España: Valencia, Altea, Benidorm, Güjar Sierra
Spain Road Trip (Part I: IValencia, Altea, Benidorm, Güjar Sierra)
In November we embarked on a month-long (plus one day) road trip to try and chase the last of the heat as fall was turning into winter. We also wanted to be sure Barcelona was where we were meant to be… So over 2,000 miles later here’s how our journey went!
Jardí del Túria
Valencia
The first stop was Valencia, where just outside the city along the Mediterranean Coast is El Palomar, the birthplace of Spain’s iconic paella dish. We sat among rice fields at a restaurant called Bon Aire, ate paella and had Catalan Creme which is pretty much their version of crème brûlée.
On our way back we decided to hit the beach. It was pretty deserted when we got there but to our surprise nudes started emerging from each direction. I’m all for body positivity and freedom but rather than lounging they (mostly older men by the way) seemed to be more into seashell hunting. Sauntering up and down the beach bending over to pick up treasures. It all got to be a little much for us so we packed back up and headed back to the hotel.
Our hotel was in the middle of the city and was dog friendly but the location itself was a bit too touristy for our style. Next time we’d prefer to stay in the neighborhood of El Carmen. We spent our time eating oysters, walking past the local cat house (a refuge for the city’s cats), rented bikes to explore the famous Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias and ate at one of our favorite restaurants of the road trip called Manaw Nikkei Bar (japanese-peruvian fusion). This city felt liveable and local and it was such a great start to the journey.
Altea + Benidorm
The next morning, on our way to Benidorm we walked around and had lunch in a town called Altea. Known as the white town perched on a hill, which in hindsight, we really wish we had stayed here for a night or two rather than our next destination. I’d suggest heading to the Parroquia Nuestra Senora del Consuelo which is a church surrounded by great little restaurants and cafes, and great views of the Sea.
Benidorm on the other hand was one of the most bizarre experiences we’ve ever had and certainly did not expect it. The town was full of English partiers on bachelor/bachelorette’s (or hen-do’s) and an older crowd that rode through town on motorized scooters all headed for American themed bars.
I will give credit though, the sunsets were beautiful… and we had fun sampling our way through Pintxos Alley (or Tapas Alley) and visiting the Mirador de San Jaime. It turned out we booked too many days in Benidorm so we took a couple of day trips!
One day we ventured out to a winery cellar called Mar de Vins in an unassuming business area that turned out to be a fulfilling experience. Mar de Vins is run by a couple named Celeste (pronounced Cel-es-tay) and Kiko who do everything by hand including the watercolor branding of their wines. They also had us taste their batch that was aged underwater 30 meters deep (98 feet). The result of the wine was balanced and silky! Unfortunately, the entire stock was bought up by one enthusiast from England so we’ll have to wait to buy a bottle on the next harvest.
If there’s one sight that makes me so happy other than the beach it’s rows of colored houses. I know, cheesy right? But it fills my cup right up. Just twenty minutes from Benidorm is Villajoyosa a colorful beach town! We got ice cream cones, put our toes in the sand and strolled up and down the pastel streets.
On our final morning, we headed to the Sierra Nevadas of Spain, Güjar Sierra for some mountain exploration with Winston. We stayed at a little airbnb that overlooked the Embalse de Canales where we could hike down and go swimming. It was freezing so Winston was the only brave one to dip in. We read a lot in the morning sun, dreamed up ideas for Trent’s business goals and got ready for our drive to Granada!
