Benicassim – And that campsite they all rave about…..

If you have ever considered a trip to Spain and spent any time looking at sites in this beautiful country, You will have probably heard of Benicassim because of its infamous campsite, Bonterra Park,

With little to no plan of how we intended spending our winter break, the insesent recommemdation’s kept coming and we eventually decided, in the name of science of course, to go off and visit this place and get the low down once and for all…..

Firstly lets forget the campsite, yes by spainsh standards its in the top 10% by a long way, its has a full animations programme, added to that a nice gym,pool, bar etc – its no wonder so many over wintering europeans choose this as thier desination.

At this point its going to be fair for me to write in my most un-ageist way that I can see why this place is full to capicity with winter snow birds, the climate and cost of living, but perhaps both Michele and I are a little on the younger side of the demigraphic!

But the campsite does offer the wintering northan european everything they could wish for…..

But this gorgeous, stylish town on Spain’s Orange Blossom Coast has a fair few reasons to encourage you to drop everything and come to visit with the pretty campsite !

This rather chic, undiscoverd places isn’t a mass touirst resort, very very few high rises and a handful of hotels line the seafront, with absolutely next to no bar and tat shops in sight !

The sunlight sparkles on the azure blue Mediterranean sea, and the gentle waves lap up onto the exceptional Benicassim coastline.

There are five blue flag beaches, each with their own charm and they never get overcrowded. Each beach has a beautiful colour contrast, with lush greenery from the trees in the backdrop, that highlights the light, fine sand and the striking blue of the Mediterranean.

As you enjoy the golden sand at Voramar Beach, all  you have to do is glance behind you to the line of wonderful, period villas.

There is a villa route, which really deserves to be done.

Visiting  is wonderful, as you wander by the beautiful bay and take in the architecture that overlooks it.

The Villa Route has been classed into two different itineraries, which take into account both the character of the properties’ original residents and the artistic trends of the period. The two groups of villas are separated by the gardens, which are popularly known as Limbo, but are really called the Comín Gardens.

The Celestial Court is the group of villas that are renowned for their tranquility, whereas the Hell route is where you can see the villas that were notorious for their scandalous parties, in the good old days!

The only villa that is not privately owned is Villa Elisa, which is sometimes opened to the public. The other villas need to be admired from outside.

The Desierto de las Palmas (Desert of the Palms) is a protected natural park close to Benicassim, where the barefoot Carmelites originally built their monastery.

They were incredibly inspired by the beauty of the area, as are many other visitors. The views from there down over the surrounding countryside and the sea are truly spectacular, and on a clear day you can see the Columbretes Islands.

A walkers paradise!

Literally backing onto the campsite is the old railway line that ran between Barcelona and Valencia, goes along by the sea and is a wonderful walk or cycle route, now called Via Verde.

The route is entirely flat, with beautiful views, the old watch-towers, coves, and cliffs which cut the coastal view towards the Cape of Oropesa.

The distance is 5.5km each way, going to Oropesa’s promenade and then back to Benicassim.

We were really lucky that we arrived in time for the festival In honour of San Antonio Abad, one of the most acclaimed festivals of Benicàssim starts on the night of the 16th January with rather non british tradition of lighting bonfires throughout the towns street

And finishes with the infamous ‘Day of the paella’ – what a gastronomical delight !

Paul.