Guest guides
The area
A signpost, for now: the beaches, the places we send people, and the practical facts. The full write-up of each one lives in the Spanish guide.
This guide is currently Spanish-only. The area guide — the beaches, the restaurants, the walks and the day trips — was written in Spanish and has not been translated yet. We're waiting on the owner's go-ahead before translating it, so rather than guess at it, this page lists the names and the practical details and points you across to the Spanish guide, where every entry is described properly.
- beach_accessThe beaches
- restaurantWhere to eat
- attractionsWhat to do
- hikingWalks & rides
- mapDay trips
beach_accessThe beaches
Castelló has three beaches running about 4 km along the coast. The house sits directly opposite the first of them, and the other two are a short walk away.
Playa del Serradal
The beach in front of the house. It includes a protected dune area — a flora micro-reserve — and dogs are not allowed on it.
Playa del Gurugú
In front of the Castelló aerodrome. The chiringuitos (beach bars) open through the summer; they close in winter, but the beach stays busy with sport all year.
Playa del Pinar
Alongside the Pinar municipal park, with the Parque Litoral promenade and its green spaces. The municipal Planetarium stands at the end of the promenade, a few metres from the sand.
Both Gurugú and Pinar have sports facilities and watersports clubs. A cycle path along the seafront links all three beaches with El Grao — the port of Castelló — and with Benicàssim.
Fuller descriptions of each beach are in the Spanish area guide.
restaurantWhere to eat
These are the places we send people. What each one is like — and which to avoid at the weekend — is written up in the Spanish guide.
In El Grao
- Pingüins Burguer — the nearest place to eat to the house
- El Quinto Pino
- Terra Milles
- Ca La Mary
- La Marina
- Tasca Del Puerto
- Restaurante Mediterráneo
In Benicàssim
- Pizzería L'Etrusquino — the nearest pizzeria to the house
- Botavara
- Habanero
- Club Palasiet
- Voramar
- Restaurante Desierto de las Palmas
attractionsWhat to do
Castelló
- Planetario de Castelló
- Mercat Central
- El Fadrí
- Concatedral de Santa María
Benicàssim
- Thalasso Hotel Termas Marinas El Palasiet — saltwater spa; book the marine circuit (1 h 45) by phone
- Museo Bodegas Carmelitano
- Ruta de las Villas — see below
On the water
- Surfers Castellón — surf school
- Maui Sup and Surf — surf school
For a big day out
- Aquarama, Benicàssim — water park, summer only
- Karting BeniKarts
- SkyTime — skydiving centre
hikingWalks & rides
Vía Verde de la Mar
A coastal route between Benicàssim and Oropesa del Mar along a disused railway line. It's 5.5 km each way — 11 km there and back, about 1 h 30 taken gently, with stops. There's a short tunnel at km 1, and a long one of roughly 600 m at km 4.
Take lights for the long tunnel — bike lights or head torches.
There's a small cove, La Renegà, about halfway along.
Desierto de las Palmas
A natural park in the hills behind Benicàssim, with 10 marked routes.
Ruta de las Villas, Benicàssim
A walking route around the Belle Époque villas of Benicàssim: 51 catalogued villas, of which 19 are signposted. Benicàssim's tourist office offers a free audio guide in six languages — turismo.benicassim.es/audioguias.
Parque Litoral
The seafront park and promenade at Playa del Pinar.
The history and the detail of each route are in the Spanish guide.
mapDay trips
All of these are within a day's reach of the house:
- Peñíscola
- Sierra de Irta
- Vilafamés
- Fanzara
- Morella
- Valencia
- Delta del Ebro
- Islas Columbretes
- Cuevas de Sant Josep
Trains to Valencia and Barcelona, and the roads out to the inland towns, are in getting around. Notes on each of these — including where to eat when you get there — are in the Spanish guide.
❤️ Have a safe trip — we hope to see you back soon.
Beachfront garden home · El Grao de Castellón · Tourist licence VT-42191-CS