Gandia Casa Rural - Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

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…

Read Article

Property Hunting on the Costa Blanca

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…

Read Article

Casa Rural 2014 Summer of Diversity

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…

Read Article

Pet Friendly Gandia

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,…

Read Article

Family Friendly Holidays in Spain

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…

Read Article

Gandia Las Fallas 2014

Guests for “Fallas Fortnight”! Quite a few months ago we received a booking from Sandy and David who wanted to stay in our self-catering apartment for nearly a fortnight, to coincide with the local fiesta of Gandia Las Fallas 2014. Las Fallas is the famous Valencian fiesta which sees enormous satirical effigies constructed in each town (or in each area of larger towns). These are then judged on their merits and finally burned to the ground on the night of March 19th – St Joseph’s Day, the patron saint of carpenters. In the run-up to March 19th there are daily parades with marching bands and local ladies and young girls bedecked in the most elaborate of traditional dress. Sandy and David are very keen on the whole tradition of the Fallas fiestas and have been coming to the Valencian region to view the spectacle for a number of years. However, this was the first time they had decided to spend their time in Spain with us and we were delighted to welcome them and show them to the self-catering apartment that would be their home for the next two weeks. They were of course very familiar with the area already…

Read Article

Spring Spanish Property Hunters

Spain or France for Property? We have recently been aware that more guests have been visiting us for the purpose of looking for a Spanish property on the northern Costa Blanca. Spanish property prices are now at a very realistic level compared to many other places in Europe (northern Europe especially), and this has been reflected in a gradual increase in the number of property hunters – once an almost extinct breed! Colin and Helen arrived to stay with us on one of our Property Hunters Packages, and booked with us for five nights recently. They are very taken with the idea of a home for their retirement and would love to find somewhere that offers a good and healthy lifestyle, reasonable living costs, and of course better weather. They have been turning the idea over in their minds for some time, and are torn between either France or Spain for this big life changing decision, so this trip was very much a preliminary reconnoitre – basically to see what this part of the country is like and whether it is somewhere they could add to their list. They had not contacted any property agents, but rather wanted to get…

Read Article

Spring Activity Holidays in Spain

Spring Activity Holidays in Spain The cooler months of the year give a great opportunity to enjoy all that the Costa Blanca has to offer in the way of outdoor activities, many of which would be impossible in the height of the summer. Rock-climbing, mountain biking and bird watching are all hobbies and activities that visitors can take part in, and local tourist organisations are now beginning to promote the area as somewhere to come for more than just the traditional summer attractions of sun and sea. Recently we were very pleased to welcome Jean-Marc and his wife Nathalie who are from Quebec in Canada. They were in Spain visiting their daughter who is studying in Barcelona, and as part of their trip they wanted to spend some time in the northern Costa Blanca birdwatching. They booked one of our all-inclusive 3 night Birdwatching Packages, which basically takes care of everything they need, with all evening meals included, packed lunches, and 2 days guided birdwatching. They arrived on the Monday afternoon and settled in, enjoying a leisurely dinner that evening before meeting their guide the next morning. They set off to the Albufeira wetlands just to the south of Valencia…

Read Article

Vegetarian bed and breakfast in Spain

A Vegetarian Stop-over! We recently welcomed the Subrahmanian family to Villa Florencia, as they wanted to stay overnight on their way to a holiday villa they had rented near Malaga and they had been looking for accommodation that would offer them vegetarian cuisine. Originally from Mumbai, Chitra and Ram moved to Switzerland about fifteen years ago, and their daughter was then born in Geneva five years later. They love travelling around Europe during their holidays, but had never explored Spain until now. They stayed with us because they had been looking not only for a guest house conveniently located between the north and south of the country, but also one that was happy to cater for vegetarian preferences, and also welcomed pets as well. They were travelling with their two beautiful, white Swiss Shepherd dogs, so our apartment suited them perfectly with its spacious bedrooms and living area. Since they were only staying with us for only the one night during their journey (they had already stopped near Perpignan the previous night after leaving Geneva), they wanted to dine in with us, rather than making use of the kitchen in their apartment or searching for a suitable restaurant. This was…

Read Article

Spanish Property Hunters Galore!

Property Hunters Galore! Maybe the title is a slight exaggeration, but it is undoubtedly true that we have seen a significant increase in the number of guests who have stayed with us recently with the intention of looking for a Spanish property in our part of Spain. Some have been looking for a holiday home and others for a permanent residence – or even sometimes with the intention of eventually moving here but only holidaying here to begin with. Obviously, everybody has different tastes and requirements (and of course budgets!) but at the present time there is a wide choice on the market so it’s a good time to think of buying, whatever your situation. Spanish property is now being recognised once again as representing good value for money – and not only for purchasers from the UK. An additional consideration for non-EU citizens is the concession that the Spanish government has very recently introduced, whereby residence entitlement is automatically granted in the case of Spanish properties that are purchased for a price in excess of €500,000. Full details can be seen in the article here: Golden Visa to non-EU citizens Amongst our guests from countries other than the UK,…

Read Article

Family Holidays Costa Blanca

Family Holidays Costa Blanca We usually have several Italian guests during the course of the summer season, but this year we had not seen any – until we received a booking from Stefano and his wife Elisabetta, who wanted to come to us from Rome in early September for just over a week. They were a family of four, and when they arrived we were pleased to welcome them, along with their two teenage daughters Pamela and Chiara. They wanted to come to our part of Spain for a family holiday and to see what this part of the Costa Blanca had to offer – it was not a part of the country they knew well, but it is one they thought they would like. They had done their homework before leaving Italy and had a tentative itinerary worked out of all the sights they wanted to see during their visit. The Costa Blanca is a great part of Spain for a family holiday as there is something for everyone, and in the summer of course the wonderful beaches come into their own. Most days they went on an excursion to one of the towns along the coast, as well…

Read Article

Casa Rural Holidays in Spain

Casa Rural Holidays in Spain August has been a busy month for holidays on the Costa Blanca, and Villa Florencia Casa Rural has seen a constant stream of visitors, both new guests as well as those coming back to us again. The weather has been perfect for all the activities our guests wanted to take part in, whether it was excursions to nearby attractions in some of the coastal resorts, trips to Valencia city, enjoying the inland scenery on mountain walks or simply making the most of the sunshine around the pool. Guests came from a variety of countries, mainly Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom and of course Spain, and stayed with us on both a bed and breakfast basis as well as in our self-catering apartment. As well as guests who were staying with us on a commercial basis, we also were delighted to have family members come and visit us as well, and this made for a great mix of people in the house at any one time. August is also a great fiesta month in Spain, and one for getting out and about in the evenings and eating outside the many restaurants and cafés in the town….

Read Article