Benidorm or Bust ?

[Helen Ariel]

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We Turned right and headed for Strasbourg and Lyon, not least to escape the freezing fog that had hampered our journey, pretty much all the way from Rotterdam until we were south of Lyon. With temperatures as low as -5 during the day we were so glad we filled up with water before we left home as the taps have been turned off or frozen wherever we have stayed.
Saturday evening we stopped at a camping car park Aire on an island in the Rhone river close to Valence. The approach bridge was being repaired, without any advance warning the width was only 2.4 m controlled by concrete barriers to both sides with rubber chevron signs on top. With half a dozen cars and another motorhome behind me I had a situation. Whilst the lights were on red I double checked our width at 2.3 on a sticker we have on the back of the sun visor and crept forward when the lights changed. Oh it was tight !! All I could do was look down from the drivers window and keep a gap of a few inches from the barriers, with alternate mirrors hitting the high rubber chevrons. I have no idea what happened to the motorhome behind as at one point it was there, then it wasn’t. By the time we got close to the other side the lights had changed and a dozen oncoming cars had started to enter the bridge, it took a good while for them all to back up and let us off the bridge, I don’t think we made any friends but one guy gave us a smile and a thumbs up.
Sunday morning we woke to sunshine, deep joy, knowing the worst was over we drove down to the Camargue on N roads and parked up in time for an evening walk with a very relieved Labrador.
The photo is of the white Camargue horses which are native to the area and are apparently one of the oldest known breeds. Little known fact, they are born black and only turn white when they are a year old.

Keep going! It's lovely down here!

 

[Two of usI]

we are leaving on the 31st and hope to be near Benidorm 3rd Feb......... what recommendations for sites could anyone offer please, and is it busy/ sites full down there ???

 

[Emmit]

Mr Mousy have you seen this? Im not sure why I’m giving you ideas

Are you two not talking again?

 

[Pirahna]

we are leaving on the 31st and hope to be near Benidorm 3rd Feb......... what recommendations for sites could anyone offer please, and is it busy/ sites full down there ???

There's another thread with some comments. I'm inland in southern Spain at the moment. I'm meeting people coming in from the coast because they're struggling to find anywhere to park or site to stay at. Lots of Germans, French and a few Dutch vans plus a few Brits. I'm on a small park up at a place called Velez Rubio tonight and it's full.

 

[slowdriver]

Keep the reports coming, there are a few heading south over the next couple of weeks, and getting info on where is rammed compared to where is not (if any) would be most helpful.

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[Emmit]

Looking for a bit of advice from Funsters in the know.
It's ticking up towards 2.00pm
Im in the middle of Levante beach in Benny with another couple.
Suggest if you will, a good place for lunch.
Over to you.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Looking for a bit of advice from Funsters in the know.
It's ticking up towards 2.00pm
Im in the middle of Levante beach in Benny with another couple.
Suggest if you will, a good place for lunch.
Over to you.

Yorkshire Pride is nice and reasonably priced..

 

[Richard n Ann]

Uncle ron's is slightly further away but the food is excellent..

 

[Emmit]

Here's another one.
Went to Galeon Restaurant.
Lovely menu.

 

[Sheddy]

Here's another one.
Went to Galeon Restaurant.
Lovely menu.

Why don't you wander uo to the Villasol bar terrace, we will be there at 4pm in time for Happy Hour

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[Nanniemate]

Looking for a bit of advice from Funsters in the know.
It's ticking up towards 2.00pm
Im in the middle of Levante beach in Benny with another couple.
Suggest if you will, a good place for lunch.
Over to you.

sorry I missed this there is a lovely tiny bar near the barbers excellent only 4 tables but the tappas was lovely maybe next time

 

[Crazylegs]

Since we were able to enter France as of last Friday our winter trip has become pretty much the same as everyone else who in the privileged position of owning a motorhome and being able to take an extended break.
Since leaving the Camargue (way too windy but interesting nonetheless) we have substantially reduced our driving hours and even been stationary in Calafell marina

for two days to recover and restock. One of the less sleepy Spanish coastal towns with a choice of bars and restaurants.
So it would appear that all is going well, not a bit of it, the Dometic fridge has stopped working on gas, then the heating system started failing during the night.
Fortunately we have some friends nr Tarragona manage a local campsite who steered us in the direction of a chap who is pretty good with Dometic stuff and the fridge is sorted.
https://caravanesaltafulla.com/
We will turn our thoughts to the heating tomorrow, but it’s time to spend a few days catching up with my former business partner who retired from the business in 2011 and headed to Spain with his new wife to seek a new life.

 

[Crazylegs]

We still haven’t got to Benidorm mostly because we have been made so welcome by several couples we know who have retired to the Moraira area. So we have had a week of free camping on drives.
There is a live music bar/garden in Moraira called Saxo, that we would really recommend. We were there for four nights and what fun we had. (they are now closed until March)

Saxo Disco Garden Chill Out

Saxo Disco Garden Chill Out

www.saxomoraira.com

Fearing for the future viability of our livers we moved to Calpe yesterday, where we realised just how busy the campsites are, as the first four we tried were full with other vans presumably waiting on the road or waste ground for a plot.
Then we got lucky at one the furthest away from the town called Camping la Merced which is more a conventional site rather than a concrete car park.

Home

EL CAMPING Más información PAISAJES Más información ACTIVIDADES Más información RELAJACIÓN Desconecta del estrés diario y encuentra la paz en nuestro

www.lamerced.eu

They had one spot out of the shaded pitches in the sun but we were told we were too high to fit in. We took a look anyway, there are wires that support the sun shades that are used in the summer at 2.9 mtrs. Whilst wistfully wishing we had a lower van our German neighbours told us it was possible to get under the wires if you go up on the roof and lift them over the roof furniture, so that is what we did to the great amusement of our many campsite observers.

 

[bigtree]

We still haven’t got to Benidorm mostly because we have been made so welcome by several couples we know who have retired to the Moraira area. So we have had a week of free camping on drives.
There is a live music bar/garden in Moraira called Saxo, that we would really recommend. We were there for four nights and what fun we had. (they are now closed until March)

Saxo Disco Garden Chill Out

Saxo Disco Garden Chill Out

www.saxomoraira.com

Fearing for the future viability of our livers we moved to Calpe yesterday, where we realised just how busy the campsites are, as the first four we tried were full with other vans presumably waiting on the road or waste ground for a plot.
Then we got lucky at one the furthest away from the town called Camping la Merced which is more a conventional site rather than a concrete car park.

Home

EL CAMPING Más información PAISAJES Más información ACTIVIDADES Más información RELAJACIÓN Desconecta del estrés diario y encuentra la paz en nuestro

www.lamerced.eu

They had one spot out of the shaded pitches in the sun but we were told we were too high to fit in. We took a look anyway, there are wires that support the sun shades that are used in the summer at 2.9 mtrs. Whilst wistfully wishing we had a lower van our German neighbours told us it was possible to get under the wires if you go up on the roof and lift them over the roof furniture, so that is what we did to the great amusement of our many campsite observers. View attachment 582541View attachment 582542View attachment 582543

Looks like they have refurbished the campsite as when we stayed a number of years ago it was a dump, only stayed one night and moved to what is now called Paraiso.

 

[Nanniemate]

We still haven’t got to Benidorm mostly because we have been made so welcome by several couples we know who have retired to the Moraira area. So we have had a week of free camping on drives.
There is a live music bar/garden in Moraira called Saxo, that we would really recommend. We were there for four nights and what fun we had. (they are now closed until March)

Saxo Disco Garden Chill Out

Saxo Disco Garden Chill Out

www.saxomoraira.com

Fearing for the future viability of our livers we moved to Calpe yesterday, where we realised just how busy the campsites are, as the first four we tried were full with other vans presumably waiting on the road or waste ground for a plot.
Then we got lucky at one the furthest away from the town called Camping la Merced which is more a conventional site rather than a concrete car park.

Home

EL CAMPING Más información PAISAJES Más información ACTIVIDADES Más información RELAJACIÓN Desconecta del estrés diario y encuentra la paz en nuestro

www.lamerced.eu

They had one spot out of the shaded pitches in the sun but we were told we were too high to fit in. We took a look anyway, there are wires that support the sun shades that are used in the summer at 2.9 mtrs. Whilst wistfully wishing we had a lower van our German neighbours told us it was possible to get under the wires if you go up on the roof and lift them over the roof furniture, so that is what we did to the great amusement of our many campsite observers. View attachment 582541View attachment 582542View attachment 582543

Remember to lift them when you leave .I really enjoyed Calp

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