Summer 2020 - An Aire for €50???

Saturday 25th - Sunday 26th July
Watch this adventure here

From the Glorious Camping Malverrosa de Corinto our plan was to mosey down the coast and eventually meet up with friends in Villaricos. First stop should have been Valencia, but we couldn't find anywhere we were comfortable parking the van and leaving it for a few hours while we could explore the town.  So, we did a drive by!!  As we drove through the city I pointed out the dried up river bed that is now a city park, we were entertained at traffic lights by juggling street performers and we saw the beautiful architecture of the old town.

After a couple of nights at the beach side campsite we were ready for a pool.  We thought we had found an aire with a pool. Reviews seemed to suggest that this aire would cost €22 per night.  In fact Camper Area Xeraco actually €50 for the 1 night.  I feel I need to explain a little more here.  Aires, are usually just parking places. Sometimes they have services. Basic services include areas to empty toilet cassettes and maybe a water tap to replenish your water supply. Other services can include Electric Hook-Ups, Wash-up areas and Showers... the list can go on.  Now we were looking for somewhere with an electric hookup so the boys sleeping "up top" (above the cab), would not melt in the 36* heat and maybe a pool.

When we pulled up on the site, we were met with an incredibly clean manicured area. I was shocked when Steve returned to us explaining he had paid €50 for the night.  The shock was only partially as he is a tight assed Welsh man, but also because my expectation and first impression of Camper Area Xeraco was that this was a nice, but sterile, parking lot.  It did not take long to find the gorgeous pool and the stunning showers and toilet facilities.  Obviously a lot of money has recently been spent upgrading the aire facilities to create a beautiful camper site.  As for my sterile first impression; it will not take long for the hedges to mature and create a glorious sense of space and shade.

It was actually really sad to see such a lovely area so quiet and under utilised in the height of the tourist season. Steve had a conversation with a British guy who had been there throughout lockdown.  He was tucked way back in a corner of the site, he was fully self sufficient so he didn't need an electric hook up, just somewhere safe to park with access to water.

In the evening we popped across to a pop-up night market that we spotted being set up when we arrived. Although it was an open air event, we were impressed that the were people at each entrance with hand santitiser.  EVERYONE was wearing a face mask, I only spotted a few small children with out them.  Even with these safety precautions, it didn't take long before we started to feel very uncomfortable with the sheer numbers of people in the same area. In the end George bought a new toy gun, and we escaped back to the safety of our van bubble.

So yeah, on reflection, this Camper Area for €50 was WELL worth the money!