Costa Blanca in Spain is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southern Europe, with thousands of hotels and vacation apartments.
Costa Blanca spans the 220 km coastal line of the Alicante Province from from Gandia in the north to Pilar de la Horadada in the South, with known tourist destinations such as Altea, Benidorm, Alicante, Santa Pola, Guardamar, Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa (La Zenia, Cabo Roig, Aquamarina, Campoamor and Mil Palmeras) in between.
Why is it so popular?
- It has extremely reliable sunny weather during most of the year. With typical temperatures between 25 and 30 from early spring to late autumn, it has what most would considered perfect summer weather
- It is so much more than a vacation destination rich in culture and arts
- It is easily accessible via airports in Alicante and Murcia
Maybe the best proof of its attractiveness is its popularity among Spanish people coming in from Madrid to spend their vacation in this area.
We have been regular visitors to Costa Blanca for more than 5 years and in 2022 we bought an apartment in Cabo Roig. We go there 3-4 times a year and occassionally rent it out to selected guests via Grupo Quattro, a renown property firm that also looks after the place when we are not around.
View of the Mediterranean from the our rooftop in Cabo Roig
Cabo Roig – the pearl of Costa Blanca
Cabo Roig is one of the most popular and exclusive beach resorts in southern Costa Blanca about 50 minutes south of Alicante in the area called Orihuela Costa.
Before buying our own holiday home in Cabo Roig, we did a lot of research locally to find the best spot not only for vacations but also as a “base camp” for hiking and cultural exploration.
We fell in love with Cabo Roig not only due to its fantastic beaches, but also because of its stunning coastal nature and plenty of opportunities for recreation and fun. A lot of activities are available in and around Cabo Roig, including tennis clubs, golf, jet skis, water boarding, surfing, kayaking and diving, and the Cabo Roig Marina is one of the best marinas on entire Costa Blanca coastline.
View from the balcony of our costa blanca residence
We chose to buy an apartment in the Marina Sol quarter at Calle Fuego due to its location in a quiet residential area, yet very close to the Mediterranean – and the amazing climate with 320 sunny days a year!
When we are in Cabo Roig, we spend most of our time outdoor engaging in different activities. There are plenty of opportunities for hikes around Cabo Roig including the Orihuela Costa Promenade, the vast natural reserves around Murcia, La Manga and the mountains north of Alicante
The Orihuela Costa Promenade
At the end Calle Fuego, less than 100 meters from our property is the Orihuela Costa Promenade that covers 16 km of the Mediterranean coastline of the with breathtaking views from Campoamor to Playa Flamenca.
The promenade on the coast of Cabo Roig
The promenade is paved with stone and provides good walking conditions for all age groups. From Calle Fuego, the first part of the promenade leads towards la Zenia and has a dedicated bicycle lane. It passes the Cabo Roig Flora Micro Reserve, a small natural reserve with rare flowers and herbs which is an ideal place for a morning run, or just a walk to watch the rocky Playa Fossil.
Morning in the Micro-Reserve in Cabo Roig
On the opposite side of the Micro Reserve is a playground and an outdoor gym where you can meet both tourists and locals working out in the morning hours before it gets too hot.
The outdoor gym is great way to start the day followed by an ocean dip
The promenade is currently divided into two parts between the Micro Reserve and Calle Levante due to a dispute between the city council and a local property association. According to a recent court filing, the part of the promenade that is currently sealed off between the microreserve and la Zenia beach will be opened again sometime during 2025.
The extended promenade towards Playa Flamenca is really a great walk with many good stops along the way, such as Playa de la Galeta, the Cabo Roig Port and its restaurants, the scenic views of Mirador de Cabo Roig, Playa Capitan and Playa de la Zenia.
The beautiful Playa de la Galeta is our favorite beach
Campo Amor
Campo Amor is quiet and very green neighbourhood mostly inhabited by Spanish tourists. It has several really good restaurants, including the Fish Bowl, Restaurante Los Angeles, Monte Mar, Montepiedra Playa and the more casual Chiringuito del Puerto on the beach front.
There is also a church. a cinema, an ice cream shop and various smaller shops to explore.
Campo Amor deserves its name, it is a very lovable place!
Las Salinas de San Pedro del Pinatar
Just 30 minutes with car south of Cabo Roig is San Pedro del Pinatar. San Pedro is not the typical tourist town – its feels more like an average Spanish town. San Pedro is part of region Murcia which is the province south of the Alicante Province, so technically it is not part of Costa Blanca.
In the area called Lo Pagan in southern San Pedro, there is a salty lake called Mar Menor which contains Europes greatest open air mud bath also known as Las Charcas.
The unique climatic conditions in and around the Mar Menor have brought about clay deposits which contain a high percentage of positive ions, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fluoride, in addition to negative ions, chlorine and sulphate, which combine with fine sand to create a unique healing mud on par with the famous Dead Sea in Jordan. The unique mineral composition of the the mud makes is known to be effective against a wide range of skin problems and relieve arthritic symptoms
The mud has a beautiful gray color and should be left on the skin for 20 minutes and then rinsed off. The picture above is from one of our many trips to San Pedro.
Organic wine tour in Novelda
Around Alicante and Murcia there are many wine yards who offer visits and tours.
Some of them are are more like factories or warehouses where you can taste wine and place orders, while the smaller ones are situated in the actual wine fields and offer a more authentic experience
Casa Sicilia is a smaller wine yard with a long history back to 1707 and is specialised in organic wine production. They offer guided wine tours in both Spanish and in English and has a very good restaurant.
The tour takes you through a museum of old wine manufacturing equipment as well as the current setup from pressing the grapes to distilling the finished product
The winery produces red, white and rosé wines that are supplied to restaurants and can be tasted and purchased on site.
As our Spanish proficiency is still quite basic, we opted for the English tour which is available daily at 11:30. The tasting was very generous with tasting of three different wines accompanied by delicious tapas.
This is a highly recommended day trip that we surely will be doing again.
Cartagena
Not to be confused with the Colombian city with the same name, Cartagena (also known as the new Cartago) is less than one hour south of Cabo Roig in a stunning location between the Mediterranean and the Murcian mountains. It is an old Roman stronghold and with a well preserved roman theatre, and impressive defensive fortification. It has a big architectural museum where you can walk around inside roman living rooms that are gradually being uncovered.
Like San Pedro, Cartagena has a strong authentic Spanish feel to it. People are very serious about the siesta here, and you can observe big groups of people having lunch for hours in the popular tapas restaurants.
Cartagena belongs to Murcia and is not formally part of Costa Blanca, but it is definitely worth the trip.
The Roman theatre in Catargena
To be continued…