Gandia Casa Rural - Villa Florencia Casa Rural Gandia

Guided Mountain Biking in Spain

David (guide) Mario, Alain & Scott – Mountain Biking in Spain Scott, Alain and Mario from Montreal in Canada arrived on Sunday evening to stay with us for six nights and the purpose of their visit was to spend their time here mountain biking in Spain, in the beautiful mountains and countryside of the La Safor region. Scott and Alain had visited the area before, and although they had hired bikes then, they had not taken advantage of the guided mountain bike service that is available. This time they decided to do just that, and be shown new routes that they would otherwise not have discovered for themselves. After their evening arrival from Canada, they dined with us that night before getting some well-earned rest and attempting to adjust their body clocks to European time. The following morning though, on the Monday, they were eager to get on the road and set off with Dave Warrington from Mountain Biking Valencia on a route of some 30kms in the mountains of the La Safor region, starting from Pla de Corrals. They took a packed lunch with them and had a great time, returning to us in the early evening in time…

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Gandia Golf Course – La Galiana Golf

Gandia Golf Course – La Galiana Golf More and more people are coming to the Gandia area to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take part in some sort of outdoor activity holiday, and one that should not be overlooked by anyone thinking of this part of Spain is the game of golf. When one thinks of golf in Spain, many are drawn to the south of the country but there are some beautiful courses in this region as well. One such course is La Galiana, situated about 30 minutes’ drive from Villa Florencia (Gandia Casa Rural). It is set in the Vall de la Valldigna and the La Galiana course enjoys a spectacular setting in a valley surrounded by pine and orange groves, isolated from residential areas. More than 5000 local species of plants and trees have been used for its landscaping. This course has everything that makes golf such an attractive game. It has a great location in the Vall de la Valldigna and is a protected area of nature, where there are no residential buildings, and it features spectacular scenery and stunning views. The course itself is 18 holes Par 72 and 6975 meters from the back Tees,…

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Walking in Valencia

Walking in Valencia Yesterday we decided to take a trip to the beautiful city of Valencia to have a walk around the streets and of course to pick up some useful literature from the tourist information office for our guests to use in the coming season. Also on the agenda was to have a look at the famous indoor food and produce market – known as the Central Market or Mercado Central – to see where many of the hotels and restaurants in the city obtain their produce. Valencia is so easy to visit from our area, and the best option is to drive to Xeraco station – one stop up the line, where there is plenty of free parking – and go by train. A leisurely journey through orange groves and rice fields brings you right into the heart of the city to the central station (confusingly called Valencia Nord!), which is perfectly located for exploring the historic centre of the town – all directly ahead of you as you leave the station. It was not the warmest of days to go walking in Valencia (but it is February after all!), so our first mission was to make our…

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Mediterranean Garden Plants

We recently had the pleasure of having the Theemann family from Germany visit us for a few days. They arrived with their son and daughter as well as one of their daughter’s friends, and we assumed they were here for a few days’ winter sunshine during the break in the school term. They had booked the self-catering apartment for four nights, but as they arrived fairly late in the evening they had also arranged to take advantage of our evening meal service. During dinner, it transpired that although they certainly were looking forward to a spell of much warmer weather than they had left behind n Germany, the main purpose of their trip was shopping – but not the usual souvenir shopping that many of our guests treat themselves to. Back in Germany, the Theemanns run a garden nursery business with several outlets, and they were here in order to place orders for palm and citrus trees and other Mediterranean Garden Plants for the coming season. This is an annual undertaking for them – they come to our part of Spain most years for this – and as a result they have contacts and lines of supply already well established…

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Guests from the States – Rural Bed and Breakfast

Rural Bed and Breakfast We were really pleased to welcome visitors from far away this week – Mike and Sharon Farrell and their family from the United States. They were travelling as a group of six, spanning three generations, and the main purpose of their trip was to visit another family member who was studying in Spain for a semester. The had arrived in Barcelona a few days before travelling to us, and now wanted a couple of days relaxation in a rural Bed and Breakfast before visiting their relative in Alicante. Having spent time sightseeing in Barcelona, and then more sightseeing on the way down, they finally arrived after dining en route, and were happy to settle in and relax for the rest of the evening. However, they did not want to miss the opportunity to see something of our part of Spain, so took time to plan what they would do the next day. Having heard about the famous Borgia family of the area that gave the world the only two popes of Spanish origin, they wanted to see the nearby town of Xativa, where the family came from, so made a plan to take a rural drive…

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Casa Rural Guests from Singapore

This weekend we were pleased to welcome Joseph Goh and his family, who had come all the way from Singapore to spend their holidays in Spain. They were a family of five, with Joseph and his wife, their two teenage children and a grown-up nephew. Joseph is a pilot with Singapore Airlines and enjoys taking his family to different parts of the world – and Spain was a new destination for them all. They arrived at Gandia Casa Rural by car which they had collected in Valencia, although they had flown in to Barcelona and then subsequently taken the train to Valencia. The Spanish rail network was in fact to be their principal means of transport around the country for the remainder of their trip, as they had purchased a rail pass that allowed them unlimited use of the railway for the duration of their visit Their plan was to explore our part of the Costa Blanca for a couple of days, and one of the main attractions for them was the fact that this part of the country remains genuinely unspoilt by foreign tourism and is still largely undiscovered except by the Spanish holidaymaker. After settling in during the…

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Mountain Biking in Spain, Walking and Winter Sunshine Holidays

Autumn Activity Holiday – Mountain Biking in Spain, Walking and Winter Sunshine Towards the end of October we received a reservation from Anne and Nigel who wanted to come to our part of the Costa Blanca in order to have an activity holiday in some welcome autumn sunshine. It was their intention to spend time getting to know some of the towns and villages in this part of Spain – which they had not visited before – and also to be out in the beautiful countryside both on foot and with mountain bikes. Since they were experienced mountain bike enthusiasts, they had already been in touch with Mountain Biking Valencia to arrange the rental of bikes for some of the days of their visit. They wanted to combine some guided excursions with some skills training, so by the time they arrived they had a fairly clear idea of what they wanted from their holiday. Dave and his wife Carolina joined Anne and Nigel here at Gandia Casa Rural for dinner on the night of their arrival in order to meet with him face to face and decide on the form the ride should take on their first full day of Mountain…

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Pet Friendly Accommodation

We received a booking request for one night from John and Jacqui, who asked if we could accommodate them, along with their Cockapoo named Monti. We always say that we welcome owners as well as their pets, so of course replied that the three of them would be very welcome. They were in fact travelling down to their holiday home in Andalusia, having driven down through France visiting friends along the way. This part of the Costa Blanca is a very convenient point to stop along the way down to the south of the country, and the Bed and Breakfast accommodation that we offer is a very convenient option. Added to that is the fact that guests can choose to take advantage of our evening meal service, so there is no need to look for a restaurant in unfamiliar surroundings after a long drive during the day. The pet-friendly accommodation that we offer only served as an additional inducement for John and Jacqui to stay with us – it was the perfect solution for them. Monti was a beautiful and friendly 8 month old cross poodle and cocker spaniel (hence Copckapoo), who was a real delight and who soon became…

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Guests from Switzerland

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed Marie, Anton and their daughter Jana back to Villa Florencia again – this was their third visit and the second one in our self-catering apartment. They live in Switzerland, although originate from South Africa, so are always pleased to see some of our warm Spanish sunshine – and this visit did not fail to disappoint, with beautiful warm weather and lots of time relaxing in the pool and gardens. They stayed with us for a week here on the Costa Blanca and during that time also went to the city of Valencia, specifically to see the Oceanografic aquarium at the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias). This was as a belated birthday treat for Yana, who loved all the exhibits there and especially the glass tunnels that you walk through with marine life swimming all around you. Other excursions included a trip to the nearby Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, which they found well worthwhile and which forms part of the La Safor monastery route and pilgrimage. Marie and Anton immediately felt on holiday here, as they were already acquainted with the house and…

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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…

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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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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…

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