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Calpe Trip – [Foreword: It gets better below. With pictures.] Each year I generally go on a few holidays (vacations to those Americans) and I have been to quite a few places in my life time. Last summer I went on a 2 week trip to Calpe, Spain. Spain is not the most glamorous destination as it is possibly the number 1 holiday destination for British people. I have been to Spain and the Balearic Islands many times and Calpe is one of the nicest places I have seen. There are advantages to Spain of course, and these advantages make it one of the top destinations for Europeans; warm weather, sandy beaches and the relative inexpensiveness are what attracts most to Spain and sure these are great but are not the reasons why I love the country so much.

During my two week visit I stopped in a luxury 6 bedroom villa. If you’ve never been in a Villa then you are seriously missing out. I prefer Villa’s to most hotels as you get both high levels of freedom and prestige. If I don’t want anyone to see me or I don’t want to see anyone then I can stop in for the day. That freedom – to me – is what makes a holiday great. Calpe is unlike most Spanish “resorts” as there is one simple ingredient missing… British people. Unlike the bulk of the uncivilised British population, when I go on holiday to Spain I want to eat Spanish food, meet Spanish people and see Spanish places. I do not want to be around people from Britain as it simply reminds me of the cess pit that awaits me back home (slight exaggeration there). Oh and it spoils the whole culture experience.

Calpe is a kind of “semi-holiday” town, where almost all of the holiday goers are Spanish. I think I remember seeing 1 English family the whole trip. The town is quite upmarket I suppose, but if you want true class then venture 2 miles down the road to “Cat Marina”, which is basically a Marina (no town, just a harbour). Despite the towering yachts which cost about £10 million ($17 million) the parking lot was worth a look in its own right. On one day I saw two Ferrari 430’s, hundreds of Porchse’s and a load more expensive vehicles.  Calpe has no “yobs” that you find in the normal Spanish beach town (i.e. Benidorm) and it makes for a peaceful place to rest (suits me better). But anyway, enough of the criticisms of the stereotypical British holiday maker.

Roads

Spain is a massively overlooked destination for motorcyclists. To my inevitable tears and regret I didn’t hire a motorcycle. Although this just gives me the excuse I need to come back. The roads around Spain are some of the best I have ever encountered. There is something for everyone, fast sweepers next to the ocean, tight twisties (really tight twisties) or towns full of people to stare at your shiny Harley. I must visit this place again! I know what thing I would pack now though!

The roads in Spain are all fabulous quality as well. Many of the freeways have just been built and all the other roads are immaculately surfaced. Oh and another draw – they’re all dry! It is one of my top five destinations to visit on a motorcycle, even higher than the Alps.

I have collected a selection of some great roads that I will link with Google Street View (where possible) to below. Most of these are around the area I went to although you can easily find fantastic roads in any part of Spain:

The coast road connecting Calpe to Moraira was both visually stunning and technically amazing. The only trouble was the amount of traffic and relatively small number of passing places. It was a good mixture of towns, ocean views and tight corners though. Both destinations are also places worthy of visiting.

The road to Guadalest is simply amazing. Like the majority of Spanish mountain roads it is small, tight and contains coma inducing drops to both sides. Once again the destination is also worth visiting as I have documented below.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find this one on Google but there is a road to a mountain called Pinos (I know, it is true). This was amazing and I actually saw two Spanish motorcycle police racing up here. The BMW tourer was leant so far over I couldn’t believe my eyes haha.

The road between Calpe and Altea is also quite pleasing as well. It is quite a fast road next to the coast. The surface is like a race track. The only problem was the amount of traffic, but nevertheless a great road to ride.

The CV 715 between Bolulla and Tarbena had so many corners it brought a tear to my eye. This is a must for my return. Stunning mountains, no traffic, impeccable surface and incredible corners.

Scenery

I simply love Spanish Scenery, from the towering Mountains in the backdrop to the hot plains and bluest Calas. I went up several mountains during my trip last year which all gave simply stunning views in return. Seeing as most of the year is hot the landscape is a lot different from where I currently live (England) and that is a big plus for me.

While natural landmarks and features do impress me I am equally drawn to the small Spanish towns that I often venture across when driving through mountain roads. I love Spanish towns; they seem so surreal and relaxed. For me part of the exploration and adventure of a journey is the culture I experience when there and although Spanish culture does not differ greatly from that of England (at least not in comparison to Asian or Eastern European) I am still amazed at the small differences between countries. Things such as the afternoon Siesta really bring the culture contrasts home and ultimately I think this is what makes you become so enthralled with the land rather than the natural scenery.

Guadalest

Guadalest is a small mountain town overlooking a beautifully cyan coloured reservoir which is built around a Castle. It is one of the most gorgeous destinations in Spain and so is the road getting there. Turn after turn of hairpins which overlook 1000ft drops. Sounds like my idea of fun. Guadalest is quite a touristy destination but oddly enough was fairly vacant when I was there (height of the season as well).

There are a variety of shops, cafes and information centres relating to the area and the castle. These are all fairly well priced which is yet again a pleasant surprise. Some of the views from the Castle and “village” are quite extraordinary as you will see from the pictures below. If you are in the area than I highly recommend checking Guadalest out.

Fonts D’Algar

I had been recommended this next location from one of my Twitter followers who had moved to the area from England. Although the area was nice for its natural beauty I found that it was a little too “fake”; this started with the entrance fee (2 Euros I think) and was exemplified by the hordes of people that soon filled the area.

I arrived early in the morning so I was able to get a parking space as I had visited the day before and knew how packed the place got. Early in the morning was the best time to get here and I probably wouldn’t go again if I had not arrived when I had.

Fonts D’Algar is an area of natural waterfalls and streams which are all crisp clear (and bloody freezing). The place would have been far better without the fake wooden staircases, safety ropes and life guards. I felt that the natural essence of the place had been taken away by the people who owned it. It all seemed a bit fake and tacky. Beautiful… just not when a life guard is breathing down your neck all the time.

Cigars

For my past two visits to Spain I have purchased a selection of cigars. The price is significantly cheaper than back home as the British government has this obsession with “death by taxation”. If they feel something is too dangerous then they tax the hell out of it to stop people from being able to purchase it. On this particular visit I bought 3 Romeo Y Julieta No.1’s which were tubed. Not the most expensive/classy cigar but my knowledge was amateur at this point. Nevertheless they are a reasonable midrange cigar from a very great brand (in my opinion).

If you a cigar aficionado or have your eye on fine spirits or wines then Spain is great for you. The prices are dead cheap and the selection is marvellous. I am not a big drinker and in fact hardly ever drink (November was the last time I believe), but when in Rome! I managed to get a few bottles of Absinthe and herbed alcohol back home with me (as well as a hookah pipe). One of which was Cannabis Absinthe (very impressive to anyone who you show it too haha). I have since drank that but am convinced it was kind of a marketing strategy to fool people like myself into buying it. It tasted exactly like the normal Absinthe I purchased from a different store (which is great by the way, tastes like Aniseed).

Submarine Boat

This was certainly an interesting experience. A boat where one half was completely submerged under water like a submarine? However unlike a submarine which is generally not affected by the waves this one was. I think 90% of the people on-board were sea sick, including myself and I have NEVER been sea sick before.

I did manage to get a few good shots of the fish though and did quite enjoy the open air deck – even if I was holding back the purge of my bowels which felt almost certain (I remained vomit free by the way).

General area

Calpe is home to the second biggest rock in the Mediterranean after Gibraltar (which is also a great place I have visited, the cheapest goods possible there). You can climb all the way to the top of the rock which does provide some extraordinary views. It is not really recommended for people who aren’t physically fit as the temperature is also about 40C (104F) but if you must then go at sunset as it also provides some much better views as shown below.

The weather is also a great feature of Spain and is the reason most holiday makers are attracted to the country. I was there through July and August which is the hottest part of the year and the temperature was around 37C (100F) most days. However the pool is a good cure for that. Alternatively you could visit the beach where you will undoubtedly see a nude woman. However be careful what you wish for as the odds of her being anything above a 6 are quite “slim” as most beaches are crowded with old women who were the products of 60’s liberalism. Unfortunately.

Go Kart Track

GO KARTING! I love it. In England Go-Karting costs quite a lot of money and it costs even more so in Spain! Probably due to the tourist industry but it was quite a shock to the system when I showed up and read the prices (30 [£26] Euros for 8 minutes). I went twice; once on the average Go-Karts and then again on the 2-stroke zippers. I enjoyed battling my way around with a fat Spanish guy and the results were to my pleasure as he spun out trying to cut a corner in front of me. 1 – 0. Below is the track I went on if you want to go yourself or if you are interested.

Click Here for the track.

Overall I had a great time and am looking forward to going back some time. Maybe not in the near future but I will return. This time with an MV Augusta F4 under my arm… I can dream. So where is the next stop? This year I am planning trips to Amsterdam with friends and a few trips to other places as well. On top of this I’ll be moving to Scarborough which is by the sea. Bring on Summer!

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 12:16 AM and is filed under General Articles, Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.