A little about the surrounding area
Ciudad Quesada is a cozy and popular place on the Costa Blanca coast. Here you will find shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, pharmacies, banks, hairdressers, a medical center, a dentist and everything else you need. In the main street, a nice shopping center has recently been built with several shops, restaurants and rooftop bars. Ciudad Quesada also offers several activities for the whole family, such as the famous La Marquesa golf course, bowling, a very nice mini golf facility, tennis courts, football fields, fitness centers, spas, a seasonal water park and much more. The Norwegian School in Rojales (DNSR) is also located in Ciudad Quesada.
Quesada is a great place to live and vacation, both in summer and winter. Summers are always sunny and warm, while winters are mild, and the area has an average temperature of 20 degrees. Ciudad Quesada is surrounded by two large salt lakes that have a purifying effect on the air and help to give the area a particularly favorable health environment. The climate has a particularly positive effect on people with, among other things, asthma, allergies, rheumatism and skin diseases.
Below are various suggestions for places and activities, etc. in the area. Underlined words are links that point to Google Maps for easy navigation.
Beaches
The beautiful beaches of the Costa Blanca coast are like pearls on a string, and within a short distance you have access to a number of beaches. The 9 kilometer long sandy beach in Guardamar del Segura nd the beach at La Mata are the two closest, and they are just over 10 minutes drive away. For a combination trip with e.g. breakfast and morning swimming, a trip out to La Marina beach and Hostal Maruja, which is literally right on the beach, is highly recommended! Tip; try their homemade croquetas.
If you feel like venturing a little further afield to swim, snorkel and experience something truly special, then Tabarca is a must. Once upon a time, Tabarca was a hideout for the Mediterranean's most feared pirates. After that, Spain's most dangerous prisoners were deported there and forgotten. Today, the island is a peaceful holiday alternative, less than a nautical mile from Santa Pola, near the coast between Alicante and Torrevieja.
Trips are organized from Santa Pola, Torrevieja and Alicante. The shortest trip is from
Santa Pola, and this is the option we recommend. Some of the boats that take you out to Tabarca have glass bottoms, so you can see some of the fish life directly from the boat. Otherwise, a snorkel and diving mask are good to bring, as are swimming shoes, since the beaches there are quite rocky.
Hiking areas
A short walk from Casa Dali takes you down to Parc El Recorral, or the Pine Forest as it is also called. Here you can stroll along the many paths, find a table in the shade or sit at a bench and listen to the birds. A good tip is to take a walk down after sunset to experience the fantastic soundscape that comes from the large dam system in the park. The park also has playground equipment for the little ones and various exercise equipment that can be used freely.
Other hiking areas can be found for example, in La Marina about a quarter of an hour's drive from Quesada. Here you can get up close to the pink flamingos that graze in the salt lakes there. The flamingos often fly over Casa Dali both morning and evening.
A third nice break from swimming and sunbathing can be Sofia Park in the neighboring town of Guardamar. Here, among other things, peacocks wander around and squirrels hop around lively in the hope of getting a bite from visitors.
Shopping and butchers
From Casa Dali it takes less than 5 minutes to walk to Big Shopping which has everything from bath toys to tools, clothes, shoes and various food and drinks. Within 15 minutes walk there is a very nice supermarket with a large fresh produce counter (Consum). By car there are even more good food stores within 5 minutes drive, and butchers with excellent grilled meat can be found both in Quesada and in neighboring towns. The butcher that is pointed to in the link above is located in Benijofar (one of the neighboring towns) and has a fantastic selection of grilled food, as well as cold cuts, cheese, accessories and various other things. Here, however, only cash payment applies
If the craving for Norwegian chocolate or Norwegian food in general becomes too much, you can head to
Scandigo in Torrevieja. There you can get everything from Norwegian fish cakes to Kvikk Lunsj.
In Ciudad Quesada you will find a number of shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars. In Torrevieja, which is just over 10 minutes away by car, you will find the Habaneras og Carrefour. In Torrevieja there is also a shopping street with a number of shops. 10 kilometres away is the large Zenia Boulevard shopping centre , where you will find a wide range of shops, such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, H&M, Stradivarius, Oysho, Mango, Primark, Pull & Bear, Decathlon, Guess, Kiko, Druni, Rituals, Leroy Merlin and many more.
Markeder
There are several markets every day around the area. At these you can buy everything from shoes and clothes to fruit, vegetables, wine and not least delicious olives in different varieties. The nearest market is the El Zoco-market which is held every Sunday. It is located not far from the city gate in Quesada, towards the motorway.
Furthermore, there is, for example, The Friday Market in Torrevieja, which is by far the largest and busiest.
Our favorite, however, is The Saturday Market in the neighboring town Almoradi. Every Saturday from early morning, the streets of this small town's center are transformed into a huge marketplace with a fantastic atmosphere. It is highly recommended to visit here to experience the real Spanish market atmosphere. Tip: buy marinated olives (chilli/garlic) and/or large olives stuffed with cheese. Eat with salty chips. Magical!
Activities
Ciudad Quesada offers, among other things, its own
large water park with several pools and slides. It is open and in full swing from early summer to early autumn. A modern and beautiful
gocart-track is also available just a few minutes' drive from Casa Dali, while in the center there are opportunities for
mini golf and bowling.
A short walk from Casa Dali you will find a basketball court and three
tennis courts sthat can be used for free, so if you feel like a little physical activity, the opportunity is certainly there.
If you feel like working out, you can walk to Quesada Fitness Gym in just a few minutes. Drop-ins are possible and you can sign up for various group sessions.
Golf and mini golf
In Ciudad Quesada you will find the golf course
"La Marquesa Golf & Country Club". here are a number of golf courses nearby and within a radius of 15 kilometers you will find
Las Colinas Golf & Country Club, La Finca Golf, Golf Las Ramblas, Golf
Villamartín, Vistabella Golf and Greenlands Golf Range which also offers a very nice mini golf course and restaurant.
Food and drink
In Quesada and the "main town" Rojales you can get everything from traditional Spanish food (tapas, paella etc.) to international food from Italian, French or Mexican cuisine to name a few. If we were to highlight some recommendations in Quesada, it would have to be Day & Night and Voraz down in the center, Furthermore, about a ten minute walk from Casa Dali, there is a small row of nice restaurants that offer Chinese, classic Spanish (tapas), international and Italian cuisine. The Italian restaurant n this row in particular must be experienced. The owner is a bit eccentric and wants cash payment only, but the food is good, the atmosphere is great and the decor is just incredible.
Taberna Cosmo (international cuisine) located along the riverbank in Rojales is probably the one we would highlight as our absolute favorite in the area. There you get very, very good food and drinks in very pleasant surroundings. Tip: order many starters to share instead of just one for each. In fact, we often ONLY order from the starter menu, because everything there is simply magical.
Opposite Cosmo, on the other side of the river, is Triple Brew which has a huge selection of beers, including their own brew, and more than 60 types of wine. They also have a good food menu, so this place could quickly become a favorite if you make the trip.
A favorite in the center of Torrevieja is Sunset Beach swhich offers a fantastic rack of lamb. Also, check out
La Vuelta which is just over 10 minutes by car from Casa Dali.
For the pizza lover, we can really recommend Como en Napoli in Cabo Roig (well worth the drive!), or the more local Soleluna in the neighboring town of Benijofar.
If you're craving a burger, you can of course pop into Burger King in the centre of Quesada or McDonald's in the neighbouring town of Benijofar, but why on earth would you do that when you can go to Eddy’s Street Food in Guardamar? Cool place with really good burgers! Otherwise, Nolo’s in Rojales can also be recommended as a burger alternative.
As a final recommendation, we can add one of Quesada's oldest eateries,, Goyo’s. This family-owned restaurant is always well-visited, both because it is an institution in the area, but also because they have a lot of good food on the menu and because the prices are absolutely acceptable. Try their Paella or pick out some tapas dishes from the counter inside the restaurant (typical of Spanish bars and eateries).
Regardless of your choice of restaurant, it is recommended to reserve a table during the summer season.
Vineyards
Alicante and Murcia are two major wine producing areas, and you won't have to travel more than half an hour from Casa Dali to find one winery after another. In Elche you will find Bodegas Faelo which offers wine tasting and experiences, while if you drive about 40 minutes you will reach Casa Sisilia swhich also offers wine tourism and a very good restaurant experience. If you visit Casa Sisilia, which is located in Novelda, a visit to The Santuari de Santa Maria Magdalena, a Catholic church built by a local engineer who found his inspiration in Antonio Gaudi and his "la Sagrada Familia" in Barcelona, is also recommended.
Alicante
A trip to
Alicante is highly recommended. The city is perhaps most enjoyable to experience in the evening, when the city's old town is bustling. Feel free to take a trip up to the castle,
Castel de Santa Bàrbera (via elevator or walk up and enjoy the view on the way) and stroll down until you reach the narrow streets and lively atmosphere of El Barrio, as the old town is called.
Calle Labradores is one of the streets one should visit. Here you will find a huge number of restaurants. Furthermore, the so-called «Mushrom Street» is probably something that will appeal to the taste, especially to the youngest.
Fiestas
If there's one thing the Spanish are good at, it's fiestas. There's a fiesta in some city or another almost every day. Well, that might have been an exaggeration, but there are plenty of fiestas anyway.
In Quesada there is a big fiesta every summer in August. The date varies, but it is usually the first week of August, with a big parade, lots of lights and sounds and a bustling life on the Saturday in question.
In Rojales, you can experience the "Moros y Cristianos" fiesta, at the beginning of July. According to popular tradition, the festivals commemorate the battles, struggles and fights between Moors (i.e. Muslims) and Christians during the period known as the Reconquista (from the 8th century to the 15th century).
