Year: 2012

Trek Mamba 29er Sport Hardtail

29er Sport Hardtail Trek Mamba 29er Sport Hardtail,..I have been mountain biking for the past 9 months, and all this time, I have done all my riding on a rental bike from MTB VLC, a Trek 4300 disc. With an upcoming birthday, I decided that it was time to invest in my own bike.Having done my necessary research, I set off on Monday with my MTB coach, into the Trek Bicycle store in Gandia, with every intention of purchasing a new 4300,…Yes, I could have one, yes, they had my colour, yes, they had my size, but delivery was 2 weeks,….not in time for my birthday!Then I spotted her,…the new Trek Mamba 29er, in glistening orange and black,…(I had briefly looked at this bike while doing my research but thought that it was a little out of my league both in terms of budget, and spec of the bike, and had thought it better to stick with what I knew.)After a brief discussion with my coach (“yes, you can handle the bike”) and salesman (“yes, I can do you a discount, Yes, you can have it today”), the decision was made,… Yes I want one! I returned one hour later,…

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Pet Friendly Accommodation

We received a booking request for one night from John and Jacqui, who asked if we could accommodate them, along with their Cockapoo named Monti. We always say that we welcome owners as well as their pets, so of course replied that the three of them would be very welcome. They were in fact travelling down to their holiday home in Andalusia, having driven down through France visiting friends along the way. This part of the Costa Blanca is a very convenient point to stop along the way down to the south of the country, and the Bed and Breakfast accommodation that we offer is a very convenient option. Added to that is the fact that guests can choose to take advantage of our evening meal service, so there is no need to look for a restaurant in unfamiliar surroundings after a long drive during the day. The pet-friendly accommodation that we offer only served as an additional inducement for John and Jacqui to stay with us – it was the perfect solution for them. Monti was a beautiful and friendly 8 month old cross poodle and cocker spaniel (hence Copckapoo), who was a real delight and who soon became…

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Self-Catering Villa Rental

Some time ago we received a reservation from a lady wishing to book the entire property for a group of 14 family and friends for a week as part of a 50th birthday celebration. When they arrived last week, it turned out that the group consisted of two sets of parents, two grandmothers and eight younger members – i.e. the sons/daughters and respective partners. The accommodation here is ideal for that kind of mixed group who want to enjoy a self-catering holiday on the Costa Blanca, as the two older ladies and one set of parents occupied the self-contained apartment on the lower level of the house, the other set of parents were in the room above that apartment, and the younger members were in the remaining bedrooms in the rest of the house. Each room has its own private bathroom, so everybody had ample space for themselves but could mix and socialise together in the spacious public rooms, sun terraces and around the pool. They soon settled in to the accommodation, acquainted themselves with the kitchen facilities and then went on a shopping expedition to the local supermarket for supplies! The rest of their arrival day was spent relaxing…

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Biking 100.1

Last week, along with my good friend Dave, we decided to go mountain biking in Valencia. We parked the van in the town of Xeraco, just north of Gandia. After an obligatory coffee, we set off at 10:30, along a quiet country road that took us through orange groves and up the coast to the town of Cullera. From there we followed 7km of road riding to the town of Sueca from where we entered the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. This section of the ride was particularly pleasant as we rode through the rice fields along surfaced but very quiet country lanes. By 12:30 we had reached the famous “Paella village” of El Palmar for another coffee break and to replenish our water supplies, before taking another quiet road out towards the coast, passing the lake of Albufera along the way. From here took another trail, this time right alongside the beach. This great little trail took us up the Mediterranean coast and right into the city of Valencia where we biked through the Turia gardens to the stunning architecture of the City of Arts & Sciences, just in time for lunch! Our original plan was to take…

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Guests from Switzerland

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed Marie, Anton and their daughter Jana back to Villa Florencia again – this was their third visit and the second one in our self-catering apartment. They live in Switzerland, although originate from South Africa, so are always pleased to see some of our warm Spanish sunshine – and this visit did not fail to disappoint, with beautiful warm weather and lots of time relaxing in the pool and gardens. They stayed with us for a week here on the Costa Blanca and during that time also went to the city of Valencia, specifically to see the Oceanografic aquarium at the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias). This was as a belated birthday treat for Yana, who loved all the exhibits there and especially the glass tunnels that you walk through with marine life swimming all around you. Other excursions included a trip to the nearby Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, which they found well worthwhile and which forms part of the La Safor monastery route and pilgrimage. Marie and Anton immediately felt on holiday here, as they were already acquainted with the house and…

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Guests from Poland

A few weeks ago we received a booking from Tomasz and Tadeusz, who were looking to spend nine days with us here in search of some reliable sunshine and warmth and an escape from what has not been a very reliable summer in Poland. They were to be our first guests from Poland, so of course we were delighted that we could accommodate them for the time they wanted. Their arrival was delayed by a few hours due to problems with their flight from Krakow, so they only reached us in the small hours of the morning, but they were very glad to find us with no problems even in the dark. It was a lovely surprise for them, therefore, when they woke up the next morning to find themselves in such beautiful surroundings with the La Safor mountains almost in the front garden and the swimming pool beckoning to be tried out! Having had such a late arrival they were very glad to be able simply to relax and take it easy for the first day and to get used to their new surroundings, so after a leisurely breakfast, that is exactly what they did. They soon felt very…

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