Plaza in Torrevieja

I had the best shower this morning. The cubicle was ample, and I actually had to turn the tap down a bit, because it was too powerful. The best thing about it was that it was the shower in our new apartment. After having rented various houses recently where the shower was no more than a sad trickle, sometimes not even heated, it was a great joy to experience what a good shower can do to you. I felt thoroughly exhilarated.

The fact that we have just rented an apartment right in the centre of Torrevieja is a great surprise to me. It is nothing like the dream location I described in my previous blog.

market stalls

little playgrounds

Making ourselves feel at home

Torrevieja is rather touristy and the apartment has no brook trickling past. It hasn’t even got a garden. Our intention was to drive through Torrevieja on our journey along the coast, going north, but we ended up staying much longer. We simply fell in love.

Torrevieja is full of life and has everything you could possibly want, right in the centre. It has a yacht harbour on the sea front, lots of lovely cafes and restaurants with the best food and coffees, market stalls along the spacious boulevard selling beautifully hand-crafted clothes and jewellery from all over the world, shaded parks with little playgrounds around every corner, and very, very pleasant people everywhere. We simply couldn’t bring ourselves to leave.

When we finally managed to continue our journey north, we found we were comparing everything to Torrevieja. There was always something missing. Denia along the coast is majestic but lacks the fun, and the Orba valley more inland is stunning, but it feels too remote, at least to Greys who is used to city life. The simple truth is that we had already given our heart to Torrevieja, and so we returned after only 2 days away.

The apartment is ours for 2 months, but we might be able to stay longer if we want. It will give us a chance to experience Torrevieja at its worst, during the hottest months, with the highest number of tourists. It also gives my kids the chance to come and have their holidays here. I know they are totally going to love everything about it. And finally, it will give us a chance to look for properties to buy in the area. I had never thought I would be looking for apartments in the centre of town, but that is probably where we will start.

Whether Torrevieja, or Spain in general, is where we will put down roots remains to be seen, but we intend to enjoy it while we can.