About 5kms
South of Benidorm just over the headland at the end of the
Poniente promenade is the small tourist resort of La Cala de
Finestrat. The resort is built around a blue flag sandy bay,
the sea is very shallow for about 20 yards out making
it ideal for children. Looking out from the
beach which is lined with cliffs along the right hand side,
gives an uninterrupted view onto the med. Around the
bay there are Spanish and English restaurants and bars. La
Cala is fairly small but there are a few hotels and plenty
of
apartments to rent.
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Within the
next couple of years, a new hotel which will be the largest
seafront hotel in the world, should be finished. The
hotel which was started about six years ago was beset by
problems from the start. A bad accident killed three
workers and the construction work was halted while an
investigation was carried out. It transpired that the hotel
was eleven floors higher than shown on the plans. A ruling
was made that eleven floors should be demolished. This
didn't happen and after three years of inactivity, a
compromise seems to have been reached. One floor has
been removed and other alterations made. The work
restarted but was very sporadic and it seems that permission
to carry on until completion, has not yet been granted and
it now stands idle again (May 2009). Most residents
just want it finished or completely demolished. In the past
five years a massive new development of apartments has been
built on what was scrubland. There are apartment blocks
stretching back to the main road into Benidorm. An
attractive boulevard lined with trees is the centrepiece of
the new development. Along the boulevard bars and
restaurants have started to open. This will continue
to develop when most of the apartment blocks have been
completed. At the time of writing (May 2009) it is
just about finished. The final part of the new
development was to have been a large water park with a hotel
shops and restaurants. This was due to start very soon
but with the current economic climate, it appears to have
been shelved.
In June,
La Cala is home to the festival of St Juan. This is
well worth visiting, families gather on the beach with
picnics and barbeques. The whole place is absolutely
throbbing with people and the atmosphere is fantastic.
Close to midnight everybody gathers at the water's edge
ready to wade into the sea at the stroke of twelve.
This is supposed to bring good luck. The night ends
with an amazing firework display which lights up the bay.
Have a look at the video below.
If
you're here for a fortnight holiday and you don't want to
spend every day on the beach, pluck up the courage to hire
a car for a couple of days. There are some great
little villages nearby which are well worth a visit.
Finestratis only about 10kms from
La Cala. To get there just drive straight up to the
main road and straight across at the traffic lights, then
continue on up to the first roundabout where you take the
first exit . Then second exit at the next roundabout
(the big one near Carrefour) Drive straight on up the hill
and continue straight at the next roundabout (2nd exit)
Follow the road as it winds around and takes you up and
down a few hills and after about 7kms you'll reach
the roundabout on the outskirts of Finestrat. Go straight
across this roundabout and up the hill past some houses
which are perched on the edge of a cliff and up to the
junction. Turn right at the junction and find a
place to park. Have a wander around the town and up
to the church. There's a nice ex pat bar called
Molli 2 on the main road where you can stop and have a
coffee. When you've "done" Finestrat you could always turn
around and instead of turning left and going back
down the hill out of the town and returning to La Cala, go
straight straight ahead and follow the road through the
hills to the main T junction at the end. Turn right
and you can go to Relleujust
follow the sign on the left after about a mile. As well as
Relleu, if you go past the Relleu turn off you come to a
very small village called Sella. Park up in Sella
and you'll find a couple of small bars, one with a chain
mail curtain over the front door. Have a drink in here, if
you walk through to the back, you'll find a terrace with
tables and chairs where you can look out over a small
valley. This little bar has a special Sunday lunch
menu which is really well known in the area. You are
presented with lots of typical dishes of the area one
after the other. If you fancy this, book it because
apparently it gets very busy.
Other places
to try within a reasonable driving distance are
Villajoyosa, about
5kms away (I'm not going to give you directions to all
these places because I haven't got the space, so you'll
have to buy a map of the area)
A trip taking in
Altea,
Moraira,
Calpeand the
Jalon Valleywould make a great day out.
If you don't mind going a bit further afield,
Denia and
Javea up the coast
are nice places to spend a few hours.
Alicante in the
opposite direction is a really nice city with plenty to
see. If you go down the N332 instead of the
motorway, you could drop in at
El Campello on the
way. There are other places worth a mention,
Guadalest is a
fascinating place, it used to be quite a stomach churning
mountain drive but about four years ago, a new road was
opened between La Nucia and Guadalest which only takes
half an hour from La Cala. The quickest way to La
Nucia is to drive up to the Terra Mitica road and drive
right along the dual carriageway. Don't take the turning
into the Terra Mitica theme park, just follow the road.
The first roundabout you come to has a fine water mist and
on the right there is a large hotel complex which looks
like a small Spanish village. Keep going straight on
and you'll come to another large roundabout with sails.
Carry on straight and at the end of the road is the final
roundabout, take the second exit here and continue up the
dual carriageway until you come to a roundabout which has
a sign to Alcoy and Guadalest. Take this exit and
just follow the road. The dual carriageway to La
Nucia has about ten roundabouts so you'll have to lookout
for the one with the Alcoy/ Guadalest sign. I took
some pictures in Guadalest a couple of months ago (March
2009) to give you an idea what it's like.
A walk
to Benidorm will take you down the new Poniente promenade
which will probably be finished later this year (2009)
Walk around the bay in La Cala and up the steps after you
pass the old Amancio restaurant (which is due for
demolition) When you get to the top, turn left and follow
the road past a large apartment block. Another road joins
it just after this. Keep straight on and you come to a T
junction, walk straight ahead and you'll find some steps
down on the left. This will take you to the
promenade of La Cala de Benidorm. Just follow the
promenade and you'll end up in Park Elche in the old part
of Benidorm. The walk to Park Elche will take you
about 45mins.
Tram
Ride
On the
way up to the Terra Mitica theme park, there's a small
station where you can catch a tram to El Campello and
Alicante in one direction and Altea and Denia on the
other. The walk up to Terra Mitica station will take
you approx half an hour. Alternatively, there's a small
station at the back of the Marina Centre.
Marina
Centre
La Cala
de Finestrat is within easy walking distance of the La
Marina shopping centre which contains some top name shops
like Zara and Mango, plus a six screen cinema complex and
bowling alley, as well as bars restaurants and a small
kiddies play area. The centre is open until late at
night when it comes alive. If you don't fancy the
walk, for 1.20 euros you can catch the number 12 bus which
stops outside the opticians as it comes down the hill into
La Cala. Don't confuse it with the number 12 going
out of La Cala which stops on the opposite side of the
road near the small Chinese restaurant.
Golf
Recently, a number of new golf courses have opened in the
area, including two which are part of the Real de Faula
hotel development near Terra Mitica. There is also
an excellent 9 hole course (described as pitch and putt)
on the new road into Benidorm. This is open to
anybody but you have to hire shoes, clubs etc so it will
end up costing around 30 euros. To get there by car,
drive up to the main road and turn right at the lights.
Turn right at the next lights past Mercadona and take the
first road on the left which passes the Bali hotel.
Turn left at the junction and go straight ahead through
the lights and follow the road until you come to the
roundabout. Go straight on at the roundabout (i.e.
second exit) this is a new dual carriageway which goes
into Benidorm. The golf is situated down a road on
the left, you'll see the signs saying pitch an putt.
Outside The Bay
Outside the bay area there are lots of new bars
lining the boulevard catering mostly for Spanish
visitors. There are also bars owned by other
nationalities.
If you
feel like a bit of a hike,
at the top of the boulevard there is a very
chic bar/nightclub with a large fenced off garden
area and an outside bar. The best beer is the
draught Galician served at the Romanian owned bar
just around the first corner as you walk up the
boulevard. Turn right and walk down to the
next corner. There used to be huge copper barrels in
the window but these have now gone. Every
drink is accompanied by a tapas, great value.
Walking from the bay to the main road at the top you
pass a small Chinese restaurant which never seem
very busy and a bit further around the corner
on the opposite side of the road a large new English
owned restaurant called Deja Vue 2, formerly Bizzie
Izzy's the food here is supposed to be good but I
haven't tried it yet. There are a few more
bars and snack bars before you arrive at another
Irish pub called Shenanigans, again showing football
on a large screen. Keep walking up and you
come to "Good Vibrations" on the right hand side.
With a bit of imagination, this place has huge
potential as a restaurant. It has a large
courtyard which could be developed into something
special using vine trellises candles soft
music and up market food but at the moment it
belongs to the same category as many of the other
bars i.e plastic tables and chairs, draught english
beer etc.
Benidorm And The Beaches
Benidorm boasts two of the finest beaches in Europe,
the Levante and the Poniente. Benidorm
headland which contains the old town separates these
two large bays. The Levante beach is popular
with English and other European holidaymakers, while
the Poniente is dominated by mostly Spanish
tourists.
The
Poniente
The Old Town
Many tourists miss the old town
but is really is worth visiting. A maze of narrow
streets seperates the Levante and Poniente beaches
and here you can find a bit of the real Spain with
tapas bars and some great atmosphere.
Sadly, Amancios was closed last year after a
large piece of masonry fell off the dilapidated apartment block
above it. Amancio's was one of the most popular restaurants in
the bay serving good value family food. The whole building
is now due for demolition.
O Sole Mio
O Sole Mio as
the name implies is an Italian restaurant. It has seating
inside and out. The food ranges from a large variety of
pasta dishes to fillet steak and shoulder of lamb. There are
also a few fish dishes including sea bass (Lubina) Swordfish (Emperador)
and Sea Bream (Dorada) The shoulder of lamb is slow cooked
and tender. The fillet steaks can vary from excellent to
okay, probably 80% excellent. The seafood spaghetti (
Spaghetti Marinara) is always good as are most of the pasta
dishes. If you're going for one of the more expensive dishes,
splash out on a decent bottle of wine (Rioja Campo Viejo is a
good choice for red at about 11 euros and for the white,
try Frascatti which is about the same price) the house wine can
be a bit acidic. Try the bruschetta as a starter. The
price of the meal will obviously be reflected in what you
choose. If you choose one of the higher priced dishes,
with a decent bottle of wine expect to pay about 60 euros for
two but a pasta dish with house wine more like 30 euros.
El Arenal
Recently given
a makeover, El Arenal is a Spanish restaurant with a varied
menu. A lot of seafood dishes including paella but also
the usual chicken, steak etc. Fairly basic but seems quite
popular.
Upstairs Bar
Next To Hotel La Cala
This bar
caters mostly for younger people but before it gets too late in
the evening, try it, if only for the amazing sea view from the
huge balcony window. This is La Cala's nearest equivalent
of a club, it has quite an intimate atmosphere but isn't over
the top. There are flat screen TV's, dimly lit nooks and
crannies and some decent background music. Don't
expect to pay the same prices as the other bars.
Peter's
Nice family
run restaurant. The food is excellent value for money with
meal of the day including wine costing only 10 euros. Always had
decent food here, the staff are friendly and helpful. I
recommend the fish soup followed by the cold meat mixture (Entremesas)
and then the roast lamb (Cordero Asado) I really don't
know how they manage to do all this complete with a bottle of
wine and dessert for only 10 euros Both Peter's and Cala
Fin (next door) were in desperate need of a makeover and this
year they have both had a new canopy, tables and chairs which
has made a massive improvement. Peter's is next door
to the little bar.
Marina Bar
This is the
expat bar, where everyone knows everybody and you can always
find somebody to chat to. Opened about five years ago by
two brothers Antonio and Pepe it has been incredibly successful.
It is one of the only bars which succeeds in catering to
every nationality and is very popular with the
locals and tourists. Much of the Marina's success
has been achieved by the friendliness of Pepe , Antonio and the
waiters, plus the excellent speed of service. The
food is mostly snacks but all cooked fresh on a large griddle.
This is the most popular bar in the bay and on hot summer
evenings, its difficult to find a place. A word of
warning, if you have a few drinks at the Marina, you will
probably get a free one when you come to pay the bill, bear that
in mind when you think you've had enough.
Old Ship
The Old Ship
was La Cala's only pub a couple of years ago but it now
has competition from Molly Malone's and the Bay View. The
Old Ship is always popular with British holidaymakers, they have
regular entertainment including quizzes and bingo. The
full English breakfast is a favourite. There are number of
small screen TV's showing English premiere league via satellite
Bay View
This, recently
replaced "Changes" and to my knowledge has continued in much the
same way. Open for coffee in the mornings and a full menu
at lunch time and in the evening. The food is based on a
standard "English" menu, steak and chips full English breakfast
etc. Large screen TV showing English premiere league
football via satellite.
Molly
Malone's
This took over
from the Spanish Zarzuella restaurant in 2007. The owners
run a successful bar in Benidorm and there is no reason why this
shouldn't be as popular. A large wooden decked patio area
gets the sun most of the day, the food is good down to earth
British with occasional Indian, Italian and Irish dishes.
If you fancy a cold Guinness, being an Irish pub, this should be
the place. Large screen TV showing most of the English
premiere league games on satellite in high definition.
Puig Campana
A Spanish
restaurant specialising in seafood. Some really good
dishes well presented and excellent wine. Very popular with the
Spanish and the waiters speak decent English. A bit pricey
but if you enjoy seafood, worth splashing out for a special
meal. The wine has been well chosen and compliments the
seafood dishes extremely well, the waiters seem to have a knack
of knowing which wine is best with the various fish dishes.
Expect to spend around 60 or 70 euros for a meal for two.
Cala Fin
Next to
Peter's bar. Large outdoor eating area, Catering for the
tourist, reasonably priced. Varying reports, some people saying
the food was great but others not very impressed. I
haven't tried this one so I can't give a personal opinion.
Expect to pay around 20 euros for meal of the day for two people
with wine.
BA or Small
Bar
This little
bar is always immaculate. There are about 5 tables on a
narrow pavement facing the beach. To make as much of the
space as possible the tables are very close together, so a great
place to start up a conversation with the other customers.
Inside there are about six tables including one by the window
which looks out onto the bay. The beer is served in iced
glasses by very friendly staff. Not much in the way
of food but the burgers are excellent.
Kala Kala
This bar stays
open late and is frequented mostly by Spanish customers.
There is a large plasma screen inside usually showing a
Spanish music channel. A lot of money has been spent
over the last few years and the decor is modern and to a high
standard. In the summer months most customers sit outside.
My only criticism of this bar is the service which always
seems very slow.
Summing up,
the food served in the bars and restaurants in La Cala caters
mostly for the tourists. For more up market restaurants,
go to the bottom of the hill opposite the Bali hotel where
there are some pretty exclusive restaurants with prices to
match. A great little outdoor place for snacks is Lite Bite (the
Spanish pronounce this leetay beetay which always amuses me)
Lite Bite is just around the corner opposite the expensive
restaurants. The best time is 2pm, it gets quite full and
the atmosphere great. Try the boquerones (small fried
fish) chopitos (baby squid) mussels and sardines.
Resorthoppa is a private shuttle
service which will take you from Alicante airport direct
to your hotel or apartment in Benidorm, La Cala de
Finestrat and Albir at a fraction of the cost of a taxi.
My wife and I recently (31st May 2009) used
Resorthoppa to La Cala de Finestrat.
We arrived in Alicante half an hour ahead of schedule and
instead of keeping us hanging around, they put us in a
private taxi at no extra charge. This cost 23 euros for
the two of us saving about 40 euros on the normal taxi
price, which I thought was fantastic service. The
new ALSA bus service is excellent value at 9 euros each
but doesn't drop you off at your hotel or apartment, so
you'd have to catch a taxi from Benidorm bus station to
complete your journey. Taking this into account, the
Resorthoppaworks out cheaper.
Fast Reliable And Efficient
Resorthoppa are extremely reliable and have built up a
large customer base mostly through word of mouth
recommendation. The journey to Benidorm and La Cala
takes approx 45 minutes which is about the same time as a
taxi. The ALSA bus takes about the same time but only runs
hourly so if you miss it you have to wait for up to an
hour to catch the next one.
Finding Resorthoppa When You Arrive
The
Resorthoppa reception desk is based in the terminal 1
arrivals hall. Ryannair and Easy Jet are now using
terminal 2 at Alicante. To get from terminal 2 to
the terminal 1 arrivals hall, go out of the main doors and
turn right. Follow the pavement past the terminal 1
departure entrance, cross over the road and walk down one
of the ramps to the lower level (you'll see all the buses
parked up) walk past the buses and you'll come to the main
exit doors of terminal 1 arrivals. Go through the
doors and the
Resorthoppa representative desk is on the left.
