Illeta dels Banyets
Located between San Juan and Villajoyosa, it is the municipality of Alicante with the largest coastline: 23 kilometers dotted with beaches or coves of sand, gravel or stone such as Muchavista or Lanuza and secret corners that (fortunately) do not appear on Google Maps.
You will like it in autumn, spring and even in winter -if what you are looking for is tranquility on your next getaway to the Costa Blanca- but we know that El Campello is, above all, for the summer : triples its population in the summer season and has a good handful of reasons that will convince you.
ITS 2 KILOMETERS OF SANDY BEACHES
the lively Muchavista Beach merges with San Juan beach: together they make up a very long 7-kilometre stretch of sand that, especially in summer, becomes the nerve center of the summer life of campelleros and tourists.
Along its promenade there are ice cream parlors, horchaterías, beach restaurants, rice dishes and chip shops. Down in the sand water sports schools and several beach bars They make us understand that here, life, as it happens in neighboring San Juan, is done facing the sea.
El campello triples its population in the summer
The other semi-urban beach and the most popular, called Carrer La Mar , in the old fishing district, reaches the fishing port and yacht club. Both beaches have two sections accessible to people with disabilities.
ITS OTHER 15 BEACHES AND COVES
Our tour starts at Illeta dels Banyets , because El Campello also surprises us with its historical remnants: this is one of the archaeological sites most relevant in the Mediterranean , which reminds us that there were prehistoric, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements here.
Also preserved are the remains of an Iberian settlement, thermal baths and fish farms from Roman times, which give their name to Els Banyets de la Reina . In this area, just after the yacht club, we discover a rocky platform (La Bassa de la Reina) and a small stone cove perfect for diving.
Almadraba Beach , then, is made of sand and gravel and gives way to several very varied coves: that of the Llop Mari , which will surprise you with its cave, under what was an old Roman quarry; that of L´Amerador , gravel; the one of Morro Blanc (which campelleros know as Coveta Fumá), with coarse sand and very familiar; the D´Enmig , wedged between two cliffs; Cala Lanuza , sand or Les Palmeretes , of stones and gravel. The last belonging to El Campello, that of the Carritxal , shares it with Villajoyosa.
Why spend the summer in El Campello (Alicante)
TIP
Don't plan to visit them all on the same day, unless you wear comfortable shoes and are willing to embark on a network of urbanizations and streets on a slope . And another one: do not look with contempt at the posidonia oceanica that you will see on the shores of most of its coves. Did you know that it is not an algae, but an endemic plant with flowers that produces fruits and seeds? In this area it forms what is known as arribazones, which are accumulations of dry leaves and posidonia rhizomes, dragged by the tide.
On the beaches and natural coves of El Campello they do not retire at any time of the year, in coves like D´Enmig, Lanuza or Palmeretes , only if there is a favorable environmental report and on urban beaches, only during the bathing season. And what's more, it's a good sign: the presence of banquettes on a beach tells us that there is a submerged meadow nearby and that the bathing waters are free of contamination and transparent . They may gross you out, but they don't stain, prick, cut, or itch and you can walk on them.
ITS CANINE BEACHES
Right at the mouth of two rivers in the municipality (Río Seco and Río Aigües) we find two beaches suitable for going with your dog at any time of the year: Can Punta del Riu Beach , which also has a dog park and the Barranc d´Aigües Beach.
Can Punta del Riu Beach
ITS BEACH BARS
What would summer nights be without beach bars? In El Campello it will be difficult for you to choose which one to sit on:
Xaloc Lounge (Muchavista Beach). It is one of the essentials year after year for 8 years: open from breakfast to after dinner drink It has a vegetarian menu, which is also suitable for vegans, and many gluten-free options.
Kalima Beach (Playa de Muchavista) : its Yoga Flow Music sessions on Fridays at sunset, which combine yoga with electronic music They have more and more followers. On Tuesdays and Thursdays too, but in the morning: they start the day with yoga and finish off with a breakfast facing the sea.
Xiringuito Ton-Tin (Muchavista Beach) : if you are looking for atmosphere, this is yours. Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday they have live music for all tastes: flamenco, blues, rumba or cumbia.
Karamba Beach (Playa de Muchavista): on Tuesdays and Thursdays they organize zumba classes, monologues on Saturdays and on Sundays, a Latin party.
Chiringuito Casa Thomas (between Cala del Morro Blanc and Cala d´Enmig) : to have a cane and a sliced tomato portion, as the people of Alicante call it. Asking for rice (and getting it right) is another story.
ITS SEA RESTAURANTS...
Brel Restaurant
Last summer we already said that this restaurant, which holds the Bib Gourmand distinction for the Michelin Guide, was one of the best restaurants on the beach in Spain. And we keep thinking about it. His head chef, Gregory Rome, in 2017, was a finalist for Revelation Chef at Madrid Fusión and, for a few years, he has been creating and running a business together with his partner, Pamela Romero, the restaurant's Pastry Chef. If you spend the summer in the area or live here, do not lose sight of this creative tandem.
Bar Merfin
Small and not very touristy, just the way we like it: Estela, her head chef, creates original tapas but also bets on those classics that we always desperately look for in every bar. Her potato omelette, her Russian salad and her octopus croquettes These are more than enough reasons to return. We also like their wine list and artisan vermouth. Beware of their dishes for celiacs, which are a reference in the area: if you are, ask for their seafood, with gluten-free donuts.
...AND ITS ROAD RESTAURANTS
As good travellers, we have a weakness for those places where we can stop and eat on the way to anywhere and, on the National 332, from Alicante to Valencia, we find several around El Campello. They stand out for their popular menu of the day, for their terraces (some even with views of the Mediterranean) and of course, for their rice dishes: Eloy Restaurant (N-332, kilometer 124), Colmar Restaurant (N-332, kilometer 124.4) o Venta Lanuza (N-332, kilometer 128).
ITS WATCH TOWERS AND ITS HISTORICAL CORNERS
Apart from the Illeta dels Banyets site, El Campello also has historical symbols such as the **Torre de la Illeta (Well of Cultural Interest)**, built between 1554 and 1557 to spot the Barbary pirates and prevent their attacks, which was restored in 1991 and which is today an emblem of the Alicante municipality or the Tower of Lloma de Reixes , which is located in the Barranco de Aigües, just where the division between the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon was drawn, which was in force until 1296.
But our favorite place is Villa Marco , a modernist-style rustic estate with colonial touches and gardens inspired by the French Palace of Versailles, which can be seen on guided tours.
the hermitage of the Virgen del Carmen and the Church of Santa Teresa would complete the campellero cultural tour. And you thought this was only about beaches?
Torre de la Illeta, an emblem of the Alicante municipality