How Accessible is Javea for the Disabled Traveller ?
Xàbia/Jávea is located in the Costa Blanca in the Alicante region of Spain. Javea is made up of the old town, the picturesque port and the sandy El Arenal beach. It is 40 miles away from Benidorm and in easy reach from Valencia or Alicante airports. To travel to Javea from the airport taxi or car hire is recommended, although travelling by coach and bus is also a possibility. But, how accessible is Javea for the disabled traveller?
The easy access in this location makes Javea a great location for anyone looking for a hassle free holiday without worrying too much about access to the facilities. Most footpaths are in good order and in newly developed areas they are excellent. However, some of the older dropped kerbs could be improved.
Accessible Taxis
There are wheelchair-accessible taxis with rear access for wheelchairs. However there are not many of these. If you can transfer from your wheelchair into a taxi, many of them are Citroen C4 Picasso’s so there is plenty of room to place wheelchairs in the boot. The drivers are really helpful and will collapse and or dismantle a wheelchair to place it in the boot. We find that Robs standard TiLite fits in the boot of most taxis without collapsing.
Wheelchair friendly places to visit
There are many wheelchair friendly places to visit relatively close to Javea but you can also easily spend a holiday in just Javea itself. Between the port, the old town and the beaches, there is plenty to see and do. El Arenal beach area is very wheelchair friendly with a long flat promenade and many accessible restaurants, shops and bars on the promenade and behind. The port area is also very flat and easily managed for many independent wheelchair users. However, the camber of the some of the pavements in the port could be a challenge for some wheelchair users. There are some easy rides/trikes between El Arenal and the port and Cala Blanca. Check out my posts in things to do.
Accomodation in Javea, for the disabled traveller
Regarding Accessible accomodation, Javea is mostly serviced by apartments and villas rather than hotels. The largest hotel being Hotel Parador situated at the northern end of the promenade at El Arenal beach. There are smaller hotels in the port but these do not have accessible facilities or rooms. For accessible accommodation, you will find that many have their own websites.
How Accessible is Playa Del Arenal for the Disabled Traveller?
We spend a lot of time in the El Arenal Beach area as it is well suited to wheelchair users due to the wide and flat promenade which gives great disabled access to bars and restaurants. Playa Del Arenal is a long sandy,blue flag beach with wheelchair access via a boardwalks in the summer.
In the summer months, wheelchair accessible toilets are available on the beach and in 2019 there was a designated disability area where you can use the beach with your family or friends. This has not been available in 2020 due to Covid19, I’m afraid. They usually provide access to the sea via an amphibious beach/sea wheelchair. The sea was shallow and there is a slow increase in depth so bathing is a joy. There are lifeguards on duty throughout the main season and the lifeguard stations are a great place for gaining information.
El Arenal was well serviced with a great variety of bars and restaurants. The majority but not all, have ramps into the facilities and the hosts were always helpful. Access to seating can be straight forward and in some restaurants, there is seating directly off the promenade so powered wheelchairs could manage. In the restaurants on the El Arenal promenade, there is a tendency for the ladies toilet to be the adapted accessible facilities.
There were plenty of bars and restaurants at night to keep us entertained and there was always a lively and friendly atmosphere, even visitors not looking for good access would find this a good holiday destination. Please read my individual blogs regarding particular bars and restaurants.
Accessible parking in Javea
There is a fair amount of disabled parking bays and they are rarely full. Even in the height of summer, we can find a disabled access parking space in the main tourist areas. The one frustration I that they do not usually provide a dropped kerb next to the disabled parking bay and therefore Rob finds that he is forced to wheel into the road for a short distance to get to the kerb. A small omission but an important one!
Accessibility in the Javea Port
The port is more traditional and there is less choice for disabled access facilities. However, it is well worth a visit and still relatively flat near to the sea. It can get more crowded on the promenade here as it was narrower. There was a good choice of bars and restaurants here too, access can be good, however restaurant with disabled toilets are less prevalent than at the Arenal.
Accessibility in the old Town, Javea
The old town is somewhere that we have visited less. Accessibility in the Javea old town is limited. Because of the steep climb up, the pavements are smooth and especially slippy in the summer. Once you arrive at the centre of the old town at Plaça de la Marina Alta, it becomes relatively flat, however reaching that point on foot is difficult. You can explore the beautiful cobbled streets branching off from this area.
Rob uses his power trike in the old town and I wouldn’t recommend it for manual wheelchair users. There is a large underground car park under the plaza de la Constitution and several disabled access spaces nearby. There is a weekly market on a Thursday in the Plaza De la Constitution.
Accessible towns in Costa Blanca
There is a variety of places to visit along the coast from Javea and inland through the orange groves. I will endeavor to comment on their accessibility as we visit these places in the Costa Blanca. Check out my blogs in things to do for more information. For now though, here is a brief introduction local places to visit.
Accessible Moraira
Moraira is a pretty coastal town which is well worth a visit. It has good accessibility with disabled access parking spaces and accessible toilets near to the beach. There is a nice flat walk along the seafront past the small castle and onto the port. There are many restaurants and cars. However we have found that access inside these restaurants and disabled access toilets are less prevalent that El Arenal, Javea. Its a great day out and I would highly recommend it. We almost decided upon Moraira as our forever home but felt that it was a little quieter than Javea in the winter.
Accessible Calpe
Calpe is a larger, resort with two beaches and a thriving fishing port. It has a variety of car parks with some disabled allocated parking. The promenade is quite flat but with some higher areas at the edges. The walk between the two beaches past Ifach rock leads to inland a little and this ares can be hilly. The port is also reached by a long steep hill but I would highly recommend a visit, especially to the port fish restaurants where you can choose your fresh dinner. The accessibility to toilets is mixed but some restaurants use the ladies as their accessible toilet.