Door opening in Punta Prima in Orihuela Costa

Punta Prima: life by the sea between Orihuela Costa and Torrevieja

Punta Prima is a coastal residential area located in the south of the province of Alicante, in the Comunidad Valenciana, within the Vega Baja del Segura district. It sits in a singular enclave, on the border between Orihuela Costa and Torrevieja: a good part of the area belongs to Orihuela Costa (municipal area of Orihuela), while its northern boundary links directly with Torrevieja. It is one of the most consolidated and year-round inhabited residential cores of the southern Costa Blanca. In this guide we go over its most relevant facts: population, economy, festivals, tourism and gastronomy.

General information

Being a residential area —and not an independent municipality— Punta Prima does not have its own official INE figures. It forms part of Orihuela Costa, which as a whole exceeds 26,000 registered inhabitants, with a real population much higher in the summer season. Punta Prima is characterised by being one of the most populated areas all year round of the coast, with a privileged enclave about 45 minutes from Alicante-Elche airport and with Corvera (Murcia) airport practically equidistant.

Demographics and nationalities

The character of Punta Prima is deeply international, with a majority of residents of foreign origin coexisting with Spanish residents and numerous second homes. The split by sex is balanced, with an approximate percentage of 50% men and 50% women. Among the most present nationalities, the following stand out:

• Russians, a particularly notable group in the area.
• Britons and Dutch.
• Residents from other European countries and second homes of Spaniards.

Economy

The economy of Punta Prima revolves around three great pillars:

• Residential tourism: the area's driving force, with a very active property market of apartments, detached houses and new developments.
• Hospitality and retail: the well-known «Punta Prima strip» concentrates restaurants, bars and terraces, and a few metres away is the Punta Marina Shopping Centre.
• Local services: supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and estate agents open all year round, a reflection of its permanent population.

Emergency and home security services

Punta Prima is made up of numerous urbanisations —apartments with a communal pool, detached houses and residential complexes— with a very high proportion of foreign residents' homes and second homes. That is why it is one of the areas where reliable locksmith services are most needed on the whole coast. It is very common for owners who spend periods away to return and find the door jammed, or for incidents to arise with keys inside the house after arriving on holiday.

Our emergency door opening service covers Punta Prima and the whole of the surroundings of Orihuela Costa and Torrevieja, with on-call locksmiths available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By day or in the early hours, in high season or in winter, there is always a professional ready to act quickly on openings of homes, apartments, storerooms, lock changes and armoured doors, a service greatly valued by the large international community that lives in the area all year round.

Festivals and traditions

Being a young and very international enclave, Punta Prima combines Spanish traditions with celebrations typical of its foreign community:

• Summer festivals and open-air dances around the urbanisations and the seafront promenade.
• Celebrations linked to the Ermita (chapel) of the landscaped area.
• Events and activities from the international calendar, keenly experienced by residents of different nationalities.

Tourism: what to visit

Punta Prima offers tourism of sun, beach and strolling all year round:

• The Punta Prima beach, a cove of fine sand with a blue flag and a Q for Tourist Quality, even equipped with a lift to improve accessibility.
• The seafront promenade, which connects with nearby beaches and coves such as Cala Ferris, Cala Piteras, Cala Cabo Peñas and Cala Mosca.
• The beachfront bars in high season and the magnificent views of the coast.
• Its closeness to the Natural Park of the La Mata and Torrevieja Lagoons and to the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre, one of the largest in Spain.

Gastronomy

The gastronomic offer of Punta Prima is as varied and international as its population. Here coexist:

• The Mediterranean rice dishes and fish and the caldero of the area.
• The fresh produce of the sea, the star of its beach bars and beachfront restaurants.
• A wide presence of international cuisine (British, Russian, Italian), a reflection of the diversity of its residents.

Other points of interest

Until the late 1960s, Punta Prima was no more than a scrub-covered promontory bordered by a narrow strip of sand, protected by a cliff that made its beach almost inaccessible. Its remote location made it popular among the residents of Torrevieja, and from that period the first residential developments began that have turned it into the consolidated core of today. Its situation straddling two municipalities, with all services and a step from the sea, makes it one of the most sought-after places of the southern Costa Blanca. A place where having trustworthy 24-hour locksmiths brings the peace of mind that residents and second-home owners deserve all year round.