The Valencia region and the La Safor area, in particular make a perfect base for holidays and excursions with an emphasis on nature, open air and unspoilt countryside. The magnificent scenery, abundant bird-life and natural surroundings all combine to lure the visitor to explore the region that lies behind the usual Costa Blanca beachfront destinations. [...]
Many people are seeking alternatives to the seaside resort holiday that is centred around lots of sunshine and doing as little as possible except maybe reading a book on the beach or around a swimming pool. Pleasant as that prospect may be, spending two weeks with nothing else on the agenda can become a little [...]
We were pleased to welcome Neil and Debs to Villa Florencia at the end of last week, with the added dimension that they are from Canada, taking five weeks to tour through Spain and Portugal, and doing the whole thing by public transport – mainly bus. We collected them from Gandía bus station and brought [...]
Last week we were pleased to welcome a couple from Edinburgh who had booked to stay with us for a week of late summer sunshine. Brian and Ruth are keen hill walkers and hikers, and wanted to spend some time in nice weather preparing themselves for a walking challenge that awaited them after their return [...]
This week marks the five year anniversary of our arrival in Gandía as the owners of Villa Florencia – also known now as Gandía Casa Rural. We were originally attracted by the beauty of the area and the prospect of running our own guest house and bed and breakfast business on the Costa Blanca [...]
Hot Summer Holidays The European Health Insurance Card makes it easier for people from the European Union’s 27 Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland to access healthcare services during temporary visits abroad. So, if you are going on holiday, a business trip or a short break or are heading off to study abroad, [...]
Hillwalkers from Holland Rob and his partner Matthew from Holland contacted us to ask if we had a room free at short notice, as they were currently in Extremadura and wanted to come to our part of Spain – partly to leave the rain behind (hopefully), and also they were in search of a good [...]
Guided Spanish Walking Holidays A feature of the area surrounding Villa Florencia is the plethora of walking routes for the hiker, all carefully signposted with distances and estimated walking times. Beautiful April weather and a visit from my nephew prompted the decision to sample the delights of one of the walking routes ourselves. Turning left [...]
Gandia Casa Rural is an ideally located base for your Costa Blanca spring sunshine break, just over an hour north of Alicante by car, 40 minutes south of Valencia (or conveniently placed for the train to the city too), and within easy driving range of any of the other places and attractions along the coast [...]