Property Net Spain - Baix Vinalopo - Towns and Maps

Baix Vinalopo

El Baix Vinalopó, a district situated just south of Alicante has some fantastic stretches of coast. Santa Pola is the urban centre on the coast and most of its beaches are next to tourist developments with hotels, shops and amenities. The area also includes Elche, a thriving city with a rich history. The towns inland are largely industrial, shoes being produced in Elche and carpets in the town of Crevillente. The region is unique in that it has the largest grove of date palms in Europe.

Elche/ Elx
The capital of the Baix Vinalopó, Elche is famous for its forest of date palms, three hundred thousand of which surround the city, originally planted by the Moors in the Tenth Century. The city was built on the banks of the Vinalopó River and a dam was built at Elche in 1632 to allow irrigation in the surrounding farmlands. Elche is a thriving city with a rich history. Spain’s most famous piece of ancient art, the stone bust of an Iberian priestess known as Dama d’Elx dating from 5B.C. was found nearby. It is now on display at the National Museum of Archaeology in Madrid. Greek, Roman and Moorish artifacts have also been found in the area. The old city has a number of buildings worthy of interest including the Altamira Palace, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Moorish fortress and the Moorish baths. All over the city are buildings with elaborate stonework as well as numerous statues and monuments. The best views of the city can be taken in from the banks of the Vinalopó.
Elche’s palm trees, prominent on her streets, give the city an exotic flavour. In the Huerto del Cura – the Priest’s Garden – stands an unusual palm known as the Imperial Palm, notable for its seven arms. A miniature train ride can be taken through the palm grove that surrounds the city. Around Elche is a large agricultural area where farmhouses and bungalows are scattered amongst cultivated land. An important nature reserve at the Laguna del Fondo, is a few kilometres from Elche.
Elche is famous for its mystery play, El Misteri d’Elx, that takes place each 14th and 15th of August and attracts a number of visitors to the city. The play is performed in the basilica of Santa Maria and is supposed to have been performed every year since the thirteenth century. The drama tells the story of the death, assumption and coronation of the Virgin Mary and is performed by local amateur men and boys.
Elche is the third largest city in the Valencia region with a population of 300,000. It has all the amenities you would expect to find in a large city.
There is a British school in Elche.
A street market is held on Monday and Saturday and on Sundays there is a craft market on the Plaza de Raval.
Rio Safari park on the Elche-Santa Pola road is a great place to take the kids, with various animals, dolphin displays, swimming pools and water slides.
Elche is 23km from Alicante and 12km from the airport, connected by the N340.
There is a national RENFE railway station at Elche with good connections to Alicante and the rest of Spain.
The coast is a 20 minute drive from Elche.
El Plantio Golf Club is a fifteen minute drive away.

Santa Pola
Santa Pola is a popular tourist town on a calm bay, protected from the wind by a headland. It is a fishing port and in days gone by, Santa Pola had one of the biggest fishing fleets of the entire Mediterranean. The salt flats nearby meant that the town used to be an important producer of salt. Today, thousands of tourists flock to Santa Pola’s 15km of beaches to relax in the sun or participate in a variety of water sports at the well organized marina. The Santa Pola Nautical club is particularly good. The town has a series of wide sandy beaches and several secluded coves, one of which is a naturist beach. The Gran Playa is the most popular beach. An impressive 16th Century castle lies in the centre of the town, it is now used as a museum. The Plaza del Calvario, in one of the higher areas of the town, offers gorgeous panoramic views of the area. Between the 1st and 8th of September, the town comes to life with street parades when the fiesta in honour of La Virgen de Loreto is held.
The Cabo de Santa Pola, the headland next to Santa Pola is a nature reserve that is formed from fossilized coral reef, rising to 100 metres above the sea. A number of migratory birds including albatross and heron spend winter in the reserve, attracted by the salt flats. Due to its height, paragliding and hang gliding are practiced on the Cabo.
About 4km offshore from Santa Pola is the island of Tabarca, the waters that surround the island and its islets have been designated a marine sanctuary. Tabarca is inhabited but the island is mostly covered in dense prickly pear scrub.
There are plenty of restaurants (serving excellent fresh seafood), hotels, bars and shops. Santa Pola has a lively nightlife scene during the summer.
Daily markets sell freshly caught fish, from fresh off the boats.
The rastra (the flea market) held on Saturdays is a must for bargain hunters.
Santa Pola is within easy reach of Alicante airport, situated just 8km away on the main N332 coastal road. The city of Alicante is 18km away.
El Plantio Golf Club is just past the airport, 10km away.

Crevillente
Crevillente was an important city in the past because of its production of esparto grass mats. These mats, known as “Spanish carpets” by the French, were an important export. In the 19th Century, the export of esparto slumped and the town was forced to manufacture other goods, naturally it turned to carpets and tapestries. Crevillente is an industrial town with many unattractive carpet factories, but the old centre is picturesque, with flat-roofed Moorish houses adjacent to gardens of sub-tropical plants. Next to the church is the Museo Municipal Mariano Benlliure with its collection of works by the modern sculptor Mariano Benliure. Representations of his sculptures often feature in processions and fiestas in the town. Semana Santa, the Easter celebrations are celebrated with much gusto in Crevillente.
Near to Crevillente are the Sierra de Crevillente, the haunt of Jaume, a legendary bearded bandit in the style of Robin Hood, who was later executed in Murcia. The mountain range rises to over 2,700 feet from the coastal plain. The San Cayetano natural park is within the mountains, its extensive pine forests providing an important habitat for a number of species of fauna.
The Laguna del Hondo is another important ecological area located on the plains near to Crevillente. Various migratory birds use the area as a stopping point on their way to Africa, including Flamingos and Imperial Herons.
The town has a number of international restaurants as well as cafes and bars.
Crevillente is on the Alicante-Murcia railway.
Situated on the N340 and near to the A7 motorway, Crevillente is easily accessible from Alicante, the airport is 25km away.
The large urban centre of Elche is 18km from Crevillente.
Albatera Golf and Country Club is 8km away.