GANDIA 5km & over 17km of Blue Flag Beaches If you have been hankering after the “real Spain” well this is it – our small rustic town of Palma de Gandia is sheltered by the Safor Mountains and is almost surrounded by orange groves that stretch down to the sea. Our holiday home (featured on A Place in the Sun 2004) is a two bedroom single storey traditional Valencian townhouse that has been tastefully renovated and is situated in a peaceful cul-de-sac of 4 other Spanish owned properties where narrow winding lanes and quaint passageways criss cross with small squares and shady parks. Sympathetically renovated retaining the original Valencian features, we believe our home is over 100 years old. The ceramic tiles around the fireplace are original and there is a story that when the church was dedicated the priest came and blessed all the houses in the historic part of town. The traditional Valencian door has shuttered glass windows and decorated ironwork rajas’ and opens onto a spacious open plan L shaped living area with vaulted beamed ceilings. Near the doorway is a casual seating area. The formal dining area has seating for 4 and there is a second sitting area which has reverse air conditioning, a TV/DVD/CD player and a cast iron electric fire for chilly evenings. There is also a large portable gas stove and electric fires. Two bedrooms (1 double with ceiling fan and 1 twin) each with large floor to ceiling wardrobes and cupboards and window shutters to keep out the sun in the summer. The modern bathroom is fully tiled with vanity unit, wc, bath and shower. With seating for 4, the kitchen/diner has new kitchen units and appliances and opens onto the patio. The high walled private patio area has a southerly aspect and there are small shrubs and trees, garden furniture and gas bbq. Just seconds away brings you to the small Plaza de la Vella where Rosa and Jose have their bakery - ideal for your warm bread in the morning and as Jose and Rosa are learning English, you could practice your Spanish with them. There is also a hairdresser and a public telephone box in the plaza and a couple of Tobacconists in the town. Just round the corner is the butcher and a small supermarket and on the opposite side of the road you will find “Bar Palma” where you can eat home cooked food in the evening. There are various tapas bars, an English bar and a Chinese takeaway. Just 15 minutes stroll brings you to the restaurant “Aventura” where Moma has an excellent menu of home cooked food and delicious square pizzas. All the food is very reasonably priced and a Menu del Dia can cost from 7.50€ to 12€. Viva Espana restaurant on the Gandia to Oliva road has an excellent flamenco floor show at the weekends. In the evening there are some lovely walks through the shady orange groves or you can meander along the old narrow lanes down to the river. There is excellent fishing (permit from the Town Hall) when there is water in the river! An outdoor swimming pool is open in the summer months. Steeped in history when you get tired of building sandcastles on the beach, you can discover the ruined castles, palaces and quaint old cobbled medieval towns and cave houses. The sophisticated city of Gandia is just 10 minutes away and was home to the infamous Borgia family. The medieval part of Gandia is traffic free which enables you to explore the alleyways, the Borgia Palace which is magnificent and the Cathedral where the film “Lucretia Borgia” was recently filmed. There are boutique shops and cafes and the famous Lizeran tapas bar. The paseo with its fountains, runs the length of the city and on the side of the road are banks, restaurants and small cafes where you can sit and watch the world go by. On the outskirts of Gandia is the large hypermarket Carrefour. Gandia Playa is about a kilometre from the city and is backed by a long promenade. The beach has much to offer the sports enthusiast with beach and water sports available: it has beach loungers, changing rooms, toilets and childrens playgrounds. The area around the playa also has a scattering of shops with an excellent selection of cafes, bars and restaurants. Oliva – 8 km south of Palma de Gandia is dominated by the ruined castle of Santa Ana which overlooks the old Moorish part of the town, with its steep narrow winding streets and quaint houses. The new town has a selection of shops and supermarkets and on Friday morning there is a huge outdoor market where people come from miles around to sell their home produce – the market sells literally everything. Heading towards the sea from the new town is Oliva Playa not perhaps offering the range of sports and comforts of Gandia but it can be a little quieter. There are other beaches between, Miramar, Bellregard, Daimus, Piles etc. all having small promenades and cafes. South of Oliva are rustic beaches which are backed by tamarisk trees. The quality of the sand is excellent for building sandcastles and the beach gently slopes into the sea. So good is the sand, on occasions it is exported to the Canary Islands. The area is excellent for walking the ice trails and around the old towns and illustrated walks can be either downloaded from the internet or obtained from the local tourist offices. Most sports are catered for and there is an 18 hole Severiano Ballesteros Golf Course south of Oliva. Scuba diving and bikes can be hired locally. Gandia is central to many of the old castles and historic towns.