Page 7 – Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

Parpallo Cave – an excursion

Parpallo Cave A mountain walk with a bit of pre-history! Coming from Gandia, just before the outskirts of La Drova, is the starting point for several beautiful and well-marked mountain walks in the Parpalló-Borrell conservation area. However, at the Parpallo Cave – Information Centre there, one can take the opportunity to discover more than just mountain walks because it is also the starting point for a guided tour to the famous “Cueva del Parpalló” – a cave of great archaeological significance. Inhabited by ancient man from about 29,000 until 10,000 years ago, this cave was believed to be a meeting point for the various clans that lived along the Mediterranean coast at the time, facilitating trade as well as increasing the gene pool amongst the different groups. Of great significance are the very many examples of cave art (mainly scratched-out pictures on the rock) that were discovered here, far more than at any other site in Europe. Many of these, as well as tools and weapons, are now on display in the Prehistoric Museum in Valencia and MUSEU ARQUEOLÒGIC Gandia. Guided visits to the cave can be arranged, and these start with a video in the Information Centre followed by…

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Villa Florencia Summer 2021 Update

Summer 2021 at Villa Florencia Casa Rural is, not unexpectedly, turning out to be another one of uncertainty as far as travel is concerned – especially international travel. However, we are happy to say that very many of our past guests are feeling safe enough to visit us, as well as welcoming many new local Spanish faces too. Our self-catering apartment is proving especially attractive to families, who are looking to have a sunshine break, but with the added reassurance of extra privacy and distance from others. As well as bed and breakfast guests in our rooms, we have also had several larger family groups who have rented the whole property – again with the reassurance that they can enjoy time together safely, rather than in the environment of a conventional hotel with other guests. At Villa Florencia we always aim to make our guests feel as welcome and safe as possible, and this year is certainly no exception. With the several sun terraces and large pool there is no difficulty in maintaining a safe distance from others whilst enjoying a very welcome break. We hope of course that life will return to normal in the year to come, but…

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Bed and Breakfast in the Mountains

Bed and Breakfast in the Mountains Summer 2020 – Bed and Breakfast in the Mountains.Having been living and working in Villa Florencia for nearly 14 years, I can certainly say – for reasons we are all too familiar with – that this has been our quietest year for guest bookings yet! However, things are gradually easing up in Spain and we now feel able to look forward to welcoming guests back again soon, although slightly differently than before! In order to maintain social distancing, when we let our rooms on a Bed & Breakfast basis this year, we shall only be operating at around 50% capacity, although of course our self-catering apartment can accommodate a family of 4 with no need for distancing, assuming they are from the same household. Bearing that in mind, we are also accepting block bookings for the main B&B rooms on a self-catering basis this year – in other words for a large family group to rent the main floor of the house on a self-catering basis too. Whatever the situation of the bookings we receive, our guests’ health and well-being is of the utmost importance to us, so anyone booking with us can be…

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Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba

The monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba is one of the most historic monastic constructions in Valencia and located near Alfauir, a village about eight kilometres outside Gandia. The Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, located near Alfauir in the province of Valencia, Spain, is a remarkable historical site that reflects centuries of religious, cultural, and architectural development. Founded in the 14th century, this monastery has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, the transformation of religious practices, and the enduring influence of the Jerónimos order in Spain. Foundation and Early History The origins of the Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba date back to 1374 when it was founded by Alfonso of Aragon, the Duke of Gandia. The monastery was established as a religious house for the Jerónimos, a Catholic monastic order known for their dedication to prayer, study, and manual labor. The site chosen for the monastery was strategically located in the fertile lands of the Safor region, providing the monks with the necessary resources to sustain their contemplative lifestyle. The initial construction of the monastery was modest, but it quickly grew in both size and importance. The Jerónimos were well-connected to the royal family and the nobility,…

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Ducal Palace Gandia, a visit with guests

Palau Ducal Gandia - Gandia Borja Palace

There are many reasons to visit Gandia at any time of the year, but many visitors do not know that Gandia has its very own stately home, the Ducal Palace Gandia. And well worth a visit it is too, with most people saying what a great surprise it is. Situated close to the end of the “passeo” and looking out directly over the river Serpis, it was constructed in the 14th century and became effectively the summer palace of the infamous Borja family, who had their origins in the nearby inland town of Xativa. After the well known and often shady misdemeanors of his predecessors (think Cesar, Lucrezia, and the two popes the family produced, amongst others!) Francis Borja was born here in 1510. He went on to found the Jesuit College in the town and oversaw the so-called Golden Age of Gandia with its economic prosperity and was later canonised St Francis Borja. In anticipation of the celebrations in 2010 to mark the 500th anniversary of his birth, the palace was the subject of much restoration work and it is now a most impressive site to visit. With only a modest street frontage, it would be easy to pass…

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2019 Update

This year has got off to a great start for us, with many visitors coming to us already – both returning guests as well as new ones. However, in preparation for a busy season ahead we have not been idle during the slightly quieter weeks, but have carried out some renovations inside the villa by upgrading and improving some of the rooms, as well as being busy in the garden by creating some more green areas out there and planting out a whole load of roses too! Since the beginning of the year the weather has been generally warm and welcoming (until this current Easter week, that is!), so our guests who were here to get away from the less pleasant aspects of a northern European winter were delighted with their time here. We had several couples who even came with their dogs and enjoyed getting out and about on Gandia’s dedicated “doggie” beach in some lovely warm sunshine. Other guests included several rock-climbers – both first timers and returners – and even some visitors who were taking the opportunity to see the area with a view to property-hunting. Now that Easter is nearly behind us, we are of course…

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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…

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Casa Rural 2006 – 2016 – Ten Years On!

2006 – 2016 – Ten Years On! 2016 marks our tenth anniversary as the owners of Villa Florencia Casa Rural and this year has been the most rewarding yet! We have not only had our busiest year, but it has also been a year when we have been delighted to see so many of our guests returning to us time and again – and recommending us to their family and friends who have also come to stay with us. This year has seen a great mixture of guests from Spain, the rest of Europe, the UK and even from across the Atlantic. Noticeable too is the number of guests coming to us with their own pets (usually dogs) in response to our promoting ourselves as providing pet-friendly accommodation – with many of them returning to us several times. The year started for us with a German couple staying for a prolonged period in our self-catering apartment. They are normally in the habit of spending the winter months through to March in their camper van in the south of Spain, but this year called in for a couple of nights to visit other guests (friends of theirs) who were staying with…

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Family Wedding in Spain

Family Wedding at Villa Florencia Every year (and sometimes more than once) we are delighted that Sabrina visits us from Germany. Sabrina comes and spends her time helping at our local animal rescue centre – SPAMA – which is a local charity that rescues and re-homes lost and abandoned dogs and cats. Not only does Sabrina help at the centre here in Gandia during her visits, she also is instrumental in helping to find new homes in Germany for many of the dogs from SPAMA. To date, more than one thousand dogs have been moved from Gandia and adopted in Germany and much of this is due to Sabrina’s efforts. When over here, Sabrina stays in our self-catering apartment along with various members of her family that might be accompanying her, as well as her boyfriend Monius. This year, we received the usual reservation from her, although this time for a visit in May, rather than her more usual time of September or October and also she said she wanted to bring more members of her family as well. It then emerged that this was no ordinary visit, but that she and Monius intended to get married here in Spain…

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Biker Friendly Accommodation in Spain

Motorbike Friendly Accommodation in Spain

Motorbike guests on the way home! Spain is a very biker friendly country with a tremendously good road infrastructure – and far fewer cars than in the UK or many other countries in Europe. This makes for an ideal place to enjoy a ride on your motorbike if you are a resident here and of course a great holiday destination for a motorbike road trip. We have always been pleased to welcome guests on a motorbike holiday and have had many such visitors in the past – often visiting us several times. We were therefore very pleased when we received a booking from Tony and his friend Dave who wanted to stay with us as part of their trip back to England, after having enjoyed a biking holiday in the area to the south of Alicante. They had spent time with their wives in a villa in Alicante province, having crossed over to Spain via the ferry to Santander and biked direct down from there. Once at their destination, they hired a car for their wives to use during their visit, whilst Tony and Dave enjoyed taking their bikes out on the open and uncrowded roads in the area Once…

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Pet Friendly Accommodations

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…

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Spring B&B Guests

Spring B&B Guests We have enjoyed a busier than usual start to the year here at Villa Florencia, with a variety of guests from different countries – and coming for different reasons. Before the warmer weather really starts in earnest we generally have a steady succession of guests each year who come for the renowned rock climbing in the area, as well as cycling, hiking, etc. and this year has been no exception. However, as well as these guests, we have also been fortunate enough to play host to many other couples in the last three months(some more than once!) who have visited us for different reasons. It is reassuring to see a sustained increase in the number of property hunters in the area – a trend that has been establishing itself over the last year or so. Not only have we seen guests looking for the house of their dreams – we have also seen them turn their plans into reality. One such example is Kirsty and Peter who have been living in Germany but decided a warmer climate would be to their liking. After several visits to us they finally found their ideal property and signed on the…

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