Calpe, Spain
Calpe (also known as Calp) is a smaller resort town along the Spanish Mediterranean coast line known as the Costa Blanca. We chose to stay here based on recommendations that during the high season it was a quiet, family-friendly place to stay that would be lacking some of the party and nightclubs offered by the other cities. We also wanted to escape some of the August heat (like the rest of Spain).
Lunch break at a rest-area somewhere along the AP-7
Leaving Girona, we rented a car at the train station and drove down and around Barcelona and then down the coast to Calpe for a week’s stay in the middle of August. The drive itself was a great experience. The roads are well-marked and the scenery is amazing. I only wished we had rented something a bit larger then the compact class car as the AP-7 roadway was full of large German sedans and even a few Lamborghinis. It got a bit frustrating watching them fly by in the left lane as I kept a strict 120kmh with the two squirrels under the hood going as fast as they could.
Calpe was everything we had heard. The beach was gorgeous and the town itself was very walkable with incredible restaurants all around. After a bit of a hunt in finding a free parking space, we essentially left the car parked all week as there was plenty to keep us busy within walking distance. Interestingly, it was much less expensive to keep the car and return it to Granada a week later than to turn it in one-day near Calpe. I assume this was because Calpe was so small so a nice drop-off charge was added in compared to the larger Granada.
On the second day in, we met a couple from Wales who had been in Calpe for the last 5 weeks as part of an RV trip. Great folks and they clued us in on some of the local knowledge on our second day. Most days were spent at the beach, walking the town, sampling the local food, and using the extended stay to plan the next portion of the trip.
Hanging out with some new friends, Paul and Shirley, from Wales.
Besides the beach itself, Calpe is probably best known for the massive limestone rock jutting up from the beach. We spent the morning of the 2nd day, hiking and scrambling to the top of that. It was tougher than I expected, with much of the latter part of the climb being more scrambling over big rock versus hiking, but the views from the peak were well worth the effort. Plus, it justified hanging out at the beach and cafes for the rest of the week.
Made it to the top!
And back down, which was a bit tougher than going up.
