Casa Elizabeth is situated ten
minutes walk away from L’Ampolla, a fishing village that lies on the Costa
Dorada, about 150Km south of Barcelona and 160Km north of Valencia. It is a
rather sleepy village but the local shops offer an excellent choice of meats,
vegetables, locally caught fish and there are now a couple of excellent
supermarkets. There is a good scattering of restaurants and bars, which cater
for all culinary tastes at reasonable prices.
Those willing to trek two minutes down the hill will come to a magnificent
sandy beach, which is ideal or bathing or fishing. Paddling boats and wind
surfers are available for hire and it is a marvellous place to fly kites, while
picking up shells on the beach is a favourite past time. Lifeguards and the Red
Cross are in attendance - although the bathing is very safe for children.
A further five minutes' walk leads to a small observation tower on the Ebro
Delta Conservation area. There are several hides on the Delta for anybody
interested in bird watching and there are also some very good little local
restaurant/bars for those with more of a leaning towards "après bird
watching". A car is essential for anyone wishing to explore the Delta as
there is no public transport covering this vast area and the hides are quite
far apart.
Those seeking a "fast" life style should not come to L'Ampolla - life
here is not in the "fast lane". What visitors will find is a sleepy
marina, delicious food, palm trees, orange and lemon trees, excellent wines,
leafy courtyards and glorious beaches - all flying the European Blue Flag. The
daily pace is leisurely, a stroll around the Marina followed by a tapas lunch
at one of the many little restaurants takes one nicely up to siesta while the
recommended nightly routine is a delicious local meal followed by a climb to
the top balcony of Casa Elizabeth accompanied by a bottle of wine. Here the
night air is scented with Jasmine and the stars are very bright: a good place
to sit watching the moon over the sea and do ... nothing! This is an excellent
place for stargazing.