Summer Holiday Vacay 2018. Travel Day

I can’t believe it’s been nearly 4 weeks since P, the cats and I took a week’s trip to the Costa Blanca. While P travels for work and has time off for exploring places*, I haven’t had a holiday in a few years as the cats are on so much medicine I can only go if they go. It’s easier than getting someone to look after them. 

We booked last minute. When I say last minute, 2 weeks before so not really last minute but in terms of trying to find someplace nice to stay, last minute. Everywhere seemed booked up already. Initially I wanted to stay in Valencia, Valencia’s regional capital however we couldn’t find anywhere nice or safe for the cats. I’m happier leaving the cats in an hotel or an tourist apartment complex than say Air bnb or private apartments. People know who’s a tourist, who isn’t in those areas and take advantage when you’re out. Plus I’m not a fan of Air bnb. I see what it’s done to various barrios in Barcelona pushing out locals in favour of an area that caters more for tourists pushing prices: rent, food etc. I also always seem to live next to a tourist apartment. Most seem to forget the building is residential not a hotel. Music late into the night and some drunken loud late night/early morning balcony parties and I’m trying to sleep. Each week it’s new tourists so it’s not like I can establish a routine with my neighbours so to speak, sounds to get used to a certain time etc. 

Grey skies travelling down

Then I was it doesn’t matter not staying in a city by the sea. I live in one anyway. We can day visit. Googling the Spain’s Mediterranean coasts down we decided on the Costa Blanca. Google images had me at beautiful blue turquoise coves and beaches. It’s summer I didn’t to stay inland away from the sea. When it’s hot you want to cool down in water. Thankfully P was up for beaches too. I had just one request. Avoid Benidorm. It’s filled with Brits on holiday. Didn’t want to add to that cliche. Then it was how far to travel with the cats we kept coming back to Calpe and 2 places. P decided f it, pick the nicer one. I’ll give it to him, he’s usually good at picking nice places to stay. Packing was last minute, P flew in the night before to leave the day after we got back and the car was rammed with food, cat beds, cat scratchers and way to many clothes I couldn’t decide on as I packed last minute and didn’t edit 3 times. I mean we had a car so there wasn’t a suitcase weight limit.

Sunny skies nearly there

Travelling, AJ stays happily in his box. D’s the opposite. Throws up, pees, has to get out, lets you now exactly how he’s feeling. Oh and it’s illegal as I found out later having cats out their car transport boxes in Spain. Not sure how to break that to D next time. 

Nothing to see here. P got the boys some coolie jackets. AJ’s was too small so his was a coolie block in his transport box. Both had harnesses on. D when out was on a lead. Where’s D?

No surprise we got there late. Initially we couldn’t find the place. We did, we couldn’t find the key pick up. After heading to the pre 5pm collection place calling the lady, we found ourselves back up at the bungalow complex. I spotted a public street door open, found the pool to collect the key from the bar. The whole time driving around that area we were looking out for a pool with a bar. Duh. 

Where we stayed, Colina del Sol/Colina Home Resort was beautiful. Away from the main kiss me quick hotels by the beach, up in the hills overlooking Calpe centre it was so tranquil. So quiet you could hear people open doors 10 doors down in the mornings or footsteps of people and dogs walking and running. The bungalow was amazing. Way bigger and way nicer than we expected. The architecture had a Miami vibe and the best thing it was empty. No cupboards filled with stuff, just space. 

The cats settled quickly, hiding under beds to initially to cool off and process what was happening, meeting the locals with supervision. By the 2nd day they were sleeping on the beds or in wardrobes cooling off. Everybody got used the stairs again which had some of the best cooling off cat locations and that the front door opened to upstairs right at the top of the stairs. D made a run for it one night coming back. Trying not shout at a cat to come back while not waking up the neighbours chasing a cat that didn’t have a plan before making a run for it, getting confused which door’s his if anyone was watching must have had a good giggle. 

After unloading and unpacking we headed into Caple for a supermarket and a look around. Places were closing fast, thanks to Google we found a Mercadona still open. Barcelona has a few of their supermarkets and I’ve never really shopped there before. I was surprised at their vegan and vegetarian options and how cheap it is. I’ve only been able to find non dairy choc ices in Veritas an eco supermarket in Barcelona so I was happy, surprised with P found some soya Mercadona own brand version. Upstairs or the roof had a hot tub

Not wanting to go back but with choc ices melting we had a quick drive through Caple before parking near the Marina. Supermarket choc ices in hand we walked part of the base around around the Rock aka Peñón de Ifach Natural Park following the sea path before heading back to check up the cats and dinner. And an early night, we had a week of new places to explore ahead 🙂

At first I thought this was some really cool graffiti. I later learnt it’s Valencia’s Natural Park bird symbol. 

Over the next coming weeks I’ll be sharing our holiday adventures and photos. Surprise I took way too many photos so may have to split days up to locations. 

Nothing but space inside!

Is this years summer holiday vacay a distance memory or have to still to go? Please share below in the comments! 

* Technically not a holiday as he’s still at work enjoying time off.