Andy had done a fair amount of groundwork before arriving here and had contacted various agents to arrange viewings and be shown around the area to make sure that this part of the country would suit him. He arrived with us in the late afternoon on Saturday and took advantage of our evening meal service that night, rather than having to find a restaurant in unfamiliar surroundings. The next day was spent looking at various different types of property, as he did not have fixed ideas of exactly the type of home he was seeking – but knew he would know it when he found it! One thing that was confirmed in Andy’s mind, however, was that he very much liked this area and felt it would suit him well, especially with the number of coastal towns along the Costa Blanca with marinas, since he has a great interest in owning a boat over here also.

On Monday he had appointments with property dealers on the southern fringes of Valencia city and took the opportunity to acquaint himself with the very northern section of the Costa Blanca and the area immediately inland from the city, but found that it was not so much to his liking. Although there were many appealing properties there which offered great value for money, the area itself did not feel so “right” as further south.

On Tuesday he ventured slightly further afield and went south from us towards Denia and Javea to check out the beaches and marinas there and to view several properties he had shortlisted with agents in the area. This time he felt very much more as if this was the right part of the Costa Blanca for him, and the mixture of coastal towns with harbours and marinas, and properties of suitable size and condition seemed very promising. He looked over several homes in the morning and spent the rest of the day exploring several towns along the coast, having dinner down there too.

The rest of his time with us was spent confirming in his mind his initial impressions of the Costa Blanca and the good value properties that are now to be found in the area. He felt that from Gandia southwards towards Denia and Javea showed the most promise for not only the type of Spanish property that would suit him, but also for the sort of towns and villages that appealed the most.

Andy has family in Canada who would also be relocating to Spain, so obviously this was only the first exploratory trip that he was making. He is expecting to return to us later in the year with his wife and two children to see what they think of the Costa Blanca and the properties he has shortlisted for them. We are looking forward to meeting the rest of his family and hope they will like our part of Spain as much as he does.

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Bargain Spanish Property

Mark and Rosalyn arrived with us on Wednesday lunchtime from England, and are members of an increasing group of people – house hunters in Spain! Now that Spanish property prices here have fallen to levels not seen for several years, the possibility of buying a home – whether for a permanent move or for holiday use – is seen as much more realistic again.

They soon settled in to their room and had some lunch here, before setting off on there property viewing trip, to see some properties that they had already shortlisted with an agent on-line. This gave them the opportunity of familiarising themselves with the area a little and getting a general idea of what was on offer. They were also being very philosophical about the appalling weather that we were having during their visit, saying that if the area and properties appealed to them now in the pouring rain, then they would absolutely love the place when the sun was shining!

After dinner with us and a good night’s sleep, they set of the next morning with another Spanish property agent to see more houses for sale in several different towns and villages in the area. They had seen quite a few different homes during the early part of the day, and were on their way to another one when they were involved in a serious road traffic accident, with an oncoming car that aquaplaned across the road and hit their vehicle head-on. Fortunately they were not badly injured, although their car was totally written-off, ending up in a ditch on its side. We received a phone call from them in the early evening asking if we could collect them from Gandia hospital, where they had been receiving treatment. This was, of course, the first we had heard of the incident so we hurried down to the town to bring them home. They were suffering bruises and whiplash and counting themselves lucky that their injuries were not very much more serious – and agreed through it all that the treatment they had received at the hands of the Spanish healthcare system had been excellent and very thorough.

The following day – Friday – friends of theirs who live in Madrid were due to arrive to spend some time with them here at Villa Florencia so Mark and Rosalyn were happy to spend a quiet day awaiting their arrival and making phone calls to arrange a replacement hire car, etc. Nigel and Elizabeth arrived around 8.30pm and they all went to a nearby restaurant for evening meal and then a nightcap here afterwards. On Saturday after breakfast we took Mark to the local car rental office in Gandia to pick up a replacement car and then they went off with their friends for the day for a second look at a couple of Spanish properties that had particularly caught their eye as well as for a trip to Gandia beach area. They returned later in the afternoon, by which time the weather had improved slightly, with plans to go to a good restaurant in Gandia for dinner that night.

Sunday morning came, and it was time for Mark and Rosalyn to leave for Valencia airport to catch their flight home. They are, however, seriously interested in a Spanish property in the area, so there is a strong possibility that we shall see them here with us again. Hopefully their next visit will be a little less eventful, with no need to sample the local medical services, and will also be marked by considerably better weather. As they themselves said, if they like the place under these circumstances then they will surely love it when things are more normal!

Their friends Nigel and Elizabeth had a more leisurely breakfast, since they had no morning flight to catch, and set off in their car to go home to Madrid a little later. They also agreed that they had had a great time with their friends and that it had been a perfect opportunity to catch up and spend some time together. Maybe we shall see them all back together again, possibly in time for a housewarming party!

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Once again Spring is upon us here in Spain, and although the weather is the northern countries of Europe is still trying to stay cold and bleak, the temperatures here are steadily rising, and all the signs of the new season are appearing.

The cherry trees inland have already been in bloom and the fruit is shortly to be gathered in, but here along the coast it is the citrus trees that herald the onset of warm weather. Unique to citrus trees is the fact that fruit from the previous season can remain on the tree (and depending on the variety this is often the case) whilst the blossom for the next season’s crop is also to be seen – which gives a wonderful and colourful display. Most of all, of course, it is the overwhelming scent of orange blossom in the air that makes an indelible impression on any visitor to the La Safor region in springtime.

Whilst so much of the continent (and indeed much of Spain too) is still only just beginning to see some occasional warmer weather, the La Safor region has already emerged from the cold and is basking in beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures. April and May are two of the best months for visiting this part of the country. The days are lovely and warm, and you can be out and about enjoying the superb scenery but without the higher temperatures of summer proper, when (great as it is) you mostly want to just laze around a sparkling pool or enjoy the superb beaches in the area.

Mountain biking and hill walking opportunities abound in this region, with many designated routes marked out for the enthusiast, which will take you through some of the most gorgeous scenery you could hope to find anywhere. Due to the fact that this area has natural reserves of underground water, the overall impression is one of lush green countryside – an image very much at odds with the common assumption that all of Spain becomes brown and arid as soon as winter is over. Further south, and this is true to a greater or lesser extent – but here in the La Safor region of Valencia province the hills and mountains retain their green freshness all year round. If mountain biking and hill walking is not for you, it can nevertheless still be great to jump in the car and go on day trips to the inland attractions that are within easy reach – towns like historic Xativa with its quaint streets and dominating castle, or beautiful Guadalest – again with a wonderful castle and overlooking a turquoise coloured lake! And then of course there is the historic city of Valencia itself with a wonderful mixture of the old city with its ancient walls, cathedral and beautiful squares contrasting with the stunning architecture of the ultra-modern City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias).

Whatever you are looking for in a spring break, the La Safor region has so much to offer that there has to be something to suit everyone! And if you really just want to have a truly relaxing time and unwind from the stress of everyday life, you can of course stretch out on a sun lounger, enjoy the beautiful scent of that orange blossom in the air, and savour the unaccustomed warmth of the spring sunshine on your back!

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Sold! Spanish Property Sellers

Jeanette and Kevin from the UK made a booking to come and stay with us this week, as they had sold their holiday villa in La Drova to another couple who had been property hunters – also from the UK – who were wanting to have a holiday base in the La Safor area.
Jeanette and Kevin decided to make an unhurried trip of it, arriving with us on the Sunday and staying until the following Saturday, with the appointment at the notary’s office scheduled for the Wednesday. They were driving down from the UK in their car, crossing by ferry to Santander, which is something they had often done in the past when visiting their property. Apparently they used to come on average for about six weeks each year, and had owned property in this area for over ten years – their house in La Drova was their second one.

Property hunters seem to be slightly on the increase now that house prices have fallen to levels not seen in Spain for a very long time. Foreigners who want to buy a home have become aware that Spain now offers good value properties once again, and this is reflected in the fact that Jeanette and Kevin actually had two prospective purchasers who wanted to buy their home!

Their first couple of days here were spent removing their personal belongings from the house. Although they were selling the property as a fully furnished villa, there were nevertheless items that were not included in the sale that they had kept here, rather than bringing the same things with them each visit. This was of course no problem to do, since everything would fit easily into the back of their car for the return trip to the UK. When Wednesday came, it was time to go to the notary’s office for their appointment to finalise the sale and everything went absolutely according to plan. They returned at lunchtime much relieved, and looking forward to spending the rest of their time here revisiting some of their favourite places and saying farewell to friends they had made in the area.

All too soon Saturday morning arrived, and it was time for our latest property sellers to leave us. Again, they had planned their itinerary well and left us in the morning with a view to having plenty of time to get to the north of the country for the evening ferry back to the UK. It had been great to meet Jeanette and Kevin, but at the same time a pity that we will probably not see them back here for some time. We look forward to seeing them possibly next summer, when we can welcome them back as holidaymakers, rather than property hunters or sellers!

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Spring Rock Climbers

Recently, we were very glad to welcome a group of three friends who were visiting us in order to spend a few days rock climbing some of the famous crags to be found along the Costa Blanca. John, Jan and Marek arrived last Saturday for a week’s stay, and had done a fair amount of research before their arrival about which crags they wanted to scale.

They had undertaken several similar rock climbing trips together as a group in the past, but this was the first time they had visited our part of the country. After arriving early Saturday afternoon, they went to Gandia Crag – known locally as Penya Roja – since it is literally within walking distance of our villa and provided the opportunity to get a little bit of climbing in on their first day, without spending any more travelling time. The weather was warm and sunny, and was a very welcome change for them compared to what they had left behind in England, and indeed this was to be the pattern for their week with us.

Each day they would make a well planned excursion to one of the crags they had researched before they left England, the exact selection on each day depending on how they felt at the time. They would make their own packed lunches to take with them, and in the evenings they would either make use of our evening meal service, or explore Gandia or Playa de Gandia to find a restaurant that suited their requirements that day. They were fortunate in that the timing of their visit coincided with the build-up to the fiesta of Fallas in Gandia, which culminates on March 19th, so whenever they went into town in the evening there was always plenty to see and do.

Their week passed quickly and very enjoyably, with a good range of crags climbed and they were left with the thought that maybe a return visit would be called for sometime in the foreseeable future, as there were many other climbing challenges in the area they felt they wanted to take on. They were a very convivial group of guests, and we certainly hope they will come back and visit us again and complete the list of climbs that they want to conquer.

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Scott, Alain and Mario from Montreal in Canada arrived on Sunday evening to stay with us for six nights and the purpose of their visit was to spend their time here mountain biking in Spain, in the beautiful mountains and countryside of the La Safor region. Scott and Alain had visited the area before, and although they had hired bikes then, they had not taken advantage of the guided mountain bike service that is available. This time they decided to do just that, and be shown new routes that they would otherwise not have discovered for themselves.

After their evening arrival from Canada, they dined with us that night before getting some well-earned rest and attempting to adjust their body clocks to European time. The following morning though, on the Monday, they were eager to get on the road and set off with Dave Warrington from Mountain Biking Valencia on a route of some 30kms in the mountains of the La Safor region, starting from Pla de Corrals. They took a packed lunch with them and had a great time, returning to us in the early evening in time for dinner and another fairly early night. This time they were recovering not only from jet lag still, but of course also from the exertions of the day!

The next day they embarked on a 45kms trip which was a high mountain ride along the Benicadell ridge. This took in some hard climbing amongst beautiful scenery and had the reward of a great high speed descent at the end! Again, they took a packed lunch with them, stayed out all day, and returned in time to shower and then go out to Gandia town for a meal in the evening.

On Wednesday and Thursday they again undertook fairly demanding routes, including an 80km ride starting in La Drova, taking in the disused Alcoi to Gandia railway line that runs adjacent to the Serpis river, and then returning to the villa via Villalonga and the Marchuquera valley – a great route! Thursday night was the traditional “tapas” night in Gandia, when we all went into town and stopped at several of the local bars that were participating in the “Tapas Route” that has become such a feature of the town’s social life.

Friday was the last full day of their visit to us, however, so they went on a slightly shorter route – but still 40kms – taking a route further south from here in the Jalon Valley following the ridge of the Sierra de Bernia. Again, they experienced a great biking trip amid beautiful scenery and in lovely weather, which of course they wanted to make the most of before returning to sub-zero temperatures in Canada! They had a very early departure on the Saturday morning, catching a flight first to Lisbon, then to Germany, where they got their final connection back to Montreal. It had been a genuine pleasure to have them visit us, and hopefully they will return in the future to go Mountain Biking in Spain, as they take activity holidays in Spain on a fairly regular basis and were still eager to explore more of our part of Spain.

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Gandia Golf Course – Oliva Nova Golf

More and more people are coming to this part of the Costa Blanca area to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take part in some sort of outdoor activity holiday, and one that should not be overlooked by anyone thinking of this part of Spain is the game of golf. When one thinks of golf in Spain, many are drawn to the south of the country but there are some beautiful courses in this part of the Valencia region as well.

One such course is Oliva Nova Golf Resort, situated about 25 minutes’ drive from Gandia Casa Rural. It is located between the towns of Oliva and Denia, on the Costa Blanca. Enjoy a round of golf amongst wild dunes and Mediterranean beach environment.

Designed and built by Seve Ballesteros, the Oliva Nova Golf Club course extends to around 50 hectares.

It is a par 72 links course of 6,350 m with a slope of 120, the main characteristic of which is that 15 of its 18 holes include water obstacles. The only holes that have no water obstacles are numbers 2, 13 and 14.

A technical course, with a gentle undulating terrain, easy to walk on, formed by the traditional four pars 3, four pars 5 and ten pars 4 formula where the shots are rewarded and the bad ones are punished, in Severiano’s own words:

“This course offers great possibilities to all golfers, as it has short, medium and long holes, and fairways with left and right doglegs. I think it poses a challenge to any golfer.” The amen corner of the course is at the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, where strategy and the wind are determining factors.

It has established rivals in the area such as El Saler, El Bosque and La Galiana, but Oliva Nova will take some beating, so if you are planning a golf trip to the Gandia area then put this gem in your itinerary.

If you are looking for some comfortable accommodation in equally beautiful surroundings to the golf course, you need look no further than Gandia Casa Rural, a beautifully maintained villa with daily room service for B&B guests. Guests may choose between either Bed and Breakfast accommodation or a self-catering apartment, and an evening meal service can also be provided (whichever type of accommodation is selected). Another possibility for the larger group of travellers (up to 14) is the option to rent the entire property on a self-catering basis.
The villa is situated within easy reach of good road links to the Oliva Nova Golf course as well as the others in the area, and is also only 8kms from some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline in the whole country.

Directions from Gandia Casa Rural

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More and more people are coming to the Gandia area to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take part in some sort of outdoor activity holiday, and one that should not be overlooked by anyone thinking of this part of Spain is the game of golf. When one thinks of golf in Spain, many are drawn to the south of the country but there are some beautiful courses in this region as well.

One such course is La Galiana, situated about 30 minutes’ drive from Villa Florencia (Gandia Casa Rural). It is set in the Vall de la Valldigna and the La Galiana course enjoys a spectacular setting in a valley surrounded by pine and orange groves, isolated from residential areas. More than 5000 local species of plants and trees have been used for its landscaping.

This course has everything that makes golf such an attractive game. It has a great location in the Vall de la Valldigna and is a protected area of nature, where there are no residential buildings, and it features spectacular scenery and stunning views. The course itself is 18 holes Par 72 and 6975 meters from the back Tees, and with six Tees for each hole it provides a challenge for all levels of expertise. At the same time it is entertaining too, since the design of each hole has been studied for a continuous challenge for even the most accomplished players, so everybody can enjoy a fun day of golf.

The arrangement of greens and bunkers, and numerous water hazards that are distributed along the route, mean that the course will test the ability of all players, who will have to use their entire repertoire of shots. It really is a course of outstanding beauty set in natural surroundings, and the only sound you may hear, apart from the birds, is the click of ball on club or the distant shout of “fore”.

It has established rivals in the area such as El Saler, El Bosque and Oliva Nova, but La Galiana will take some beating, so if you are planning a golf trip to the Gandia area then put this gem in your itinerary.

If you are looking for some comfortable accommodation in equally beautiful surroundings to the golf course, you need look no further that Villa Florencia (Gandia Casa Rural), a beautifully maintained villa with daily room service for B & B guests. Guests may choose between either Bed and Breakfast accommodation or a self-catering apartment, and an evening meal service can also be provided (whichever type of accommodation is selected). Another possibility for the larger group of travellers (up to 14) is the option to rent the entire property on a self-catering basis. The villa is situated within easy reach of good road links to the La Galiana course as well as the others in the area, and is also only 8kms from some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline in the whole country.

Directions from Gandia Casa Rural

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Yesterday we decided to take a trip to the beautiful city of Valencia to have a walk around the streets and of course to pick up some useful literature from the tourist information office for our guests to use in the coming season. Also on the agenda was to have a look at the famous indoor food and produce market – known as the Central Market or Mercado Central – to see where many of the hotels and restaurants in the city obtain their produce.

Valencia is so easy to visit from our area, and the best option is to drive to Xeraco station – one stop up the line, where there is plenty of free parking – and go by train. A leisurely journey through orange groves and rice fields brings you right into the heart of the city to the central station (confusingly called Valencia Nord!), which is perfectly located for exploring the historic centre of the town – all directly ahead of you as you leave the station. It was not the warmest of days to go walking in Valencia (but it is February after all!), so our first mission was to make our way towards the cathedral and find a nearby coffee shop. Next stop was the tourist information office in Plaza de la Reina, where the helpful staff were happy to supply us with street maps, pamphlets and lots of general literature about the city that would prove useful to any of our guests planning a visit there.

After that we made our way back towards the indoor market in time to have a good look round – not only at the wonderful array of beautifully displayed fresh produce, but also at the exterior of a building that would be an attraction to visit in its own right. The stalls are laid out in wide aisles with plenty of space so there is no crowding, and the range of fresh food that is available is truly amazing – not only for the choice on offer, but also because of the many unusual varieties of fruit and vegetables only rarely seen in conventional shops. There are extensive meat and fish areas too, and the different sections of produce are allocated different areas of the building. It is not a fair comparison to think of this in the same way as a small town market, as the prices here are certainly not as cheap – but the quality and range of what is on offer is in a different league altogether. This is a gourmet market aimed at the truly discerning individual customer, and of course at the hotel and restaurant industry to be found in the city.

Seeing all that food had given us an appetite, so we then set off in search of a local restaurant for a typical lunch – a Menu del Dia. This nearly always represents excellent value for money, and the concept is that you have a three course lunch, with bread and a drink included, at an all inclusive – and usually very reasonable – price. Restaurants normally display the menu outside on a pavement board or similar, which shows the choices available for each course and the price you are charged for the whole thing – no unexpected extras are ever added on to the bill … what you see is what you pay! And even in the more commercialised areas of Valencia you can easily eat like this for anything upwards of €8 per person – not something you will find in many other European countries!

Since our restaurant was located conveniently close to the station it was only a short walk to catch our train home again, after what had been a very pleasant and impromptu visit to this beautiful city. The train departed on time as always, and soon we were back home after a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile day out. And now we can tell our visitors with first-hand knowledge about yet another attraction they should visit in an altogether lovely city!

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Mediterranean Garden Plants

We recently had the pleasure of having the Theemann family from Germany visit us for a few days. They arrived with their son and daughter as well as one of their daughter’s friends, and we assumed they were here for a few days’ winter sunshine during the break in the school term. They had booked the self-catering apartment for four nights, but as they arrived fairly late in the evening they had also arranged to take advantage of our evening meal service.

During dinner, it transpired that although they certainly were looking forward to a spell of much warmer weather than they had left behind n Germany, the main purpose of their trip was shopping – but not the usual souvenir shopping that many of our guests treat themselves to. Back in Germany, the Theemanns run a garden nursery business with several outlets, and they were here in order to place orders for palm and citrus trees and other Mediterranean Garden Plants for the coming season.

This is an annual undertaking for them – they come to our part of Spain most years for this – and as a result they have contacts and lines of supply already well established over here. They were therefore able to set off on their first morning straight to a supplier near Valencia city where they knew what they would be able to order Mediterranean Garden Plants with no problems. They returned to us in the early afternoon in time for some food shopping and then an evening taking it easy in their apartment.

The following day was time for some proper holiday activity, and so they decided to have an excursion to the inland town of Xativa, where they wanted to explore the narrow streets and quaint squares. The town is dominated by a spectacular castle which gives beautiful views for a huge area all around, so they were able to spend a thoroughly enjoyable day there and also take in Xativa’s weekly market as an added bonus. The next day, though, it was back to the main purpose of the trip and so they went down the coast to Elche – a world famous centre for palm trees – to order not only some palm trees, but also citrus trees and other Mediterranean Garden Plants. They spent the rest of the day sightseeing along the coast, making their way gradually back towards Gandia with the intention of having a family dinner in their self-catering apartment one last time before returning to Germany the next morning.

Since this is an annual trip for the Theemann family, and they loved the location of our villa and the convenience of the self-catering apartment, when they left to catch their return flight from Alicante they said they would certainly be back with us next year. We certainly hope this is the case, as it was a pleasure to have them visit us, and we look forward to welcoming them again on their next Mediterranean Garden Plants buying trip!

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