Calpe Information
Calpe is large scale tourism with only Benidorm on the Costa Blanca having
more high rise buildings. The main attraction is undoubtedly the beautiful blue
flag beaches with golden sand and crystal clear water. The whole resort of Calpe is
dominated by the huge Peñon de Ifach, an enormous Gibraltar like rock which
separates the two main beach areas of Playa la Fossa and Playa Cantal Roig.
Calpe Rock
The Peñon de Ifach is a Natural Park which is the symbol of the whole Costa
Blanca. It is 332m high and extends for a kilometre out to sea. You can climb to
the top from the information office at its base but whether you'd want to in the
summer heat is another matter.
Arriving along the coast road from the north you'll be confronted with a
selection of large supermarkets and even larger apartment blocks and hotels
running adjacent to the coast. These cater for holidaymakers who come to spend
their days on the 900m long beach of Playa la Fossa (also called Playa Levante).
Calpe Beaches
Playa de la Fossa is a first class beach with golden sand and excellent
facilities including several children's play areas, tennis courts and even a
bowling green. It has been awarded a Blue Flag.
The majority of the restaurants along Playa la Fossa are geared towards
Spanish tourists with local fish and rice dishes very popular. the occasional
British establishment appears with its typical fare which strikes a nice balance
as far as the resort is concerned. There is a pedestrianised promenade (Paseo
Infanta Cristina) the full length of the beach with a number of cocktail bars
which help generate a lively nightlife scene.
On the other side of the Peñon is a smart marina followed by narrow, rocky beach
called Playa Cantal Roig. A promenade (Paseo Infanta Elena) runs from here past
a Roman fish farm and Roman baths as far as another superb beach at Playa
Arenal-Bol. The end of this 2000m long beach is pretty much in the old town.
Just follow c/Valencia for two minutes and you're in the Plaza Mayor. Both
of these beaches have also been awarded Blue Flags.
The old town of Calpe is worth a wander around to see some historical buildings and
squares. There's a street market every Saturday in the town and a flea market
every Wednesday. In the summer months there are crafts fairs in the old town.
Another worthwhile visit is to the daily fish auction at La Lonja in the port.
These take place every weekday afternoon at 5pm. The salt flats just inland from
Playa Levante date back to Roman times and are an important location for many
species of migrating birds so don't forget your binoculars.
Calpe Accomodation
For accommodation in Calpe you can look at our
Calpe Apartments, Calpe Villas and
Calpe Hotels pages.
A particularly
charming place to stay is the 17 room
Marisol Park Hotel
which is near Calpe's salt flats. There are vast numbers of private apartments
available for rent. Camping Levante is just off Avda. Juan Carlos I as you enter
fro the north and Camping La Merced is just out of town in the same direction.
Useful Websites about Costa Blanca
Calpe Information
You can find more information on the official website of the
Calpe
tourism board. Unfortunately at the time of writing this website is only in
Spanish but they may provide an English version soon.
Alternatively look at the
Calpe
Information
page on the official Costa Blanca site.
|
|