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Moraira has grown from a small fishing village to an attractive holiday resort, but careful planning and development has ensured that it has retained its unique charm, being particularly popular with the Spanish who come from Madrid and Valencia. The resort has a small but colourful main street, a large Marina, and an excellent variety of local shops. For a choice of flights from the UK, both Alicante and Valencia are easily accessible.
Beaches
The main beach at Moraira, known as L’Ampolla is the most popular with families, and offers everything from beach umbrellas, foot showers, children’s play area and waterports. The beach at Portet has been awarded the Blue Flag, and is a quiet, picturesque cove with a fine sand beach and crystal clear water. There are two other coves as you head out on the road towards Calpe.
Eating Out
The resort has an excellent selection of restaurants, which serve everything from tapas to pizza, and if you are a fish lover, there are a number of harbour-side fish restaurants and bars still retaining their Spanish character near the attractive Marina, where you can sit by the water’s edge and admire the magnificent yachts. Paella is a speciality of the region, having originated in Valencia, and three types of seafood/fish are particularly well known in the area – king prawn, mullet and squid. Another regional favourite is turron, a nougat confection typically made of honey, sugar and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts.
Leisure
There are good facilities in Moraira for both windsurfing and Jet-ski, and there is also Go-karting available on the Teulada road. For Golf lovers, there is the 9 hole Club de Golf Ifach at the urbanisation San Jaime.One of the largest water Parks in Europe is located at Aqualandia in Benidorm, with a wealth of swimming pools, rapids and slides too numerous to mention. For great shopping opportunities, Benidorm is just a short drive away, and offers a number of shopping Malls, with the La Marina Shopping Centre being one of the largest in this part of Spain. For typical cane and basket work, head for the small town of Gata de Gorgos which is renowned for its wide choice of produce in wicker and cane, and just outside the town, you will also find some of the areas best ceramic shops. Moraira has a very popular and busy market on a Friday, selling excellent quality local produce as well as gifts and clothing.
Places to Visit
For a great day out for the family, head to Benidorm and experience the Terra Mitica Theme Park, divided into 5 areas of attractions, rides and shows which going back in time, display the mysteries of the most ancient and legendary civilisations of the Mediterranean. Also in Benidorm is the Mundomar marine and exotic animal park, with main attractions being the dolphin, seal and parrot shows. Benidoleig is famous for the ‘Cova de las Calaveres’ – a 400 metre long cave through which flows a subterranean river, surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites. Head inland for a popular visit to the El Algar Waterfalls where it is possible to swim beneath the chilly falls and picnic by the leafy pools. From there head up to Guadalest to the Eagles Nest Fortress, built by the Moors 1200 years ago, and inaccessible except for a tunnel carved through 50ft of solid rock. The panoramic views across the Costa Blanca from the pinnacle of the mountain top are superb. |
