Playa de la Zenia
Playa de la Zenia
4.5
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4.5
269 reviews
Excellent
133
Very good
95
Average
31
Poor
4
Terrible
6
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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mervspain
Playa Flamenca, Spain137 contributions
Feb 2020
Well maintained beach with Beach bar open all year round. Adjacent to La Zenia hotel and La Mirada restaurant which also has swimming pool and sunbeds for hire. . A blue flag beach with life guards most of time. Good for adults and young family. Electric point for cars.Very enjoyable beach party held here on Christmas Day each year. Ample parking 300m from beach.
Written 13 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elin O
25 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
The sand is nice and soft, and the water is crystal clear. Perfect for bathing and tanning! You can walk along the hillside, where you can take lots of good pictures! Good for evening walks along the beach. We come here every time, due to shortest distance.
Meanwhile, this beach used to have an amazing bar with lots of liveliness, music and good vibes, and now we haven’t seen it in a while. That’s a shame. There used to be public toilets available, but now they are also closed.
Trash cans are overflowing closer to the evening, with nowhere else to discard waste. Cleaning service should come oftener, or there should be more trash cans around the area.
Could be more wheelchair-friendly, with access to public bathrooms. We’re quite satisfied otherwise!
Meanwhile, this beach used to have an amazing bar with lots of liveliness, music and good vibes, and now we haven’t seen it in a while. That’s a shame. There used to be public toilets available, but now they are also closed.
Trash cans are overflowing closer to the evening, with nowhere else to discard waste. Cleaning service should come oftener, or there should be more trash cans around the area.
Could be more wheelchair-friendly, with access to public bathrooms. We’re quite satisfied otherwise!
Written 5 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
K&M rates plates
Sidcup, UK1,280 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Came here to spend the day at the beach, the beach was nice and clean and pretty empty, which was good. We spent a few hours sunbathing and had a drink from the bar and left unfortunately. I would definitely like to return to spend more time here
Written 22 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valleys chick
Wales, UK305 contributions
Sept 2020 • Family
We stayed at the nearby Servigroup hotel which was immaculate with a great restaurant and pool. The hotel was in a great location (we used it as a base to explore the local area visiting Guardamar, Vlllamartin and Lo Pagan), with a small bay on one side and the beach on the other. The beach was very clean with soft sand and warm water. There was plenty of space on the beach and there was a lovely beach bar.
Written 12 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jonty
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • Couples
First time we’ve ever stayed in la Zenia and have to say this hotel was brilliant. Great location, staff very friendly and the hotel was extremely clean. Lovely food and a good base for exploring the area.
Can’t find a fault with the hotel at all and would highly recommend.
Can’t find a fault with the hotel at all and would highly recommend.
Written 31 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Silje281
Knarvik, Norway334 contributions
Sept 2024 • Friends
Nice beach, it was clean and fine sand on.
Long shallow, and a good deal of waves.
A few beds and umbrellas, it is recommended to bring your own carpet / sun bed / umbrella if you feel the need for such.
Bar that sells fresh drinks and has good music, clean toilet if you need it.
Need for parking spaces, so be prepared to have to walk for a while.
Sellers who go to the beach but felt they weren't too ongoing. Taking no for a no.
Overall a nice beach.
Long shallow, and a good deal of waves.
A few beds and umbrellas, it is recommended to bring your own carpet / sun bed / umbrella if you feel the need for such.
Bar that sells fresh drinks and has good music, clean toilet if you need it.
Need for parking spaces, so be prepared to have to walk for a while.
Sellers who go to the beach but felt they weren't too ongoing. Taking no for a no.
Overall a nice beach.
Automatically translated
Written 15 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SirNorman
County Cork, Ireland573 contributions
Feb 2012 • Solo
So well you might ask what am I doing at a Beach on the 9th of February ! I am leaving the cold and wet shores of Ireland as a respite from the cold Siberian wind that has overcome much of northern Europe and primarily to visit a friend.
La Zenia Orihuela is in the province of Alicante and is approximately mid way between the cities of Alicante and Cartagena and beside the A332 motorway that connects the two cities.
The first thing that registers when you arrive here is that all the buildings are low level construction. No high rise buildings anywhere if you except the La Zenia Servicegroup Hotel on the beach. This is by no way to compliment the architecture, bland and unimaginative would be kind to what passes for the village centre. Everything is masked with rampant signage high in the air or plastered all over the front, but then that is not unique to La Zenia; it is all over this part of new build Spain. MrsM-7 in their review correctly refers to the holiday rentals and their inhabitants but there are some very nice holiday houses as there are worthy duplex and apartment accommodation.
The beach is dominated by the Hotel. At the other side of the adjoining Paseo del Mar road are houses of considerable merit given my comments earlier. The beach itself is not a long sprawling affair but more reminiscent of a cove as it is flanked by two headlands with a large rocky outcrop in the center. The long gradual sandy slope to the sea and the gentle gradient of the foreshore, to a considerable distance into the Mediterranean, makes for a perfect beach for children and families.
At the southern end of the beach is an activity area. This beach area is enclosed by a rocky enclave that protects it from sea breezes and makes it ideal for volleyball. There are a number of exercise contraptions with a very quirky seat that has geared pedaling device to limber up before involving yourself in sport. This area is machine re-leveled and cleaned each day. In short this is a safe, well organised and attractive beach.
At the point of this sports area there a magnificent paved rock and cliff walk. It can be accessed from the Paseo del Mar roadway or from anywhere along the fringe of the beach. It takes you all along the headland to the village of Cabo Roig. This is well worth the walk as it is almost completely paved and easy to travel and has nice views. At the other end you are greeted by the small marina of Cabo Roig and another nice small beach. It will take you about an hour to go and return. There are always the pedal machines on the beach to limber up!
La Mirada is a restaurant alongside the Servicegroup Hotel (how unattractive a name for a hotel !) . This restaurant was my choice for a seafood meal. Oddly it is not listed on the TripAdvisors list of restaurants to be reviewed and it should be. This is a low level single story building with a huge veranda. The restaurant itself is very big with an inner core restaurant area, another outer enclosed dining area and then the outdoor tabled veranda.
This is early spring and I and my friend were among a very small smattering of customers. Outside the cold Siberian wind had reached Spain, delivering snow to the Pyrenees and the provinces of Navarre and others. My query as to what fresh fish they had was dealt with brilliantly by the waiter. He explained that they were only allowed refer to fish as 'fresh' for 20 hours after delivery. Happy with this comprehensive explanation he gave me a choice of three fish that fitted my criteria of fresh and I chose the sea bass. For a starter I opted for their shellfish soup. This was one of the nicest bisque's that I have tasted and had generous helpings of fish meats among the shells. Likewise my 'griddled' sea bass was good though I was disappointed that the skin had not been 'griddled' as it is an intrinsic part of the meal and should be browned. The house red wine was pleasant and only 1.20 per glass. In the round this was a very good meal.
I cannot end here without my regular TripAdvisor rant about the audacity of people, of whom I strongly include myself, who expect that the waiter or other inter active vendors we encounter abroad to deal with us in English. In another review I will tell my story of a relevant encounter in Prague as this review is long enough !!
Back to La Zenia, which is a short walk along the Avenue de la Playa, you arrive at the motorway roundabout and have to use the flyover bridge to get to the other side. Regrettably the motorway gives the village, as I will refer to it, a disjointed topography. Immediately at the other side of the road is the hub of social life of La Zenia. The flat roofed single story block on one side of the road houses two pubs, both Irish; Paddy's Point and Gogarty's. It is only on visiting Paddy's Point on a match day that one becomes aware of huge ex pat population in this area. There are other Irish Pubs such as The Randy Leprechaun which has a brilliant quiz on Tuesday nights. A visit to the nearby village of Cabo Roij will deliver another four Irish pubs should that be to your liking. There are also German and English pubs in great supply.
Directly across the road is Alejandro's, which is one of the most popular food and drink venues, as it is bathed in sunshine all day long. Several Chinese Wok restaurants of a high standard are also in the area with a particularly good one by the footbridge. Directly behind the block with the two pubs is Consum which is a good supermarket but by the Rotunda Villa Martin roundabout at the end of that road is now being completed one of the biggest shopping centers in Spain.
So in conclusion is one chooses to holiday in La Zenia one will find a great beach, a somewhat disjointed village with lots of food and beer outlets. Some very good restaurants, reasonable prices all around but to defer to our Finnish reviewer MrsM-7, I too would advocate traveling to other locations. Try Cartagena or Murcia.
A final piece of advise, if you take the Alicante to Cartagena bus it stops on the roundabout at the junction to Avenue de la Playa but there is no bus stop or timetable to refer to. I know because I hired a taxi to Torrevieja when I could not find the bus stop. The short journey of 4.5 Km cost me nearly15 euros as I watched the taxi meter clock up 5 cents every three seconds. Was this an isolated incident.. no it was not. The same happened when I hired a taxi to Cabo Roig.
La Zenia Orihuela is in the province of Alicante and is approximately mid way between the cities of Alicante and Cartagena and beside the A332 motorway that connects the two cities.
The first thing that registers when you arrive here is that all the buildings are low level construction. No high rise buildings anywhere if you except the La Zenia Servicegroup Hotel on the beach. This is by no way to compliment the architecture, bland and unimaginative would be kind to what passes for the village centre. Everything is masked with rampant signage high in the air or plastered all over the front, but then that is not unique to La Zenia; it is all over this part of new build Spain. MrsM-7 in their review correctly refers to the holiday rentals and their inhabitants but there are some very nice holiday houses as there are worthy duplex and apartment accommodation.
The beach is dominated by the Hotel. At the other side of the adjoining Paseo del Mar road are houses of considerable merit given my comments earlier. The beach itself is not a long sprawling affair but more reminiscent of a cove as it is flanked by two headlands with a large rocky outcrop in the center. The long gradual sandy slope to the sea and the gentle gradient of the foreshore, to a considerable distance into the Mediterranean, makes for a perfect beach for children and families.
At the southern end of the beach is an activity area. This beach area is enclosed by a rocky enclave that protects it from sea breezes and makes it ideal for volleyball. There are a number of exercise contraptions with a very quirky seat that has geared pedaling device to limber up before involving yourself in sport. This area is machine re-leveled and cleaned each day. In short this is a safe, well organised and attractive beach.
At the point of this sports area there a magnificent paved rock and cliff walk. It can be accessed from the Paseo del Mar roadway or from anywhere along the fringe of the beach. It takes you all along the headland to the village of Cabo Roig. This is well worth the walk as it is almost completely paved and easy to travel and has nice views. At the other end you are greeted by the small marina of Cabo Roig and another nice small beach. It will take you about an hour to go and return. There are always the pedal machines on the beach to limber up!
La Mirada is a restaurant alongside the Servicegroup Hotel (how unattractive a name for a hotel !) . This restaurant was my choice for a seafood meal. Oddly it is not listed on the TripAdvisors list of restaurants to be reviewed and it should be. This is a low level single story building with a huge veranda. The restaurant itself is very big with an inner core restaurant area, another outer enclosed dining area and then the outdoor tabled veranda.
This is early spring and I and my friend were among a very small smattering of customers. Outside the cold Siberian wind had reached Spain, delivering snow to the Pyrenees and the provinces of Navarre and others. My query as to what fresh fish they had was dealt with brilliantly by the waiter. He explained that they were only allowed refer to fish as 'fresh' for 20 hours after delivery. Happy with this comprehensive explanation he gave me a choice of three fish that fitted my criteria of fresh and I chose the sea bass. For a starter I opted for their shellfish soup. This was one of the nicest bisque's that I have tasted and had generous helpings of fish meats among the shells. Likewise my 'griddled' sea bass was good though I was disappointed that the skin had not been 'griddled' as it is an intrinsic part of the meal and should be browned. The house red wine was pleasant and only 1.20 per glass. In the round this was a very good meal.
I cannot end here without my regular TripAdvisor rant about the audacity of people, of whom I strongly include myself, who expect that the waiter or other inter active vendors we encounter abroad to deal with us in English. In another review I will tell my story of a relevant encounter in Prague as this review is long enough !!
Back to La Zenia, which is a short walk along the Avenue de la Playa, you arrive at the motorway roundabout and have to use the flyover bridge to get to the other side. Regrettably the motorway gives the village, as I will refer to it, a disjointed topography. Immediately at the other side of the road is the hub of social life of La Zenia. The flat roofed single story block on one side of the road houses two pubs, both Irish; Paddy's Point and Gogarty's. It is only on visiting Paddy's Point on a match day that one becomes aware of huge ex pat population in this area. There are other Irish Pubs such as The Randy Leprechaun which has a brilliant quiz on Tuesday nights. A visit to the nearby village of Cabo Roij will deliver another four Irish pubs should that be to your liking. There are also German and English pubs in great supply.
Directly across the road is Alejandro's, which is one of the most popular food and drink venues, as it is bathed in sunshine all day long. Several Chinese Wok restaurants of a high standard are also in the area with a particularly good one by the footbridge. Directly behind the block with the two pubs is Consum which is a good supermarket but by the Rotunda Villa Martin roundabout at the end of that road is now being completed one of the biggest shopping centers in Spain.
So in conclusion is one chooses to holiday in La Zenia one will find a great beach, a somewhat disjointed village with lots of food and beer outlets. Some very good restaurants, reasonable prices all around but to defer to our Finnish reviewer MrsM-7, I too would advocate traveling to other locations. Try Cartagena or Murcia.
A final piece of advise, if you take the Alicante to Cartagena bus it stops on the roundabout at the junction to Avenue de la Playa but there is no bus stop or timetable to refer to. I know because I hired a taxi to Torrevieja when I could not find the bus stop. The short journey of 4.5 Km cost me nearly15 euros as I watched the taxi meter clock up 5 cents every three seconds. Was this an isolated incident.. no it was not. The same happened when I hired a taxi to Cabo Roig.
Written 11 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rockyroaddublin
Dublin5 contributions
I brought my 22 month old son for his first holiday abroad and it could not have been better. The beaches are the most beautiful, safe and clean beaches I have ever seen and I have travelled a lot before having children. The area itself has lots of amenities and shops that offer great value for money, yet it still manages not to look or feel like a butlins holiday camp... Which a lot of resorts in Spain can become ;-) it is quiet and relaxed but not boring and there are lots of lovely family friendly restaurants within walking distance or a short taxi journey away.
Written 24 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve H
United Kingdom2,300 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
Have had a villa in La Zenia for 20 years and the main beach was one of the reasons for buying here. Now a blue flag beach, lovely clean sand, no rocks, the water is crystal clear and you can walk out without standing on sharp rocks etc just lovely soft sand!. The water edge is perfect for young babies to safely play with the lapping water. The beach is cleaned early every morning with a tractor. There has been a dispute over the beach bar but I understand that will be open again as will the toilets from 01AUG18. There is a great beach restaurant La Mirada, excellent for snacks meals and drinks, brilliant sea & beach view with private pool area. Having lived & worked in many Asian countries and seen stunning beaches in Boracay, Palawan, Phi Phi island etc etc, I still love La Zenia beach, this is not about a stunning location it is about a beach that is practical and very clean for families, safe to swim and plenty of local bars close by, there are 2 other beaches either side of the main beach both excellent. There are other excellent beaches at Mil Palmeras with beach bars but they are a car ride away so if you are here in July/August and don't want to be stuck in a car stay in La Zenia!!. The beach is great 12 months a year, a great place to stroll and always packed xmas day!!. There is limited road parking but you may just have to walk 100 mtrs or so. Enjoy
Written 29 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jcw357
Isle of Wight, UK81 contributions
Jan 2014 • Friends
The coastal path along this coast is not to be missed.We started at Playa Flamenca (coffee at Coffee Del Mar is lovely Anthony and Andy are great) first day walked north ending at The Nautilus restaurant for a drink before returning, about an hours stroll each way. The next day we walked south passed La zenia beach to Cabo Roig stopping at La Bahia in the marina and lastly we started at Cabo Roig again going south to las Palmeras. Wherever you go there are great views and we packed a picnic and found some lovely spots to stop and eat. In late January we were in shorts sitting in the sun. Some of the path has gone due to landslides but in the main it is comfortable walking. We can't wait to explore more of this path next year.
Written 8 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there many shops/shopping centres and what's the night life like
Written 31 December 2022
La Zenia Shopping Centre is one of the biggest in Spain. Paddy's Point is probably the best Night Life area. 3 Irish pubs together there. Great food and great music.
Written 1 January 2023
Is anyone in this area at the moment... what’s the situation like please?
Written 19 July 2020
Apologies, hadn't realised I had questions to answer here:
There is an issue along the whole Valencian coast with sea-grass Posidonia. Its presence is important for the maintenance of the sand on the beaches along the coast.There was a good article about it in Alicante Today / Murcia Today on 13/10/2015 - sadly Trip Advisor doesn't allow links in answers.
Written 9 September 2019
Yes there are sunbeds and umbrellas for hire. Haven't used them myself so not dure of the costs.
Written 5 July 2019
sharonstokes59
Kildare, Ireland
Is there a water park close by,and jet ski activities?
Written 27 June 2019
so sorry, not sure, i am scared of water, so never explore the options! google it, you should get a lot of advice.
Written 27 June 2019
Nearest water park in torreveja
Written 2 August 2019
Can anyone advise the bus number or times from Alicante airport to Le Zenia. How long does it take and can I get it direct or do I have to get off at Torreveca ?
Written 12 May 2019
Hi, I believe you have to change in Torrevieja. However I'll ask around
Written 13 May 2019
Are there any music or art venues in this town?
Written 1 December 2018
Not to my recollection, more beach and bar orientated
Written 1 December 2018
M537ILmargaretw
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Why is the beach bar at La Zenia closed? Was there last week and toilets were also closed....porta-loos in place and they are downright disgusting. It is a lovely beach but I was very disappointed with the facilities
Written 27 May 2018
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