Moraira area Information

A small coastal town, With a fantastic Marina and selection of sandy and rocky bays. Moraira is situated in the beautiful mountainous area of the Costa Blanca. The resort is conveniently placed between the airports of Alicante and Valencia (about 90km from each). However, the surrounding area has a quiet and relaxing atmosphere, with beautiful and.unspoilt scenery and many small villages to explore. There are also some larger resorts nearby that are easily reached by car that are well worth visiting: Javea, Calpe, Denia and Altea are all within 15km, while Benidorm is about 30km away.

Moraira lies in a bay, on the South Eastern coast of Spain, between the larger resorts of Javea and Calpe, 80 kms (1 hr) from Alicante and 110 kms (1.5 hrs) from Valencia airports with excellent motorway and coastal roads from both. The town has pleasantly grown from a small fishing village to an attractive holiday and retirement resort retaining its considerable charm that attracts visitors from all over Europe and is particularly popular with Spanish from Madrid and Valencia. It has an impressive marina, excellent variety of local shops, weekly open markets, harbour-side fish restaurants and bars still retaining their Spanish character.

The two main local gently-shelving sandy beaches, awarded the prestigious EEC Blue Flags for cleanliness, are well tended and very safe for family bathing. In fact the whole of the Costa Blanca has 34 Blue Flag beaches. Other local leisure facilities include 3 large Golf courses, tennis, football, squash, all water sports, boat hire and trips, horse-riding, go-kart racing tracks for both adults and children, a small fairground and three good night-clubs for all ages. There are too many restaurants of interest and good quality to list here but we can mention that there are 8 Michelin recommended restaurants in the immediate area with three of them being star rated and not expensive either.

Moraira enjoys a typical subtropical Mediterranean climate, with cool sea breezes in summer and protection by surrounding mountains against the cold North winds in winter. The area averages nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine each year and the average temperature easily exceeds 20 degrees. In 1986 the World Health Organisation recommended the climate of the area as one of the most equitable in the world - neither too hot in the summer nor too cold in the winter. On average it can boast 325 sunny days each year making it an ideal all year round destination.

If you like open markets then, apart from the weekly Friday market held next to the beach, you could plan a visit to the various markets held at nearby resorts for each day of the week! Apart from the buzzing activity you would see cheap fresh fruit and vegetables, local specialities, herbs and spices, leather goods, clothes, rugs, fresh and silk flowers, souvenirs, pottery and a whole variety of other goods.
Golf is well catered for, with 13 excellent clubs on the Costa Blanca and having 4 within, and around, the Moraira area.

History of Moraira

The history of Teulada and Moraira has been traced back almost to the beginning of the history of civilised man.Early archaeological remains of the first settlers (Upper Palaeolithic 15,000 to 20,000 BC) were discovered in a Cave (Cova de la Cendra) on the Cap d´Or (the headland that protects Moraira and El Portet beaches).In the town of Teulada, at the Cova de Les Rates and El Morro de Castellar are schematic rupestrian paintings depicting life in the bronze age.Later the Iberians settled in the area and ceramic remains have been discovered to support this on the Cap d´Or where they would have guarded the Bay of Moraira and the whole coastline.Later still the Moors occupied the area and, as elsewhere along the Spanish Mediterranean Coast, left their mark on the culture and economy of the area.

The Castle on the beach at Moraira (Costa Blanca)

The signs of this first "organized" society are still to be seen in the architecture, the irrigation and agricultural systems and town planning. Many of the area names have been handed down from this era, e.g. Benimarco, Benimeit, Pouet del Morro, Moravit, Tabaira, Alcassar etc.The Moors were expelled in the 13th century by the conqueror Jaime I and then people from Catalunya and Aragon settled there, bringing with them the Valencian language.

Teulada was formally founded in 1386 by the Lords of Llúria, Serría and Gandia who were the owners and later they handed over to the Barons of Ariza and Teulada and in the nineteenth century it was claimed by the crown.During the 16th century the area was plagued by the attention of Barbary pirates, the Town of Teulada was fortified and a lookout tower (now restored) was built on the Cap d´Or.

There is an old tale that Moraira was named after the heathen princess "Ira, la Mora" - hence "Mora Ira". This could be true (but probably not). The tale that her remains are entombed under the old castle on the main beach (now restored as a historical monument and museum).There is actual evidence that this "Castillo de Moraira" was planned by Juan Bautista Antonelli within the fortification scheme developed by Felipe II to protect the coast from the Barbary invaders in the 16th century but, according to a plaque at the entrance, it was finished as late as 1742.It is also known that, although it was armed with four bronze cannons, itwas badly damaged by the British on July 20th 1801 - but the least said about that, the better

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