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QUIET SPAIN Relax and Enjoy the Mountain Good Life, at
Welcome, leave your stress outside the door, and make yourself at home.
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IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND EVERY DAY RELAXING THERE'S LOT'S TO DO. One of the most popular pursuits over the last few years has been property hunting. Here we can be of assistance as we have lived in Spain for 18 years and brought up our children here, who are now virtually Spanish. So any question you may have we will answer with the facts from experience, not bar room opinions. For full info. WE DO RUN A PROPERTY SERVICE. Check out Serrella Property Service
HILL WALKING Hill Walking must come top of the list for leisure activities with our guests. Theses mountain are criss crossed with miles of old Moorish tracks and routes. The Spring, Autumn and Winter are the favoured months for walking here with magnificent scenery all around, as the Summer is very hot. This is also an area where you will find a wide variety of wild herbs and plants, with an amazing assortment of tiny wild flowers including orchids.
From Balones you are straight into the hills We have available books, with planned routes and trips around the area. But if you would like to be escorted, David, the owner of the "L'Antiga Escola" restaurant in the neighbouring village of Tollos, gives good value, as for an all in price, he will guide a group for a 3 hour walk, followed by a delicious lunch in his restaurant. He also runs 1 day cookery courses which are very popular. For full details:- Click here. L'Antiga escola
FOR EXPLORERS This whole region is riddled with history going back to Roman times. Like Bocairente where the Bull Ring which was constructed in 1843, is one of the oldest cut from natural rock in the style of a Roman Amphitheatre. Built to hold over four thousand spectators, it is used today for musical and cultural events too. The Monks caves in Bocairente is worth a visit too, as they are open and free to explore.
The town of Bocairente, the Medieval Barrio on the right. All around these mountains can be seen the ruins of the Moorish watch towers, use for visual communication over a thousand years ago. The famous Castle of Guadalest which is a fortified cliff top village is supposed to have been held by the famous "El Cid" for a while. Guadalest literally means, Guard of the East, so we would call it "Eastguard Castle". This is an interesting place to visit, also for it's excellent gift shops, with many kinds of locally produced, hand made goods which are well priced, definitely not "Tourist Prices". More Tourists visit Guadalest, than any other single tourist attraction in the Valencian Community. Another interesting attraction only 20 minutes drive into the mountains, is Aitana Safari Park, above the village of Penaguila. Here the animals are very well cared for and have a lot of space to themselves. You can get very close to the non dangerous ones and touch them. There is a good bar restaurant there and the whole thing is open all the year.
We have books and information about many interesting day trips you can take in the car. Just ask us for information, we are here to make your stay memorable.
FOR FLYERS The area also caters for Para-gliders with various landing areas clearly marked at the foot of the mountains. There is a microlite aircraft landing strip and club near the town of Muro de Alcoy, as well as a model aeroplane flying club with a full tarmac runway and club house. They make guests and visitors very welcome.
FOR RIDERS For horse riding there are a few riding stables in this area, especially in the Mariola nature reserve where there is an incredible amount of unspoiled countryside for trecking. This is also a wonderful zone for mountain bikers, where even the most difficult challenges can be found, as well as miles and miles of interesting mountain tracks. There is local club help and information available.
SWIMMERS The village pool is very good, clean, and open from late June to the end of August. Children are safe as there is always a lifeguard on duty. For more serious swimmers there are indoor pools in Alcoy in the fitness clubs. AND THE MEDITERRANEAN IS ONLY A HOUR AWAY.
PARTY PEOPLE FIESTA, means party. And Spain is the home of Fiestas. Spain has more national fiestas than other EEC countries. The fiestas vary greatly from the serious religious fiestas to the totally outrageous ones. From June till September Spanish towns and villages each have a week long summer fiesta. The main nights being Friday and Saturday when there is live entertainment from a professional Fiesta Band. Most arrive as a complete road show on enormous trucks. A lot of villages have to use large extra generators to supply the power needed. They don't start till after midnight, then carry on till dawn. Always an incredibly happy, party atmosphere in the streets. You can dance till dawn all the year round in Alcoy, as there is a large plaza surrounded by discotheques, catering for all tastes in music. Again these do not get going till well after midnight. IF YOU CAN'T RELAX YOU CAN PARTY ALL NIGHT.
CONTACT DETAILS Our Address is:- Demelza & Mike Whittock. Casa Rural Serrella, Calle San Jose 1, BALONES 03812. Alicante, Spain. Telephone: (0034) 96 5511222. Fax, (not auto phone first) (0034) 96 5511222.
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