The contract for the beach bars is just about resolved despite the fact that the Orihuela Government Team failed to open them for Easter, as they originally promised. There is now just one of the lots still to be awarded after the Contracting Board announced the award of two groups of bars on Thursday, that add to those already awarded last week.

Now the mater as to when they open is in the hands of each company although I am sure we will see progress on some of the more profitable bars this month, maybe as early as next week.

The newly awarded lots are tender umber 2 (Cala Cerrada, Cala Bosque and Cala Capitán) and number 3 (La Caleta and Aguamarina).

The successful bidder is the company Adem Levante, the previous concessionaire that operated under the Chiringuitos del Sol trademark.

With the first lot, the company has offered an annual fee of 802,814 euros and, in the second lot, 403,881 euros. Both amounts are significantly higher than the fee requested by the Council.

The beach bars in Cala Bosque (La Zenia) and La Caleta will be open all year round, as will their toilets.

The Neighbourhood Association of AVCRL said, “we believe that La Caleta will be the first to start operating and we estimate its start date could be before the end of this month.

The AVCRL spokesman added, “The Council will now double the income it had previously earned from the beach bar and water sports service, prior to its closure in January 2023, receiving an amount close to two million euros annually, instead of the 900,000 it previously received”.

The other lots already awarded are the bars on the beaches of La Glea, Barranco Rubio and Mil Palmeras, which went to Café Olé & Friends, and the nautical sports lot, which went to Recreativos Acuáticos Horadada.

The contracts for Punta Prima, Cala Mosca and Cala Estaca are still pending.