Site recommendations near Valencia and Bilbao
Hi, I'm planning our summer caravanning holiday for September 2022 to the Spanish Mediterranean coast. So far I've booked Brittany Ferries Portsmouth - Bilbao (return) and the first seven nights at the Tamarit Beach Resort near Tarragona. We are looking for high a quality smaller sites with large pitches (100m2), EHU, a swimming pools and a bar/cafe, beach or country locations. We have air conditioning in the caravan so are not concerned about south facing sites or a lack of shade. Can anyone recommend sites near Valencia and Bilbao (for our return leg).
Many thanks and a Happy Christmas!
Roger
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Camping Devesa Gardens Resort should meet you all your needs except it’s not a small site. However, it doesn’t feel like a huge sprawling place. All the facilities you mention are there, it’s a great location in a national park, short distance into Valencia on a bus route. I’d happily stay there again.
Lots of walking/cycling options including nearby beach. ACSI 2464
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Roger, I am afraid you are not going to find the sort of campsite you have described in Bilbao itself - it’s a big industrial city.
If you just want an overnight before your return journey then go to the ferry port.
If you want a couple of nights to allow a visit to the Guggenheim then go to the youth hostel at Kobetamendi - primarily for motorhomes though they do take caravans too - but expect motorhome type spacing.
If you want a beach then go 40 miles west to Laredo and use the campsite there, but I won’t kid you that it has 100sq.metre pitches.
Enjoy your planning.
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You write of Valencia on your return leg but it is about 150 miles south of your first stop. From there to Bilbao is getting on for 400 miles which is a long day's haul to Bilbao.
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Thanks all - really helpful advice!
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Hi Bill, There is an outside chance we may go to Spain, if the mask wearing outdoors requirement is dropped, and have considered Valencia but a quick look at this sites website shows pitches covered with artificial shade.
Was that what you found there?
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I think there was both options. When we were there it was over 40c in June and we were glad of the artificial shade. However, I think the campings towards the canal end were open to the elements - might be mistaken tho’ as it was about 3 years back. Loved Valencia, visit the lovely old city and then walk along the old river bed to see the futuristic buildings in the ‘City of Arts & Sciences’.
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Hi Bill, Valencia certainly appeals, despite being a bit wary of Spain in general, but only as we love Italy, despite having had two great stays there at L’Amfora and Villanova.
Ironically it was in Italy, in our our pre van days with Eurocamp, that we encountered artificial shade.
Jean told me to stop swearing after I commented that I had not driven 1000 miles to sit in the “bleep bleep” shade!!0 -
Allan, Kiko Park is an hour south of Valencia and Bonterra Park is an hour north.
both are nice aires that can be rated as destination sites and would be a good place to dip your toe...
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Roger, Although I travelled widely I’m not an expert on Spain, so I approach your question cautiously, but I never set out on foreign travels with a preconceived idea of what the campsites in those countries should be - “high quality smaller sites with larger 100m2 pitches etc” - in the way you have described in detail. In my limited knowledge of Spain there is culture, scenery, architecture, history, and food and wine to marvel at - but you may have to accept that their sort of campsite doesn’t quite match your own wish list - unless you leave the Mediterranean coast and go exploring inland of course.
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Allan, further to this…. as I thought, not always artificial shade, here’s a picture of a section of the site (from the ACSI website ‘Eurocampings’), but not sure if this a before or after shade installed shot?
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I would second that.
When they are good, they are very good.
Sites are a personal thing so I'm always reluctant to recommend them. We have gone to sites that have been highly recommended, only to walk around them first then decide against it.
We did that on 2 sites this year, 1 in France 1 in Spain. Nothing wrong with the sites just not for us.
As AD says unless it's a main holiday period or one of the much sort after sites we just turn up, have only had one full site in the last 10 years. There was another one 3 muns away.
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Well we definitely wouldn't recomend this site. We stayed there in early June 2018 for 3 nights arriving at lunchtime on a Sunday. The site was heaving with Spanish weekenders and very noisy but by 8.00pm they had all left and it was peaceful.
Our main problem was that the following day we moved pitches to a more "picturesque" one which was close to the stream/canal and had not realised that as evening approached thousands of tiny flies would appear. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem as we could have sat inside with all the fly screens but the flies were much smaller than the mesh of the blinds.
The site isn't too bad but absolutely nothing special, say 5/10, but the surrounding areas are nice. Well placed for visitng Valencia by bus. If we were going again we would choose somewhere else.
All our pitches were under canvas sheeting.
We moved from there to Bonterra Park, the two sites are like chalk and cheese.
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Hi Bill, As I said I looked at the sites website and saw the shades but looks like there is likely a choice.
Very wide range of holiday possibilities at the moment but, in general, its going to be either East to Holland and onto Italy or South to Spain or Portugal and Spain.
Of course its possible/likely that Covid will have an influence, and we have already got our names down for a June rally just in case, but if we go it will be first time since 2019, as it will be for many others, so may even come down to where has the least restrictions when we decide we are going.
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Well, This was posted as I was typing a reply to seaside Bill and just goes to show that as AD, TG and others mention recommending sites is not an exact science!!
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Yes, we all have different experiences and preferences. Some people are plagued by flies or whatever in all sorts of places, some not at all - varying experiences in Scotland demonstrate that. I would add that any Spanish campsite in summer has the potential for partying Spaniards at the weekend. It’s what they do, they enjoy themselves in large, family groups and can make a lot of noise, it’s not CMC!
I would certainly endorse ADs view of Tarrifa, one of my favourite places, but the wind can be relentless. My favourite site is in Ronda, Camping El Sur.
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Valencia? Never been but it sounds thoroughly interesting. For me it would be a 3 or 4 night stopover - just choosing any campsite that’s close, or convenient, or has transport into town. I was always a caravanner who operated like a Motorhomer - move in, move out, move on.
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Valencia is a really nice place with obviously a very old centre but some amazing ultra modern buildings slightly further out.
During our time in Spain, travelling southwards through the centre and visiting the main tourist cities, we tended to stay on sites for only 2 nights, the 2nd day was spent visiting the nearby town before moving on the following day. Only when we reached the coast did we spend a decent length of time at a site.
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Hi AD & SB, The site at Conil is on the list if we go to Lagos, another AD recommendation!
Our friends, and holiday buddies, are waiting on confirmation that their hoped for Spain rallies will go ahead, they have just heard today that a NYE one has been cancelled, and if so we will most likely head off to Lago Trasimeno with a visit to see friends on Holland if Covid restrictions don't make it impossible.
I may have mentioned, several times, that our favourite site is Bella Italia on Garda but also loved a stay at Camping Rannochio, at Piano Porlezza near lago Como, a site which could not be more different.
For many years we fancied visiting Domaine les Ormes at Dol Bretagne, and wished we had not bothered but a site nearby Domain Du Logis was a lovely site with a very nice feel.
So, the planning continues and may involve several questions on here!
Will take this chance to wish everything a very happy Christmas and hope we all get the chance to cross the water next year.
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"We have air conditioning in the caravan" - be aware that Spanish sites either have low capacity EHU ( 10 amps and lower) or have metered outlets.
Valencia in September should be alright for a couple of day visits. Get on a tour bus and do the circuit then visit top stops in at leisure. You can visit by train from Camping Altomira at Navajas about 60 km inland from Valencia. It's not far from the A23 Autovia.
This is a typical spanish pitch off season. ( at Altomira, 5 amps)
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Roger is towing a caravan.Bonterra Park and Kiko Park are very nice caravan sites. Kiko has Comfort pitches (full service) one side and standard pitches the other. There is also an overnight park at the entrance. A great beach location. A bar at the marina opposite, and a restaurant next door. You will need to book early to get a comfort pitch.
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We have stayed on both of these sites, out of the 2 we preferred Bonterra.
This year we discovered another site that we wouldn't hesitate going back to, in the same area as Kiko. It's called Camping Ole, bigger than Kiko but on the same beach/coast. In fact we walked to Kiko from Ole beach. Its just south of Kiko. There is a shop on site also restaurant and bar. The pitches are a good size and level. Plenty of cycling in the area to.
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Camping Allegria at Benicarlo is only slightly further north of Bonterra Park and has a 'Luxury Pitch' section of about 30 pitches of some 80sq metres, in a separate part of the main site. Grey water disposal and a [non drinking] water sink on each pitch and its own toilet block. Dedicated pedestrian access from rear of site makes beach access a 250m stroll, and a 2km walk into the town of Benicarlo [but beware 'roadtrains' of geriatric Germans on electric bikes who refuse to use the cycle lane marked on the road, preferring to ride abreast and expecting pedestrians on the footpath to take avoiding action ...]
Steve
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We stayed at Tamarit a couple of years ago and it is very large.
Bonterra at benicassim is lovely and just off the coastal motorway- and you can catch the train to Valencia. Nice large pitches (we booked direct). Its also close to Peniscola, which is worth a visit
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