Casa Rural Spain Archives - Page 2 of 14 - Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

Las Fallas 2017 – A Pet Friendly Solution

Fallas 2017 – A Pet-Friendly Solution! Once again, it is the time of year when winter finally seems to be becoming a thing of the past and there is a spring-like feel in the air. And here in the Valencia region that can only mean one thing – the fiesta of Las Fallas, when huge and usually satirical effigies are constructed in the streets of the main towns – only to be burnt to the ground on the night of March 19th. All this is inevitably accompanied by what seems like limitless numbers of fireworks on the days leading up to the 19th. Traditionally there is a major display at 2.00pm each day – it takes place in front of the railway station here in Gandia – although the term “display” is a touch misleading. As is often the case in Spain, it is more a question of achieving the maximum noise possible, rather than a colourful display of lights in the sky. The main criterion seems to be that the louder it is the better – and if it is totally deafening and makes the ground vibrate, then this indicates ultimate success! And of course it is not only…

We are always pleased to offer an evening meal service for our guests, and are happy to cater for any specific dietary requirements as well. We provide a set menu of three courses and coffee for a fixed price and this can be a very convenient solution for many guests who prefer to dine at an earlier time than is customary here in Spain. Also, at the beginning of a visit, it can be very convenient, rather than trying to find a suitable restaurant in new surroundings. We were pleased to provide this service tonight for our current guests, and the images here show some examples from this evening’s dinner. We always cook using personally selected, fresh ingredients, often sourced from farms in the immediate area. All we ask of our guests is that tell us each morning whether they wish to dine with us that same evening!

2016 – A very “Pet Friendly Year” so far! At Villa Florencia we always pride ourselves on welcoming not only our human guests, but also any canine guests that happen to bring their humans along with them!! It is often very difficult to find a pet friendly hotel and guest house accommodation where the family pet is welcome and so we have had several guests already this year who have visited with their pets. Some have been new guests who have not visited us before, whilst others have been very welcome “returners”! And we are expecting the arrival of yet more canine guests in the near future – particularly a lovely Golden Retriever and his Spanish owners who won a photo competition of their pet relaxing on an air-bed in the swimming pool last summer! Brian and Marilyn returned with their two lovely Golden Retrievers named Carlos and Paco earlier in the month. They live in the south of Spain but like coming to this part of the country for a pet friendly break with their dogs and visited us last October and again now in May. Not only that – they have booked for a third visit in October…

bed and breakfast accommodation with pool

Villa Florencia Gandia 2015 has been a busy year for us all at Villa Florencia, with a constant succession of guests both old and new. This marks our 9th full year of welcoming visitors into our home and it is great to see so many of them coming back to us year after year. Our general mix of guests this year was very much along the usual lines, with a large number coming (not surprisingly) for the sunshine and warmth that is not to be found in the northern parts of Europe so easily, but also many coming for a variety of other reasons. Over the years we have been able to promote ourselves to certain “niche” markets that all help to make Villa Florencia an appealing place to stay and enjoy what the local area has to offer The year started with beautiful weather – which developed into a very hot summer – and this early sunshine encouraged our first rock-climbing visitors to stay with us. The whole area of the Costa Blanca is a well-known destination for climbers in the cooler months of the year and it is always a pleasure to have them stay with us here….

House Hunters become House Purchasers! We were delighted to receive a booking from property hunters Andrew and Sandra, who wanted to stay with us for a couple of weeks, starting shortly after Christmas. They had stayed with us in September – property hunting, during which time they had found the house they wanted to buy, and now the purpose of their visit was to move the purchasing process forward and to establish exactly what work they would want to have done in the house – and obtain quotes, make contacts with tradesmen and of course check out the local DIY stores for future reference! Andrew and Sandra are buying a Spanish property at a really great time. They are able to make the most of the advantageous exchange rate at the moment, as well as benefitting from the vastly reduced prices of property here on the Costa Blanca. Many people are realising that this great combination is a huge advantage right now, with the result that we have seen a noticeable increase in the number of property hunters – and indeed buyers – compared to the last few years since the financial crisis of 2008. Sandra and Andrew are buying…

Casa Rural 2014 Summer of Diversity 2014 has been a long and busy season for us at Villa Florencia Casa Rural, with a wide variety of guests from countries all over Europe and beyond. We were happy to welcome so many new visitors, but delighted that a large number of guests returned to us who had been here before. Not only has our Bed and Breakfast accommodation been as popular as ever, but bookings for our self-catering apartment have been at a very high level, with guests checking in there almost continuously throughout the year. The first bookings of 2014 were for visitors coming for the attractions and activities that are best enjoyed in this part of the Costa Blanca in the cooler months of the year – hillwalking, mountain biking, rock climbing, etc. In addition, “Las Fallas” is the first annual fiesta in the local calendar, and this year we had guests visit us especially for the celebrations. They had been to the area before and enjoyed the fiesta in previous years, but this was the first time they had stayed with us – and they clearly enjoyed the experience as they have already booked again for 2015! More…

Category: Casa Rural Spain

Las Fallas 2017 – A Pet Friendly Solution

Dinner at the Villa Florencia

Pet Friendly Accommodations

2015 Year in Review

Property Hunting on the Costa Blanca

Casa Rural 2014 Summer of Diversity