El Campello

We rented a beautiful flat on the beach front, 3rd floor with a lift, so the view was perfect. But even if you don’t have a sea view, El Campello is a delightful place. Not as busy as Alicante or Benidorm (it lies between the two) with a vast, clean beach. We were there in late November and the temperature was 20 C. Not swimming weather but great for relaxing in the sun, maybe with a cardigan because it could be windy. We loved the coastal tram – modern, clean, runs on time – but only took it as far as Villa Joyosa, to see the Valor chocolate factory and shop. Free tasting but you WILL want to buy. The visit is free as well, check when the English ones are on. There was also a Valor chocolate cafe if you want to taste a rich cup of cocoa. There were lots of nice places to eat. TIP: if staff do not speak English and your Spanish isn’t great, try French, as there seem to be many French-speakers living there. The outdoor market was huge but beware of con-artist stallholders. There was a guy selling dozens of little girls’ Flamenco-style dresses and when I asked the price, he insisted on taking one down and putting it in my hands, then when I said it was too much he brought it down, and down, and down…..Needless to say I didn’t buy because I didn’t like him. When I later saw the same dress in a shop, it was cheaper yet. (But you get such people everywhere, don’t you?!) Mainly we found the people friendly and very helpful. There was a free folklore event on which my friends attended and they loved it, so keep an eye out for such things, even in of-season.