For a few moments pretend you are setting on the beach near what is now Cabo Roig, sometime between the 11th and 19th century when a signal is received from a watch tower down the coast warning of an imminent attack from the Barbary Pirates. What do you do, where do you go, what happens to your family and then you wake up and realize that you were only dreaming or were you?
For centuries the people of Cabo Roig actually did live in fear of being attacked by these pirates. These fast corsair galleys could attack the coast any place any time in search of treasure but more importantly slaves. Between 800,000 and 1,200,000 people were captured from all over Europe during this period in time and subsequently sold into slavery, mostly in North Africa.
To protect yourself from the pirates the best thing to do was to run to the hills and hide until the coast was clear, hence the saying ”no hay moros en la costa” (there are no Moors on the coast). If there was a garrison town close by then you would try to get within its walls before the attack.
The watch towers were constructed along the entire coast after the Reconquest by los Reyes Catolicos Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the 15th century. These gave warnings up and down the coast of imminent attack as a few minutes delay could mean slaughter or slavery. The towers were not armed and normally manned by one person and if he was smart he would relay the warning to the next tower and then run for all he was worth.
The alerts were given by smoke signals during the day or by torch at night. Some more complicated messages were devised at a later date and transmitted with remarkable speed over long distances. They could tell the number of ships and what direction they were headed in order to warn the next village.
But it is not that place in time and you are safe, there are no Barbary Pirates just off shore and the watch tower is now part of a restaurant, so set back and enjoy your holiday. Have a drink and give a salute to the ones that didn’t make it to the hills.
This delightful holiday area, better known as the Jewel of the Costa Blanca, is really a place of two parts. The first is the beautiful white sand, European Blue Flag, beaches with it’s outstanding views over the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean. In-addition to the beaches is the ever impressive cliff walks. Next is the night life available here for the holiday maker to enjoy, if you can’t find it here you can’t find it anywhere along the coast.
Once you arrive here you just know that this is the place for fun and enjoyment. This is exemplified by the number of English, Irish and Spanish people that come to Cabo Roig for their holiday. Based on what you want to do determines the time of year you come to Cabo Roig, for me it has got to be January and February as they are the quietest months. This allows you to explore the area to its fullest extent, but if you like the crowds, come in July or August. No matter what time of year you come, a holiday in Cabo Roig will be something to remember for all the good reasons.
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If you are staying in the area or simply passing through, the place to spent some relaxing time is the ever popular La Zenia beach. Located here is an array of restaurants, beach bars or the La Zenia hotel to choose from. There are a number of ways to get to the beach with reference to transportation. To start you can take your own car, a taxi or the bus, if you take a taxi or the bus you can go at anytime but if you take your own car then it is a different story, you will need to leave early as parking is in high demand and nonexistence later in the day. If you arrive early you will have a choice of places to put all of your beach paraphenalia, then a trip to the local restaurant for a breakfast snack will set you up for the day.
La Zenia Beach is known for the beautiful white sands, cleanliness and all the required facilities you need, therefore the reason it has been awarded the European Blue Flag. There are also life guards stationed along the beach to insure everyone safety, this is especially true for the children.
Speaking of children, there are play areas set aside for their enjoyment including a climbing frame, rope ladder and an area for football. If this is not enough then a trip to one of the beach bars may be in order, here they serve some food but most important they have your favorite cold drink on tap, they even have some chairs and brollies available here for a respite from the ever present Mediterranean sun.
After all this a trip to the crystal clear blue waters of the Mediterranean is definitely in order, here you can swim and enjoy the coolness as you let the gentle breakers roll over your body. If you want to explore the coastline then a relaxing walk down the beach to Cabo Roig is in order, along the way there are different beaches and coves to enjoy as well as the ever amazing view, all this takes about an hour a half that is if you don’t linger.
What I like to do when a day on the beach is finished, is go up to the restaurant located beside the beach set on their terrace in the shade and have a nice cool relaxing glass of Sangria. There is nothing better to do than sit there, contemplate the day and watch the last rays of the sun disappear over the horizon and plan your evening out.
Even though the excellent beaches in La Zenia are generally packed during July and August, I heard they held Beach Volleyball there over the weekend of 15 and 16 August, 2009.
I know that La Zenia have numerous golden sandy beaches all with in easy reach of La Zenia, most carrying the EEC blue flag meaning they are clean and safe to swim providing you only swim between the flags. Some of the best of the best beaches close to La Zenia include Cabo Roig, Cala Capatan, Campoamor, Guardamar, Flamenca, El Cura, Loc Locos, and La Mata beaches. TI just love swimming in the warm Mediterranean Sea, it is crystal clear and calm and most beaches in the LA Zenia area provide entertainment areas for children, volleyball fields, water slides, showers and cafes along the promenades for refreshments. Sun loungers and umbrellas are available to hire for a small fee. With over 320 days of sunshine a year you can guarantee to visit many of the Torrevieja Beaches, every day is a SUN day. If that’s not enough fun in the water, also close to La Zenia is the Aqua Park.
Whilst in La Zenia, I stopped by a fabulous Indian Restaurant called Indigo, only a short walk up from the La Zenia Beach, before and after we had a beer or two in the M50 Irish bar.