At the North end of the promenade were a row of detached villas set in mature gardens, mostly built in the early 1900s. There were originally twenty seven villas but, since that time, some had been demolished, some had been replaced by modern villas and some still waited in a delapidated state for the attention of the developers.
In their heyday these properties were the scene of elegant and extravagent beach parties They were used by their wealthy owners to entertain the rich and famous – aristocracy, politicians, wealthy businessmen and film stars. In 1936 the Spanish Civil War brought an end to the beach parties when the anarchists requisitioned the villas and used them as a administration centres and hospitals – Ernest Hemingway was treated there and later settled in the area. Today, in 2015, peeping through the railings, I could imagine how the villas might have been a hundred years ago – you could almost hear the music and laughter echoing down the years. Ah, those were the days . .
