Both the coast and the interior of the provinces of Valencia and Alicante are particularly attractive, and even more on board a motorhome or campervan. With this in mind, we have designed a route considering three attractive points of interest - beach, mountain and vineyard - to visit, taste and spend the night. In three days!
Day 1 and starting point: Cullera, Restaurant El Cordobés,
page 165 of the
España Discovery guide,
39º08'04''N, 00º14'08''W.
This
restaurant and hotel, is located in the
Estany de Cullera, on the coast, established in 1958 by the lake of Estany. Previously a beach picnic place, now a days it is a restaurant and hotel straight next to the beach. It is currently run by the second generation, Santiago, Maribel and Ana, who welcome motorhome and campervan users. The visit is better during low and medium season. In summer, especially
July and
August it can be very busy due the large number of customers who go to the beach and the restaurant and the parking will be full. We do not recommend visit in high season.
If you like to fish or surf, this is a very good spot.
Show the current edition of
España Discovery guide to the host, thus the owners will know that you know the
'code of conduct' or the 'golden rules', hello and say goodbye! A dinner, breakfast or lunch in the restaurant is the best way to say
thanks for letting us stay overnight on the spot. Buy your
España Discovery guide here:
www.espana-discovery.es
Day 2: Valle de Guadalest, barbecue at
Restaurant and Museum El Riu,
page 178 of the
España Discovery guide,
38º39'52''N, 00º09'36''N
Restaurant El Riu and Museum (classic vehicles).
Located at the entrance of
Valle de Guadalest (interior of Benidorm), the specialty of the restaurant is
grilled meat. It is very curious to see -at the entrance of the dining room- the large barbecue where all kinds of meat are cooked;
veal, lamb, rabbit, chicken, quail.
It is also possible to taste
typical gastronomy from the
mountains of Alicante, such as
olleta de blat, stew, garlic soup, seasonal vegetables or sausages. Desserts are especially interesting, made with
medlar,
the emblematic fruit of this zone of Alicante, among other delights.
After such a banquet, we can rest while visiting the museum of classic vehicles, a last effort for a mini hiking route and then to rest and prepare to spend the night on the spot.
Day 3: Visit to the
Castell de Guadalest and wine tasting at
Bodega Los Frailes.
Continue direction
Fontanars del Alforins, make a tourist stop to visit the
Castell de Guadalest. Pause for a couple of hours in the public parking
(38 ° 40'34 "N 0 ° 12'02" W) to visit the
historical tourist enclave; museums and souvenir shops.
Take a 'petit déjeuner' Valencian style, that is a
'bocata' of longaniza and a
coffee before continuing route. The
Castell de Guadalest parking is small, good for large vehicles during
medium / low season but not recommended during
July and August.
Castell de Guadalest has been able to maintain, through the centuries, the most typical features of the populations of the
Alicante's interior. It deserves visit.
Bodegas Los Frailes, Fontanars dels Alforins,
page 175 of the
España Discovery guide,
38º, 46'26''N, 00º49'56''W; (please call and book the visit).
Miguel Velasquez, pharmacist and oenologist will welcome you and show his intersting and modern winery. He will tell you the history of the winery and also the winemaking tradition, initially
Iberian and then Roman from the Fontanars dels Alforins area.
In this small region
-the Valencian Tuscany- there were more than 100 wineries that made wine and vinegar. Now a days there are many fewer wineries but slowly work continues to recover many of those historic underground cellars.
Great views and fantastic sunset. Buy and drink some wine, spend the night at the bodega of course.
The guide España Discovery and map are available at:
www.espana-discovery.es
