Round the N-332, I caught my first glimpse of the dramatic Peñón de Ifach. In all of the research I’d done on Calpe, the 332-meter high rock face seemed to loom everywhere – and we found that to be true once we’d settled into this sleepy fisherman’s town on the brink of touristic glory. Our hotel room at the Hotel Solymar had sweeping vistas of the bay and of the rock, we sailed around it on a catamaran and tasted paellas and fidueas in its shadow in the afternoon. Its size and sturdiness meant that Sunday’s paddle surf lesson would be on calm waters.
It’s the Giralda of Calpe, its most recognizable symbol.
Ifach, pronounced Ee-fahk, is nowadays a bird and wildlife refuge, a last little hiccup of the Cordillería Betica that stretches across much of Andalucía and Murcia. You can visit the Peñón daily from sun up to sun down, and well-marked trails and climbing are available.
Author’s note: I was a guest of the Calpe Tourism Board on their annual blog trip and digital media conference, #Calpemocion, and will be reporting for The Spain Scoop. All opinions are my own because, ya sabéis, I like to give them.
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It looks a whole lot like el Peñón de Gibraltar! Is Calpe in Alacant (Alicante) province?
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Sure is, about an hour north of Alicante and right near Benidorm and Altea.
Had never heard of this spot until all your recent tweets! Not sure how that’s possible since I lived not so far away last year… but reminder there’s always more to learn!
Beautiful shot!
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That’s the reason they brought in bloggers and digital media specialists!
Wow, we loved that place. That was a close second choice for us to live in Spain, but Almuñécar won our hearts. Calpe was a bit too small, but nice beaches and we loved that Rock!
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Hey Catherine. Muchas gracias por tu excelente post. Ha sido un placer poder recibirte en nuestra villa de Calpe (Costa Blanca). Parece que el Peñon de Ifach y otras cosas de Calpe te han gustado. Espero volver a verte pronto en Calpe o Sevilla. Un fuerte abrazo; Mario :))
…y habrán más, so stay tuned! El placer ha sido todo nuestro, de verdad. Eres grande…y lo pasamos grande!! Abrazos, Mario.
Seems a nice place to sail around, never heard of it before reading your post. I still need to research where exactly is this rock
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I hadn’t heard of it before being invited to go! Calpe is about an hour north of Alicante on the Eastern coast of Spain. I’ve been in Spain for years, and there is still so much to see!
Beautiful shot!
Thanks! Hoping to go back soon!