Year: 2013

Family Reunions in Spain

Family Reunion in Spain We received a contact from Clare via our Facebook page a couple of weeks ago, to ask if it would be feasible to organise a family reunion at Villa Florencia. The situation was that Clare permanently lives near Alicante with her Spanish husband and four year-old twin daughters, and two sets of her aunts and uncles were going to be having their holidays near Castellón – the next provincial town north of Valencia. The idea was that they could all possibly meet up somewhere between the two points (so on the northern Costa Blanca) and spend some time together. Clare asked if we had overnight accommodation available for the whole group, which we had, and also whether we provide an evening meal service, which of course we do also! She therefore reserved sufficient accommodation for everyone, and the stage was set for a family reunion on Saturday, with dinner and everyone staying over on Saturday night before departing during the day on Sunday. Clare, her husband and their twins decided to stay in our self-catering apartment, although this was only for their sleeping accommodation as they were fully intending to join the rest of the family…

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Spanish Property Viewing Trips

Spanish Property Viewing Trips For the last few years – since 2008 really – foreign property hunters wanting to buy a home either for holidays or for a permanent move have been a rare breed indeed in Spain. However, in recent months we have noticed a distinct rise in the numbers of guests visiting us on one of our Spanish Property Viewing Trips, with the thought of looking for a property in the area. More such guests are Adam and Helen, who spent a week with us very recently, bringing their 7 month old son Zac with them, and they had their entire time here arranged around estate agent visits and property viewings. They were already familiar with the southern part of the Costa Blanca, but felt it was not typically Spanish enough for them and had too large a proportion of non-Spanish residents for their liking. They therefore decided to acquaint themselves with our part of the northern Costa Blanca, where there are properties of all sizes to choose from, and often at comparatively bargain prices. They had visited the Place in the Sun property expo in London before deciding to come out here, so were in a good…

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Pet Friendly B&B Gandia

Pet friendly accommodation

Maxima the newly adopted Spanish Mastiff We recently received a booking from a lady who helps at the local dog rescue centre. She wanted to book one night’s pet friendly accommodation for a German couple, Reinhard and his wife, who live here in Spain near to the French border. They were coming to Gandia because they wanted to adopt a Catalan Sheepdog which they had found out was in the centre here, having had one in the past. They arrived in time for our evening meal service, and were more than pleased to be introduced to our own dogs and cats – and intrigued to see how well they all get on together. The plan was that the dog they were proposing to adopt would be brought here to Villa Florencia the following morning and they would then set off in their car for the five hour journey back to their home in the north. They thoroughly enjoyed their meal with us, and spent the evening talking about their plans to take their new pet home, whilst at the same time making a fuss of our own dogs. Lola – our Spanish Mastiff – particularly endeared herself to them with…

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Mountain Biking the GR-236 Monastery Route Part 2

Mountain Biking the GR-236 Monastery Route Part 2 This Sunday, the opportunity presented itself for another mountain bike ride in the beautiful countryside of our region, so our intention was to follow the second part of the Monastery Route (GR-236), starting from the monastery at Simat and following the route to the Convent d’Aigües Vives and on to the Monastir de la Murta near Alzira. We loaded the bikes in the car and set off around 11.30, driving to Simat. We left the car there and followed a mixture of road and tracks through beautiful orange groves surrounded by stunning mountains. There were plenty of photo opportunities along the way, with backdrops of mountains, orchards and green valleys. The route was well marked through all the off-road sections and after slightly more than an hour we arrived at Aigües Vives, where the former convent is now in use as a country hotel. At the edge of the village we saw signs to a nearby golf course – renowned for its spectacular mountain setting – so we decided to make a detour to see for ourselves. The approach to the course is uphill along a very steep road, but well worth…

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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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