Are you looking for a cheap seaside holiday in Spain?
Two of the country’s cheapest coastal resort towns offer three to four star hotel stays for under £80 a night. But it is a tale of two cities.
The cheapest, Torrevieja, has been criticized as “a horrible sunny council estate” with “Del Boy” street vendors, and the other, Cartagena, praised as “incredible”.
Both destinations appeared in a recent Which? survey of travelers from 28 Spanish coastal cities, where Torrevieja scored 60 percent and Cartagena topped it with an overall score of 80 percent.
For the study, in addition to issuing global scores, the consumer advocate invited respondents to rate Spanish coastal towns according to 11 criteria, including the quality of the beach and promenade, safety, food and drink, accommodation and the quality-price ratio.
Torrevieja and Cartagena were revealed by a Which? Survey as two of the cheapest coastal cities to stay in Spain. However, the first obtained a clear score and the second finished third out of 28 places.
Hotel stays in Torrevieja (above) average just £77 per night. But this did not help raise his Which? Value for money rating: Only two stars. Attractiveness, tourist attractions and peace and quiet received the same low rating
Torrevieja tourists complained that the “Del Boy” street vendors were “a terrible nuisance”
TORREVIEJA
Hotel stays in Torrevieja, in the Alicante region, which is also home to Benidorm and Villajoyosa, average just £77 a night. But this didn’t help improve its value for money rating – just two stars. Attractiveness, tourist attractions and peace and quiet received the same low rating.
Tripadvisor Reviews They have similarly low opinions of the destination.
Londoner ‘Cat123xxx’ said: ‘Go to Torrevieja if you like English breakfast and pizzas because that’s all you’ll find. I couldn’t find a decent Spanish restaurant anywhere. All the restaurants on the boardwalk were pizzerias.
‘You don’t even need to know a word of Spanish to survive because everyone in Torrevieja is English or works in the tourism industry.
‘In my opinion Torrevieja is not a true reflection of Spain. It’s more like Blackpool with sunshine!’
‘Peter W’, also from London, added: ‘Anyone eating at the beachfront restaurant should be aware that the “Del Boy” hawkers are a terrible nuisance.
‘During a meal I kept count. They harassed us no less than 55 times during the meal.
“During this time there were two police ‘raids’, but it seemed like everyone was following a well-practiced routine: hide in a side street and then get back to work a moment later.
‘Mashandpie’, also from London, noted: ‘Escape was the only option. We had a terrible time in Torrevieja because we discovered that the people were not as friendly as we expected.
“It seemed as if the locals were fed up with us Brits coming to build houses and make their lives harder.” On the beach we were subjected to violent outbursts by people who tried to sell us sunglasses and belts.
‘Later that day, I spoke to an English-speaking person who owned one of the beach cafes. She said it was pretty common behavior. Furthermore, she told us not to go drinking in the bars in the city because we risked being shot or stabbed.’
He also said his camera was stolen while he was in the area and said his vacation had turned into a “nightmare.”
The British poster ‘Wales45’ said: ‘I was working in Spain recently and had the misfortune to end up in Torrevieja. In my opinion, it is without a doubt the most horrible place I have ever been, like a council estate with sunshine, although the day I had to go it was rainy.’
Some reviews painted the city in a more positive light.
Tripadvisor reviewer ‘Cat123xxx’ said of Torrevieja (above): ‘In my opinion, Torrevieja is not a true reflection of Spain. It’s more like Blackpool with sunshine!’
The German sign ‘Saksalainen_94’ said: ‘Torrevieja is the most beautiful city in the south of the province of Valencia with a great beach in the city centre, a pier to the Mediterranean, excellent restaurants, bars and shops. For nature lovers there are two large salt lakes.’
Canadian ‘Canada170981’ added: ‘There were very beautiful villas around us. There was a square nearby where we could shop, a pharmacy and a kiosk, etc.
‘There were many restaurants nearby and, in fact, it was cheaper for us to eat out than to shop and cook. The coffee is very good.’
CARTAGENA
Cartagena offers hotel stays for just £1 more than Torrevieja, according to Which? survey, however it scores an impressive five stars for its tourist attractions and four stars for its boardwalk, attractiveness, safety and shopping.
Tripadvisor Reviews They are also impressed.
Cartagena offers hotel stays for just £1 more than Torrevieja, according to Which? survey, however it scores an impressive five stars for its tourist attractions and four stars for its boardwalk, attractiveness, safety and shopping. Tripadvisor user ‘Alistair’ praised the friendliness and city views
‘Belone’ from Ireland wrote: ‘One of my favorite places we’ve visited. (It’s) a bustling city full of historic Roman sites… well laid out… take plenty of time here. Don’t rush this amazing city.’
‘Alistair’ from Nottingham also wrote a glowing review, concluding: ‘We spent all day in Cartagena and still haven’t seen half the places. The narrow streets, the buildings, the history, the views and the friendliness of the people will be a great memory. A very good day.”
San Sebastián came first in the survey, but has an average hotel cost of £155 per night.
Meanwhile, flashy Puerto Banus eventually hit rock bottom, with tourists branding it “tacky” and “a seedy dump” despite its huge average hotel price of £168 a night.