GUARDAMAR DEL SEGURA
The south coast of Alicante, from the mouth of the river Segura, in Guardamar to Pilar de la Horadada, is spectacular. This is a quality coastline, with sandy beaches, exotic dunes, rolling hills of the interior, challenging golf courses, residential estates and traditional holiday accommodation. This has consolidated this part of the coast as an ideal destination for a few days of leisure, or a complete summer or, indeed, winter holiday.
Between
the town and the beach is the enormous “Queen Sofia” park, thick with trees and
plants, where visitors can enjoy cool, refreshing strolls even on the hottest
of days. To beautify the natural surroundings, ponds, botanical tours and
samples of aquatic fauna have been added. However, the dune area, formed by
sediments from the mouth of the river Segura, is the unique port of this town.
Wave and tidal deposits created these dunes over long centuries. More than 800
hectares of coastal parkland hove been carefully preserved, with hundreds of
monumental dunes, pine, palm and eucalyptus trees, which were all planted at
the beginning of the 20th century to prevent the dunes from invading the urban
area.
The
ancient town was built on a hill whose skirts were washed by the river Segura.
The ruins of a castle and other historic remains from Hellenic times (when this
town was a port) are still preserved. On the Iberian site of Cabezó Lucero
an important archaeological find was made when a bust of a woman was unearthed.
It is now called the Dama de Guardamar, and is similar to the famous Dama de
Elche. Another important archaeological site from Arab times is the Mosque
of the Caliphate Rabita. Visitors can get more information on these
sites at the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum in the local Casa de la
Cultura, Tel 96-572-8610.
Beautiful
Beaches through La Marina to La Mata
Eleven kilometres of dunes and sandy beaches in
Guadamar give you the chance to choose isolated spots, or more frequented
stretches, where you can spend the day near the sea. Another 5 km of dunes
connect to La Marina in the north, a village belonging to Elx. To the south
lies La Mata, a stretch of more marshy land, in the area of Torrevieja. Tourist
development in Guardamar del Segura has been slow and respectful of the
environment. The construction of a sports marina near the mouth of the river
Segura has added a new attraction to this select tourist area.
SIGHTS:
Casino,
Salt Flats, Moorish Tower
MUSEUMS:
Marine
and Salt Museum, Tel.: 96 670 68 38
Tomás
Valcárcel Holy Week Museum, Tel.: 96 570 34 33 (Tourist Office)
Fiesta in Guardamar
Around
July 25th the Moors and Christians feast is held, commemorating the struggles
between the followers of the Half Moon and the Men of the Cross. These
festivities are held in many other towns in the Land of Valencia.
TORREVIEJA
The City of Salt
Torrevieja
is primarily a tourist resort. But the other important economic resource of
this coastal town, coexisting with tourism, is the salt it extracts from the La
Mata and Torrevieja salt flats now listed as a natural park. The
Torrevieja salt flats have a perimeter of 25km, and are connected to the La
Mata lagoon. From the lagoon, the Acequión canal runs to the sea.
Salt
has been mined here’ since the Middle Ages, although the area saw its greatest
glory in the 19th C. Today, residential estates have been built on the
surrounding hills, but the parkland has been preserved. Among the visitors to
the park are people who come for the mud baths, reputed to be of therapeutic
value. Salt from Torrevieja is exported around the world, with the annual production surpassing one
million tonnes.
Mediterranean Watchtower
Pilar
de la Horadada is the southernmost town in the Land of Valencia. It has a
characteristic watchtower built in the 16th Century on a hill overlooking the
coast. The town has 4 kilometres of coastline running from the Mil Palmeras estate to the Escull del
Mojón, alternating between residential areas, parks and sports facilities. This
coastal area has clean water and well-kept beaches, which are ideal for
enjoying the fine climate all year round. The Torre de la Horadada sports
marina has 506 moorings for recreational craft and is one of the major tourist
attractions along the coast.
Useful Data:
Ethnological
and Archaeological Museum, Tel.: 96 535 11 24
Patron
Saints Festivities: October
Pilgrimage
to San Isidro: May 15th
Commemorative
feast of the Segregation: July 30th
Sports
marina: 96 676 90 87
The
coastline along the municipal area of Orihuela combines sunny beaches with small-sized
cliffs, which ore ideal for fishing and diving. Tine town also has two sports
marinas at Cabo Roig Tel.: 96 676 01 76 and Compoamor, Tel.: 96 532
0386, set in attractive surroundings and with all the facilities you might need
for a day at sea or in the port.
A
stay on the coast near Orihuela can be complemented by a visit to the
monumental town only 30km inland. It is an artistic-historic complex
with five national monuments and an urban layout corresponding to a Medieval
university centre and episcopalian seat. The town holds two important feasts per year: the Holy Week processions,
and the Moors and Christians feast around July 17th.
A golfer’s paradise
Punta
Prima, Playa Flamenca, Villamartin, La Zenia, Cabo Roig, Dehesa de Campoamor -
these are all tourist resorts founded to attend to the rising national and
international demand for quality vacation spots. Today, they provide comfort
and relaxation for many fortunate guests. The area is considered ideal for
golfing, and three excellent 1 8-hole courses have been constructed. The
challenging terrain, with Mediterranean shrub-land, trees and vegetation,
provides impeccable facilities for golf enthusiasts.
FOR
GOLFERS:
Villamartin
Golf Club Ctra. Alicante-Cartagena Km 50
•
Tel. 96 676 51 60 • Fax 96 676 51 58
Las
Ramblas Golf Club Ctra. Alicante-Cartagena Km 48
•
Tel. 96 532 20 11 • Fax 96 532 21 59
Campccamor
Golf Club. Ctra. Cartagena-Alicante Km 48
•
Tel. 96 532 13 66 • Fax 96 512 24 54