New Bars, Restaurants & Shop at Tierra del Sol
There’s good news for visitors and residents to La Canada Tierra del Sol in Calasparra as the bars, restaurants and shop at the opening of the development are now up and running. This means that together with La Polvora and the restaurant down at the Sanctuario de la Esperanza there’s plenty of places to eat - all within (reasonable) walking distance of Tierra del Sol.
The question is - are they any good?
It’s great to report that all services and food have been good. The shop (as of July 08) was still finding it’s feet so no fruit at that time and getting bread on a daily basis was a bit hit and miss, but apart from that they had most of the essentials.
Opening hours seem to be mornings only, so if you’re arriving late into Calasparra (and especially Tierra del Sol) you may need to pick up a few supplies along the way or head on over to La Polvora or the new restaurant Andalus.
La Daya Bed and Breakfast in Calasparra
If you’re looking for Bed and Breakfast in the Calasparra region then La Daya Rural Bed and Breakfast in Calasparra might be the ideal location. It’s located within walking distance of the town - approximately 20 minutes according to the owner. The rooms are Double en-suite with air-conditioning and tea making facilities. Plus there’s also private parking and pool.
Cost is 45 euros per night for a double room with 2 people sharing and includes a full English breakfast.
To make an enquiry or book a room you can contact Margaret or Lewie on (0034) 968 720 029 or (0034) 679 363 637 (mobile). Alternatively you can contact them via email - lynlewette@hotmail.com.
Murcia Airport, Car Hire and Visiting Calasparra
San Javier airport (or sometimes called Murcia Airport) is much smaller in size than Alicante, so if you prefer a less bustling airport environment then it might well be worth considering using for your next trip to Calasparra or the Murcia region. We found that arrival, passport control and baggage collection were all completed in less than 30 minutes and it all seemed so much less stressful than Alicante.
Be warned though if you’re picking up a hire car at San Javier. You can hire cars through Avis and Auriga Crown, but in order to get your car you have to go off to their offices a kilometre or two from the airport. The good news is that they both provide shuttles to and from the airport, but this does add 15 to 30 minutes on to your journey time, depending on whether you’re lucky enough to get the shuttle as you exit the airport. Unfortunately sign posts explaining where to wait aren’t exactly in abundance and we missed the first shuttles.
If you are waiting to collect a car from Avis or Auriga Crown then the best thing to do is wait on the left hand side of the first door, or the the right hand side of the second door as you leave the airport terminal. Then watch out for the vans! Other hire car firms have their offices inside the airport which means you can pick up your car and head off asap!
As Avis and Auriga Crown are away from the airport, do remember when returning your hire car to leave enough time for the shuttle bus to get you back to the airport!
Hotels In Calasparra
Finding a hotel in Calasparra doesn’t seem to be that easy! Searching hotel booking sites like Late Rooms, Alpharooms and Hotels.com offer no hotels specific to Calasparra.
Therefore you will need to think further afield if you’re looking to book a hotel room. Murcia for example is 30 to 40 minutes away and has a number of hotels to choose from (Campanile Murcia was £46 a night when we checked at Hotels.com). If you are prepared to drive then there’s always Alicante, Torrevieja and Cartagena to consider as well.
For visitors to Tierra de Sol, there are short term rental opportunities that may be ideal especially if you’re visiting to check the progress of your own property. Details of these can be found at Calasparra Life.
If you know of any good hotels in or near Calasparra please let us know and we’ll add them to the site.
Car Hire in Alicante
Alicante Airport is approximately one and half to two hours away from Calasparra (depending on road conditions, weather, how confident you are driving in Spain and if you follow directions), and so you will need to consider hiring a car. So far we’ve only ever visited Calasparra via Alicante Airport, but have had no issues with regards car hire.
The best service we’ve found to find cheap car hire and book online is Holiday Autos. Prices vary from vehicle to vehicle, but depending on the number of people in your party and how much you wish to spend, you can pick up a small to mid range car, for example Ford Focus, for a reasonable price. One thing to note is that you don’t always get the car you expect. We booked a small car and expected a Renault Clio, but ended up with a Hyundai Getz (which surprisingly wasn’t too bad, had reasonable passenger leg room and air conditioning).
Picking up a hire car from Alicante Airport is relatively quick and easy. You will be asked for a credit card swipe to pay for a full tank of petrol (around 40 to 50 Euros) and offered additional insurance (we were offered cover on windscreen and paint work damage for an extra 20 Euros for one week).
When you return a hire car to Alicante Airport make sure you follow the signs to the hire car car park and not the airport car park! If (like we did the first time) you do end up in the wrong place - don’t pay - just go to the central kiosk and explain you’re in the wrong section and the assistants there will help you. Make sure you also leave yourself plenty of time between returning the car and departure.
