Alannia Costa Blanca

The showers have plenty of hot water, good pressure, and the blocks are warm. The shop is small but has most essentials, and the restaurant is OK. There are lots of other facilities, though I didn’t use them, so I can’t say what they’re like. It’s a huge place with more than 1,000 camping pitches, yet nights are quiet. The A7 runs beside the site, so there’s some road noise, but after a day or two I stopped noticing it.

The only things to keep in mind are that the site feels more remote than you might expect, so at times you could find yourself with little to do, and it’s popular enough that event tickets can sell out unless you’re quick to get them. That said, the hosts put on all kinds of activities, and the dinner dances and social atmosphere were just what we wanted. If Carlsberg ran caravan rallies, this would be it. We’d give it 9 out of 10, which is hard to beat. You’ll have a good time. We recommend trying it at least once, though plenty of people come back year after year.

It’s around 10 miles from the coast, in a stretch of dry, empty farmland, even though it’s listed under Crevillente/Alicante. The site is open all year and so enormous that the walk to and from reception can feel endless. The crowded, noisy restaurant may be as much as a kilometre away. WiFi costs extra, but there are excellent facilities. The shop stocks food brought in especially for English campers, including baked beans, ambrosia creamed rice pudding, Aunt Bessie’s apple pies, chips and fish fingers. Handy if you’re staying long term. There are free DVD and book swaps too.

I stayed for a month in January with my own touring caravan. The site is very nice, well laid out and spacious, with level pitches that have electric hook-up, fresh water and waste water. The toilets and showers are heated and always very clean. Every staff member I dealt with was friendly, helpful and efficient. I didn’t try the bar, restaurant or shop, since Catral is a mile away and had everything I needed. The letdown is the inconsiderate behaviour of some campers and their dogs. Avoid a pitch near the dog exercise area, because some owners let their dogs bark while exercising or walking there and back. Others leave their dogs shut in their camping unit while they do other things, which seems to stress the dogs and make them bark continually. All in all, it’s an excellent site, but some campers’ behaviour lets it down.