Torrevieja
Alicante
Spain

Much has been written about Torrevieja in the past, a lot of which was not very complimentary. It is true if you are looking for a quaint Spanish fishing village, you won't find it here, very little of "old" Torrevieja remains, mainly because it was devastated by an earthquake in 1829 and virtually flattened. Plus in recent years many 4 or 5 storey apartment blocks were built on every square inch (or should I say square metre?) of available land.

The steep population rise of recent years and all the money that has flooded in has enabled the local government to make some nice improvements to the town. The seafront and promenade have been remodelled, roads blocked off and pedestrianised along with other cosmetic work.

There are still many Spanish restaurants offering good food at a reasonable price, along side the usual British and American fast food outlets in the town. In the local areas and communities you will also find restaurants and bars representing every nation possible, in fact some areas seem to have an Irish bar and Chinese on every corner. The town beaches are very small, but to the north and south there are many nice beaches, some busy and others very quiet. The shopping is better than ever with local centres opening everywhere and lots actually stay open all day now! The markets seem to get bigger all the time and are well worth a visit to pick up a few bargains.

Although the surrounding areas have huge British, Irish, Scandinavian and German contingents, I always think Torrevieja still retains that Spanish feel. Try going for a stroll on the “prom” late on a Friday or Saturday evening and you will still see whole families wandering and chatting together or perhaps stopping for an ice cream or drink, even at midnight, now you can't do that in the UK can you without bumping into hordes of yobs. Parking is still a problem during the summer season, but as the population just about quadruples during august, it is probably not surprising. A new marina is being built in the port to extend the huge number of berths already there. The police presence has been increased (and will be increased further still) and is very visible which is quite reassuring.

The weather and climate is very good, with very few wet days each year and 320 plus days of sunshine. All in all, I can imagine Torrevieja gradually becoming a giant in the tourism industry over the next decade or two.

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