Alannia Costa Brava Resort - Rally Stage 2

 Our next stop was another Caravan & Motor-home Club rally at Alannia Costa Brava resort. It has to be said that as we weren't really ready to leave La Manga and having few negative comments about the site, it was with some trepidation that we arrived at Alannia.  


The site is large with lots of bungalows and lots of pitches. The pitches are a open making it a bit of a car park. At the entrance is a big complex with a restaurant, bar swimming pools. gym, shop etc.  All really smart.  The rally pitches are at the bottom of the site about a kilometre from the entrance. The site is about 15 km from the coast set on the coastal plain between the mountains and the sea. Essentially in the middle of nowhere alongside the AP7 motorway. 

Just up road is a wet land nature reserve with miles of water reed reminding us a little of Snape mashes but with flamingos😃



We found a good beach for the doggies at San Pola just behind the salt pans (with more flamingos)


Someone suggested a good day out was to Puente de 5 ojos (bridge with 5 arches).  The bridge is in a national park in the hills. The route we took was a bit more off road than expected and the track soon became a mix of mud and rocks. Luckily Big O managed but we chickened it and parked up and decided to walk to the bridge. 






The campsite has an indoor pool & spa a water park which was closed and the rather special outdoor Tahiti pool pictured below.


The local town Catral which has a number of bars & restaurants, a large Chinese shop in which you can by anything and everything, as well as a number of supermarkets the best of which we found to be the Consume. We also found a Tabac for Helen's fags, which was on the way to the town square  were we sat outside a cafe watching the world go by with a cafe con leche. 

It was also quite nice to sit in the plaza at the campsite (with a beer). Here we met Julie & Dave, x-pats who live in Catral who put us onto a good butcher from whom you can get really good sausages (near to the Consume).

We found a Sunday market on the outskirts of Albatera where veg was plentiful, oh and churros for breakfast & grilled chicken for lunch.

There were various functions going on with the rally.  We did one dinner dance but the food was terrible so we didn't go again.  We did take part in the friendly boules competition. The first time we played Helen's team came last and won the wooden spoon. The second time Helen & team mate Dennis came first and won the trophy.


 

There is a dog exercise area at the bottom of the site where the dogs can run free. It was here that buffy met her new best friend Luna, a 7 month old Leonberger, who was a very very big puppy.  The two of them played for hours and became a bit obsessed with each other. Buffy was very sad when Luna and her dutch owners moved on.

The weather was a bit cooler whilst we were at Alannia, other campers said it was the coldest winter anyone could remember we even had frost on the barbe one morning. Saying that if this is the worst winter weather then well take it 😎


We had a good time, met some nice people but the site is a bit remote and not as friendly as La Manga.  We might use it as a stop off but would not long-stay again.


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