ReachExtra
Of the nearly 8 million people who visit Gibraltar each year (statistics 2016), not too many venture to the eastern or Mediterranean littoral of the Rock.
Those who do will find Catalan Bay Village, also known as ‘La Caleta’ – the ancestral resort of choice for Gibraltarians in Gibraltar.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the City on the western side of the Rock abutting the Bay of Gibraltar, known in Spain as the Bay of Algeciras, La Caleta is an acquired taste for the connoisseur.
Here the sun rises several hours before it finally climbs over the Rock to shine on the town on the Western slopes and reclaimed lands.
To the south of Catalan Bay stands the Caleta Hotel, erstwhile Caleta Palace, built in the 1960’s by the Bassadone family and soon to be replaced by a new, modern building.
For half a century, the hotel has attracted a special kind of visitor from abroad – one who fully appreciates the proximity to the sea in all its hues and moods from calm to stormy and the easy going atmosphere of the Village itself.
To the north east, the Costa del Sol; easterly, the blue expanse of the Mediterranean; to the South, Ceuta, the Spanish enclave across the Strait and looming behind the Village and the hotel, the cliffs and escarpments of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Some few hundred people live in the village, once a fisherman’s cove, but now most of the ‘caleteños’ work “on the other side” in the City even though the majority still fish, at least for sport.
The evidence shows that people have been going to the beach here since at least the very dawn of photography.
The area has for many years been serviced by a good number of restaurants specialising in Mediterranean food. Immediately next to the beach are
‘La Terraza’ and ‘The Seawave Restaurant’, which provide good seafood in a relatively informal atmosphere. Often, during good weather it is difficult to find a table and therefore booking is advisable.
At the top of the hill leading out of the village is ’La Mamela Restaurant’ with views over the village and the beach. It is renowned not just for its fresh fish but also paella which, by all accounts is among the best in Gibraltar.
Last but not least, ‘Nunos Restaurant’ an award winning Italian ristorante which is in the Caleta Hotel and is a firm favourite for formal and romantic dinners.
Every year The Caleta Hotel hosts a number of events, the most well known of which is the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, which will run over 10 days from the 21st to the 31st of January 2019. From 2011 to 2014, it was voted the best open event in the world by the Association of Chess Professionals.
None of this fine dining or international prominence cramps the easy going style of the villagers who give Catalan Bay its inherent unique nature and quality of life.
