France/ Spain trip with possibly Portugal.

[tonybvi]

Should come to NE Scotland - hit a high of 16 deg yesterday!!

 

[Mobilvetta]

We arrived in Benidorm on Monday, We booked into camping Villasol for 7 nights.

I'm surprised by how many empty pitches there are, also there are quite a few out of commission due to them digging the roads up leading to them, I used my ACSI card and it cost €23 a night including electric and water on the pitch, plus if you have a TV coax cable they plug it into the electric box so you can watch UK TV.

There are plenty of empty pitches, they have been busy updating the site, brand new toilet blocks, bar and restaurant now open after refurb and the pool complex opens today as well, luckily there is a heated indoor pool. Going to get some laundry done, the washing machines and dryer use a token priced at €3.50. there are also two bays where you can wash your motorhome.

On arrival on Monday for the first time I was able to put my shorts on, but Tuesday we had rain until dinner time with a huge drop in temperature, today so far we have had a couple of showers, supposed to start improving after today, we will see.

I picked up a virus while in Zaragoza, ended up all night vomiting and having the shites, at first I wondered if I had food poisoning from the Chinese we had had earlier that day, but now the wife has started with it, so it's definitely a virus.
I managed to drive halfway between Zaragoza and Benidorm stopping off for a night at the free aire in the picture as I was absolutely knackered due to the lack of sleep, quite a few motorhomes pulled in to empty out and refill.
The following morning I decided before setting off that I would empty our grey, there was a drive over grid, it was absolutely disgusting, someone had emptied there black waste all over the concrete area were you empty your grey, there was toilet paper and shit everywhere, I only wish I had seen them doing it, to give them a piece of my mind, these tossers give us all a bad name.
I wouldn't mind the black waste is right next to it, you would have thought at the very least they would have hose piped it away.

There is a free carpark by the hospital and over the road from this campsite, there was about 7 motorhomes there, but the police have been and placed yellow stickers on there doors telling them they have to move and cannot stay there.

 

[Mobilvetta]

Some photos of the new pitches with new electrics and water. Still a lot of caravans and motorhomes here, yet it feels so quiet.

 

[GMJ]

Can I ask your views on whether our 8.7m long MH would get into pitches at Villasol? Also, bearing the length in mind, what are the internal roads like for manouvering?

ta

 

[Mobilvetta]

Can I ask your views on whether our 8.7m long MH would get into pitches at Villasol? Also, bearing the length in mind, what are the internal roads like for manouvering?

ta

Easily there are some big Concorde's here, I'm 7.5 metre and probably have at least another 2.5 metres behind me, if you are more than 3 metres high, you would need a pitch without the metal framework that they cover in the summer to give shade.

 

[5andy]

Can I ask your views on whether our 8.7m long MH would get into pitches at Villasol? Also, bearing the length in mind, what are the internal roads like for manouvering?

ta

Give them a phone. The guys at reception are great and they’ll sort you out. Photos are a cautionary tale that it’s not always Sunny at Villasol!

 

[The laird]

Are yo

Give them a phone. The guys at reception are great and they’ll sort you out. Photos are a cautionary tale that it’s not always Sunny at Villasol!

u abroad or at home sandy? We're heading off feb 19 newhaven -dieppe then heading south through france Spain and possibly gib and Portugal

 

[5andy]

On ferry from Portsmouth to Santander on Friday for a couple of months. Heading for Portugal first, then South West Spain as never been in either. Would like to get our Benidorm fix on the way home but may run out of time. Keep in touch it sounds like our paths will cross at some point in March.

 

[moonshadow]

On ferry from Portsmouth to Santander on Friday for a couple of months. Heading for Portugal first, then South West Spain as never been in either. Would like to get our Benidorm fix on the way home but may run out of time. Keep in touch it sounds like our paths will cross at some point in March.

We'll be on the same ferry in a couple of weeks

 

[The laird]

On ferry from Portsmouth to Santander on Friday for a couple of months. Heading for Portugal first, then South West Spain as never been in either. Would like to get our Benidorm fix on the way home but may run out of time. Keep in touch it sounds like our paths will cross at some point in March.

Yeah fiona says that would be good so you never know it might happen mate

 

[GMJ]

Easily there are some big Concorde's here, I'm 7.5 metre and probably have at least another 2.5 metres behind me, if you are more than 3 metres high, you would need a pitch without the metal framework that they cover in the summer to give shade.

View attachment 65685View attachment 65686View attachment 65687

Thanks for this. I think we may add it to our list for a future trip then.

 

[rugbyken]

we’ve got to Rota just above cadiz lovely walks onto the beaches and boardwalks going everywhere , not been here for about 5 years though i had been a couple of times before there have always been two parts to the aire here one at the back where the full timers set up camp caravans travellers etc and the smaller one where the services are , this time there are vans parked all over the screenshot plenty of spaces but spread over a huge area

 

[jeffmossy]

We have just spent a couple of nights at Le Mans, we will be making tracks and aiming for somewhere inbetween here and there depending on when Roxy has had enough of travelling

 

[moonshadow]

we’ve got to Rota just above cadiz lovely walks onto the beaches and boardwalks going everywhere , not been here for about 5 years though i had been a couple of times before there have always been two parts to the aire here one at the back where the full timers set up camp caravans travellers etc and the smaller one where the services are , this time there are vans parked all over the screenshot plenty of spaces but spread over a huge area View attachment 65699View attachment 65700View attachment 65701

Hope the restaurant down the road is still there doing the Piri-Piri chicken

 

[rugbyken]

yes sue el picaderio is still there but must be 20 motorhomes in the car park and parking on the rd all the way from the aire to it

 

[moonshadow]

yes sue el picaderio is still there but must be 20 motorhomes in the car park and parking on the rd all the way from the aire to it

Not much chance of a table then

 

[rugbyken]

restuarant still open accepting the vans as captive clientele i guess

 

[Mobilvetta]

Well it starting raining again in Benidorm early hours of this morning and it's still raining on and off this morning and windy, plus it's only 9°
We have had some sun since Wednesday, but the temperatures for this time of year have been lower than normal. Now her who should be obeyed wants to drag me around the open market, on a plus side I found a great English cafe, they have a 3 course Sunday special lunch for €10, very good homemade food and only a 10 minute walk from the campsite.

Oh and they do an OAP special, beef or chicken dinner with a desert for €6.50, I actually qualified for this as it's for 60 and over, just fancied a small portion, when the waitress brought the dinner over, I said to her I have ordered the pensioners special, she said it is, I said I can't believe the size of it, I was expecting a lot smaller portion, that's why I ordered it.

We have had some great nights out, some really good live rock bands playing and some great tribute acts and no idiots at this time of year, can't beat Benidorm for the diversity, was going to get a Thai oil massage here, but couldn't bring myself to part with €60, especially when I'm used to paying around 300baht in Thailand.
Chinese restaurants are still doing Menu Del Dai, but the prices have risen since 2 years ago, they are now charging around €9 including a drink, last time they were €6.50, still a hell of a lot cheaper than the UK though.

 

[The laird]

Sounds like you are still having a great time even though the weather isn't great David

 

[GMJ]

We are in Los Alcazares and according to the Met Office its 10 degrees here. However they also say its cloudy...when it isn't! It's very warm in the sun but the wind has a bite to it.