Harvest of the salt, Costa Blanca

Harvest of the salt at the lakes of Lo Pagan, Santa Pola and Torrevieja starts in October. Then you can see the white salt mountain growing again.

Harvest of the salt
Harvest of the salt

First , the three villages produces salt for the road maintenance.
But also for industrial and gastronomic reasons.

So the amount of minerals changes each year . Because it depends on the temperature and the quantity of rainfall .

Also the way of producing and drying is different .

For instance in Lo Pagan and Torrevieja the water is brought into a lake . Via the channels on the coast.
It can be transferred into a larger lake.
There the water vapores during the summer. So crystals are formed.
Also nice to see: the lakes become pink. What a very nice view is for nature lovers and photographers.

The salt is then replaced at a deeper part of the lake . So it will not dry up in the sun.

The salt mineral is collected by machines.
The machines extracts the salt from the bottom.
Then the mineral is disposed in small boats .

Harvest of the salt : clean up

So now the salt is cleaned . That the moment the salt mountains grow.
Some of then are more than 20 meters .
For instance , in one year the salt lake of Torrevieja harvested 55 000 tonnes of the white mineral.

Export

Most of the harvest is for export. In the winter to Sweden, Finland, Belgium, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Norway.
Of course for melting the ice and snows on the roads.

Gastronomy purpose

But there is also a large amounts to gastronomic purposes.
But this salt is harvest manually. The workers have to take more care of the salt.
The quality depends on the temperature and the rainfall. So they let water in or out to gave a excellent quality.

Also they cheque if the salt has it potassium and magnesium level.
The salt of all three villages become more and more popular for the cuisine.

Harvest of the salt
Harvest of the salt


To end the harvest of the salt

The exploitation of the salt lakes of Lo Pagan, Torrevieja or Santa Pola guarantee the preserve at the salt lakes.

So in this part of the Costa Blanca , the flora and the fauna stays unique.

Dog friendly beaches Costa Blanca

Costa Blanca has beaches for everyone. Even for our best friends, the dogs.
Find dog friendly beaches on this page.
The beaches are the heaven on earth for your friend but also for yourself.
Let your dog enjoy the beaches, the sand and the water while he is on vacation with his owner.
At the Costa Blanca there are several dog friendly beaches to let your dog run around.

dog friendly beaches
dog friendly beaches

Tip.
Relevant is that you don’t forget to bring a bottle of water and in addition a bowl.
Due to Mediterranean sun your dog can easily overheat.
Because not all the dog beaches have dog fountains .
As result that your dog is being thirsty.
So you can never be too safe at the salty Mediterranean sea.

Also as a dog keeper : “scoop your poop” and also use the rubbish bins.
Spending time with your dog at the Costa Blanca dog friendly beaches is a great way to relax and also enjoy the beautiful beaches.

But most of all,  enjoy the summer with your friend  and first of all read our top 6 of dog friendly beaches.

Alicante’s dog friendly beaches : Aguamarga

From 15 June till 15 September the Aguamarga beach will have a dog friendly beaches.
The beach will be  an area full of amenities for dogs. This is really the best beach of all.

Dog friendly beaches Agua Amarga Alicante
Dog friendly beaches Agua Amarga Alicante

A company will take over the service  from the town hall.
The councilor wants a beach first of all adapted for the animals .
Where users with their four feet friend will be able at the same time to ask for a snack but also for a drink at the beach bar.
As a result that the service will be first class and set finally the standard for other dog beaches on national level.
At the beach bar the dog owners will be able to buy  a new a lead  or a life jacket for their furry company.
Near the beach bar, there will be a space offering dog owners information on the dog related services such as shops and vets.
At the beach there is post to tie their mascots safely and give water and food.

Furthermore 

The dog friendly beaches will include hammocks with umbrellas, so the dogs can escape from the heat of the sun.
Even elevated platforms for when the dogs want to take a break away from the hot sand.
On the 250 squares meters of the dog beach there will be an area for the pets to do ” their business” . This place will be cleaned and disinfected daily.
All dogs must have their passport with vaccinations.
Seems like at Aguamarga Alicante there will be a beach, where dog owners will able to enjoy together with their pet a probably a perfect sunny and relax day.

lovely dog friendly beaches
lovely dog friendly beaches

Villajoyosa dog friendly beaches :Playa El Xarco

The beach of El Xarco at Villajoyosa is a very quit pebble beach. The beach can be windy.
The access is only possible by car by Venta El Xarco on the main road.

Gandia, Playa Can. 

At Gandia the dog friendly zone  is sandy and located  at the end of the beach.
On the beach dogs must be on leads.
Except when the dogs are swimming in the clear water.

Santa Pola,  Calas del Cuartel.

This doggy beach is located  by the Santa Pola light house.
The dog beach is  a small sandy beaches with a little bit of pebbles.
At Santa Pola beach the pet owner is well come with maximum two dogs.
Dogs who are dangerous must wear  therefore a muzzle to avoid problems with other dogs.

Santa Pola is setting up a small car park near the beach for the dogs.
The dogwalkers have called for proper  parking facilities.

Denia

The dog beach for Denia is the Playa de la Escollera Norte.

Elche, Playa El Pinet.

This beach in Elche has sandy dunes and also pine trees.
Same as at the beach of Santa Pola, there is a muzzle obligatory for the dogs who can be dangerous.
At the doggy beach of Elche, due to the Spanish law, all dogs must have their passport with vaccinations.

In the future,  Calpe , Torrievieja  and Beniisa  are thinking of opening also their dog beaches. So that your dog can jump into the Mediterranean Sea.

El Campello

The best thing in Campello there are two dog beaches.
First : Playa de Punta del Riu.
At El Campello the dog friendly beach is located near by the dry river. Therefore the beach is a pebble beach.
At the beach there are natural rock pools, but take care of the currents while your pet is swimming .
Then Playa Barranc d’ aiges.

Altea

Altea has a beach where  the dogs are welcome. More specifically is the Playa Mar Y Monatana.

Torrevieja

Torrevieja will have two temperaly dog beaches.
They will be located at the Cala del Moro and the Punta Margalla.

The good thing is that the dogs and their owners can already enjoy the beaches and the sea at Torrevieja this summer.

dog beaches
dog beaches

But at  last.

Finally at all beaches as an owner of a dog,  you must clean up after your pets.
Their fore the authorities  give heavy fines to foul the beaches.
By Spanish law, all dogs must be micro chipped. Your pet must be vaccinated yearly against rabies and your little darling need to have a pet passport. The authorities may demand to see “Max” or ” Lola” passport.

New dog friendly beaches at Orihuela Costa 

Between La Zenia and Punta Prima there is new a dog beach.
Read more about this beautiful place on our special page dogbeach at Orihuela Costa 

Orihuela Costa

End of februari there is a “Perroton” at the Orihuela Costa .It consist of a walk  accompagnied by the participants dogs . So it is a day out with the family and the pets.
Various animal welfare associations will be presentThe event has also a charity side.
Dogbag dispenders are also present.
The community of  Orihuela Costa is one with international residents and tourist.
Animals are not a toy.  So they deserve to be looked after.

Dog beach Orihuela Costa
Dog beach Orihuela Costa

Checklist before taking “Lola” or “Max” on vacation to the Costa Blanca dog friendly beaches.

  • European passport filled with completed schedule of vaccination certificate, the vaccination against rabies and possibly the health declaration.
  • Necklace with tube with vacation address and telephone number.
  • Bench: ideal to transport your pet but also usually required in your holiday.
  • Eat and drink bowls.
  • Can opener for food.
  • Dog poop bags.
  • Photo of your pet if he would run away.
  • A first aid kit.
  • Toys for your pet.

Dog friendly beaches : a success.

Since it was opened in June 2016 more than 100 dogs a day where registered.
So Lola and max have been enjoying the beaches.

The city council said it has been an even more popular than they expected.Many pet holders have been coming regularly from all over the province. They prefer the beaches  to others nearby where the dogs are allowed.
The town hall checks  daily the quality of the water  the health controls of the pets , the identity of the dogs, the setting even the quality of the sand.
The council have received many congratulations for their initiative.
in addition the behavior of the dog owners and pets are excellent .

Dog beach
Dog beach

Santa Pola in the Alicante regio

First, Santa Pola is a busy town nearby Alicante.
Equal, Alicante is a nice city at the Costa Blanca.
Now, the Costa Blanca is very popular for sunny holidays.
So the Mediterranean Sea  Climate is favorite for the many hours of sun.
In fact, Santa Pola is a beautiful town nearby the popular airport of Alicante.
While landing on the airport  most of the flights fly over Santa  Pola.

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In other words, Santa Pola is situated in the province of Alicante, 20 km from the Alicante city.
It is located in the center of the beautiful Costa Blanca.
First, Santa Pola is best known for it fishing industry and salt lakes.
Important , this salt lakes are the providers of the salt for North and Western Europe. Mostly we use this salt for the routes in our winters.

Besides, Santa Pola has 13 kilometers  of coastline.
Additionally, the “marina”  is worth  a visit.
As it is popular by tourist from Spanish people and others, it has a tourist office.
A nice visit is the  fortress/ castle , for the children an aquarium.
Equally good to known : the town has also an interesting choice of cultural and historic monuments and museums.

As Santa Pola is a real, typical Spanish town, it is  well-known by the Spanish people for the all sort of watersports.
For instance : fishing, windsurfing, scuba diving, kiting, sailing, …

Climate.

Again, the climate is very mild and privileged.
In particular, Santa Pola is laying in a bay with beautiful beaches, it has a fishing port and a small Marina base.
First, the beaches are wide and well-groomed. Then, there are also little coves by the Playa Levante.
Next, in the harbor you can take a boat to the nearby island of Tabarca.
If you want to visit the Island of Tabarca we recommend the large boat when the sea is rough , otherwise you need to have strong sea legs, the boat trip cost about 10 €.

The fishing port.

In other words,  the fishing port of Santa Pola is one of the biggest ports on the Costa Blanca. As a result, fresh fish are coming in every day and it is really a joy to see the boats who has just arrived  with fresh fish, and the fisherman who are selling their product directly from the boat.
Presently ,the fishing industry is not what it used to be, despite the decline it is worth a visit.
The fleet is still very impressing and a very important source of income and employment for the Alicante region.

There is a daily fish market during the week.

Santa Pola
Santa Pola fishing port

Fish industry.

Now, the town is also the town with one of the biggest fishing ports on the Mediterranean coast.
According the regional government a total of 3500 people are now employed in the fish industry. There are over 90 large fishing boats so Santa Pola fishing fleet is bigger than anywhere else in the province. The boats are fishing nearby the coast of Santa Pola but are also heading to the Atlantic. These boats have enormous drag nets and are very impressing to see.
The last years the number of smaller boats has increased, they have a smaller tonnage and more technology . This results in more safety for the crews.
The smaller boats still make use of the traditional fishing art. So the fishermen wait till large schools of fish turn up to the Costa Blanca section of the Mediterranean sea. This leads to a variety of fish each season.

There are more than 30 different species which are typical for the region of Santa Pola. One of the famous is the red prawn. The others fish which can be found in the auction house are: little tunny, crabs,sea bass, dorada, red mullets , sardines of course , swordfish, monk fish, mackerel, -etc.

Restaurants

As  the town is one of the largest ports of the Costa Blanca even the Mediterranean coast  you can find excellent fish restaurants serving superb fish meals or little bars with the ” catch of the day”.

We did like very much the swordfish and the dorade.
There are several gastronomic specialties for the Costa Blanca

Free tours in English.

Now, this guided visits  looks at the Sana Pola  relationship with the Mediterranean  sea. In particular his fishing history. And also its role of one of the most important Iberian fishing ports on this sea.
In fact, the tour will visit the port, the docks and auction house and the aquarium.
This tour is not free. It cost 3€ ( in november 2016).
The meeting point is the Aquarium of Santa Pola.
The English-speaking guide is trained  and very enthusiastic.  As you can hear , he is passionate about his town and the environment.
So, he tries to give the visitors  a better understanding of the fishing history.
Reservation can been done at the tourist information office.
Adress of the office  : Plaza de la Constitution .
Places are limited.

Auction house.

In particular, the auction house of Santa Pola is one of the largest on the Mediterranean coast.
Indeed, the auction method used is from high to low.
In the last few years the local products are promoted in the restaurants and the supermarkets over the South Costa Blanca.
For instance, even in the Carrefour in Torrevieja and the Alcampo in Zenia Boulevard.
Consequently, in the restaurants, they use traditional recipes, like sea bass with salt, fish on the grill ( tuna , sardines, swordfish), little hotpots with fish, shellfish etc.

Santa Pola
Santa Pola

Near the old fortress is a Plaza which is the meeting point for the locals to eat and drink at the evening.
There are plenty of fish restaurants to choose from, the shops nearby are diverse, so there is something for everyone.

The tourist center is located near the “Parque El Palmeral”.

Santa Pola Culture

A Marine Museum shows the history of the harbor .

In the old part of Santa Pola you can see a lot of the typical Spanish culture and historical buildings. The town was already known during Roman times. Santa Pola was the port of Elche in the Roman times “ Portus Illicitanus” so you can visited a Roman Villa with mosaic floors, nearby the Tourist Information and the remains of a Roman Fish factory of salted fish .
Santa Pola has a fortress and a castle that was built under order of Philips II against pirates and attackers, the entrance is free of charge.
Read more about the Santa Pola Fortress and Castle .

Santa Pola
Santa Pola

Nearby there is a Natural park with salt lakes and famous Flamingos, very nice to see for the nature lovers.
A local activity is sea harvesting. The famous shrimps and prawns of Santa Pola.
Round the town there are several natural viewing points where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Santa Pola.

Santa Pola Amusement Park

Recently a small amusement park has been built-in Santa Pola called Pola Park and it has about 30 attractions. The park is around 24000 square meters and offers also a lot small food snack restaurants like pizza and kebab. It focuses all family’s and children between the age of 4-12  The Park has its own mascot called Popi. The Attractions in the Amusement park range from a Roller Coaster to Carts and bumper cars, karting, mini golf, quads, carousels, rides and rodeos and many more.
You can compare it to a typical fare in European city . The park is easily reachable by exiting the n332 just before Santa Pola.

A Season ticket in the park will cost you 65 euros which offers you aces to all attractions during the whole season

The address of Pola park is
Avenida Zaragoza S/N
Santa Pola
+34 965 41 70 60

Opening Hours are from  6:00 pm till 12:00 am

Santa Pola  Salt Lake

Santa Pola got a large Salt Lake, it is located south of the city. The Salt Lake is impossible to miss if you travel along the N332 coming from Alicante.

The Salt Lake are a lagoon and a wetland area. It used to be a much larger area on the left bank of the River Segura. Now, due to the action of man the Salt lakes are divided into two areas of wetland. This two areas are El Hondo de Elche and Santa Pola. The wetlands are fed by a mix of water.  It receives fresh sub surface water from further inland and salt water that enters trough the channel that connect the salt lagoon with the Mediterranean Sea
The Salt Lake natural park is 2470 hectares in size. The flora and the fauna are varied.

Santa Pola
Santa Pola Salt Lake

Santa Pola Salt Lake

The Salt lake is a protected natural park with wetlands and marshland. The typical vegetation is salt water, made up of species whose live depends on the presence of water and the salinity degree.
One of this plants is sea lavender.

Free guided visits.

First, Santa Pola organizes free guided visits into this Salt Lake park.
Important , the tour in the nature park is with an English guide. So visitors will hear about Santa Pola relationship with her salt industry. As well in the past as the influence on the surroundings.
While the meeting point is  the Salt Museum.
Because, the Salt museum or Museo de la Sal works as an Information center for the Park providing guided tours and bird watching center.
While, in the salt museum, the tourist will hear about the city’s relationship with the history of the salt industry.
During the visit , the visitor will learn more about the wide variety of the rich fauna ( including the flamingos).
In addition also about the  flora of the salt lake.

So, visiting the salt Lake is very popular among tourist as well for residents.
In brief, the English guide is passionate about the Salt Lake and its local environment. He hopes to give the visitors a better understanding  of the importance and the history of the Natural Park.
Furthermore, you can find more information about this at the tourist information office in Plaza de la Constitution.
Important, the places for the guided tour are limited.
Again, the tours are free of charge.

Trip from Santa Pola.

An absolute must is the trip to the Isla of Tabarca.
The best, this islands was made a national Marine reserve in 1986.
So, for lovers of diving and snorkeling it  is a little paradise.

During your stay at Santa Pola is also nice to visit the neighbor city of Alicante.
Below the coast, a little more to the south of Santa Pola is the busy Torrevieja.
In meantime , a visit to the Orihuela Costa is also a very nice day trip.

Orihuela Costa
Orihuela Costa

Street market

On Saturday and Monday there is a busy street market in Santa Pola.

Renaissance market

Yearly , there is a themed renaissance market around the castle. The market takes place over the Eastern weekend.
In the future , it will be in autumn.
The theme  is ” The fortress against the pirates”. So it is a nice spectacle for young and old.
So their are food stalls, work shops, archery, children games and much more

In fact, the castle is in the middle of the town.

How to get to Santa Pola ?

To get here from the Orihuela Costa or Torrevieja  you can take the N 332 direction Alicante .
The N 332 is the old road to the airport of Alicante, about 7 km from Santa Pola.

First, distance to Alicante 20 km
Then, distance to Benidorm 70 km
Next, distance to Torrevieja 30 km