Fancy an affordable Spanish holiday? Be careful where you book! In two of Spain’s cheapest coastal destinations, one criticized as a ‘terrible social housing with sun’… the other praised as a ‘great city’

Looking for an affordable seaside holiday in Spain?

Two of the country’s cheapest coastal tourist towns are offering three to four star hotel stays for less than £80 a night. But it’s a tale of two cities.

The cheapest area, Torrevieja, is criticised as ‘a terrible social housing estate with sun’ and ‘”Del Boy” street vendors’, while the other, Cartagena, is praised as ‘great’.

The destinations both featured in a recent Which? traveler survey of 28 Spanish seaside resorts, with Torrevieja scoring 60 percent and Cartagena topping it with an overall score of 80 percent.

For the survey, the Consumers’ Association not only gave an overall score, but also invited respondents to rate Spanish seaside resorts on 11 criteria, including the quality of the beach and promenade, safety, food and drink, accommodation and value for money.

Torrevieja and Cartagena were unveiled by a Which? research as two of Spain’s cheapest seaside resorts to stay in. However, the former was outright planned and the latter finished third out of 28 places

Hotel stays in Torrevieja (above) cost an average of just £77 per night. But this did little to alleviate the issue. What? Value for money rating – just two stars. Attractiveness, tourist attractions and tranquillity received the same low rating

Holidaymakers in Torrevieja complained about ‘Del Boy’ street vendors who were a ‘terrible nuisance’

TORREVIEJA

Hotel stays in Torrevieja – in the Alicante region, which also includes Benidorm and Villajoyosa – average just €77 per night. But this did not help to increase the price-quality ratio: just two stars. Attractiveness, tourist attractions and tranquility received the same low score.

Tripadvisor reviewers have a similarly low opinion of the destination.

Londoner ‘Cat123xxx’ said: ‘Go to Torrevieja if you like your English breakfast and pizzas because that’s all you’ll get. I couldn’t find a decent Spanish restaurant anywhere. All the restaurants on the promenade were pizzerias.

‘You don’t even need to know a word of Spanish to get by, because everyone in Torrevieja is English or works in the tourist industry.

‘I don’t think Torrevieja is a true reflection of Spain. It’s more like Blackpool with sunshine!’

‘Peter W’, also from London, added: ‘Anyone eating at the beachside restaurant should be aware that the wandering street vendors of “Del Boy” are causing a terrible nuisance.

‘During one meal I kept score. During our meal we were harassed no less than 55 times.

‘There were two police ‘raids’ during that time, but it seemed like they all followed a routine: hiding in a side street and returning to work a short while later.’

‘Mashandpie’, also from London, commented: ‘Escape was the only option. We had a terrible time in Torrevieja because we felt the people were not as friendly as we had hoped.

‘It felt like the locals had just had enough of us Brits coming here to build houses and make their lives harder. On the beach we were subjected to violent outbursts from people trying to sell us sunglasses and belts.

‘Later that day I spoke to an English-speaking person who owned one of the beach bars. She said it was very common behaviour. She also told us not to go drinking in the town bars because there was a chance we would be shot or stabbed.’

He also noted that his camera was stolen during his stay in the area, noting that his vacation had become a “nightmare.”

The British poster ‘Wales45’ read: ‘I was recently working in Spain and had the misfortune of ending up in Torrevieja. In my opinion it is without a doubt the most horrifying place I have ever been, like a town hall with sunshine – except it was raining the day I had to go there.’

Some reviews painted a more positive picture of the city.

Tripadvisor reviewer ‘Cat123xxx’ said of Torrevieja (above): ‘In my opinion, Torrevieja is not a true reflection of Spain. It’s more like Blackpool with sunshine!’

The German poster ‘Saksalainen_94’ said: ‘Torrevieja is the most beautiful city in the south of the province of Valencia with a great beach in the city centre, a jetty to the Mediterranean, great restaurants, bars and shopping facilities. For nature lovers there are two large salt lakes.’

Canadian ‘Canada170981’ added: ‘There were beautiful villas all around us. There was a square nearby where we could do shopping, a pharmacy and a newsagent, etc.

‘There were many restaurants nearby and for us it was actually cheaper to eat out than to go shopping and cook. The coffee is very good.’

CARTAGENA

Cartagena offers hotel stays for just £1 more than Torrevieja, according to the Which? survey, but still scores an impressive five stars for tourist attractions and four stars for the coast, attractiveness, safety and shopping.

Tripadvisor Reviewers are also impressed.

Cartagena offers hotel stays for just £1 more than Torrevieja, according to the Which? survey, yet scores an impressive five stars for tourist attractions and four stars for coastline, attractiveness, safety and shopping. Tripadvisor user ‘Alistair’ praised the city’s friendliness and views

‘Belone’ from Ireland wrote: ‘One of my favourite places we have ever visited. [It’s] a vibrant city full of historical Roman sights… well laid out… give yourself plenty of time here. Don’t rush to this great city.’

‘Alistair’ from Nottingham also wrote a glowing review, concluding: ‘We spent all day in Cartagena and still haven’t seen half of the places. The narrow streets, buildings, history, views and friendliness of the people will be a great memory. A very nice day out.’

San Sebastian came out on top in the survey, but the average price for a hotel stay there is high: £155 per night.

Meanwhile, flashy Puerto Banus has hit rock bottom, with holidaymakers calling it “tasteless” and “a seedy patch of squalor”, despite an average hotel price of £168 a night.