Peniscola is located in the province of Castello on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast) along the eastern mediterranean coast of Spain. The Costa del Azhar is just to the north of the Costa Blanca.

Often referred to as ‘The Gibraltar of Valencia’, Peniscola is a fortified seaport built on a rocky headland which reaches a height of about 220ft. The town itself is built around a medieval castle which was the location for the film El Cid, starring the late great Charlton Heston.

The ‘old town’ of Peniscola is surrounded by a huge defensive wall with two gateways, the San Pedro Gate and the Fosch Gate. Entry to the old town is by these gateways only. Once in the town you will marvel at the old white-washed houses which line the maze of tiny winding roads.

The modern part of Peniscola is a very popular holiday destination with lots of good hotels, fine beaches, the warm mediterranean sea, a marina and plenty of restaurants and bars.

The main beach here is to the north and is around 3 miles long and about a quarter of a mile wide and has sandy and rocky areas.
There are small beaches (coves) to the south which are popular spots with divers and snorkellers.

Peniscola has a good all year round climate with lots of sunshine and very little rain. The summers here are very long and hot while the winters are extremely mild.

Spending family holidays in Peniscola means that you get ‘the old’ mixed in with ‘the new’ and there is something to keep everyone happy.

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Lloret de Mar is located on a large bay midway along the Costa Brava on Spain’s northeast Mediterranean coast and is 46 miles northeast of Barcelona, 24 miles south of Gerona and 18 miles south of Gerona airport.

Lloret de Mar

Lloret de Mar is the biggest and most built-up resort on the Costa Brava and is a favourite with British holidaymakers. The resort covers about 2.5 miles around the bay, with the western side being the quieter side.

Between May and October the daily average temperature never falls below 20ºC and usually hits above 30ºC in July – August. In September and October the average daily max temperature is 25ºC to 21ºC. There is more rain on the Costa Brava than on the other Spanish Costas, with around 9 days of showers each month throughout the year. The max average winter temperatures are only 13 ºC to 17 ºC (November – April) and fall almost to freezing during the night.

Sa Boadella

Lloret de Mar has five main beaches. The town beach is the biggest (1 mile) and offers all services and watersports. It is divided from the more attractive Platja de Fenals beach, which also offers all services, by a green headland. Sa Boadella beach, 1.5 miles west of town is a lovely undeveloped cove. Further west is the beautiful beach of Santa Cristina. East of Lloret de Mar are a number of small cove beaches. Canyelles beach, 2 miles east, is a stretch of shingle with watersports.

Santa Clotilde Gardens

The biggest attraction in Lloret de Mar is Water World. This is the largest water park on the Costa Brava, with an abundance of white-knuckle rides and a bungee jump. Next to the Water World is a go-kart track, Karting Formula. In the centre of the town there is the Skyrider, a giant catapult which shoots riders 230ft into the air. For more peace and quiet there is the Santa Clotilde Gardens which are set in a natural amphitheatre, 164ft above sea level, offering fantastic views over the bay. The Museu del Mar (Maritime Museum) is also worth a visit.

A bit further afield (5 miles west) is the prettiest resort on the Costa Brava, Tossa de Mar, with its magnificent Vila Vella (Old Town). Wonderful sea views and flora can be enjoyed at the Mar i Murtra botanic gardens at Blanes (5 miles east) and just inland from Blanes is Marineland, a large waterpark, marine zoo and dolphinarium. Barcelona, famous for Las Ramblas, its Gothic Quarter and Cathedral and Gaudí’s extraordinary architectural achievements is 47 miles northeast. Also worth a visit is the quieter Gerona (24 miles north).

There are hundreds of restaurants in Lloret de Mar, offering the famous all-day British breakfasts and fast food, Mexican, Dutch, German, Italian, Chinese and Indian food. Spanish restaurants and bars can be found but these are in the minority.

Avinguda Just Marlés

Lloret de Mar has scores of music bars and nightclubs targeting the 18-30 crowd, the best being on ‘The Strip’ (Avinguda Just Marlés). For older visitors and for those who prefer the quieter option there are dinner shows featuring flamenco and international cabaret. There are two major venues, The Gran Palace Lloret and La Masia. Medieval night outs are hosted at Tordera, the Castell Medieval Valltordera, with jousting knights, flamenco dancing and cabaret acts which are suitable for the whole family.

The Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light) in Huelva Province runs from the Guadiana river (separates Portugal from Spain) to the Guadalquivir river in the east. This part of the Atlantic coastline has long, unspoilt sandy beaches backed by pine woods and sand dunes and many protected coastal reserves.

The coastline is punctuated by small fishing ports and modern resorts.

Costa de la Luz

The Costa de la Luz has some beautiful, secluded beaches on offer. The Playa de Castilla east of Matalascañas that runs alongside the Parque Nacional de Donaña is a 25km long beach that is only accessible by foot.

Just over the border with Portugal is the fishing port of Ayamonte, worth visiting for it’s pleasant squares and pretty, narrow pedestrianised streets.

Next along the coast is the popular resort and fishing port of Isla Cristina, surrounded by marshland and the Paraje Natural Marismas de Isla Cristina.

Paraje

Further east is the beach at La Antilla and the little port of El Terrón. Here there are wonderful views across the Piedras river estuary to the fishing village of El Rompido and the nature reserve, the Paraje Natural Marismas del Río Piedras y Flecha del Rompido.

Punta Umbría is the largest resort on the Costa de la Luz and the nearest resort to Huelva City. It has magnificent beaches, great seafood restaurants and is on the edge of Paraje Natural Marismas del Odiel, an impressive wetland reserve.

Mazagón

East of Huelva City is Mazagón, a modern resort with some excellent beaches, including one backed by sandstone cliffs. Further east is Matalascañas which has a good beach and is only a few kms from the Parque Nacional de Donaña.

From north to south
Sanlucar de Barrameda has beautiful golden sands and overlooks the River Guadalquivir and Donaña National Park. Further south, around the small villages of Chipiona and Rota, there are lots of lovely beaches. The town of El Puerto de Santa Maria is famous for its restaurants serving succulent king prawns washed down with chilled Manzanilla wine.

Cadiz Beach

The historic walled city of Cadiz is built in a Peninsular jutting into the bay of Cadiz. The isthmus joining the mainland has miles of beaches and the Bay of Cadiz is a natural park.

Further south the coastline becomes ragged and is dominated by coves and cliffs often backed by pine forests. The best are located just to the north of the fishing town of Barbate and are protected in the cliffs and pinewood of Barbate Natural Park. Not to be missed are the coastal villages of Conil de la Frontera, Caños de Meca, Zahara de las Atunes and the fortified hilltop white village of Vejer. Bolonia hamlet, with it’s Roman ruins, sits in a isolated cove protected by rocky headlands.

Next along the coastline is the windsurfing capital of Europe, Tarifa. Its best wind and kite surfing beaches are Playa Los Lances and Playa Valdevaqueros.

Turning the corner into the Mediterranean (skipping the industrial bay of Algeciras) are the unspoiled beaches to the west of the Sotogrande development. To the east near Guadiaro there are some beautiful coves and rocky headlands which are ideal for diving. Next comes the province of Malaga and the section of coastline known as the Costa del Sol.