Surrounding Areas

Where is the property?

The property is situated on the Costa Blanca in Spain and is a 30 minute drive from either Murcia or Alicante aiports. We can organise a taxi for 35 or 30 Euros respectively. The town is called Ciudad Quesada and can be seen on the second map. It is a 10 minute drive to the nearest beach and we can orgnise a taxi to take you there for 10 Euros.

Local amenities within a 5 minute walk

The closest supermarket is the Gama supermarket. If you are standing at the rear of the building facing forward and look towards the left this is situated where there are a small number of local amenities. There are bigger supermarkets in the area but this can provide everything you would require whilst you enjoy your holiday.
Around the corner is a very reasonable and pleasant Chinese.

The Laurel and Hardy pub also provides pub food and has a restaurant at the rear. Football is shown, there is a pool table and children are welcome. Next to the Chinese are various small shops. There is also an ice cream parlour. Internet access is available at a couple of shops.

What does the town of Quesada have to offer?

There is an abundance of places to eat and drink in the area to suit a wide variety of tastes. Choice of restaurants includes Spanish, English, Indian, Chinese and Thai. Some offer set menus at very reasonable prices and some at prices similar to the U.K.

We have particularly enjoyed the following:-

  • John Davy pub – This can be found just after the entrance to Quesada at the bottom of the town. It is traditional pub and provides a typical pub food menu.
  • The Living Room – This is just slightly further along from the John Davy pub - It is a wine bar and provides entertainment, music and dancing. There is a happy hour, cocktails and the surroundings are comfortable. They offer an excellent Sunday lunch. This comprises 3 courses and half a bottle of wine per person for 15 Euros. You are advised to book in peak season or be prepared to wait and have a drink.
  • The Banana Tree restaurant further up the hill on the left is an efficient Thai and Chinese restaurant that is frequented by the locals and reasonably priced.
  • The Irish pub gets very busy and is often enjoyed by a younger crowd.
  • The Amstel bar where you can pour your own beer! This is a very Spanish bar and you pay for what you drink when you leave.

There is also a chemist, several banks and newsagents and cafe’s that offer breakfast and snack food throughout the day. There are still a number of restaurants we have not tried so any feedback you can provide for the benefit of the enjoyment of future guests would be appreciated.

Ciudad Quesada and surrounding areas

TORREVIEJA

Thirty three kilometres south of Alicante is Torrevieja, the salt lakes themselves have been declared a Nature Reserve due to their wetland ecosystem and for the habitat they provide for migratory and nesting birds. Walks can be taken to the fishing wharf and boat trips taken along Torrevieja’s   coastline. There are several magnificent sandy beaches. The longest and most northern beach is the la Mata from where excursions can be made to the tourist vantage point of the Moro Tower. One of the medieval towers that gave Torreveja its name.

Just south of La Manga, this has been a protected natural area since 1987 and nature reserve since 1992. Caiblanque is an amalgamation of wonderful sand beaches,sandbanks and hills, cliff tops and salt flats all of great ecological Value. This Nature Reserve represents one of the last untouched areas along the Mediterranean coastline.

CARTEGENA

At the southern end of the Costa Blanca, this ancient naval town is set in a magnificent sheltered bay. The best views can be obtained from the Castle la Concepcion in the Parque Torres. Keep an eye out from “La Linterna” an ancient lighthouse. Other interesting sights are the Gran Hotel, the Arsenal, the Town Hall the Casa Cervantes, the City Walls, the Palace of Pedreno and also the Isaac Perals submarine. Several festivals are held here during the year. The most notable of these is a Roman vs Cathaginian re-enactment of the battles that took place here in years gone by. Several Roman antiquities survive  in this city, which is well worth a visit.

CREVILLENTE

This small town is a mixture of Moorish and Christian architecture and even retains many cave dwellings that are so much a feature of the region. The climate is one of the driest in Spain with mild winters and summer temperatures rising to maximum of 37C.
The town contains several café’s, bar and restaurants of various types including Italian, Chinese and of course traditional  Spanish. There are several parks and gardens scattered throughout the town and also museums and an art gallery. The town hosts several fiestas throughout the year. There is a wide range of sporting activities within the town, Tennis, Football, Squash, several gyms and the golf courses of the region are never far away.

ELCHE

Set in the heart of the Costa Blanca, surrounded by palm trees and close to the Mediterranean, Elche offers a variety of pleasant surprises for the visitor. Its mild Mediterranean climate enjoying fresh sea breezes, its valuable cultural and ecological heritage, its fiestas and popular traditions, broad avenues and modern services, all form part of the principal attractions of the town.

LA MANGA & COSTA CALIDA

On the Mediterranean coast there are three championship golf courses situated within a world class tourist complex with a host of recreational activies (see golf course information) also the regional park of Calblanque, Monte de Cenizas and Pena de Aguila. Closing the bay to the south you will find Cabo de Palos, a typical white and sleepy Spanish village, situated alongside the most famous cape on the Murcian coast the silhouette of the lighthouse, designed as a school for lighthouse keepers in 1865, crowns the town and the cape. It lights the way from the coastal  Mediterranean cliffs of this fishing village to the flat expanses of La Manga.

LA MANGA DEL MAR MENOR

La Manga del Mar Menor is a wonderful Mediterranean spot located 30 km. North of Cartagena. La Manga’s official slogan is ‘A Paradise Between two Sea’s’. La Manga del Mar Menor itself is a narrow wedge of land between to seas, the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor, measuring 21 km in length. Flats, residences, luxurious villas, hotels, restaurants, discotheques, an important leisure port with a blue flag and magnificent recreational installations take up part of it. In addition to a certain cosmopolitan atmosphere, one must add the beauty its landscape, its special qualities for golf and water sports and an ample variety of entertainment and leisure activities.

MAR MENOR

Is a 130 square km inland sea which is contained by a narrow strip of land which separates it from the Mediterranean Sea. The lagoon can not be circumnavigated by car as the strip of land is broken at the northern tip. This lagoon is ideal for all kinds of water sports and its warm shallow water make it an ideal place for all the family. Some of the villages on its perimeter are, San Pedro del Pinatar, Santigo de la Ribera, San Javier, Los Alcazares, Los Urrutia and also La Manga. La Manga is actually built on a sand bar and is 22 km long but only 200m wide in parts.

MURCIA

Is a modern commercial city and is well worth a visit to see its monuments and for shopping. The cathedral is a favourite as is the Roman Theatre, the Palace Almundi, Paseo de Malecon, the Casino Ballroom, Santa Catalina Square, the Episcopal Palace, the City hall and last but not least the wonderful Esplanade de Espana.

SANTO POLA

Eighteen kilometres south of Alicante is Santo Pola with its fine harbour and fishing port famous for its catches of langostinos. The old quarter of the town boasts a 16th century fort, a reminder of the times when Santo Pola served as a portfor the town of Elche and needed defenses against the Barbarian pirates. In the water meadows around Santa Pola can be seen flocks of flamingos and other wading birds such as Egrets and Herons.