La Costa Blanca

Denia, Spain - The Costa del Sol is probably the most popular tourist destination in Spain, but frankly we think the Costa Blanca is better, and very underrated.  This coast is full of amazing white cliffs and Carribbean blue waters, it rivals Greece and Croatia, the new "it" place for sailors.  And the great thing is it is virtually unexplored in comparison to the areas of Marbella, Puerto Banus, Fuengirola, Torremolinos, etc.

We do have one place of mention though in the Costa del Sol, and that is Malaga.  I had visited here before in the "flamenco days" to visit our dear teacher, Cristian, and was eager to show it to Sebas and kids.  As most of these Spanish cities, there is always a "casco historico," or the old historic downtown area with perhaps medieval streets and structures or moorish influences, etc., which is usually juxtaposed with modern buildings.  I recall fondly walking through the old part of town during a particularly colorful fiesta in the hot month of August with Cristian and his guitar-playing, sevillana-dancing, sherry-swigging, flamenco-singing friends thinking, "these guys really know how to enjoy life!"  Those of you who know Cristian can attest to his personlaity and picture this well, since he is very magnetic and can make anyone feel like joining the party.  Just imagine, like you see in the movies, this group of spirited people expanding as it goes along and more party-goers merge to become part of the group.....

.... well that was then!  Now, unfortunately for us, Cristian was not in Malaga since he spends most of his time in Madrid.  Nevertheless, it was very fun to pass through the same streets with Sebastian and the kids and relive those moments.  Malaga was in all its glory, with new lusciously gardened parks and very clean streets.  Like Sevilla, there are horse-drawn carriages in town for the tourists and lots of outside cafes.  All this, plus the Andalusian lifestyle that still make Malaga, in our humble opinion, the jewel of the Costa del Sol.

We whizzed by all the other toursit centers of that Coast.  One,  because from the sea all you can see are big high-rises that have replaced any local Andalusian charm that may have existed there, packed beaches, no natural anchorages and incredibly high-priced marinas.  And, two, and most importantly, we were in a mad rush to meet up with the Bretones, friends from Evanston who were vacationing with their family in the town of Denia.  The timeframe was tight, so we covered about 350 nautical miles over about 5 days to reach here.  Since we did not want to do an overnight sail, we did hours and hours of sailing each day.  And boy was this well worth it!

Jose Luis, Lisa and family are probably some of our best friends and to see them here after 8 months was like a dream.  Really it was as if no time had passed and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting Jose Luis' parents and relaxing at the beach and pool for a couple of days.  The kids were thrilled to see their little buddy Natalia who is between them in age and has been friends with both of them since they were a little bigger than babies.  The Bretones' were incredibly hospitable and invited us to some fanatastic meals, including a typical "paella valenciana."  This short visit was very nice for all and made us really miss home for the first time. 

The trip here to Denia was fast and intense but along the way we were able to enjoy what the Costa Blanca has to offer: the abundant caves and "calas/caletas" or natural rock inlets, where one can anchor freely all along the way, making it more attractive and hospitable for sailors on a budget, like us.  At one point we anchored Begonia in one location and went cave-hopping in the dinghy with the kids.  They snorkeled, and while you don't see all the fish species like in the Carribbean, there was a plethora of brown jellyfish that was interesting to observe.  We took some pictures (below) but we find that these don't even show the immensity of the rocks, the beauty of the colors and the dimensions of the caves, etc. 

Between the scenery and the friends, the Costa Blanca is one of the most memorable tranches of our trip.

NEXT STOP:  Javea, back south a little, and then on to the Balearics on Monday.

Malaga's Moorish influences

Old Malaga Cathedral door

Malaga cathedral

Malagueta, one of Malaga's many beaches

The sun shines on Malaga as we depart

At the castle in Aguilas

Cabo de Palos, the cape at the most southeast corner of Espana.

Costa del Sol: view from the water

Work does not stop while underway: a sailor polishes the stantion

Posing by the fountain

Gibraltar's little brother: Calpe

Cabo San Antonio

Benj by a cave

Kids by the caves in Cabo San Antonio

Snorkeling in the caves

The Med at its best

Fellow sailors in Aguilas

The Bretones meet Begonia

Puerta Abierta Preschool Class Reunion

Building in the sand in Denia

Los Caballeros

California Girls Are Unforgettable

Adorable Arianna

Hanging out at the villa

Sebastian looking really stressed at the Bretones' rental house

Paella Party!
We actually ate the WHOLE THING!

Evanston buddies

Capi and Ari

Goodbyes on Begonia...

Begonia flies at 11 knots!!!!

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FOUNTAINE PAJOT ATHENA 38 CATAMARAN FOR SALE – After our wonderful experience, BEGONIA is ready for its next sailing family – with or without children!  Please contact sebastiankoziura@hotmail.com for more information.