MarBella, the perfect Corfu resort for family-friendly luxury
We fell into a simple routine, starting the day with breakfast at Mediterranean restaurant Kuzina, a smaller, more laidback option than the main restaurant. We sat on the terrace, next to one of the ancient olive trees, and helped ourselves to everything from eggs benedict and pastries to spanakopita and luxuriously thick yoghurt with homemade fruit compote. Then we meandered up to the Anemelia waterpark at the top of the hill. First thing in the morning, in April, we had it almost to ourselves — our daughter loved the gentler slides and we loved swimming out to the edge of the infinity pool for a moment of calm before ordering a cocktail from the poolside bar.
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Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The 10 best beaches in the Costa Blanca
The glittering stars of the Costa Blanca are its beaches. The 124-mile (200km) stretch of coastline packs in a crowd-pleasing range of seaside escapes. Visit wide, sandy swathes filled with rows of sun loungers, sheltered bays where kids poke about in rock pools, and hush-hush coves where couples go to get away from it all. Whether you're rolling out a towel on white sand or hiking to an off-piste cove, all the beaches share that blissful Mediterranean Sea. Be sure to swim in the balmy water before sharing seafood paella in a pebble-side beach bar – it's a centuries-old tradition that still hits the spot. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best beaches in the Costa Blanca. Find out more below, or for more inspiration, see our guides to the best restaurants, bars and nightlife, and things to do. Cala de Portitxol This half-moon-shaped cove is famous for the string of white fishermen's houses along the shore, with their doors and windows painted azure blue. Early mornings are peaceful here, save for the meditative clattering as the sea falls over the pebbles. In the afternoons, especially July and August, it can get busy. Insider tip: Lunch at Cala Clemence, a hippy beach bar with gull's-eye views. How to get there: Park on Carrer de la Barraca (€9/£8). La Caleta de Dins Sailboats bob in the cyan water of La Caleta de Dins, a rustic cove accessed by a short coastal path. Begin at Cala Blanca (pause to take pictures in the natural rock arches), then follow the route cut into marlstone. The bijou bay has space for a handful of sunbathers. Insider tip: Locals like to sit on the rocky headland and watch the sunset. How to get there: Park for free at Aparcament Cala Blanca. Cala Granadella This pebbly cove has rocketed in popularity recently, boosted by a picturesque bar with a shaded terrace and hot pink doors: La Bandideta. It has been so busy that numbers are limited in the summer – better to go off-season (in spring it's a delight) for the best experience. Insider tip: Kayak Granadella leads tours of sea caves nearby. How to get there: Park on Carrer del Pic Tort. In summer, arrive by 9am. Platja de Sant Joan One of Costa Blanca's most family-friendly beaches, Platja de Sant Joan (Playa San Juan in Spanish) is a two-mile (3km) stretch with buckets of butter-yellow sand. Find sun loungers to rent, children's climbing frames on the shore and even a McDonald's terrace with ridiculous sea views. Insider tip: Further north, Puka Puka Chiringuito serves mojitos and cumbia tunes. How to get there: Take Tram Alicante to the Londres stop, right on the beach. Parking is easy to find, either free on Avenida de Niza or in one of the large free car parks next to the beach. Cala del Moraig Pine trees scent the air of this idyllic cove, which is a mixture of stones and butterscotch sand. The walk from the car park is a smooth, tarmacked one, but the beach is still wild. See the amazing rock formations near the entrance, with archways where waves crash. Insider tip: Follow the Ruta de la Falla del Moraig for the 492ft-tall (150-metre) viewpoint. How to get there: Park at the entrance (€12/£10). Platja de l'Olla This humble little stretch of shingle doesn't attract the crowds, and that's precisely what makes it so lovable. Instead of sunbathers, fishing boats sit on the pebbles, and the no-frills Bar Sant serves decidedly un-hipster coffee on its lovely terrace. Sunset walks along the promenade here are rejuvenating. Insider tip: El Cranc is a trendy corner, with paella and unspoilt sea views. How to get there: Take Tram Alicante to Olla de Altea. Parking is scant: arrive early and cross your fingers for a space right next to the beach. Platja de la Fossa Another stress-free beach, Platja de la Fossa has been given the 'Q de Calidad' top quality award thanks to a lifeguard, disabled access and clean water. The golden bay is freckled with colourful parasols, but with over half a mile (a kilometre) of sand, there's always space to roll out a towel. Insider tip: Take a beach-front yoga class or hire kayaks from Olas de Zen. How to get there: The L1 bus takes 15 minutes from Calpe. Drivers can find free on-street parking, or head straight to the free car park, Parking Gratis Calpe Subida Peñón. Platja Saladars-Urbanova Remote and backed with bushy dunes, Platja Saladars-Urbanova (also known as Playa del Saladar) is a peaceful, sandy beach with heaps of space to spread out. As well as a couple of chiringuitos (small beach bars), there's an accessible entry near Carrer Músico Juan Latorre Ba, with a shaded pergola. Insider tip: Further south, Nirvana Beach is a fun beach shack with live music and dancing until 1am. How to get there: Free beach-side parking at Aparcamento Urbanova. Cala la Fustera This is one of the busiest beaches on the Paseo Ecológico de Benissa coastal path, but it's still very quaint. A palm tree-studded promenade backs the sandy bay, and behind that, Mandala Beach Bar. After splashing in the glassy water, find a table and order grilled sardines and octopus. Insider tip: Cala Pinets, five minutes along the coastal path, is a quieter spot for paddling. How to get there: Take the L3 bus from Calpe. There's a free car park next to the beach, or park at Tourist Info Benissa Playa and walk along the coastal path. Platja de les Marines Platja de les Marines is an easy walk from Dénia, but with dunes dotted with wildflowers and dreamy wooden tracks into the sand, it feels a long way from the city. The shore has a gentle slope into the sea, perfect for little ones to paddle in. Insider tip: Find the sandy garden of Restaurante Primera Línea and share a bottle of moscatel by Les Freses. How to get there: Cycle (10 minutes) from Dénia. Drivers can find free on-street parking and a free car park on Carrer de la Mussola. How we choose Every beach in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of areas and styles, from popular city beaches to lesser known corners – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations. About our expert Lucy Lovell is the Telegraph's Costa Blanca expert. 'Originally from Devon, I moved to Spain around five years ago and love spending days on wild, sunny coves – preferably with a picnic from the nearest market.'
Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The 15 best things to do in the Costa Blanca
Ivory-coloured sand and warm Mediterranean sea are, of course, highlights in the Costa Blanca, but visitors shouldn't stop at the beach – there is so much more to experience. Inland, wine fans cycle between bodegas, drinking elegant Giró while others prefer to potter along stress-free coastal paths before buying locally thrown pottery at artisan markets. In big cities like Alicante, keen-eyed culture fans can see modern art, ancient castles and Modernista food markets all in one day. Families are spoilt for choice too. Kids will love open-air water parks and racing along bike paths bordered by blossom-scented orange groves. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best things to do in the Costa Blanca. Find out more below or for more inspiration, see our guides to the best restaurants, beaches, bars and nightlife. Find things to do by type: Best for families Best for architecture and history Best for nature Best for art Best for food and drink Best for families Vía Verde de Dénia Pedal past blossom-scented orange groves The Vía Verde de Dénia is one of over 100 Vías Verdes across Spain, a network of cycle paths made from old railway tracks. This four-mile (6km) route passes sweet-smelling orange groves and pine trees along a flat, straight path. It's easy to follow and very family-friendly. Need to hire bikes? My Dénia Rent throws in child seats for free. Insider tip: There are no cafés en route, but there are picnic benches at the end of the track – don't forget to bring a packed lunch. The best sandwiches are found at Niki&Niki in Dénia. Grab mortadella on crispy focaccia to go.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The clampdown 'killing' one of Turkey's most popular holiday towns: How a curfew, ban on dancing and soaring pint prices is 'ruining' Marmaris for Brits
With its picturesque cobblestoned streets and its breath-taking coast with waters a shade of blue you would never spot in the UK, the beautiful resort town of Marmaris grips you within a heartbeat. As one local put it, it is surrounded by 'beaches like Miami, waters like the Maldives and mountains like Canada '. But it is something else entirely that draws in the British en masse… the streets of Armutalan. A strip known for little to do with landscapes and more to do with neon lights, extravagant dance shows, topless barmen and sparklers. According to the 'fun pubs' up and down the main street, more than 90 per cent of their customers are British. One pub owner even went as far as suggesting, '99 per cent British!' Over the years the area became popular for British families and young couples wanting to go out, dance, and let loose on holiday while still being able to have a seated table and look after their children - with many even having dedicated kids play areas. But it also controversially became known for young barmen taking their tops off and dancing on table tops for the 'entertainment' of older women on the hunt for foreign 'boytoys'. To find out exactly what the strip is like once the sun sets, especially as a solo female traveller, I visited the renowned Armutalan at 10pm. Having been to strips across the likes of Ibiza and Malaga, I braced myself for the worst. I arrived there expecting to see drunken Brits breaking out into fist fights, creepy barmen harassing you to come in for 'free drinks' and yobs looking for the perfect opportunity to rob your phone in the busy crowds. But I was taken aback when all I witnessed was a warm welcome at 'fun pubs' where music was booming, families were dancing to British classics, and no-one was coercing you into stepping in. In a refreshing change, I did not find myself constantly looking over my shoulder to check if my drink had been spiked or if I was in any danger. What I did witness, however, was a dying street that was until recently mobbed with people. Venues that would by now in the holiday season be rammed with dancing Brits stood close to empty, with most barmen 'too scared' to dance or encourage customers to get up out their seats for a boogie. The drastic change in atmosphere came after 14 pubs were closed down a few weeks ago over floating restrictions which include a new curfew on music and lights being turned off at the stroke of midnight and bars entirely closed by 12.30am. It adds to bans which came into place following Covid on bar staff dancing topless with customers on tabletops and the use of sparklers, even on birthday cakes. The 'boring' measures came after some locals felt the 'dirty dancing' and 'loud music' was inappropriate, arguing that it made the resort town look 'sleazy' and 'cheap'. But Brits - who flocked to see the dance shows - say the 12am curfew may see them 'never return' to the beloved resort, as pub owners say it is 'killing' the tourism industry. A Brit I met at the street's Parkhead pub, said she had visited just five weeks ago and it had been busy 'as normal', but in the space of a few weeks had 'completely died out'. The street itself was empty of sound and soul, bar the neon lights and music reflecting from inside the pubs. Turkish authorities say the curfew was brought into effect to avoid causing trouble for nearby locals having to listen to booming music into the early hours of the night. There have also, for a few years now, been restrictions on music only being played until 1am for pubs and bars situated along the popular beachfront on Marmaris' Long Beach. But police are cracking down. Venues found to be breaking rules risk being shut for periods of three to ten days, or even permanently as in the case of two venues very recently. As the clocks hit 12.30am, you could see hyped young people flood onto the beach after the music blasting in the beachfront bars was brought to an abrupt end. Critics say the changes are 'fair' as those wanting to party later into the night can still go to Bar Street, the resort's nightclub strip. But the appeal is not there. Those flocking to Armutalan Street are on the lookout for a family-friendly night out that isn't overrun by hormone-filled teens on their first party holiday. And the infamous Bar Street is not known to be the safest of places. Every pub owner along Armutalan Street and the Long Beach beachfront warned against venturing there alone. And Brits who have visited the resort for 20+ years and call Marmaris their second-home told me to steer well clear, telling me that spiking and harassment is all too common there. Just days before I arrived, one person was shot dead in an 'armed conflict' which broke out between two groups on the Bar Street strip. Mahoney, the owner of Parkhead bar, Mahoney said to me: 'They tell you if you want to go out, go to Bar Street, but the English people's culture is pubs. 'They don't want clubs, only the young people want to go to clubs. Most people that come to this street doesn't want to go to Bar Street. They are older people with families. 'Bar Street is quiet now, people don't go there. It's expensive and it's too much trouble. 'Three or four days ago, someone was shot and killed there. It's so much more dangerous. 'And if I sell a drink here for 150 lira (£2.74), on Bar Street it is three times more expensive. 'But 90 per cent of the people here are British. In this area, on this street, it's mostly British. 'We were the first many years ago to start having kids play area. 'In Marmaris you can ask any tourists about the pubs and the restaurants, everyone loves us. Most our customers they come here over 10 years, 15 years. We are like family with them. 'But now after 12am they close the lights and tell customers "go home". Which is really bad. 'If we ignore it the police come and give big fines, last year I had two fines which cost 400,000 lira (£7,300) each. 'Some of the dance maybe it was too much, dirty things, but the things we done was because they like it, it was not sexual, it was just for a laugh. 'We did it because that's what they like. But okay, we said "okay no dance, no fireworks, no hassle". We accepted it. But why a curfew? 'Now our regular customers say if it is like this we won't come back.' And the threat of losing decades-long loyal customers is very real. In fact, it is clear it has already started to happen from the emptiness on the main street. And bar owners say they have had 'too many' regular British visitors message them to say they will be holidaying elsewhere this year due to the curfew. Speaking to me in the noisy Chuckle Brothers bar Bedirhan Saritac told me: 'It's not fair. Let's be honest, it's not fair. 'By midnight people are just starting to get drunk, start enjoying it, and bang it's all closed. 'What are they supposed to do? Go and buy a bottle and go to their room? That's not what they came here for. 'It's only British people that come here, this street our customers are all from the UK. 90 per cent. 'The Brits are mad about it. Most our customers are like our friends now because they come every year, some come four or five times a year. So we are like family with them now. 'It's already stopping people from coming. 'People have already texted us saying they cancelled their flights. 'We're losing customers. They say they are going to Greece now. 'They're killing Marmaris.' Admitting the topless dancing may have been 'over the top', he said: 'Look, yes we have some fault. On some things we're wrong too as bars, we accept that. 'Some people may not like the taking tops off. We done it but that worked, but we see the point and we're not doing that no more. 'But the thing is this was one of the busiest bars in Marmaris, busy every night, if I was doing something wrong why would I be busy all the time? 'People come because they like that. I'm not doing it for myself, people like it. 'But some people don't, so we see the point, we don't allow it anymore. 'We say "we're sorry, we won't do it again". I don't know what the problem is with sparklers, but they say "don't do it" and we say "fine". 'But why are you closing the bar at 12, why are you turning the music off at 12, it's not fair. We weren't taking our tops off after 12, it was happening before.' Bedirhan Saritac continued to tell me how the effects have already been seen in the few weeks since the clampdown. He reckons he loses £2,000 a day (110,000 lira) during peak season due to the new measures. At the next pub down, staff member Adar from Mad Boys repeats the same as Mr Saritac: 'Our tourism season only six months, that has to last us the year. 'After seeing some boys' dances at some bars, like some dirty dances, the government say Turkish people are not this and want to stop it. 'We were very angry but then we saw some of the videos of kids dancing on the tables and it's not good at all. 'But it's not all, just a few doing that. 'Now they don't allow even normal dance, normal cha cha dance, the customers want to dance but they don't allow it. 'We are really hoping it gets better and they change it to at least 1am. 'All customers are saying "if we have to go to the hotel at 12am why we are on holiday? We might as well stay at home." 'All our customers, 99 per cent are British. We don't have any others tourist, just British in this area.' As it hit 11pm, I had expected the strip may become busier. But still it was a stretch to say it was even 'dotted' with people. Some bars were busier than others, but none of them looked how they should coming to the end of June. Speaking to one Scottish family at Chuckle Brothers through the loud music, Claire Quinn, 43, Fiona Muir, 41 and Shannon Luff, 25 said: 'The energy is down, it's a lot quieter than normal. It's terrible to see. 'When you come on holiday you don't want to go home at 12am. 'That's not what I came here for to be told to go home. 'In other destinations you have to go to clubs. The difference is when you come to Turkey and you can sit out here and it still take in the entertainment. 'The tourism has heavily gone down. 'When you've little kids or even teens, when you've got sparklers it keeps them entertained because they can't go out. 'It couldn't have been more family orientated. 'It's put a big damper on it. This is the quieter than I've seen it.' Ms Muir added: 'I've been coming here for 27, 28 years. My kids have been coming since really small. We've all been really shocked. It's a real shame.' Meanwhile, Ms Quinn said this may be her last visit. She said: 'I will not be back. If it stays this way. We come here for the atmosphere and the family entertainment and it's gone. 'I've been coming here twice a year for five years, but this will be my last time here unless it changes. 'You used to get the men dancing on the tables with sparklers, all that entertainment, but you don't get any of it anymore. 'Just look around outside too, it's completely empty. 'It's terrible, really terrible.' Further down the strip Lee Potter, 33, was visiting the bars with his family, Harriet Walker 29, Janine Potter 29, and kids Thomas and Tallulah. He said: 'The first year we came here it was absolutely booming. It was mental. 'We've been coming for four went to Jacob's they were dancing on the tables. 'It was also so cheap. You could get a pint for 80p, now it's about the same as London prices.' On the dancing they said: 'It is was a bit like entertainment, but it was a bit crude. It's not for when your with family. But before you couldn't walk down this street. Now it's dead.' Diane Harvey was here just five weeks ago. She told me: 'Everything was normal. Now it's dead. 'I've been coming to Marmaris for 20 years, it was never any trouble, any problem. 'It was mobbed five weeks ago with tourists, families with babies. 'The boys were all dancing, no trouble, no nothing. 'I came back here on Saturday, and I'll tell you it's the worst I've seen it. 'They can't come up to dance with customers anymore. I would normally be up there dancing with all these boys. 'I'm coming back here in October with friends and it's not going to be the same. They've ruined it, ruined Marmaris. 'Next year I'm not coming here, I'll be going to morocco. 'On all the Marmaris groups on Facebook, they're all boycotting it. They're going to Spain, Portugal. 'I don't know if I'll come here next year, I'm going to Morocco next June instead. Further down by the beachfront, where music has to be turned off by 12.30am, Lauren Bennington, 31, Lea Binns, 24 and Keeley Whitehurst, 20, told me 'it's not the same'. The trio, who had all met back here on the beach many years ago, said: 'We would usually be here till like 5am but now it's half 12 and everyone floods onto the beach. 'We've been coming for eight years. It was packed even last year but now it's so much quieter. 'And the problem is you don't want to go to Bar Street because it's quite rowdy there. 'They used to do the sparklers and the dance shows and the guys dancing, and they say it's bad cos they're doing it in a sexual way but they're not. 'They're just entertaining. And the thing is the sparklers and stuff, the kids love it too it keeps them entertained It's definitely not the same.' Nearby Emma Boriss, 46, and Emily Boden, 24, from Blackpool, warned me against going to Bar Street. They said: 'This beachfront, it's a home away from home. 'But Bar Street, it's dinghy, it's like a back street. 'Someone was shot there a few days ago. 'We've been once with a chap from the Manchester bar before, but we wouldn't ever go back. It's dangerous. 'It's a shame that they've ruined these bits. We'll probably still come, but not if it weren't for the people we know well now. 'I could see how first time goers wouldn't come. They'd go somewhere like Portugal instead.' Almost everyone I encountered walking down the strips at Armutalan Street and the beachfront had been regular visitors who had made Marmaris their yearly trip over years. And the new curfews risked changing this for them. For James Roberts, 28, and Jade Bingham, 27, Jamie Bone, 20, and Dylan Cox, 21, it was their first time visiting. They said: To be fair it's out of respect for the hotels and locals isn't it. 'But we have to say it is a bit of a let down for tourists.'
