We were delighted when we received a booking from Rob on behalf of himself, his wife Frances and their friends Brian and Christine who wanted to take advantage of one of our all-inclusive mountain biking short break packages. Our offer of a three night stay with bed, breakfast and evening meal included as well as two days guided mountain biking with a packed lunch supplied suited them perfectly. The fact that we also allow a late check-out for these packages (effectively making it a four day break) was also a bonus for them, as their flight home only left in the evening, so they were able to enjoy an extra day around the pool.
They had begun their Spanish holiday in Valencia, and then came to us by train on the Sunday. We collected them from Gandia station and brought them to our casa rural in time for lunch and then a leisurely afternoon around the pool before dinner. They then were keen to have a fairly early night, in preparation for their first day’s mountain biking that lay ahead. Dave Warrington from Mountain Biking Valencia arrived on Monday morning after breakfast to discuss with them the route they might like to take and then they set off for the rest of the day. They followed a beautiful trail that goes along the route of a disused railway line (once from Alcoi to Gandia), starting near Villalonga. It is a mixture of different surfaces and demands varying levels of skill along the way, but certainly nothing too demanding for an experienced group such as this! For much of the way, the route goes beside the Serpis river and is a truly beautiful setting for a mountain bike excursion, and a real eye opener for visitors who are new to the La Safor region and who are unaware of the superb scenery that lies inland from the resorts of the northern Costa Blanca. They returned to us late in the afternoon, having had a genuinely great time and certainly eager for what the next day might offer.
After a very welcome evening meal, they again felt in need of a good night’s sleep before embarking on whatever might be in store for them on Tuesday. Again, the weather was beautiful and they set off for a trip through the Barxeta valley area, visiting the historic inland town of Xátiva and cycling through some of its winding streets, before returning to us – again having had a wonderful time, but very much appreciating the swimming pool for a welcome cool down!
After a final evening meal with us, they were looking forward to spending most of their fourth day with us before we gave them a lift to the station once again – this time for the train to Valencia and then to take the metro direct to the airport in time for their flight back to England. They had had a great time with us, however, and felt that not only had they benefited from excellent value for money, but also they had enjoyed themselves on their mountain biking excursions in surroundings far more scenically beautiful than they had expected. As a group, they are all keen and experienced mountain bikers so expressed a strong wish to return to us to do more of the same at some point in the future, so we look forward very much to welcoming them back here again. It had been a pleasure to have them stay with us, and hopefully we shall all meet again in the near future on an All-Inclusive Mountain Biking Holidays Spain