One of the municipalities that make up the province of Almería is Roquetas de Mar, located just 21 kilometers from the capital city. Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs have passed through here and these cultures have left their mark.
The truth is that it is a great vacation destination when summer arrives, so today let's see what to do in Roquetas de Mar.
The sea in Roquetas
In summer one goes here to enjoy the sun, the sea and the beach. The village It has about 15 kilometers of coastline and here are the urban beaches more important. Being urban, they are very well organized with showers, bathrooms, boardwalk and services. Then yes, there are others. more distant and virgin beaches, such as the beach of La Ventanilla or Cerrillos.
We can talk about ten beaches: Playa de la Ventanilla, Playa de las Salinas, Playa de la Bajadilla, Playa de los Cerrillos, Playa de los Bajo, Playa de Aguadulce, Playa del Faro, de la Romanilla, de la Urbanización and finally the Serene beach.
One of the activities offered by the sea is the option of dive or snorkel. The beautiful forest of Posidonias Oceanicas under the water is really worth a visit. Full name is Posidonia Reef Natural Monument and it is a natural reef of 108 hectares. It is one of the few that exist in Spain and in some parts the Posidonia leaves emerge above the water.
In addition to this plant there are about 800 species of animals, groupers, red mullet, bream, sea bream, sea bass and as it is a virgin beach you can practice here marine sports such as scuba diving. There are excursions in small catamarans, with routes of two or three hours, that cross the waters and certain coves on the coast such as Cala del Moro or Cala San Pedro.
Finally, always thinking about water, there is Parque MarioPark, a water park with restaurants, swimming pools and sun loungers, the Aquavera, similar and great to go with children.
What to visit in Roquetas de Mar
Thinking about the history of this Andalusian municipality we can begin with the Santa Ana Castle and Lighthouse, sites that today are used for cultural exhibitions. The castle was built between the end of the XNUMXth century and the beginning of the XNUMXth. When the town was attacked by pirates, everyone took refuge in here. The watchtower and a couple of years are preserved from the original construction, but the best thing is the retractable roof from which you have a phenomenal view of the port and the Mediterranean Sea.
Next to the lighthouse is the anfiteatro opened in May 2003. It has a capacity of 1300 people and works outdoors. For his part the Roquetas Lighthouse, which is next to the castle, was built in 1863 and has been inactive since 1942. The building has been given to the town hall and today it is used for cultural activities (paintings, photographs, sculptures on display).
You can walk around a bit Port of Roquetas for fishing and sports sea. There are actually two ports, the Port of Roquetas de Mar (which is sporty and fishing), and the Puerto Deportivo de Aguadulce. The first is the oldest in the town and dates back to the 30s to help the large local fishing industry. It has a mouth of 50 meters with a draft of almost 5 and thus, the boats that accept have a length of between 6 and 12 meters.
Here you find everything, hotels and restaurants included. Here octopuses, cuttlefish, bonito or lobsters are fished that you will taste in local restaurants during your vacation. In your walk you will see the walk of the baths, built on the old path that used to bring the residents closer to the most important beach, back in the 90s of the XNUMXth century. Today it has a bike lane, gardens and shops.
Perhaps you can see an old and dilapidated tower over there. It's about the Cerrillos Tower in the Natural Park Punta Entinas Sabinar. The tower was born in the fourteenth century when Yusuf I fortified the coast of Granada to counter pirate attacks. At that time not one but several towers were built along the coast, this tower among them. It is not the original tower but one that was built at the end of the XNUMXth century in the time of Felipe II, but for the same purpose: the pirates.
Unfortunately, it is not being well cared for and is in ruins, but you can see it if you get to know the natural area, made up of dunes near the sea and also puddles that make up a very beautiful ecosystem.
La Bullring It opened in 2002 and is one of the most modern in the country. It has a capacity for 7700 seated people and all services, including a hospital. Inside works the Bullfighting Museum with five rooms with bullfighter costumes on display, a souvenir shop and everything related to local and national bullfighting history.
The streets of the town also have many shops to shop and if not there is the Grand Plaza shopping center, right at the entrance of Roquetas de Mar, one of the first in Almería. If you go to Aguadulce you can also take advantage of not only its beach but also the public park that has many trees and lots of shade. On weekends, kiosks are set up and it is quite entertaining.
And if you are restless and your thing is always to take the car and take a walk, you can always go to the Oasys Mini Hollywood. It is a Theme Park with shows and film sets that have been used by several western movies (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, for example), a zoological reserve with more than 800 animals, swimming pools and restaurants.
Thus, you can enjoy a western show, a cowgirl show, a cancan dance and a parrot show... The standard rate per adult (over 13 years old) is 23 euros, and it goes up a little as you hire others. services: buffet, eg. Also, on the outskirts of Roquetas, is the Roquetas Aquarium, a great place to go with children as colorful tropical fish, turtles and sharks abound.
Other day trip can be go to know Mojácar, the white town surrounded by mountains. In the upper part of the town, between cobbled streets, there are charming restaurants and shops and there is also the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores hermitage, on top of an old Moorish mosque. It's great to go to the beach or rent a bike and ride around. And if you want to go further, there is Granada and the Alhambra.