Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Rabat to Torremolinos
Viv and Jill in Torremolinos
WJ Tested: Insight Vacations – Day 14: Rabat, Morocco to Torremolinos, Spain
Insight Vacations Review – Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco – Rabat to Torremolinos
16-Night Motorcoach Trip in 2011
Rabat to Torremolinos in Spain
Rabat
This was our earliest wake-up call (5:30 am) of the trip and Javier apologized profusely, but we had a long way to travel today to return to Spain. The best part was that nobody complained and our group continued with Javier’s spirit of punctuality and positivity.
By 7 am we were on the coach and driving towards Tangier to catch the noon fast ferry to Tarifa in Spain. Along the way we made a 20-minute comfort stop at a highway service area, giving us a last chance to drink more of the sweet mint tea we had now come to love.
Ferry in Tangier
Tangier
After bidding Abi farewell at the Tangier Ferry Terminal, we had some tense moments waiting for the ferry and wondering if we would actually get on the one Javier had booked for us. We kept in mind Javier’s words, “This is Morocco and anything can happen in Morocco.” Meaning, although we had our tickets for the noon ferry, it didn’t guarantee we’d get on it as the previous ferry had been oversold and those vehicles would be first to get on the noon ferry. Unfortunately, we didn’t get on the ferry we were ticketed for, but a larger ferry had room and 45 minutes later we were underway. The ride back to Tarifa took longer this time as the Strait of Gibraltar was pretty rough (causing a few to lose their lunch) and the ferry travelled slower. We had thoroughly enjoyed our time in Morocco and gained an immense amount of knowledge through the eyes of Abi. It had been an experience of a lifetime and we noted the places we wanted to visit again in the future and spend more time exploring.
Costa del Sol – Torremolinos
The drive along the Costa del Sol was relaxing as we soaked up the beautiful scenery. Javier was back in his homeland and continued to share interesting tidbits of information about the local landscape and culture. By 5 pm we were arriving at our beachfront hotel in Torremolinos, the 4-star Costa del Sol Hotel Melia.
Hotel Melia in Torremolinos
Our evening was free to do as we pleased, and as we didn’t want to waste a minute we quickly went down to the beach after dropping our bags in our room. Beachcombingand dipping our toes in the Mediterranean kept us busy for an hour before we returned to the hotel to freshen up and then make the 10-minute walk up to the old town. From the boardwalk to the town we took the short route up a flight of 100 steps and came within a couple-minutes walk of the main shopping area. While wandering around the shops we stopped at a central bar and people-watched from the patio restaurant while enjoying a beer and pizza.
Torremolinos, Spain
The remainder of our evening was spent exploring the town before finding a small restaurant with a fabulous ocean view where we drank more beer and devoured tapas and paella. By 9:30 pm we were back in our room and ready to call it a day after so much travel.
If You Go:
Visit WAVEJourney’s Insight Vacations Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco Review:
Overview | Itinerary | Hotels | Photos | Day 1: Madrid | Day 2: Segovia | Day 3: Toledo & Salamanca | Day 4: Fatima & Lisbon | Day 5: Lisbon & Cascais | Day 6: Sevilla | Day 7: Cordoba | Day 8: Gibraltar & Tangier | Day 9: Fes | Day 10: Fes & Meknes | Day 11: Marrakesh | Day 12: Ourika Valley & Marrakesh | Day 13: Casablanca & Rabat | Day 14: Torremolinos | Day 15: Granada | Day 16: Madrid |
