Moraira

Moraira (Valencian pronunciation: [moˈɾajɾa]) is a small Spanish coastal town, part of Teulada (also known as Teulada-Moraira) municipality, in the Marina Alta comarca, 80 km north of Alicante and 100 km south of Valencia. It is a tourist resort on the highly-developed Costa Blanca strip, with 8 km of coastline backed by mountains and vineyards.

The permanent population of Moraira in the northern Costa Blanca, Spain is around 10,000, although this rises to 36,000 in summer. There is a high proportion of expatriates living here on a permanent basis, and the area is very popular with affluent retirees, especially English. The majority of Visitors to Moraira are Spanish, English, German, Dutch, French as well as many other nationalities.

Moraira’s historic roots as a fishing village are still in evidence; its fish market is one of the most popular in the Costa Blanca region and the port has five fishing boats in operation. The Moraira region is also famous for the growing of Muscatel grapes for wine-making.

However, the economy of Moraira is now built around tourism and Spanish property sales that has transformed the coastline over the past 30 years. Strict planning regulations have prevented over development and high rise buildings, making it a highly desirable destination. Little remains of the fishing cottages that once made up the little port that serviced the town of Teulada that stands at the head of the valley. To preserve the heritage of the area, the Teulada council passed laws protecting the abundant pine trees and limited the height of buildings. It has a privately owned marina built in 1985, operated by Club Náutico Moraira. Moraira is also seen as a culinary destination, with many restaurants. Moraira has three sandy beaches popular with families, and many rocky coves and inlets frequented by snorkelers and scuba divers.

External links

• Teulada - Moraira municipal website

Coordinates: 38°43′45″N 0°06′07″E / 38.72917°N 0.10194°E / 38.72917; 0.10194