A little road trip....that's what we called our 2 day drive from France down to an area of Spain called "LaManga". The first day's drive brought us just beyond Barcelona. A very nice hotel on the motorway, a simple dinner and off again the next morning for a late arrival to the hotel in a lovely golfing community. We don't play golf BUT we were interested in looking at the bank repossessed properties at the resort and the other resorts marketed by the developer. The entire staff (front desk, dining, pool, room)Intercontinental Hotel La Torre were wonderful, helpful, kind and gracious.(http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/murcia/mjvtg/hoteldetail)
- At the resort, front-line golf villas & condos
WOW....the courses are beautifully maintained, the prices for 2 bedroom front line golf condos were low...how low? Consider they are priced from 60,000 Euros - easily under $100,000! The are 7 golf resorts - some are designed with just condos and townhouses, others offer single family homes and condos and still another with a combination of all three. We spent two days checking out properties and getting details on the Spanish Government's plan to offer residency status to buyers of a starting price level of 500,000 Euros. With all that information we decided to venture out and check out the area.
- Cartagena, Spain
First stop was Cartagena. What a magnificent waterfront city. Not crowded at all for late June - a delightful breeze and the aromas of paellas cooking was enough to sway one to have a seat at an outdoor table, in the shade and sip away at sangria. Aye Dios Mio!
- Murcia, Spain
After figuring that was a great city, we ventured onto Murcia. We could not believe how beautiful that city was! It appears that Spain is not short on beautiful cities, with no crowds but full of life, food and the joy of simple living. After lunch at Las Cadenas Restaurant, we spent a most wonderful afternoon strolling through narrow lanes, wide "pedestrian-only" streets and driving through shaded town squares.
A few days later we started our trek back but with stops along the way. We stopped in Alicante for lunch and were amazed at the paper-mache figures (they were giant-sized)....the weekend was a celebration of sorts; on the final evening the figures are set on fire followed by fireworks over the Mediterranean Sea. Music, singing and dancing was scheduled non-stop. Whew!
- Valencia, Spain
Valencia was our next stop....in fact, we stayed for 3 days and did not want to leave! I fell in love with Valencia! It was my romantic idea of Spain - large squares with fountains, palms and bursting with flowers, old buildings with delicate ornate details and wrought iron balconies...ahhh. And then there was the food market - it was grand! So many vendors, so many choices, so little prices! One could easily retire to Spain for the costs seem to be so low. If thinking a visit is in order, consider the Hotel Zenit Valencia for exceptional value and location! It's next to the main rail station, near the metro and within walking distance to the central part of town, shops, etc. http://hotelzenitvalencia.zenithoteles.com Valencia is a waterfront city, and the waterside has a lovely beach, new condos and a new modern marina. Short distance away is a trio of museums, a huge shopping mall and easy transportation to the city center of Valencia where the main rail station, university and government offices are located. There is still a bull-ring in the city center...no, we did not see a bull fight. (Don't think I have the stomach for it...) Speaking of stomach - you will not go hungry! The food is delicious, offering a great variety of menus and all at exceptionally reasonable prices. Any trip to Spain, should include Valencia!
- Gaudi's Architectural Vision
Next stop Barcelona! We found a lovely hotel - a beautiful old building with a perfect location: Hotel Catalonia Plaza http://www.hoteles-catalonia.com Just outside was a main metro station and the start of "Las Ramblas". We spent 3 days walking, walking and more walking...inbetween we ate and ate and ate! We visited some of Gaudi's architectural work, checked out the expanded seafront and found an old favorite restaurant we "discovered" almost 15 years ago. Our last visit there was 13 years ago when we cruised with our family and Barcelona was our port of embarkation. The food on this visit was just as good as it was all those years ago....7 Portes still delivers a heavenly paella! www.7portes.com/angles
After our fill of walking and day dreaming in Spain, our journey ahead was a long drive home. The hours went quickly as we talked and talked about all we saw, all we ate and all that we saw. But it is always nice to come "home"!
See more photos in Photos - Spain
Tourist Info Below
Valencia Tourist Info (opens new window)http://www.turisvalencia.es/en/home
Barcelona Tourist Info (opens new window)
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/
Murcia Tourist Info (opens new window)
http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/ciudades-pueblos/provincias/murcia.html
Cartagena Tourist Info (opens new window)
http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/ciudades-pueblos/otros-destinos/cartagena.html
Alicante Tourist Info (opens new window)
http://www.alicante-spain.com/c/alicante/tourist-information-office-alicante
No comments:
Post a Comment