe. There are far too many to mention here, so please make sure your read the “Welcome” booklet that goes into more detail. I will just add that a typical entree course will cost around €7.50, so you will be able to enjoy three courses and drinks and still have change from €20. I did promise the staff of one restaurant that I would give them a plug. The Boomerang Steakhouse. I have brought a menu home with me as a souvenir (a freely-available one, provided for that purpose). A plain steak will cost you €7.95, and it is served with chips and fresh salad if desired. You can add any sauce from a list of ten, but what they don’t tell you is that every steak is a fillet steak. You can also choose Chicken breast or (my favourite) Pork Schnitzel. Desserts are as available, and cost around €4.95. Starters are similarly priced, as well. Oh, and they do a “Gourmet Special” with all three courses available for €16.95 (sauces extra). And kids get a main course and dessert for €4.95. You will find Boomerang at C/La Pinta-Corner, not far from the roundabout with a fountain, near the old town. In fairness to those with differing tastes, there is a vast array of dining experiences to be enjoyed, and it is well worth reminding the reader to refer to the “Welcome” booklet again, as it mentions eateries popular with locals and holiday makers alike; especially in and around Moraira. A day trip to Benidorm is a short drive along the N332 (toll free, although it does wind through the Altea hills), and there you will find thousands of things to coax your last Euro out of you. Very busy and totally adapted to catering for the tourist, it is worth the visit purely for the experience alone. Our favourite place to visit lies in the opposite direction, where we have had Villa Spain holidays in the past. Moraira. Although there is a large exile community for both Germans and British, with pubs and restaurants (including a “chippie”) catering to them, the town till retains a Spanish air about it, as it is a popular resort for more wealthy Spaniards. A true glimpse into the Spanish lifestyle is made available every Friday, when the local market takes place. Sadly, many stalls now cater for holiday makers, but the locals still go there to get their fresh oranges, along with other fruit and vegetables. I highly recommend Moraira Friday market for inclusion in your holiday plans. And, if you wish to have a paddle in the sea, there is the main Ampolla beach and, the much better, El Portet just along from the marina. And a brief stop in the Marina to see where fish will come and wait to be fed must be included. I could go on and on because I have not even mentioned the sites and sights further inland. Again, refer to the “Welcome” booklet for ideas. Whatever you choose to do with your time I hope you enjoy it as much as the Matthews family from Norwich did. In closing, I would like to say a special thank you to the owners of Carrera for making their home available for us to enjoy. And special thanks to Villa Spain for making the most luxurious villas affordable, rather than capitalising as other property management companies do. Plus the excellent manner in which our concerns were dealt with with as little fuss as possible.