[allie_miller]

Hi!

Would say Madrid is a beautiful place where you definitely should go! So many things to do, museums with the Prado, the Reina Sofia, restaurants with the oldest ones in the world called Botin Restaurant. You can also have access to rooftops of the most prestigious hotels all accessible to wheelchairs because with elevators. In order for you to discover the rooftops or the museums more in-depth I will advise you to book a tour not to miss anything of the city’s history, the company I highly recommend you is called Madrid Discovery, I’ve done the Prado Museum tour with them last year and it was amazing! (https://madrid-discovery.com/). Parks are also beautiful especially during spring when everything starts to flourish, in the Retiro Park, the Quinta de Los Molinos or the Casa de Campo! And finally why not just stroll through the city to admire its architecture with the Metropolis building or the Carrion one! It is a beautiful city where the sun always shines and where they are so many things to do!

[accessiblejavea]

Javea, Costa Blanca, Spain

If you want a relaxing holiday with great accessibility then Javea, Costa blanca is for you. We discovered it several years ago. My husband is paraplegic and we do often struggle to find truly accessible places.

Xàbia/Jávea is located in the Costa Blanca in the Alicante region of Spain. Javea is made up of the old town, the picturesque port and the sandy El Arenal beach. It is 40 miles away from Benidorm and in easy reach from Valencia or Alicante airports. To travel to Javea from the airport taxi or car hire is recommended, although travelling by coach and bus is also a possibility. There are wheelchair-accessible taxis and if you can transfer into a taxi, many of them are Citroen Grand C4 Picasso’s so there is plenty of room to place wheelchairs. There are many places to visit relatively close to Javea but you can also easily spend a holiday in just Javea itself. Between the port, the old town and the beaches, there is plenty to see and do. For able-bodied friends and relatives, bicycles can be hired and there is a nice ride between port, el Arenal and Cala Blanca beach which takes in the lovely sea views that Javea has to offer.

We spend a lot of time in the El Arenal Beach area as it is well suited to wheelchair users due to the wide and flat promenade which gives great access to bars and restaurants. Playa El Arenal is a long sandy beach with wheelchair access via a boardwalks in the summer. In the summer months wheelchair accessible toilets are available on the beach and in 2019 there was a designated disabled area where you can use the beach with your family or friends. They provide access to the sea via a beach wheelchair. The sea was shallow and there is a slow increase in depth so bathing is a joy. There are lifeguards on duty throughout the main season..

El Arenal was well serviced with a great variety of bars and restaurants. The majority but not all, have ramps into the facilities and the hosts were always helpful. Access to seating can be straight forward and in some restaurants, there is seating directly off the promenade so powered wheelchairs could manage. In the restaurants on the Arenal promenade, there is a tendency for the ladies toilet to be the adapted accessible facilities. There were plenty of bars and restaurants at night to keep us entertained and there was always a lively and friendly atmosphere, even visitors not looking for good access would find this a good holiday destination. Gor more information check out my blogs al about Access in Javea at http://www.accessiblejavea.com