Valencia FAIL – Estrella Damm Lounge
Written by mpowellDuring our first summer here, in 2008, the Estrella Damm lounge overlooking the America’s Cup harbor was one of our favorite hangouts. Hip staff, good drinks, comfortable seats and an unbeatable sunset view made it a great place to take friends.
Well, that’s apparently a thing of the past, as we learned while trying to show off Cool Valencia to our latest visitor. The lounge looks like a ghost town — everything’s been cleared out, the counters are covered in dust, and I’m pretty sure I saw a tumbleweed blowing through.
What happened? Here we were at the harbor on a beautiful Thursday evening in the middle of summer, and apparently the only people within a kilometer’s radius. It wasn’t just Estrella Damm, but all the other bars around the Veles e Vents building were completely desolate. Not just a lack of visitors, but of everything — nothing open, no people, not even security. It was depressing.
When it’s not falling over itself to impress the high-stakes crowd that accompanies the America’s Cup, Valencia seems content to let its harbor fall into complete disuse. One needn’t look too closely to discover rust covering everything metal and huge weeds poking up through wooden planks. The Veles e Vents building itself looks dirty and old. It’s a terrible waste of what could be a beautiful location.
But the death of Estrella Damm lounge really has us puzzled — after all, there was no America’s Cup last year, but that place was always packed. What happened? Could any of our readers clue us in?
TIP: If you want a substitute bar with a great ocean view, you probably can’t do better than 30°27N, which can be found here. A little pricey, but really lovely in the evening. (location)
Update – Reader freshwater left a comment noting that the Estrella Damm Lounge didn’t abandon Malvarrosa, just the America’s Cup Port. It’s now situated where the former Cafe del Mar used to be, approximately here. Thanks!
Valencia
20°
freshwater wrote,
I think there’s a new Estrella Damm Lounge at Malvarrosa Beach. It’s located where it was Cafe del Mar… Right here
Link | June 26th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Estrella wrote,
As far as I know the original Estrella Damm Bar is up for sale!
Link | July 8th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Robert wrote,
The replacement for Cafe del Mar isn’t the Estrella Damm Lounge but Amstell. I am gutted with the closure of the Estrella Damm Lounge – the marina couldn’t be worse at the moment. Will open for the fat cats of Formula 1 then close down again straight after – leaving us who live near the port with 2 months of disruption while they take down the grandstands,etc. again. So much for Rita’s promises at the beginning of the year of rejuvenating the marina and returning it to the people with bars, venues,etc. – couldn’t be further from the truth. One positive sign is the dismantling of the Americas Cup rubbish from Tinglado 2 which leaves it open to the sea now and with the possibility of turning it into something useful!
Link | July 22nd, 2009 at 9:00 am