A Week on the Costa Blanca, Part 1 Torrevieja

Last Updated on August 2, 2017 by lydiaf1963

The province of Alicante is located on Spain’s famous Costa Blanca with over 100 miles of beautiful Mediterranean beaches. Rick and I took the opportunity to dip our toes during a recent trip. We made the city of Torrevieja our base for exploration.


This part of Spain is a popular vacation destination, attracting around 6 million people from all over Europe and beyond. We were told there are over 100 different nationalities and I believe it. We heard a multitude of languages being spoken and even met people from Norway and Sweden, a first for both of us. We may have to add the Nordic countries to our travel plans.

The trip to the Costa Brava is about 6 hours by car so we ended up taking the high speed train to the city of Alicante and then renting a car. We took in the amazing vistas as we drove along the coast to reach Torrevieja. What a change from cold, damp and foggy Valladolid to the warm and breezy Costa Blanca.

Some friends of ours had rented a villa in Torrevieja for two weeks during the summer and we were able to use their contacts to arrange a week’s rental. The villa was charming and clean but had some age to it. The stove had to be lit with a match and the hot water heater was on its deathbed. We never had a reliable shower the entire time. After the first day I heated water on the stove and took sink baths…glad I have short hair! Rick jumped in and whooped and hollered until he was finished. He said it reminded him of when he lived in El Salvador.

Our neighbors across the patio were a couple of retired Brits from Sheffield. The wife spoke little Spanish but was obviously the Queen Bee of the condo association. It was she who reminded us to lock the gate to the courtyard and to make sure we didn’t park in someone else’s spot. She fussed at her husband constantly. We knew his name a full day before we actually met him. Next door to us was a Norwegian gentleman who also spoke English, Spanish and a little Russian. He makes his living working construction and doing handyman stuff for the multitudes of people who own property in the area but don’t speak Spanish.

Our villa was about 2km from the waterfront so we were able to get a nice feel for the area we were staying in while walking around. Torrevieja was originally a sleepy village dedicated to salt mining and fishing. Much of the construction lacks the charm of other areas we’ve visited, an unfortunate side effect of the building boom. It reminds me of many other seaside resorts in the US. There are lots of condos blocking the view, block after block of walled courtyards and lots of people who can’t be bothered to pick up after themselves or their dogs. No kidding. If you walk around at night take a flashlight to avoid stepping in something or walk down the middle of the street. I’m certain the areas near the hotels are cleaner, but the area we were in was kind of scruffy looking until you reached the waterfront.

The Paseo Maritimo de Juan Aparicio along the waterfront is gorgeous though, with shops and restaurants, palm trees, expensive yachts and of course the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Some of my favorite features were the concrete benches set on the rocks and the swimming areas (called piscinas naturales) which are easily accessible and perfect for protected swimming.

The Tripadvisor App was handy for finding restaurants. We had two excellent meals at Mundo Pequeño, a Norwegian restaurant, just down the street from us. The owner and staff spoke excellent English (and Spanish and Norwegian and probably a few more…) and served bistro type food along with Nordic cuisine, like this Swedish Shrimp Salad Sandwich. They had a decent crowd both evenings we visited, although we were given to understand few native Spanish visited. It’s true the other way as well which is a loss all around in my opinion.

One of my favorite meals was lunch eaten at the Sirocco, with views of the sea. While we ate our fried brie and stuffed eggplant we were serenaded by street musicians who worked their way down the paseo, stopping to play a couple songs and make the rounds for collections. The next morning we came across the weekly market and enjoyed churros washed down with a cold beer. (Let me tell you, it’s a good thing I didn’t know about beer and cookies or churros until much later in life, hahaha).

I’m glad we went in the Fall. During the peak tourist season the temperature regularly climbs to 35C (95F). The Spanish wisely retreat for a daily siesta during the hottest part of the day and come out when the evening breeze makes the heat bearable. Besides some great shopping and beach activities, nature lovers will enjoy the opportunity to visit several parks, including Las Salinas, the huge salt lakes just outside of the city. The city has a lovely website if you’re interested in exploring further. For those looking for nightlife, Torrevieja has plenty of places to eat, drink and dance…just watch your step.

Next installment, we visit the ancient city of Cartagena.