One thing which has puzzled me for quite sometime is, despite the presence of a beautiful beach in Valencia, it seems no one from outside of this city has taken notice of its existence. Unlike nearby Alicante and the Costa Blanca, where beaches are swamped with people in the summer and on weekends, the well-equipped and beautiful sandy white beach of Valencia has been somewhat 'devoid' of visitors. Which, of course, is a good news for people like me who prefer quiet, secluded beach spots to sites of popular tourist onslaughts witnessed elsewhere along the Costa Blanca.
The beach front promenade, which goes on for miles along the coastline, is planted with palms and evergreen scrubs. And rows of hotels with seaview rooms, cafes and elegant al fresco dining restaurants line the side of the boulevard facing the landscaped garden.
The beach in Valenica's port area, next to the Royal Marina which hosted the prestigeous international yachting event, America's Cup, has soft warm sand and good-quality water.
The seaside promenade has become a popular place for local residents to exercise up or have a great day out in the sun with family and friends. I find it a very nice place to have a swim and a tan in the sun, given its relative lack of tourists in general, and the presence of plenty of cafes and restaurants around the beach front.
There are so many restaurants and bistros along this stretch of the beach, I was spoilt for choice and it took me a really long time to decide which place to sit down and have my lunch. All seem very enticing and attractive, that was a tough decision to make.
After the lunch, it is time to take a look at the famous Royal Marina of Valenica, where the America's Cup was held in 2007 and in 2010. To be honest, I was anticipating a grand marina full of expensive luxury yachts from all over the world, surrounded by fashionable cafes and lots of stylish shops, with plenty of posh and beautiful men and women around the ground, but the marina in Valencia was actually very empty and offers no shopping opportunities at all, and the whole place felt somewhat neglected. At this point, I must say marinas elsewhere in Spain, Greece and Turkey have done a far better job than this one here.
There is only a restaurant inside the marina which offers a good view of the Mediterranean and the beach. With seats on the open-air terrace, it is a good place for a sundown drink or a cocktail after lunch.
Judging by the languages they spoke, it seems a large proportion of people who visited the marina on that day are curious foreign visitors like me, who are lured to the marina by virtue of its fame as the host marina of the America's Cup.
Although it was a warm, sunny day, the winds blowing from the Mediterranean are fairly strong, and it soon made my head feel giddy. In case anyone is interested in visiting the royal marina, it is important to wear a hat or bring some kind of headgear with you to protect you from sunstroke or headaches.
The view of the beach of Valencia from the open terrace of the royal marina.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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