Hotel building in Alicante up for public auction

On 14 October in the notary of Alicante an auction of the property that currently hosts four star Eurostars Lucentum hotel located in the Avenue Alfonso X opposite the Central Market, in the heart of the city. The hotel occupies the rented building of ten floors and 168 rooms that many remember as Alicante's historic headquarters Banco de Alicante.

The property belongs to Time Futuro SA, a Valencian company that maintains a debt of around 10 million euros with commercial Promontoria Holding, an investment fund that bought the credit from SAREB. Nonpayment has caused conducive foreclosure auction and was announced in the Official Gazette of September 3. The auction value of the property amounts to more tan 18 million euros.

The Lucentum hotel opened in 2002 under the umbrella of the Hesperia chain, with a view to serve the flow of customers who atended the Conference Centre that the City, then governed by Luis Diaz Alperi  had planned to erect hundred meters from the hotel. Despite the failure of that project, which generated a strong public response and ended up in the courts, the establishment has continued to operate with a brief parenthesis, since the alliance with NH Hesperia in 2010.

A few months later, in early 2011, the Hotusa chain signed a lease with the owners, which expired and reopened the establishment under the name it still known for the Eurostars Lucentum, one of nine existing four star hotels in the city.

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Cruise arrivals in Alicante increasing

Cruise ship arrivels in Alicante are rising. The Britannia, an imposing ship already docked in Alicante in April and June, but in total there will be 18 cruises, They arrive in the capital of the Costa Blanca. It is the highest figure recorded in October, which is historically the best since 2009, when 19 vessels deposited in the city's formidable figure of 32,061 passengers, according to official statistics published by the State Ports.

Although it is not possible to know the total number of passengers a priori because not all ships will arrive filled, the potential capacity of the 18 ships planned next month is around 25,000 people. In total, according to the forecast scales until year end, the overall number of passengers multiplied almost threefold in 2015 compared to 34,583 the few who arrived last year, when the Alicante cruise arrivels were at its lowest. This year we expect about 96,000, similar to the 2009 figure, but still far from the record, the Alicante received 108,435 cruise passengers in 2011.

The virtual disappearance of MSC ships often docked in 2011 coinciding with the designation of Valencia as the basis for the Italian shipping port, and the rise of Cartagena, benefited from a drop in rates Alicante was not authorized to be performed by losses, plunged cruise tourism in the capital of the Costa Blanca. During the mandate of Jose Joaquin Ripoll, the Port Authority has outsourced the management of the cruise terminal, but watched as year after year the numbers dropped to rock bottom in 2014.

Besides the aforementioned Britannia, between ships provided highlights the presence of AIDA Aura, with its 1,200 passengers will have four stops in Alicante, on 4, 11, 18 and 25 October, every Sunday, a circumstance that usually generates controversy a city in which these days is debate about the possibility of annulment, as promised Mayor Gabriel Echavarri, the statement large influx Tourist Zone allowing shops to open more than 300 meters in the downtown area.

Ventura, brother of Britannia with a potential passage of 3,300 people, has provided two scales, 6 and 19, so that the latter day, the only match in which three cruisers on the docks, the city could receive more than 8,000 tourists by sea within hours. To the delight of traders it is on a Monday.

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Costa Blanca weather

After a few days of heavy rain and thunderstorms the sun will be back on the Costa Blanca on Wednesday. Highs of 28 degrees so do not put away your bathing suits yet. 

Heavy rain has flooded several towns including Torrevieja. Damage to cars and homes have been reported.

The thunderstorms have affected several Costa Blanca towns including Benidorm, Denia ,Calpe,Altea and Javea but the worst weather seems to have hit the Torrevieja area with flooded streets and homes.

It hardly rains on the Costa Blanca but when it does it does! Up to 90 liters per square meter in two hours is a lot of water! It is still raining and will probably do so tommorrow Tuesday as well with the sun coming back on Wednesday throughout the Costa Blanca.

Photo is from Benidorm.

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Costa Blanca 3rd September 2015

Monica Oltra the executive vice president, of the  Compromís party which governs together with the PSOE has decided to offer municipal facilities and public administration as shelters for refugees.

The Valencian Government spokesman has also confirmed the commitment of the city to the proposed network in Barcelona and Madrid.

The Consell studies to create a municipal network of host cities.  The refugees situation is a drama that needs to be met with resources. Counseling has 110 social mediators in Valencia that can help facilitate asylum to people fleeing from war.

Thousands of refugees have died trying to cross the Mediteranean to reach Europe.

Talks are going on with the Banks  to use empty homes to host refugees.

The Compromis party are urging the central government to increase the share of refugees in to Spain.

Picture taken outside the Budapest railway station a week ago. Thousands of refugees are trying to get further north in Europe.

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