Accommodation Blog - Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

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,…

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Costa Blanca Bed and Breakfast

Leon and Gerrie were recent visitors from Holland who came to stay in our Bed and Breakfast, and they were looking for a good period of rest and relaxation. Gerrie is a journalist and Leon a cameraman and both spend a lot of time traveling in connection with news stories, so really were in need of some time off from the stresses of their daily lives. They had spent a few days in the city of Valencia before moving on to us, and their initial booking was for four nights bed and breakfast. However, they soon fell in love with the peace and relaxation they found here and so extended their stay for an extra four nights. Most days they would go on a trip to one of the beautiful beaches nearby, and in fact soon found that Oliva beach was very much to their liking. Quieter and less crowded than Playa de Gandía, Oliva beach has a lower level of development along its coastline and Leon and Gerrie found that it was within very easy reach of the villa, so it soon became a favourite of theirs. Then a typical day would see them return to us for lunch,…

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New Guests from a New Country

We have had guests visit us from many different countries – both from Europe and further afield – but we recently had the pleasure of welcoming guests from Sweden for the very first time. Peter and Eva Kjellborn had been touring around the southern part of the country for a couple of weeks, and wanted to visit us for a few days prior to returning to Sweden from the airport at Alicante. They felt that we were located in an ideal part of the Costa Blanca for their purpose – plenty of inland towns and villages to visit if they wanted, but close to the beautiful beaches of the region as well. They arrived in the afternoon and soon felt at home, opting to dine with us that evening as well. They felt it would be easier than leaving the relaxing surroundings of the pool and gardens on their first day, since they wanted to make the most of the sunshine before having to return to the dubious weather in Stockholm – their hometown. They loved the tranquil ambience of the villa and were more than happy to settle in to their time here with us. The following day they…

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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…

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Bed and Breakfast Guests from Orba

This last weekend we were pleased to welcome Jonathan and Anne, who live in Orba on the Costa Blanca less than an hour away from us (and have done so for the last 15 years). They run their own business and felt in need of a short break, so – having heard of Gandia – they decided to visit us for a couple of days and explore the area. They took advantage of our special offer of a Bed and Breakfast weekend of a two night, three day mini break. They arrived on the Friday around midday, settled in to their room, and then set off to Playa de Gandia in search of lunch and some relaxation on the beach. They had lunch at the Yacht Club there and then strolled along the promenade before relaxing on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. They returned to us in time for some final sunbathing around the pool, and then joined us for dinner. On the Saturday they wanted to visit another of the stunning award-winning beaches that are to be found all along this stretch of the northern Costa Blanca and so went to Miramar – a very different…

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Guests from the USA

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed two couples from the United States last week, especially so because they came to us on the recommendation of some friends of theirs who stayed with us last year in our bed and breakfast. Bob and Mary Lou were from Colorado Springs (where their friends who stayed with us last year were from also), but Hank and Maxine come from Missouri. They were on a driving holiday through France and Spain and stopped overnight with us on their way to Malaga. They had visited Barcelona before coming on to us and arrived in the late afternoon, ready for some relaxation in the gardens and around the pool. They soon settled in to their rooms and then enjoyed some drinks and tapas in the bar before joining us for dinner that evening. They had not visited Spain before, and had decided to drive down the Mediterranean coast, stopping off at Barcelona, then on to the Costa Blanca before heading down towards Andalucia. Their whole trip was to last just over three weeks – including their visit to France – and they were loving their time in Europe. They were following some of the…

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Dog Rescuers from Germany!

Just over a month ago we were pleased to have Dagmar and Andreas visit us for a couple of days from Germany. They were spending time helping at the local animal rescue centre before taking four dogs back to Germany by plane for adoption. Dagmar chose a dog that she also wanted to adopt, but was not able to take it with her at the time for legal reasons and it was going to be transported to Germany at the beginning of June. We were therefore very happy when they returned to us last week by car with the intention of taking Dagmar’s own dog back with them, as well as three others that had also been found homes in Germany. They arrived late in the afternoon, having left Germany the previous evening and driven non-stop the whole way! Having visited us before, they settled in with us like they felt at home immediately and joined us for dinner that night. The next morning they were keen to go to the rescue shelter and see the dogs they were taking home, so the plan was to straight to the centre, spend some time with the dogs and depart for Germany…

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Overnight B&B Guests from Holland

On Sunday we were pleased to have Ton and Frank from Holland stay with us for the night on their way south to Almeria. They had set off on their journey by car from the Netherlands on the Saturday, staying at Narbonne in France along the way. In fact they phoned us from France to enquire if we had a vacancy for Sunday night, as they liked the idea of breaking their journey in our part of the northern Costa Blanca. This was to be a tour around the mainland of Spain for them, lasting about four weeks, in order to familiarise themselves with the country. They already have a property on the Canary Islands, although are thinking of relocating to the mainland, as well as retaining their other home in Holland also. They arrived during the afternoon, having made good time from France, and were pleased to be able to spend some time around the pool in the beautiful weather that we are enjoying now, before taking advantage of our evening meal service too. They decided that it would make things very much easier for them if they could simply relax after their long drive, without having to think…

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Property Hunters with plenty of Choice!

Bernard and Grace arrived on Tuesday for a three night stay with us, having already visited this and many other parts of Spain in the past. However, they were here with a purpose other than a break from the routine of life in England – they were looking for a property to buy for their retirement, with the intention of moving here on a permanent basis. They had spent time in the past looking for property in various locations along the Mediterranean coast, but had now decided that this area was the one they preferred. The northern Costa Blanca seemed to suit most of their requirements, and the area around Gandía was particularly to their liking. They wanted to see a good choice of quality properties at reasonable prices in an appealing part of the country – and somewhere that still felt like it was an authentically Spanish area, rather than somewhere that had a disproportionate ex-pat community (whatever the nationality!). With the choice of houses currently on the market, they had already spent time on previous visits viewing a large number of houses, so this visit was to be a series of mainly second viewings, to whittle their list…

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Family Holidays in Spain

Easter was a very busy time for us all at our casa rural in Gandía, with a completely full house over the Easter weekend itself. Visitors returned from last year, as well as many new ones visiting us for the first time. The weather had been forecast to be damp and cool, but in the end only a little rain fell over the holiday period, and mostly the weather was fine and warm – always good for our guests on their holidays! Tony, Trudy and their children Harvey, Monty and Queenie visited us for just over a week, and chose to stay in our self-catering apartment. Tony and Trudy had visited the area last year with a possible view to purchasing a holiday property and wanted to return this time with their children to give them the opportunity to see the region also. The self-catering apartment was the ideal option for them, and allowed them much more flexibility – they enjoyed the sense of independence and privacy that the apartment allows, but at the same time they joined us for most of their evening meals – and even for some breakfasts too! They wanted the advantages of the apartment, but…

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House-Hunters Spoilt for Choice!

The property market in Spain may have suffered a spectacular decline in the recent past, and it is true that this plays an enormous part in the present woes of the Spanish economy. However, a housing market which is suffering from an excess of supply over demand can only mean good news for any buyers who happen to come along. We were pleased to welcome a couple from Belgium recently who were on a serious house-hunting expedition, had done their homework thoroughly before leaving home and who arrived at our door with a full diary of appointments with local estate agents. They were looking for a property that would be large enough to accommodate their visiting children and grandchildren, which had a swimming pool and fairly large gardens (so that there was always something to do!), was within about half an hour from the beach, but yet would be easy to leave unoccupied for the times when they would be back in their own home in Belgium This was to be a property for holidays and winter time – some of their time would still be spent in Belgium, as this was not a full move, but rather an additional…

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Old Friends Return!

Last weekend we were really pleased to welcome back some guests from last year – 2 groups of girls who enjoy coming to Gandía for its nightlife, but at the same time like to stay in a quiet rural location. Gandia Casa Rural offered them the ideal place to stay, where they could self-cater and have a short break but enjoy all the benefits the house has to offer at the same time.The first group of four friends come from Segovia, and have visited us twice in the past. The other two girls are from Castellón, and last year was their first visit to Gandia Casa Rural. Since they had not stayed with us at the same time as each other previously, the two groups soon got to know each other and became friends, and went out to Playa de Gandía together on the Saturday night. Before that, however, there was plenty of time for relaxing around the pool and making the most of the facilities of the casa rural. Friday was spent settling in and then going to the beach at Playa de Gandía, returning in the evening and then having a leisurely barbecue in the garden. They all…

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