Torrevieja

Whatever you may have heard about Torrevieja we say “Come here and judge for yourself”. Only forty years ago it was a small fishing port, now we have cosmopolitan restaurants and shopping areas, three marinas, a water park, a beautiful seafront promenade and the best supported football team for miles around.

Much maligned as being “poor man´s Spain”, an inferior substitute for the rich and expensive resorts on the Costa de Sol, Torrevieja hasn´t enjoyed good press over the years. However the Town Hall has encouraged all nations to work together and spent money on improving the town, the seafront, the shopping and marina areas.  The population is getting younger and certainly in the five years since we´ve been here Torrevieja, particularly the coastal strip, has changed beyond recognition. It is now a truly multi-cultural town, whilst managing to retain is essential “Spanishness”.

Torrevieja means “The Tower of the Old Lady” and the original watchtower, of which there are several dotted along the coast still sits on the cliff at the north end of town. The huge salt lakes that surround the town produce a million tonnes of salt per year and they are officially classified as a nature reserve, attracting a wide variety of water birds including thousands of flamingos who arrive here around September time for the winter. The eco-climate resulting from the salt production makes this one of the healthiest areas to live according to the WHO. If you are interested in the history of the salt production and development of the town there is a museum and info centre on the north lake, walking tours start from here too.

The town itself has grown rapidly as a tourist resort in the last 25 years or so and has become somewhat over-developed, with many high-rise blocks and surrounded by large housing developments. The seafront and the streets behind it, however, provide many an opportunity for meandering, people watching, browsing the shops or long-lunching in any number of authentic and varied bars, cafes and restaurants, many of them right on the waterfront.

Due to the rocky coastline Torrevieja has several small beaches, many of them boasting a Blue Flag Award, all have good access to facilities and most have fairly easy parking. Marina International (left) is one of our favourite spots to the south of the town and the new Marina Salinas has just been completed with several cafe/bars overlooking the harbour - pick a sofa, order a bottle of vino and watch the sun go down! (See main picture).

For shoppers there´s a permanent craft market on the seafront and a good variety of small and large shops both in town and on the outskirts. See our shopping page for more details.