The Costa Blanca
After a week in Portugal, we decided to do a trip back to the Costa Blanca so we made our way through Granada and the carpet of olive groves that lined the roads. The snow capped mountains in the distance made it a truly spectacular drive.
We headed towards La Zenia, a favourite beach of ours and found a park4night (03185) just up the road towards Torrevieja.
There are no camp-sites around this area so this RV park was the best we could find. Only a few metres from the sea, it is basically a large car park with brand new showers, toilets and laundry facilities. Their planning rules do not allow a “camp-site” so this means we weren’t allowed to set up chairs/bbq/equipment outside of the motorhome. For us, this wasn’t a problem as the weather was lovely so we walked the few metres to the beach or used our electric bikes to discover further afield.
The beaches in this part of the Costa Blanca are golden sand and at this time of year very quiet. The beach at La Zenia has a lovely bar right on the sand, perfect for a glass of rose after paddling our feet in the clear blue sea.
During the days we cycled along the seafront path towards Torrevieja where there are some lovely bustling bars. We ate Paella and watched the world go by until we started to lose the sunshine around 5.
In the evenings we paid a few euros for a cab to La Zenia where the restaurants are excellent, there is also a huge brand new shopping complex and a several golf courses to choose from. The bustling area of Villa Martin is just up the road with a lively plaza and plenty of bars and restaurants.
Alcossebre – a little piece of paradise
After a few days here we drove a couple of hours North to the small town of Alcossebre and another lovely camp-site, Camping Playa Tropicana in the Costa Del Azahar, a less well known area of Spain and much less touristy than other areas.
If you want a camp-site a stone’s throw from the beach with a heated pool and surrounded by artichoke farms and almond blossom trees then this is the place for you. The restaurant even has a dedicated artichoke menu, a first for us!
Prices are relatively expensive here, 40 euros per night to camp. If we had had an ACSI card then it would have been just 26 euros – we will definitely be getting one of these next year.
Alcossebre is just a 3 km cycle from the camp-site. We set off from the site and cycled along the lane running next to several beautiful beaches until we reached this gorgeous small town.
There is a small marina and a few bars and restaurants (it’s quiet here this time of year so some are closed). They are all set along a long stretch of the best coastline and beaches we have seen so far.
The best thing about this little town is that it isn’t a “developed” resort so the beaches are quiet, the restaurants are good quality and the views are unbeatable.
If we had discovered this place at the start of the trip, I doubt we would have made it any further. We could have stayed here forever, and came away with the feeling that we had discovered a well kept secret not to be shared with too many people. If you want to stay away from the main resorts and kiss me quick hats then this is the place to come.
Heading Home
The time had finally come for our journey home. After nearly 7 weeks exploring we set off on the long drive back towards Calais.
The roads to and from the Tropicana Camp-site are narrow, treacherous and full of pot holes, so it is a mission just to get in or out – it all added to the adventure!
En Route back to Calais there are “Aires” all along the roads – these are places with varying facilities, some have restaurants, some allow camping overnight and some are simply just a parking area.
We used the Park4night app (43360) to find a farm just a few minutes from the motorway. We arrived late evening after a long days travelling. The camping area is a field but it is gated so we felt safe.
Exploring the Algarve
So, we made it to sunny Portugal and decided to make the Camp-site “Turiscampo-Yello Village” near Praia Da Luz our base for the week.
This is a 5 star camp-site with great facilities, gym, indoor swimming pool and a really good bar and restaurant. It’s about a half hour walk to Praia da Luz and our e-bikes came in really handy for exploring the area.
A couple of Adam’s golfing buddies from the UK, Chris and Breeda have been coming here for several years now to make the most of the winter sunshine so they gave us some good tips on where to explore. Whilst Chris and Adam played golf Breda and I went to explore.
First stop was the beach at Praia da Luz and a walk past the quaint church.
It’s quiet here this time of year but there are a handful of restaurants open during the day. There is a lovely restaurant on the beach and the waves were huge – it is the Atlantic after all.
Lunch was steamed clams, garlic prawns and ice cold wine – absolutely divine!
The beaches of the Algarve really are incredible with rocks, sandstone cliffs and plenty of caves to explore.
We headed to the beach and resort of Praia da Rocha which is close to the town and marina of Portimao. The golden sand stretches for as far as the eye can see.
Praia Du Vau beach
This is the place to come if you want something a bit quieter and fancy exploring the caves. We visited on a sunny January morning and the beach was deserted, the sea a beautiful crystal clear and we walked for miles enjoying the spectacular scenery. It really is worth a visit.
Carvoeiro Boardwalk
We spent a morning at the old fishing village of Carvoeiro, starting with the Boardwalk which takes you over the sandstone cliffs and caves below.
The fishing village is much more of a resort nowadays with every restaurant imaginable and I expect it gets very busy during the Summer months.
From there we headed to Ferragudo and the beach of Praia Grande with beautiful views of Portimao marina across the bay.
It’s very sheltered from the wind here so we had a lovely brunch at the Restaurant Praia Grande over-looking the beach and paddled our feet in the sea.
24th January 2022
Seville – Tapas, Architecture and Oranges
We arrived at our “Park4night – No 41011” which, true to the reviews is just a big car park – there is nothing special about it at all, except that it is an easy cycle ride straight into the Centre of Seville.
We cycled through the Parque de Maria Louisa to the Plaza de Espana which is truly stunning and well worth a visit.
There was live Spanish music in the street to really get us in the Spanish mood.
From there we ambled around the streets enjoying the beautiful architecture – the narrow streets are lined with orange trees laden with fruit – it really is so pretty.
Our e-bikes were really useful, there are bikes and e-scooters everywhere with their own cycle lanes. (These are now available to hire with your motorhome)
Beware as some of the bike lanes run alongside the tram and they get really busy. Joining the cycle lane was a bit like joining a busy motorway at one point!
We then stopped for Tapas in the narrow streets over-looking the stunning Cathedral which was lovely, especially when a traditional Spanish wedding party went past.
We liked Seville so much we decided to stay an extra night – there is just too much to explore in a single day.
We visited the Setas de Sevilla on day 2 – a quick 15 minute cycle from our “car park” camp – site.
This huge wooden structure is in the historic old town and at first we were quite underwhelmed. We then discovered you could pay to go into the structure, the lowest level shows archaeological remans from when the site was excavated.
We paid the 10 euro entrance fee and took the lift to the highest level. Walking around the structure we had the best views of Seville and could look out directly over the roof tops and roof terraces of those around us.
If you have seen the film “The Greatest Showman” and the scene where they are dancing amongst the sheets on their roof terrace I felt very much like this. We could see the world around us and the city below.
Included in the entrance fee is a short sensory film in a theatre with the largest curved screen I have ever seen. It wraps around the theatre and you can’t help but feel immersed in the show. It was a showing for 2 as we were the only ones in the theatre so we lay back and enjoyed the adventure!
After the show we had Cortado (Spanish) coffee and more Tapas in the sunshine.
14th January 2022
We headed to Benicassim and the Bonterra resort via a quick overnight stop at Cihuri (The Park4night app is amazing and helps find safe places to stay if you don’t have anything booked).
Bonterra resort is a nice camp-site in a great location near the beach, bars and restaurants and a supermarket. Benicassim is a very Spanish town and the locals don’t speak much English – this was actually a good challenge for us to learn a few words.
There is a fabulous cycle path which runs directly from the camp site (Via Verde Del Mar so we headed out on the electric bikes to explore (These bikes are available to hire).
After a few more days chilling out in the sunshine we headed to Denia where we stayed by the Marina. It cost EUR12 for 24 hours and whilst there are no facilities to empty toilets, no electric and no showers, the view is amazing and it’s very close to the Denia restaurants.
Cape Palos – Wild Camping Spanish Style
This is a great option if you want to camp right next to a crystal clear sea with an amazing sun set and views. There are some good restaurants and bars around the Marina.
We met a lady from Belgium who came here for a couple of nights three months ago and loves it so much she is planning to stay!
Again, due to it being wild camping there are no facilities, but the view more than makes up for this. We stayed one night and then continued to head further south to Almerimar and another marina car park with a view for the night.
Nerja – Sleeping amongst the bananas and avocados
This camp-site is a short cycle ride from Nerja town and the setting is very much “back to nature”. It is quirky and rustic so the facilities aren’t that modern but they are clean and it is an experience in itself – our pitch had it’s own avocado tree!
Nerja itself is a busy little town with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. Perfect for a day out exploring.
Puerto Banus – Mingling with the rich and famous
We parked at Victor’s beach which is basically a cafe with a car park – motorhomes can stay overnight for EUR5. We parked up and cycled to the marina which is a must see. It’s very posh – all armani and gucci shops with multi million pound yachts. We saw the Lady Maya yacht, a cool $160m yacht owned by Kirsty Bertarelli, a previous miss UK and song writer.
Costa Del Golf (sol)
We continued south and another camp-site, this time at Camping Bella Vista for 6 nights – Adam is in golf heaven so I get to catch up with work for a few days.
After a few days of rain and wind the sun finally came out so we headed to Duquesa Golf Course so I could have a go. This course must have been lovely once but the adjoining 5 star hotel has obviously been closed for some time and the course isn’t in the best condition.
That made it the perfect choice for me to have a go as it was cheap and clearly there weren’t any serious golfers here. I have never in my life walked up so many hills and 7.5 miles later I was totally shattered. (If anyone thinks golf isn’t good exercise it definitely is).
We laughed so much as every mis-hit ball rolled away down the steep hills making it a mission to go and retrieve them – Adam made that my job!
The mental health benefit of walking in the sunshine in the open air with fantastic views of the sea is something I think most people would benefit from.
21st December 2021
Adam and I (Trudi) are heading off on a Road Trip!
We have been asked so many questions this year regarding travel to Europe, places to go, things to do, what you need to take etc.
So, we decided that (Covid permitting) we will travel to Spain on 28th December and research a good route and things to do so anyone wanting to do this next year will have some ideas.
We are planning to be away for around 7 weeks and will be blogging our trip using Polarsteps – you can follow our travels here:
