Gandia Casa Rural - Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

Guests from Poland

A few weeks ago we received a booking from Tomasz and Tadeusz, who were looking to spend nine days with us here in search of some reliable sunshine and warmth and an escape from what has not been a very reliable summer in Poland. They were to be our first guests from Poland, so of course we were delighted that we could accommodate them for the time they wanted. Their arrival was delayed by a few hours due to problems with their flight from Krakow, so they only reached us in the small hours of the morning, but they were very glad to find us with no problems even in the dark. It was a lovely surprise for them, therefore, when they woke up the next morning to find themselves in such beautiful surroundings with the La Safor mountains almost in the front garden and the swimming pool beckoning to be tried out! Having had such a late arrival they were very glad to be able simply to relax and take it easy for the first day and to get used to their new surroundings, so after a leisurely breakfast, that is exactly what they did. They soon felt very…

Read Article

More Italian Guests – Bellissimo!

We received an unexpected phone call earlier this week from Mariolina and her husband Antonio, who were on their way northwards from Andalucía. In fact, they were already in the Alicante area, and wanted to know if we could accommodate them for a night or two as they passed through the Costa Blanca. They were having a driving holiday in Spain, and had spent the last four weeks touring the country before heading towards Barcelona and the ferry back to Italy. As it happened, we had a vacancy so were happy to await their arrival later that evening. They made good time from Alicante and soon arrived with us and settled in to their room. They loved the house and gardens, and were so glad that we had room for them at such late notice, having read reviews about us on Trip Advisor. Having already eaten on the way, they did not want to take advantage of our evening meal service, but were happy to enjoy a drink in the garden with us. They ended up staying for three nights, and took the opportunity to explore the area a little, see the wonderful blue-flag awarded beaches in Playa de Gandia,…

Read Article

Pet Friendly Accommodation

We were pleased to welcome an Italian family who came to stay with us for a few days last week, Christian and Paola with their daughter Elena and their two beautifully behaved black setters – Maggie and Martha. They soon settled in, and Maggie and Marta became part of the menagerie here at Villa Florencia! It was the first time they had visited us, and they were doing a trip all around Spain but decided to make us their base for their time on the Costa Blanca. Maggie and Marta felt at home very quickly indeed, and when the weather was too hot for them in the garden they had no hesitation in taking themselves up to their room and staying there in the cool! Most of the time, however, they preferred to keep close to their owners and accompanied them on trips to Gandia and local village restaurants, as well as on a whole day excursion which took in the Albufera wetlands, a paella lunch at El Palmar, as well as a boat trip on the lagoon and a quick visit to the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia City! Well-travelled dogs indeed and perfectly behaved all the…

Read Article

Guided Mountain Biking

We were really pleased to welcome the Cameron-Jones family when they stayed with us recently, as they were not only spending part of their family holiday in Spain with us here on the Costa Blanca, but also celebrating the 18th birthday of one of their sons, Max. They had booked four nights with us, and planned to spend one of their days on a guided mountain bike tour of the area as well. Tim and Samantha wanted to have a mix of rest and relaxation along with seeing some of the countryside in this beautiful region of Spain, so decided to spend part of each day relaxing around the pool as well as exploring some of the towns and beaches within easy reach of the villa. On the day of Max’s birthday, Tim and Max, along with his brother Alistair, went for a morning’s mountain-biking with Dave Warrington and had a great time taking in the fabulous scenery and discovering unspoilt mountain villages and hamlets, before returning to the villa for a very welcome lunch. After a well-earned rest in the gardens they set off again, this time with Samantha as well, and took in the whole of the valley…

Read Article

The Boys from Bordeaux

We were really pleased to welcome Fabien and David from France who came to stay with us recently. They live near Bordeaux, but enjoy spending time in Spain for their holidays, whilst renting out their home in France during that time. This time they decided to spend some time on the Costa Blanca, before moving further south and finishing their holiday near Marbella. They had not visited our area at all in the past, however, so enjoyed taking trips in the car to some of the surrounding towns and villages, as well as making the most of the beautiful beaches that the La Safor region has to offer. They stayed with us for a total of five nights, often taking advantage of our evening meal service, and even enjoyed celebrating David’s birthday here as well. However, all good things have to come to an end, and all too soon it was time for them to go on to the next part of their holiday and bid us farewell. However, they had really enjoyed their time with us and were very impressed with the La Safor region as a whole, so they have every intention of returning to us in the…

Read Article

Spanish Driving Holidays

Returning Guests from Belgium We were really pleased to welcome Frans and Marita again, who were visiting us for their third visit. Previously, they had travelled to us from Belgium on their motorbike, taking advantage of our motorbike friendly accommodation with the safe and secure parking that we have available. They then would spend a few days with us, touring around the area on their bike and exploring the beautiful inland scenery that this part of the Costa Blanca has to offer. This time, however, they arrived in a beautiful Mercedes cabriolet sports car – apparently their motor-biking days are over in the quest for greater comfort and style!! They had driven from Belgium, spending two nights on the way, and arrived with us in the middle of a beautiful, sunny afternoon. They wanted just to relax and unwind straight away and said they felt like they were coming to their second home! In no time at all they were relaxing in the pool and enjoying the first sunny weather they had seen for a long time. Belgium has, so they said, been having terrible weather this year, in common with most of the rest of northern Europe. They spent…

Read Article

House-hunters Return!

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed Bernard and Grace back again recently. They had also stayed with us,in our Bed and Breakfast in May of this year, during which time they found a house they wanted to purchase. This is with a view to moving to Spain on a permanent basis, not just as a holiday home, so it was a decision they had to be really sure of. This time they decided to rent our self-catering apartment for a week in order to combine some rest and recreation with practical matters concerning their impending purchase – not least of which was to have a good and leisurely look around the house and gardens to get a proper “feel” for it. Using the self-catering option was also going to give them the opportunity to get to know the local shops and supermarkets, so that when they made the big move, they would know some of the basics of where they liked to shop and would feel more at home straightaway. Much of their time was also spent in the gardens here at Villa Florencia relaxing and having a real holiday around the pool – which was even…

Read Article

Overnight B&B guest en-route to Granada

Just Passing Through! We received a reservation from Didier and Carole Jeanjean for a one night’s stay for themselves and their three children recently, so were pleased to welcome them when they arrived last Thursday. They had set off from their home in France at 5.00am, so arrived with us around lunchtime with the intention of relaxing for the rest of the day around the pool. They were on their way to spend two weeks in the south of the country near Marbella, but were going to go to Granada first in order to see the world-famous Alhambra so we were a convenient stop-off point on the Costa Blanca along the way. They were taking time off from their olive oil producing business near Nîmes for a family holiday and we were ideally placed for their overnight break. They had also decided to take advantage of our evening meal service in order to avoid having to find a restaurant in the town and to enable them to make the most of their rest time in the sunshine. They were delightful guests and it was great that they joined us for dinner, although they went to bed soon afterwards to make…

Read Article

Guests from Belgium, Holland and France

This past week were delighted to welcome a group of people involved in the Juanjo Trilles Challenge – a billiards challenge between the two top players in the world (Dick Jaspers and Frederic Caudron) to determine who really is the best player over a match of long duration – four days – thereby minimising any factor of luck that could be associated with shorter games. The tournament was being streamed live by the Kozoom organisation, and we provided accommodation not only for their production crew and executives, but also for some celebrities from the billiards world itself. Billiards is hugely popular in many countries of mainland Europe, and this was reflected in the guests who stayed at Villa Florencia Casa Rural. The Kozoom production team arrived on Monday, followed on Tuesday by the billiards celebrities Jean Claude Dupont (president of the UMB the world federation of billiards) and his wife, and then Raymond Ceulemans and his wife (who has won 35 world titles, 48 European titles and 61 national titles). Both these prominent figures come from Belgium, and they were joined later in the day by the Frenchman Bernard Boudoin, ranked third in Europe, with his wife. The tournament itself…

Read Article

A “Despedida de Soltera” group from Madrid

This past weekend was the next in the “Despedida” season, with a booking for eleven girls from Madrid who had reserved the house for the weekend. The bride was getting married in July, and they all planned to spend some time together for a leisurely weekend of relaxation and sunshine. They arrived in three cars on Friday night at about 10.30, having encountered heavy traffic after leaving Madrid. However, they soon settled in to their rooms and then set about preparing a meal and listening to music up on the terrace. They were delighted with the facilities of the villa, and were looking forward to seeing the surroundings of the gardens in daylight, but meanwhile were more than happy to talk most of the night away together. Saturday was a beautiful day, and they were happy to spend it in and around the pool, making a start on their summer tans and preparing for the evening ahead. Relaxation was the name of the game for Saturday, so the girls decided to order some home-delivery pizzas, in anticipation of visiting a restaurant for their main meal of the day in the evening, before then going on to Falkata disco. They set…

Read Article

First Despedida of the Season!

The weekend of May 4th, 5th & 6th saw the first of the “Despedidas de Soltera” of the season. A group of girls from Banyeres de Mariola – a small inland town in Alicante province – had booked the house for the weekend and were due to arrive on the Friday evening. At about 7.00pm the first of the girls arrived, shortly followed by the rest, making a very full house indeed! The schedule for the first evening was to have a meal together and settle in to their surroundings. They were delighted with the house and its facilities, and had a great time into the small hours of Saturday morning with a party upstairs on the dining terrace. Saturday morning was a fairly quiet time, with the girls gradually appearing around the pool and in the gardens up until lunchtime. They made lunch on the barbecue and enjoyed sitting out in the sunshine, although only a few were brave enough to venture in to the pool for a swim. The weather was good, but the water was still a little on the cool side! After lunch and a time of relaxation, they had organised a bicycle trip in conjunction…

Read Article

Springtime in Gandía

The middle of March always seems to mark the beginning of the new season and the onset of Spring, with the fiesta of Fallas and early guests in search of some warm sunshine on the Costa Blanca. This year was no exception, and we were pleased to welcome guests from England as well as from Spain. Mike and Maggie decided to see for themselves what the fiesta of Fallas in Gandía was all about, having been recommended by a friend that it was an event not to be missed. They also wanted to find some early warmth and sunshine, and they were not disappointed. The weather was almost consistently bright and clear, and was perfect for the combination of sightseeing, walking and relaxing that they had in mind. They spent six days with us, and always found plenty to see and do, even if a trip to Valencia city was not on their itinerary – they had already visited there in the past, and wanted to get to know the surrounding area this time instead. They found Gandía to be a delightful town, and the fiesta of Fallas was taking place there at the time of their visit too, so…

Read Article