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places to visit

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:00am
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julietony

julietony

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Hi Everyone,

We are based in Algorfa, and on our next trip out there would like to take a short break to see something new - we like small towns, places to sit and people watch, nice little shops, quaint streets -  we can stay in one place or move on each day, but not too much driving inbetween.  Would be nice to see a bit more of the Real Spain.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Many thanks

Julie 

Cheryl

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:26pm

Cheryl

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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:26pm

Hello Julie, we've been living here for nearly two years now and have struggled to find what you are looking for although I'm really hoping there will be a flood of replies telling me how wrong I am. In my experience the towns in "real Spain" are not pretty. Away from the coast it is mainly agricultural areas where building is of a practical nature as money is scarce. Pretty towns are far and few between and are tourist hot-spots. The shops will be supplying what the local population need; supermarkets, butchers, bakers, hardware, shoe shops, banks and the like. The cities such as Murcia, Alicante and Valencia is where all the money is along with the beautiful architecture. Saying that, most towns have the square and the church around which most of the action takes place. If you are looking for views, you are spoilt for choice, Santa Pola is a lovely Spanish coastal town with a marina or drive up into the hills for stunning panoramas. Although I've not been yet, I've read that the inland  areas of the Marina Alta are greener and very scenic.

John56

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:36pm

John56

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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 12:36pm

julietony wrote on Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:00am:

Hi Everyone,

We are based in Algorfa, and on our next trip out there would like to take a short break to see something new - we like small towns, places to sit and people watch, nice little shops, quaint streets -  we can stay in one place or move on each day, but not too much driving inbetween.  Wo...

...uld be nice to see a bit more of the Real Spain.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Many thanks

Julie 

Would recommend Altea or Calpe as good bases to stay when exploring the smaller inland villages in the mountains. We stayed in Cap Negret Hotel in Altea which was excellent, had organised walking tours into the old town and was within a short walk of the train / tram station which runs south to Benidorm and north to Denia and is inexpensive.

Movingon

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 5:04pm

Movingon

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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 5:04pm

The Alhambra at Grenada is a must see but it's 320k each way.

Must say that after 11 years in France with 'plus beau villages' like Rocamador, Saint-Cirq-Lapopi, and Carcasson - to mention but three - all within a couple of hours, in comparison Spain is a virtual wasteland !

Dlrsantapola

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 6:47pm

Dlrsantapola

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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 6:47pm

Isla de tabarca is nice trip out , can get a boat across from Santa Pola , 10€ 

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Alba102

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:14pm

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Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:14pm

Hi Julie,

You have a quaint village almost on your doorstep in the form of Formentera Del Segura. Population circa 4000, I'm guessing some 85% Spanish inhabitants.

There is a traditional Spanish square, known to the locals as the paseo, there is a small/medium sized, timber built bar serving local drinks and coffees. The paseo is laid out in a traditional Spanish style with the chapel and townhall in the same square.

There are some small shops, bakers, butchers and small supermarket which are owned an run by the hardworking local people.

Being based in Almoradi, you may be familiar with the Rio Segura, once you've people watched at the Formentera square, you could have a pleasant walk along the footpath which overlooks the river. 

A suggestion would be to arrive earlier in the morning, perhaps 8.30am- 9.00am, where you should be able to savour the chattering of the parents who are having a cup of coffee, having just done the school run to the village primary school. Arriving at this time you will experience a delightful, quaint, Spanish village at its best.

From Formentera, you could then visit Guardamar Del Segura, this is 10km further out towards the coast. 

It's much larger as it is a town, the larger paseo or promenade is lined on one side with cafes, bistros and restaurants and on the other the Mediterranean Sea.

Altea and Calpe are also beautiful. They also are both predominantly Spanish areas, but don't quite capture the real Spain as well as Formentera Del Segura.

Hope this has been helpful.

julietony

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:02am

julietony

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Location: Algorfa

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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:02am

Thank you everyone for your replies, some good ideas there, we are really looking forward to our next visit .

Julie

KazG

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:27am

KazG

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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:27am

Hi, we are also based in Algorfa and have taken quite a few trips out. Cartagena, although it is a city, is well worth a visit as it also has several fascinating ruins to see. From the harbour/ port you can go on a boat trip. Going north Altea old town is very pretty, full of whitewashed houses and restaurants. We’ve just been up to Denia, which although there are a lot of Northern Europeans, it has a very Spanish feel. The old town has pretty coloured town houses and great restaurants. This is also worth a visit. I have attached photos of Denia, Altea and Cartagena. (In that order) 

Stephanie86

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:39pm

Stephanie86

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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:39pm

Would take issue with the description of Calpe as a typical ‘Spanish’ town. When my family moved here over 50 years ago, yes, it was a typical poor Spanish village. Over the years tourism has of course brought money and the consequent upgrading and prettifying of the ‘old’ town, which is in fact not huge.

It is now a centre for a huge foreign population and the buildings and facilities have increased commensurately; of course most of the business owners are Spanish - although not all by any means.

So, yes, you will find parts of it an interesting and attractive place to visit, but it’smain function in life these days appears to be a tourist venue and a place where expats come to retire.

julietony

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:44pm

julietony

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Location: Algorfa

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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:44pm

~Thank you for the info, I have been to Cartegena and like you say well worth a visit. I think maybe the North of our  costa is prettier than the south.  I love Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava but have yet to find anything like that locally. Plenty of Spain still to explore though.  Will definitely consider Denia, that has been on my list for a while.

Thanks again

Julie   

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