Mark van Jaarsveld

Bed and Breakfast between Barcelona and Granada

Situated on the outskirts of Gandia about halfway down the Mediterranean coast, our bed and breakfast is close to motorway access points from both the north and the south, and are conveniently situated for travellers looking to break their journey. Many of our guests stay with us for a night or two on the way from Barcelona to Granada or Malaga for example – possibly en route to or from holiday homes or just travelling through the country on a tour of Spain. We were recently pleased to welcome several such guests who found us a convenient stopping-off point to spend a short time and have a rest from travelling. Irma and Andre (originally from South Africa but now living in Switzerland) visited us for a couple of nights, taking the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the area in general. They have in mind that they might want to relocate at some point in the future but are not exactly sure what the various regions of Spain have to offer so stayed with us to see how we had settled in the country and how they liked this area in particular. They were very pleasantly surprised at how much they…

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…

Autumn Sunshine Activity Holidays! The heat of summer may be over, but the weather continues to be beautiful, with lots of sunshine and very mild temperatures. It is at this time of year – and also of course in the spring – when there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy all the other delights of this part of the Costa Blanca than just the summer seaside attractions. Lucy and Ashley recently returned to us for their third visit, and they take great pleasure in participating in outdoor pastimes and sports – something which this area of the Costa Blanca offers the fringe season visitor in abundance. They stayed with us for just over a week in our self-catering apartment and made the most of their time getting out and about doing lots of different activities as well as some conventional sightseeing in Valencia city itself. Because temperatures have remained so mild, it is still very pleasant to swim in the sea so Lucy & Ashley decided one day to combine two of their interests into one all-day experience. They had made arrangements to go horse riding at stables near the beach, and so went for an escorted ride along the…

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…

Pet Friendly Holidays! We received a phone call just over a week ago enquiring if we had availability for a couple from Madrid, along with their 7 month old Springer Spaniel called Trufi, who they had recently adopted from a rescue centre. We did have space for the weekend, and so were happy to take their booking and looked forward to their arrival on Saturday. Their booking was for 3 nights – Saturday, Sunday & Monday – and part of their reason for coming to our part of the Costa Blanca is the fact that Gandia now has a section of beach which is designated for use by owners and their pets, called “Playa Can”. It is fairly unusual to find pet friendly facilities on the Costa Blanca – either in accommodation or an area of beach – so Agustin and his girlfriend were delighted to find that they could enjoy both with us. They arrived in the late morning of Saturday and as soon as they had put their cases in their room, they headed straight off to the pet friendly beach. They stayed there for the rest of the day, only returning to us in the early evening,…

Family Friendly Holidays in Spain We received an enquiry from Karin and her family last year, asking about the possibility of visiting us last October. However, due to family circumstances they were not able to make the trip so we were delighted when they contacted us again early this year with a view to visiting us in June. Karin, Rogier and their eighteen month old daughter Maite arrived from Holland in the late afternoon and were happy to take advantage of our evening meal service that night even though they were renting our self-catering apartment – there was no need to rush out to the shops straightaway! They soon settled in to the apartment, and found it suited their needs perfectly. They were staying with us for twelve days so were glad of the extra space, as well as the cot and high chair for Maite, of course! They became firm friends with our dogs and cats and Maite especially loved playing with them around the pool. Most days they would spend some time in the gardens and pool, although Maite was not an enthusiastic water baby to begin with! However, by the end of their stay she had become…

Bed and Breakfast between Barcelona and Granada

Property Hunting on the Costa Blanca

Autumn Sunshine Activity Holidays

Casa Rural 2014 Summer of Diversity

Pet Friendly Gandia

Family Friendly Holidays in Spain