Alex Trelinski
ORIHUELA council has promised that Orihuela Costa beach bars will reopen at Easter after they were shut all year after an old contract held by Chiringuitos Del Sol ended on January 1.
The previous PSOE-led Orihuela administration failed to complete a new tender process and nothing happened in 2023 except for the provision of temporary toilets late into the summer high season.
Orihuela’s coastal councillor Manuel Mestre, acknowledged that the council ‘has been receiving complaints from residents and visitors who demanded the return of the bars’.
“We know this issue is very important for the coast,” he added.
The authority has now advertised five split contracts to encourage competitive bids.
The contracts will run up to and include 2027 with tenders awarded a few days before Semana Santa(Holy Week) and each bidder able to apply for a maximum of two franchises.
The biggest package- with an asking price of €239,663- is for Cala Cerrada, La Zenia’s Cala Bosque, and Cabo Roig’s Cala Capitan.
The other offerings are Punta Prima, Cala Mosca, and Cala Estaca for €79,708; La Caleta and Aquamarina for €105,324; and La Glea, Barranco Rubio and Mil Palmeras at €179,695.
The final package consists of running the nautical facilities at Cala Bosque, La Caleta, La Glea, and Barranco Rubio.
Winning beach bar contract winners will also have to be responsible for the toilets, sunbeds, and umbrellas.
The tender guarantees that the service will be ready to open for the next Easter tourist campaign on most of the beaches.
“A key part of the contract is that it includes all-year service at La Caleta and Cala Bosque,” said Manuel Mestre.
The actual beach bar structures were removed by Orihuela Council and will be handed over to the winning bidders.
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