Gandia and Ador (Other locations...)

Member Name: shelleyzie

Product:	Other locations...
Date:	07/01/01 (187 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The real Spain

Disadvantages: Heat - very few airconditioners

A friend of ours has a villa close to Gandia in a little village called Ador.

2 years ago we visited and were absolutely astounded by the beauty of the place.

It's pretty much equidistant between Alicante and Valencia but the price difference between flying in to the two airports is huge. Alicante is much cheaper due to the masses flying in for their two week break in Benidorm. Valencia airport is primarily for scheduled flights.

We flew into Alicante and hired a car from the airport where there are many hire companies. It's probably best to book in advance during peak seasons.

Gandia is about an hour and a half away by car. The motorways are surprisingly quiet. You must remember though to take change with you for the toll booths.

Gandia is a lovely little town. There's a town square where you can sit and watch the world go by, eating the local dish Paella and drinking Cafe con Leche(coffee with milk).

It sits on the Costa del Azahar (Coast of the Orange Blossom) and has just about the best beach I've ever been to. It's cleaned every evening where troops of beach cleaners go around picking up everything from discarded suntan lotion bottles to cigarette ends.

The sand is a beautiful golden colour but gets really hot during the summer months - don't forget beach shoes.

The boards running from the promenade down to the beach have showers dotted along them. Perfect when you're hot from driving the 10 minutes from the town, and for when you feel all sandy and salty after a day swimming in the clear blue sea and sunbathing.

Ador itself, is as the name suggests adorable, it's far away from any tourists, in fact I didn't see any tourists in the village for the whole holiday.

There are plenty of tavernas to eat in and the village has a few shops that sell necessities. Don't expect to find your usual brand of soap, coffee, etc. They do have
erratic opening hours though so it's a bit hit or miss.

Ador boasts a fantastic swimming pool. Surrounded by palm trees and with a children's pool too. There is a shower which must be used before and after swimming which keeps the water clean but means that you have to wash off any sun screen you have applied. (This goes for most European countries).

There is also a bus in the village square which takes you to Gandia, unfortunately it doesn't run very frequently.

The highlight of our trip was the Fiesta, fireworks every night and the village band walking around playing. They have something similar to our old May Queen, where a local girl is selected to be the Queen for the year. The ground outside her front door is painted beautifully so everyone knows where she lives. We saw these dating back several years.

I would recommend a trip out there by anyone who is visiting Gandia.

One word of warning though, July can get really HOT! It hit 45 degrees one day!

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