Impressions of Denia
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Published 11 years ago, updated 6 years ago
Visit to Marina de Denia
Date visited: March 2014
* Location: Some 9 miles NW of Cabo de la Nau.
* Approach: Actually easy – but keep your eyes peeled for the Ferry running to/from Mallorca. It is huge and needs the entire width of the dredged canal into the harbour as well as (for turning) the entire deep parts of the harbour itself.
* The inner harbour is quite big but keep a close eye on the depth: The turning ferry tends to wash up a sand-/mud-bar at the threshold to the RCN.
*Marinas: There are two marinas in Denia; The “Marina Denia” – upon entering immediately to Port, and the RCN Denia – further in and much closer to town. (We did stay at “Marina Denia”). Only a few berths up to 30m in the first basin of “Marina Denia”.
* Depth quickly decreasing the further in you go – watch your sounder closely; Do not rely on charts!
* Fuel stations of “Marina Denia” immediately to Port as you enter and dead ahead of “RCN”. If no answer on Ch.9 VHF tie up to one of them and wait for further instructions.
* Marina Denia occupies a stretch of 2-story buildings, the ground floor of which sports a number of bars and restaurants, but looked mostly deserted in March. The office is located on the ground floor in the outermost building.
* Expensive! We did pay € 120.00/day (18m berth) – plus metered Water and Electricity. When asked why they are so expensive, we were told: “Because of High Season, Easter and all…” (With Easter still being almost a month away!)
* Staff at office very international & friendly, good response to calls on Ch.9 VHF, professional and knowledgeable Marineros.
* Standard Electricity-Plug, no adaptor needed. Electronic access key cards to access the facilities and the marina after office hours. They at least are working on a “Fingerprint-Access System” which at least I deem questionable. (Each person on board would need to record their fingerprints in the office in order to have access to the facilities and piers? …set aside that who would want their fingerprints on record with a private company?) Access of the marina by car possible but billed separately.
* Other than the “fingerprint”-system, no security really worth mentioning.
* Caution: The harbour is big enough for quite some waves to build up during strong NW’lys. We did have our share of problems during one night but assistance by marineros was excellent.
* Infrastructure: There are a number of bars and restaurants inside the marina, followed by quite a long stretch of “nothing” walking past one of the two boat-yards towards town. Near the entrance to RCN, there are a few, actually quite well-stocked chandleries and at least a small supermarket.
* Facilities: One block in the upper floor close to the road entrance to the marina. Very “luxurious”! Separate little rooms with dressing area, toilet, shower, wash-basin for maximum privacy,- however the showers did offer only either nothing but boiling hot or just ice cold water.
* Good size coin-op Washing Machine and dryer on site – right inside the building where the showers are.
* Pay-Wifi – but as said before: Prepaid USB-Stick is the better option in Spain since the reception with most Marina Wifi’s is rather poor.
* Remarkable: No trash-bins anywhere in sight! Yet alone such for collecting garbage for recycling.
* There are three boatyards; One in each marina offering rather small travel-lifts each (20 tons max?) And a separate one which you will see upon entering the harbour on your STB side. That one had a number of larger vessels on the dry, so it would seem that they have a better lifting capacity. (Looked like an 80t to me, but I did not cross over to inspect).
* At the root of the pier giving home to “Marina Denia” there is a quite nice sandy beach.
Summary: We found Denia rather disappointing and having little to offer that would justify the high rates. It sort of is “too small to offer the amenities you’d expect from a big harbour, and too big to pass as a quaint-small harbour”. But it at least offers a ferry to Mallorca – so if you really would want to visit that island without having to subject your boat to the high risks waiting there, there is your option.
Peter – 786GlobalTour
Please always check our youtube-channel for our videos also from many/most Marinas visited:
https://www.youtube.com/user/786GlobalTour
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Just a bit of advice, I imagine it applies to other locations as well, but especially here in Denia some of the service providers are extremely busy in the summer months, and therefore the quality and the prices they offer may vary.
Saying this, when you know the right local people, it really helps to get things done more efficiently. Most of the time boats are a little bit more complicated than they should be.
Especially when you sail to a different country and find that many things are done differently, starting from the shore power connection, or the fuel filters which may cost twice as much just because they are “marine filters”.
One last note about the dry dock here, it can handle up to 150 tons and 8m beam on the travel lift, but there is also a ramp for larger boats. There are smaller and cheaper dry docks as well.
So depending on the time of the year and the length of your stay you may choose differently. In the club Nautico, for example, it is possible for boat owners to work on their own boats at the dry dock, although it’s not very common here since there is cheap labour available.
I’ve reread the main comments above and on balance I would put them on the harsh side of fair. I certainly wouldn’t be able to have work done here.
The port is clearly looking forward and now catering for superyachts and refitting them but El Portet caters for the likes of me and Denia is a beautiful area with much to see, climb, walk, cycle, explore.
Note the initial statement that there are two marinas is incorrect. there are three.
Not that I give it much thought but bins are 25 yards away!
I’m confused about the Denia reports – and I’m here. So this is as it is, SEPT 2015. I tied up at El Portet but checked out the other two marinas to resolve confusion and found no reason to move.
Prices in each are very similar (I have prices in my hand). It boils down to personal preference, which for me is being happy in an 11m yacht on a budget near to town proper. Prices quoted are high season, much lower after Sept.
MARINA de DENIA: e29.8 a day ex-vat. Water and power extra. Chandleries (have everything you don’t need), shops and bars on the long dicky. Very up-market. More than 10 min ride to town centre. If you are on a restaurant-every-night-and-taxis budget this will suit.
Otherwise a bit remote. RCN:e41 a night all in. Gym, pool, sauna etc on site but not sure if that is included. suspect not. Least convenient for town or shops.Five-minute bike ride to town centre or same the other way to get to Marina de Denia up-market area.
EL PORTET: I stopped here on good advice. e39 a night all in. Remarkable wifi signal for a marina. Two minutes and you’re in the heart of Denia. Good showers. The marina area is still being developed but already has some bars and shops, and will only improve.
After investigation, I have no reason to move. The front desk of each marina was very friendly, welcoming and English spoken. No marina will allow you to work on your boat if you lift out.
Denia is a lovely spot, and I feel very relaxed here.
Which compares favourably with some marina further west where I have been treated with disdain and charged exorbitant rates for very little. I wish there was a way for marinas to get cruiser feedback.
One grumpy, disinterested marineiro or office person and my opinion of a marina, or even town, can be completely coloured. markeprior@aol.com if you want to know more.
El Portet Marina to starboard on entry is e39 a night high season for 11M yacht. Very welcoming and helpful in English. This is the place to go. Very pleasant spot with bars etc and not far for shops.
Just a few additions – a more comprehensive report will be added later, as I have stayed in Denia over an extended period across all seasons.
PRICES – can only confirm that rates are very expensive and unaffected by the economical crisis. This also goes for items bought at chandleries.
SECURITY – Marina de Denia and the town is really safe, so the lack of security gates etc really is not a problem.
FACILITIES
– there are much better self-service laundry facilities at ‘Calle Patricio Ferrandiz’, just a few meters away from the bus station.
– garbage containers actually are available all along the pier, just behind the 2-storey buildings (there are even multi-lingual signs to tell so at all the small trash bins right on the quay…)
– Free WiFi is provided at a designated spot in the marina. If you have a WiFi antenna amplifier, you will also pick up the town-wide free service called Denia WiFi.
– there are two chandleries in Marina de Denia of which Nouhad is the most well stocked. Three more are located within a hundred meters of the main entrance to Royal Club Nautico (RCN), of which one is an Accastillage Diffusion.
– while the beach at the entrance to Marina de Denia is decent, there is a much better one to the north, just past the port area (approx 2 km walking distance from Marina de Denia).