Moraira & Teulada uncovered.....

A small coastal town, Moraira is situated in the beautiful mountainous area of the Costa Blanca. Moraira lies in a bay, on the South Eastern coast of Spain, between the larger resorts of Javea and Calpe. It is situated approx; 80 kms (1 hr) from Alicante and 110 kms (1.5 hrs) from Valencia airports with excellent motorway and coastal roads to & from both. However, the surrounding area has a quiet and relaxing atmosphere, with beautiful and.unspoilt scenery and many small villages to explore. There are also some larger resorts nearby that are easily reached by car that are well worth visiting: Javea, Calpe, Denia and Altea are all within 15km, while Benidorm is about 30km away.

Moraira enjoys a typical subtropical Mediterranean climate, with cool sea breezes in summer and protection by surrounding mountains against the cold North winds in winter. The area averages nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine each year and the average temperature easily exceeds 20 degrees. In 1986 the World Health Organisation recommended the climate of the area as one of the most equitable in the world - neither too hot in the summer nor too cold in the winter. On average it can boast 325 sunny days each year making it an ideal all year round destination.

Moraira is situated at the end of a long valley. The surrounding pine-clad foothills provide both shelter from the winter weather from the north and a natural vortex for cooling summer sea breezes. Moraira's perfect orientation provides the majority of its properties with a southerly downhill view towards the sea where there is an 8-km coastline with fine sandy beaches and transparent water.

The development in the area is mostly detached privately-owned villas with very few holiday apartments and no holiday package hotels whatsoever and therefore accommodation is virtually limited to privately-owned villas. Nearly all the properties are owned by Northern Europeans either as retirement or holiday homes and are spread over quite a substantial area. The well-spaced villa development does mean that a car is a necessity in most areas.

Sleepy village….

Once a sleepy fishing village, Moraira has grown into a small yet charming and picturesque town and yet due to strict planning laws is still very pretty and not over-developed.  It is now an attractive holiday and retirement resort retaining its considerable charm that attracts visitors from all over Europe and is particularly popular with Spanish from Madrid and Valencia. It has an impressive marina, excellent variety of local shops, weekly open markets, harbour-side fish restaurants and bars still retaining their Spanish character. The main hub of life is beside the pretty yacht marina offering a good selection of restaurants and bars where you can sit outside and watch the world go by. A charming square still retains much of the original character and atmosphere and is home to the local church. There are restaurants, bars and several interesting shops lining the narrow cobbled streets. In the high season, the town comes alive in the evenings with locals and visitors alike.

This little town also has its own popular wide, gently-shelving sandy beach with shallow waters and a smaller beach in the adjacent hamlet of El Portet. Both beaches were awarded the prestigious EEC Blue Flags for cleanliness and are safe for family bathing, both are also served by beach bars and restaurants which serve drinks, snacks and main meals. In fact the whole of the Costa Blanca has 34 Blue Flag beaches. It is also well worth exploring the many other coves and bays along the coast with sand or sand/rock beaches.

Things to do….

If you like open markets then, apart from the weekly Friday market held next to the beach, you could plan a visit to the various markets held at nearby resorts for each day of the week! Apart from the buzzing activity you would see cheap fresh fruit and vegetables, local specialities, herbs and spices, leather goods, clothes, rugs, fresh and silk flowers, souvenirs, pottery and a whole variety of other goods.

Golf is well catered for, with 13 excellent clubs on the Costa Blanca and having 4 within, and around, the Moraira area. Other local leisure facilities include tennis, football, squash, all water sports, boat hire and trips, horse-riding, go-kart racing tracks for both adults and children, a small fairground and three good night-clubs for all ages. There are too many restaurants of interest and good quality to list here but we can mention that there are 8 Michelin recommended restaurants in the immediate area with three of them being star rated and not expensive either.

There are many places of interest to see on day excursions, apart from the other coastal resorts of Javea, Calpe, Denia, Altea, Benidorm, Villajoyosa and Alicante there is also the spectacular scenery to see inland including the wonderful mountain-top fortress of Guadalest, the Vergal Safari Park near Denia, Europes largest palm forrest at Elche and the ancient city of Murcia. Valencia (third largest city in Spain) is one and a half hours away and Barcelona (second largest) and the capital Madrid are four hours away, all reached by motorway. Spains answer to Euro Disney, Port Adventura near Barcelona, is about four and a half ours away. We are also only 45 minutes away from Finnestrat where southern Spains answer to Disneyland will open in 1999, hopefully! The famous `Lemon train has also to be experienced as it has been described as one of the great train journeys of Europe, running between Alicante and Denia

As in all of Spain there are numerous Fiestas held in this region throughout the year with specific ones held in April, June, July and November in Moraira. The Spanish people of Moraira are extremely friendly and patient with foreign visitors to the area although they do not depend on tourism for their livelihood as agriculture is the predominant feature. With a large European resident community existent, there is a pleasant international feel to the area. Most people are pleased to speak English with you and even more pleased if a small attempt to speak Spanish is made.

Teulada

Teulada was a village populated by 52 old Christian families and dedicated to growing Muscatel grapes and raisins. The villagers built a beautiful late-Gothic church in honour of the patron saint, St Catalina. Prehistoric man, the Iberians and especially the Moors, all left remains in this coastal area. Teulada became a walled fishing village that was located slightly away from the coast for fear of Berber pirate attacks. Today both agriculture and fishing have given way to the tourism industry. The parish church, the hermitage of the Divina Pastora, the defensive tower, which rises over the Playa de la Ampolla and known as the Moraira Castle, are all architectural features of note.

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