Year: 2013

Mountain Biking the GR-236 Monastery Route Part 1

Mountain Biking the GR-236 Monastery Route Part 1 For today’s mountain biking trip, we decided to take in the first 2 of the 5 monasteries, the Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, in Alfauir & the Monastery of the Corpus Christi, in Llutxent, and returning home via Pinet, a route of 45km. We set off at 11am and cycled down to the first monastery, Sant Jeroni, only 5km from the villa, a nice gentle way to start the day. Cycling through orchards and a mixture of tracks and semi-surfaced paths. A quick photo opportunity and then time to set off in the direction of Benicolet. Following a well sign-posted route we meandered through the Spanish countryside on undulating tracks and paths, for another 10km and finally reached the village of Bencolet, from here we followed the main road for another 5km and reached the second of the Monastery, Corpus Christi, in Llutxent. We stopped at a local bar for refreshments and a well earned break. Next it was on to Pinet, again following well marked tracks and bridal paths, for the next 6km. We stopped again for a break and to rehydrate in the village and to gather ourselves for…

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Spanish Property Hunting – Canadians in Spain

Spanish Property Hunting We recently received a reservation for a 6 night regional inspection tour, from Andy, who intended to fly here from England, where he had been visiting his daughter. Andy, however, now lives in Canada (although comes from the UK originally) and is interested in the possibility of purchasing a property here on the Costa Blanca. He is one of a growing band of people who are recognising that Spanish property now represents far better value for money than a few years ago, when prices had risen to unrealistic levels. 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…

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Self Catering Breaks – Costa Blanca Sunshine

Self Catering Breaks – Costa Blanca Sunshine Some time ago we received a reservation from Beverley and Steve for our self-catering apartment, which they wanted to book for three days for themselves and some friends. Beverley and Steve divide their time between their home near Murcia and their house in England, and their friends were coming to visit for a few days, so they wanted to travel around and see some sights along the Costa Blanca during their time together. They arrived on Monday after spending some time sightseeing on the way north. They had called in at Guadalest to see the castle there before carrying on to reach us mid-afternoon, which gave them plenty of time to settle in to their apartment. They spent the rest of the day there, having decided to cook their own evening meal and watch television during the evening. On Tuesday they set off to spend the day in Valencia city, taking the train from Xeraco around 9.30am and arriving in the city about an hour later. They took the sightseeing bus in order to get their bearings and decide what they wanted to return and see in more detail later in the day,…

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Spanish Property Hunters – Spanish Property Inspection Trips

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…

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