Villajoyosa
Villajoyosa lies just a few kilometres south of
Benidorm on the main N332
towards Alicante. First impressions are worrying as you enter this grotty
looking town with a sign pointing to its Chocolate Museum which is one of its
few tourist attractions.
However, don't be put off as a unique former fishing community awaits you. Look
out for the left turn as you're driving through (turn right for a left) and head
for the town centre (centro urbano). Try to park anywhere you can and walk down
to the beach. You'll get the feeling that the town lives with the hangover of
having been a thriving fishing port in the past whilst today's reality sees the
idol men folk sitting on their step watching the world go by.
On the walk down you'll see streets with multi-coloured houses and the day's
washing hung out to dry from the terraces of the houses. Once you get down to
the sea you'll be confronted by a very attractive beachfront area consisting of
numerous restaurants all offering daily 3 course menus for around 9 Eur. as well
as locally caught fish dishes.
After lunch walk back up towards the old town through some of the most run down
streets of Villajoyosa which are again usually painted in bright colours with
the day's washing hanging out. Interestingly a lot of the name plates on doors
show the owners to be foreigners.
The old town itself has been largely renovated and the run down feeling of the
streets nearer the coast is absent. Take a look in the window of the estate
agency and the inflated prices certainly aren't consistent with a depressed
town.
Finally take the car down to the beach and head back towards Benidorm where
you'll see smart apartment blocks, nice restaurants and a marina at the most
northerly part of Villajoyosa. First impressions most certainly can be
deceiving. Highly recommended for a lunch break from Benidorm.
Useful Websites about Villajoyosa
You can find more information on the
Villajoyosa page of the official website of the Costa Blanca tourist board.
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