Gandia Casa Rural - Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

Spanish Property Hunters become Buyers!

Househunters become Buyers! Back in April, we had the pleasure of having Mark and Rosalyn stay with us on a Spanish property house-hunting trip. They loved the area and saw several Spanish properties that they thought had possibilities, but their visit was greatly marred by a serious car accident they had. It was not their fault – a car hit them on the wrong side of the road in heavy rain – and they were not seriously injured, but it inevitably cast a shadow over their visit. However, when they left they said they were still keen on the area and that we would see them again. It was therefore a lovely surprise when they paid an unexpected visit a couple of days ago – they were driving past our house on the way to Gandia. The bigger surprise, however, was that in the interim they had purchased a really lovely Spanish property, a villa in the area at a very realistic price! It turns out they had spotted some properties on another estate agent’s website, had viewed them on a couple of day-trips to area (which is why we had not seen them here as guests again), and decided…

Read Article

Spanish Property Hunters return for a second look

Spanish Property Hunters return for a second look! A couple of weeks ago we were glad to meet Malcolm who stayed with us for one night only at the end of a property hunting trip to Spain – but that was enough to convince him that this was the part of the country that would be right to look for a home in a serious way. He found a couple of properties that he liked during that visit, so now he returned to us, but this time with his partner Paul, in order to look again at some of the houses he had already viewed before, as well as to look at some others for the first time. They had in fact been staying in a hotel in the centre of Gandia for a couple of nights before coming to us in order to get a proper feel for the town they were thinking of making their home. This period spent in the town itself only helped to confirm in their minds that Gandia is indeed the vibrant place they had thought, with plenty of heart and soul to it and well able to supply everything they would want for…

Read Article

All-Inclusive Mountain Biking Holidays Spain

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…

Read Article

Family Mountain Bike Skills Training

Family Mountain Bike Skills Training We were contacted by Dave Warrington of Mountain Biking Valencia asking if we could accommodate a family from the United States who were going to be visiting Valencia as part of a tour of Spain. The group consisted of Bob and his wife Wendy, along with their 13 year old twin boys Mitchell and Griffen, their 15 year old daughter Claire and her friend Andi, and they wanted to spend a couple of days mountain biking in the Costa Blanca. We were happy to have them stay with us, and they arrived on the Tuesday morning from Valencia city, all ready for their 2 day mountain biking skills training course. Wendy decided she wanted some rest and relaxation, however, so she was happy for the rest of the family to go for their skills course whilst she spent the day taking it easy around the pool. Dad & the teenagers had a great time learning mountain biking techniques in a shady wooded area across the valley from here – a lovely spot and an excellent place to be on a hot and sunny day. They returned during the late afternoon, just in time to join…

Read Article

Costa Blanca Property Viewing Trips

Costa Blanca Property Viewing Trips They came; They saw; They bought! We recently received a booking from Colin Mason and his family, wanting to take up our offer of a Property Viewing Package of three nights’ accommodation with a late check-out on the afternoon of the fourth day. They had already made some appointments to view property in the area, and wanted some friendly accommodation for their stay – possibly with some suggestions and advice thrown in at the same time! Colin was coming with his wife Christine and grown-up son Mike, and they were looking for a holiday property that would be easy to lock up and leave during the time when they would be in the UK. They only wanted a modestly sized home, although they were well aware that much larger properties could be purchased for only a small amount of extra money. However, what really suited them would be a villa with about three bedrooms and a pool, and preferably situated not far from the beautiful beaches of the northern Costa Blanca. It had to be near amenities that would suit them and their three grown-up sons and mutual partners for daily requirements, as well as…

Read Article

Mountain Biking Skills Training Week-end

Mountain Biking Skills Training Week-end We were delighted to welcome Raul and Eva to our casa rural in Gandia last weekend. They had booked one of our all-inclusive mountain biking packages which we offer in conjunction with MountainBikingValencia.com . These are available as a weekend break of 2 nights with one day’s guided mountain biking, a break of 3 nights with 2 days’ biking, or a week’s holiday of 7 nights with 3 days’ biking. Of course, if guests wanted a different length of stay, or more or less biking included, we would be only too pleased to tailor-make a holiday to their specifications. In any event, breakfast and dinner are included every day and packed lunches are provided on mountain biking trips, as well as the services of a qualified and experienced guide. Raul and Eva had previously used the services of Dave Warrington for single day excursions whilst they were already in the area for professional reasons, but this time they had decided they wanted to spend longer enjoying the surroundings in this lovely part of the country. They drove down from their home in Catalunya, arriving late on Friday evening, with the intention of spending the day on…

Read Article

Spanish Property Hunters return to Spain

Bargain Spanish Property for Sale Property Hunters from Far and Wide! In line with recent trends, we have seen more property hunters come to visit us in a quest to find a home in our part of the northern Costa Blanca. In the last few months we have had an increase in the number of guests coming to look for suitable homes – either as permanent or holiday accommodation – but now they are coming not only from the traditional places such as England but also looking to relocate here from other parts of Europe as well. John and Pamela for example are an English couple who spent three days with us on their second visit to the area. Although from England originally, they have lived for the last ten years in Italy but are now wanting to move on again. This is not because of any particular dissatisfaction with Italy, but rather because they feel it is time for a change and they are aware that Spanish property values have now fallen to a much more realistic and affordable level on the Costa Blanca. Easy access to the UK is a consideration for family visits too, but much more…

Read Article

Family Reunions in Spain

Family Reunion in Spain We received a contact from Clare via our Facebook page a couple of weeks ago, to ask if it would be feasible to organise a family reunion at Villa Florencia. The situation was that Clare permanently lives near Alicante with her Spanish husband and four year-old twin daughters, and two sets of her aunts and uncles were going to be having their holidays near Castellón – the next provincial town north of Valencia. The idea was that they could all possibly meet up somewhere between the two points (so on the northern Costa Blanca) and spend some time together. Clare asked if we had overnight accommodation available for the whole group, which we had, and also whether we provide an evening meal service, which of course we do also! She therefore reserved sufficient accommodation for everyone, and the stage was set for a family reunion on Saturday, with dinner and everyone staying over on Saturday night before departing during the day on Sunday. Clare, her husband and their twins decided to stay in our self-catering apartment, although this was only for their sleeping accommodation as they were fully intending to join the rest of the family…

Read Article

Spanish Property Viewing Trips

Spanish Property Viewing Trips For the last few years – since 2008 really – foreign property hunters wanting to buy a home either for holidays or for a permanent move have been a rare breed indeed in Spain. However, in recent months we have noticed a distinct rise in the numbers of guests visiting us on one of our Spanish Property Viewing Trips, with the thought of looking for a property in the area. More such guests are Adam and Helen, who spent a week with us very recently, bringing their 7 month old son Zac with them, and they had their entire time here arranged around estate agent visits and property viewings. They were already familiar with the southern part of the Costa Blanca, but felt it was not typically Spanish enough for them and had too large a proportion of non-Spanish residents for their liking. They therefore decided to acquaint themselves with our part of the northern Costa Blanca, where there are properties of all sizes to choose from, and often at comparatively bargain prices. They had visited the Place in the Sun property expo in London before deciding to come out here, so were in a good…

Read Article

Spanish Property Hunting – Canadians in Spain

Spanish Property Hunting We recently received a reservation for a 6 night regional inspection tour, from Andy, who intended to fly here from England, where he had been visiting his daughter. Andy, however, now lives in Canada (although comes from the UK originally) and is interested in the possibility of purchasing a property here on the Costa Blanca. He is one of a growing band of people who are recognising that Spanish property now represents far better value for money than a few years ago, when prices had risen to unrealistic levels. Andy had done a fair amount of groundwork before arriving here and had contacted various agents to arrange viewings and be shown around the area to make sure that this part of the country would suit him. He arrived with us in the late afternoon on Saturday and took advantage of our evening meal service that night, rather than having to find a restaurant in unfamiliar surroundings. The next day was spent looking at various different types of property, as he did not have fixed ideas of exactly the type of home he was seeking – but knew he would know it when he found it! One thing…

Read Article

Spanish Property Hunters – Spanish Property Inspection Trips

Mark and Rosalyn arrived with us on Wednesday lunchtime from England, and are members of an increasing group of people – house hunters in Spain! Now that Spanish property prices here have fallen to levels not seen for several years, the possibility of buying a home – whether for a permanent move or for holiday use – is seen as much more realistic again. They soon settled in to their room and had some lunch here, before setting off on there property viewing trip, to see some properties that they had already shortlisted with an agent on-line. This gave them the opportunity of familiarising themselves with the area a little and getting a general idea of what was on offer. They were also being very philosophical about the appalling weather that we were having during their visit, saying that if the area and properties appealed to them now in the pouring rain, then they would absolutely love the place when the sun was shining! After dinner with us and a good night’s sleep, they set of the next morning with another Spanish property agent to see more houses for sale in several different towns and villages in the area. They…

Read Article

Sold! Spanish Property Sellers

Sold! Spanish Property Sellers Jeanette and Kevin from the UK made a booking to come and stay with us this week, as they had sold their holiday villa in La Drova to another couple who had been property hunters – also from the UK – who were wanting to have a holiday base in the La Safor area.Jeanette and Kevin decided to make an unhurried trip of it, arriving with us on the Sunday and staying until the following Saturday, with the appointment at the notary’s office scheduled for the Wednesday. They were driving down from the UK in their car, crossing by ferry to Santander, which is something they had often done in the past when visiting their property. Apparently they used to come on average for about six weeks each year, and had owned property in this area for over ten years – their house in La Drova was their second one. Property hunters seem to be slightly on the increase now that house prices have fallen to levels not seen in Spain for a very long time. Foreigners who want to buy a home have become aware that Spain now offers good value properties once again, and…

Read Article