Les Rotes promenade

ROCKY COVES AT LES ROTES, TORRE DEL GERRO, AND CABO DE SAN ANTONIO MARINE RESERVE

STARTING POINT: Tourist Info Dénia - Central (Plaza Oculista Buigues, 9).

TOUR: We’ll go right and south, towards Les Rotes. The houses on our right will call our attention. This is an area where there are two old fishermen quarters at the end of two small squares, Amaltea and Aldebaran Streets. In some of the façades we can see tipics tiles showing us that these houses once belonged to sailors.

Later on, on the left sidewalk,  we will reach the premises of Dénia’s Real Club Náutico where there are moorings for ships up to 20 m. long, a rowing school, sailing and canoeing, a heated swimming pool, etc. This Nautical Club has a long tradition organising nautical regattas, with a year long calendar of important sailing regattas, as well as rowing, canoeing, sport fishing and swimming.

We continue on this left sidewalk, which will take us away from the "Carretera de Les Rotes" Road, continuing along the coast. There are several pubs in this area. We reach a roundabout with a monument: the "Monumento al Montgó", a piece of art by the sculptor Castejón, representing the mount Montgó.

On the left of the roundabout we find the Southern Breakwater, where there is the "Puerto Deportivo La Marina de Dénia", where there are moorings for ships up to 60 m. long, as well as sport schools (sailing, canoeing, etc.), nautical shops, restaurants, cafés, pubs and terraces with splendid views.

It will be worth your while to take a stroll along this nice sports port. 

After visiting it, we’ll walk along the next promenade bordering the whole Marineta Cassiana beach, the only sandy beach in the les Rotes area.

If we continue our walk we reach Les Rotes rocky coves. We must point out the savage beauty of this landscape where blues and greens of the sea, crystal clear waters and bends along the coast show us a relaxed inspiring beauty. From the beginning of the rocky coves we already are in the Cape San Antonio Sea Reserve since it includes the coves and the cape right to its far eastern end. It is environmentally protected. For more information regarding the Reserve look up the Nature Section in this web.

*On July, 10 2005: the Sea Reserve has been extended to include the rocky coves of les Rotes. Valencian Legislation DOGV 5.027

On the way along the coast we’ll find people taking a walk and cycling and enjoying the environment. We’ll also discover benches where we can sit down, read a book or simply relax and observe the landscape in peace and quiet.

In the last section of the promenade, if we lift our sight to the right, we can see a small tower on a hilltop. It is known as the Torre del Gerro, a watchtower from the 16th c., which we can come back and visit another day following the footpath that brings us to it.When we reach the promenade’s end we’ll see a restaurant and, after that, we’ll see the end of the asphalted road of les Rotes.

Long before arriving you’ll see the cliffs towards  San Antonio Cape. The finest views are at the end of the les Rotes road, in the last roundabout, where the cliffs to San Antonio Cape rise 160 m. above sea level.

After reaching the end of les Rotes we’ll retrace our steps and we’ll walk along the promenade bordering the sea that will bring us again to Dénia, or we’ll take a regular bus back.