Calpe is one of the most visited areas in Spain. It is being dominated by the impressive image of the Rock of Ifach, and it nestling on the shores of the Mediterranean which is abounded by captivating landscapes which is filled with mountains and vineyards. During its past history there are various civilizations settling Calpe particularly in the Marina Alta—the region of Alicante. And because of its traditions and captivating views, Calpe is appointed as one of the best destinations of Costa Blanca. However, the most interesting part of Calpe is its beaches. There are several famous beaches in Calpe that tourists should not miss;

*The Cala Morro de Toix—this bay is located under the renowned mount Toix that offers great views of the striking cliffs. It is ideal for tourists who want to unwind since it is a very quite place. It features nice seabed for snorkeling and best as well for anchoring and mooring point for boats.

*Calalga—located mainly in Calpe. It features fine white sand which has a moderate type of waves. The best activity to do here is snorkeling.

*Les Bassetes—this incredible cove offers the great view of the Ifach Rock. It has a bay shaped abounded by the fascinating cliff houses as well as vegetation which is typical to the Mediterranean.

*Cala Gasparet—this bay is nestling below the cliff which has plenty of vegetation. This is best recommended for underwater explorations. It can easily be reach by walking around 600 m from Les Urques Cove which is next to Puerto Blanco.

*Levante—this stunning beach is located opposite the Rock of Ifach. The views of the Rock is the best recommended since it is the walkway of the various restaurants. This beach as well is best recommended for the handicapped since the walkway is well organized as the ramps going to the beach.

*El Arenal—this beach gives great views of the Rock of Ifach. The sand it has features superb quality. You can view here some archaeological remains of some old Roman baths within the area. There is also a ramp for those disabled person to reach the sand.

*Cala del Penyal—this beach is nestling underneath the north face of the Rock of Ifach, it is best for snorkeling and even for just walking.

IN the international community, Calpe is relatively an unknown place. But once you’ll find out that this relatively unknown place is a paradise, you’ll definitely come back for more here. First of all, it is part of the 250 kilometers of the Mediterranean coastline of Spain. So there are lots of fresh seafood available here. In fact, many restaurants here have their own aquariums featuring live fish or lobsters for you to choose. You’re in luck if you drop by the fishing village and if you know a little Spanish and if the fisherman is impressed, then there’s a great chance that he will give you a huge grouper. A strict Mediterranean diet consisting of seafood and capped with rose is said to be the healthiest modern diet in the world and you can find it all here in Calpe. The place also has an abundance of olives which means that using olive oil generously in sautéing your food is cheap as compared to buying olive oil back home in groceries.

The beaches here in Calpe are divided into two – the conventional beach and the nudist beach. It’s nice to dip in these nudist beaches at night because glowing planktons swarming around will illuminate your body underwater. Isn’t that lovely to spend a honeymoon in spring with your loved one here? Conventional or nudist, beaches here in Calpe are quarterly monitored by the European Union for quality of service.

Aside from the beaches, one of the entertainment pastimes here are the casinos, the most popular of which is Casino Calpe. Records from 2007 show that the number of female gamblers has surged as compared to their male counterparts. Most of the gamblers here are not Spaniards though but are Norwegians, Italians, Belgians, English, Irish, Portuguese and other nationalities of Scandinavian descent. Calpe and ther surrounding areas also have some very glamorous and fun casinos to be enjoyed. Popular with the French (who practise at home playing casino en ligne), they really can add a glam touch to your holiday!

Another beautiful thing that you can do here in Calpe during spring time is bowling. Another thing that is slowly becoming a trend here is the creation of community radio stations or what is known as development journalism or development communication. Under this scheme, the government of the town of Calpe is reaching out to the people by giving them information over the radio. The Calpe town government maintains one such radio station in Calpe open 24 hours a day which broadcasts the latest hits in music when there is no developmental information needed to be broadcast.

ONE of the places in Spain that is a language center in Iberian languages is Calpe. In this Mediterranean paradise, Spanish is learned here extensively as there are dozens of language schools here. Language courses vary from four academic years leading to a bachelor’s degree in Spanish to short term courses from two days to four weeks to three months and two years long which ultimately end up with an associate degree. Aside from learning Spanish, students here also learn the regional dialects in the Iberian region such as Catalan, Basque and Portuguese. Most of the students here are foreigners coming from Britain, the Scandinavian region and a few Americans, Canadians, South Koreans, Filipinos, Japanese and Saudi Arabians. That’s how diverse the tourist and expat population in Calpe is.

It is because owning land here is so easy even for foreigners. All you need to subsequently pay are the annual income tax and the garbage collection tax which goes directly to the local government of Calpe. Some of them ultimately convert their properties into vacation homes and they make earnings out of this.

One of the most basic needs of a home in Calpe is cooking. And people here prefer gas stoves over electric stoves because electric stoves eat too much energy. There are two kinds of cooking gas distributed all over Calpe – propane and butane. Since most of Calpe is relatively coastal, it is ideal to use butane because butane works well in higher temperatures. Of course, you need to use propane cooking gas inland because it is relatively cold inland especially in the mountainous areas of Calpe. Because of a burgeoning expat population here in Calpe, there have been a growing number of cooking gas suppliers here. They give free door-to-door deliveries and they really like the foreigners as customers because they give hefty tips. That is especially true even for the locals who live on the fifth level of the condominium they are renting because the delivery man has to bring with him the heavy gas cylinder.

If you want to eat here in Calpe, then you will have two options. One is to eat out at restaurants and the other is to simply grill food yourself in your vacation home. Since Calpe is located in the Mediterranean, people here adhere to a strict Mediterranean diet consisting only of nothing but fresh seafood. If you are lucky enough to know Spanish, then stroll immediately to the beaches and befriend some local fisherman. As always, local fishermen here are amazed at seeing other Westerners and will immediately entertain you. They may even give you one big catch as your dinner for the evening. So grab the opportunity and go back to your vacation home and grill your catch with olive oil, the healthiest cooking oil in the world because of its relatively low fat content. Then sit back, relax and savor a very enchanting Calpe vacation.