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The town
Oliva is a traditional Spanish market town. It lies
between Alicante and Valencia in the 'Oranges and
Lemons' region of the Costa del Azahar – close to the
border with the Costa Blanca.
Oliva is steeped in history. One street dates back
almost five hundred years.
Many traditional fiestas pass through the maze of narrow
cobbled streets in the old town area. These include the
‘Fallas’ (festival of fire) and the Carnival. The Moors
& Christians festival in July depicts the epic struggle
as the Moors were driven out of Oliva. It culminates in
an amazing display of costumes and fireworks.
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Oliva’s history is reflected in a former mosque that is
now a church and in the ruined
Moorish castle. They – along with the town’s other blue
domed church – are illuminated at night on the dramatic
skyline.
Twenty thousand people live in Oliva. The new town area
has a covered food market and plenty of shops and
supermarkets. A weekly outdoor market sells fresh local
food, household goods and clothes.
See below for a website with some of the wide variety of
restaurants and bars that cater for all tastes. |
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Oliva from the ruined castle. |
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Beaches
Oliva’s magnificent beaches stretch for 6 miles (10km.)
It is usually possible to find a quiet spot even at the
height of summer – especially if you head for the sand
dunes. We took the photo above in June.
Strict planning controls have saved the area from
skyscrapers.
Pau-Pi beach is just five minutes drive from the house.
It has a good selection of bars andrestaurants. Pau-Pi is served by regular buses from the
centre of Oliva and is around 40 minutes walk from the
house.
Other nearby beaches include Terranova, which has the
popular Kiko Port restaurant. |
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Unspoiled beach – in June! |
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A number of bars are set-up on the beach itself during
the summer. They stay open for most of the night.
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Leisure
facilities
A host of leisure activities are available in the area.
These include swimming (indoor and outdoor pools at
Oliva’s sports centre), walking, golf (four courses –
including the Oliva Nova, which was designed by Seve
Ballesteros), cycling (bikes can be hired locally),
horse-riding, yachting, wind surfing and deep sea
diving.
More details from the Oliva tourist office, whose
website address is below.
The
surrounding area
Within a few minutes drive from the house you will find
aromatic orange and lemon groves, mountains, miles of
unspoilt beaches and many lovely towns and villages. The
cities of Valencia and Alicante are each only an hour’s
drive away.
Driving south from Oliva takes you through the
traditional seaside towns of Denia, Javea, Calpe and
Altea before arriving on the Costa Blanca. Denia (12
miles from Oliva) has ferries to Majorca and Ibiza.
There are many tourist facilities on the Costa Blanca,
including a large theme park on the outskirts of
Benidorm – Terra Mitica (see directions)
The city of Alicante is the capital of the Costa Blanca.
It has a lovely promenade alongside the harbour and some
fantastic restaurants and tapas bars.
Driving north from Oliva for four miles takes
you into the next door town of Gandia, which is
traditionally Spanish and has a wide variety of shops
and restaurants. Valencia is served by a half-hourly
train service from here, which passes through rice paddy
fields.
Valencia is the capital of the Costa del Azahar. It is
Spain’s third largest city and is well worth a visit.
There are many centuries of history and also an amazing
new science park which includes the L'Oceanografic
aquarium.
Driving inland from Oliva takes you to various
picturesque towns. Xativa has an impressive castle and
streets full of Spanish life. Guadalest is built into
the side of the mountain and has a fortress with amazing
views over the mountains and valley.
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Useful websites
Oliva tourist office (in English):
www.tourist-oliva.com
Tourism site
for the region of Valencia:
http://www.comunitatvalenciana.com
Weather
forecasts for Gandia (the next town):
Go to
www.weather.com
and type in Gandia.
Maps of area:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=oliva&state=&country=spain&size=big
Restaurants
in the area:
http://www.rentoliva.co.uk/oliva-restaurants.htm
Terra Mitica
theme park:
http://touristnet.turisme.gva.es/touristnet/pralicante/terramitica/publico/paginas/main_en.htm
Company that
provides airport transfers, property services etc:
www.olivaguide.com
Bird
watching in the area:
http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/spainolivabnb.html
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