One more year, Gandia City Council invites you to celebrate the most magical night of the year to the seashore and Batuka pace. Thus, from 2215 h, on the promenade Neptú, two percussion groups encourage those present to participate in the festival and will accompany you to the fire located on the sandy beach. The group will leave from the end Baket Beach (north) and the group will Shekere from the church of Sant Nicolau to the fire. At 24 h, in the same promenade, facing the street Rabida, fires a firework display, and in end, it will burn the San Juan Bonfire Batuka pace.
On the night of San Juan the huge Gandia beach will be filled with people and bonfires. It is pretty much just a huge crowd drinking together. The Gandia beach will resemble a Viking night camp, wildly celebrating victory. After all, it’s only once a year that the police looks the other way while you burn fires and get wildly drunk on the beach! If you are a younger traveller (or an older and adventurous), you will have a fantastic time in the mayhem of San Juan. The party will go on all nigth long. If you wish, you can participate in the old San Juan tradition – jumping over a bonfire while making a wish.
There is no secific location. The entire beach will be packed. You won’t be able to miss it. Bring your drinks.
Pet Friendly Accommodation Spain
Conveniently situated just off the N-332/AP-7 Motorway, Bed and Breakfast Spain offers comfortable lodgings for you and you pet.
Early on Friday afternoon the first two cars of the expedition drew up in the car park…..this was the advance party of 2 guys (one being the groom), who were being terribly organised and dropping off the first delivery of drinks (to go in the fridges asap!) as well as the first of the food! They had driven from their hometown of Cuenca, between Valencia and Madrid, which is famous for its so-called “Hanging Houses”. Next, it was off to Gandía to buy what else was needed for the weekend’s catering needs! During the afternoon the rest of the guests gradually arrived, and by evening the party was ready to get going!
Much of their time was spent around the barbecue, and most of the weekend’s food was prepared and cooked outdoors – it was a perfect weekend for enjoying the garden and pool. The terrace doors were open, and the music sounded out across the gardens, putting everyone in a good party mood. Most of the guys stayed up all Friday night enjoying the ambience of the surroundings, although some chose to catch forty winks. This meant that by Saturday morning, some were getting up for the day, whilst others were thinking it might be time for bed!! More barbecues and time in the garden marked the way most of the weekend was spent, and thankfully the weather played along perfectly. Warm sunshine was just what was needed to make this a great outdoor party weekend.
Sunday saw more of the same, although most of the guys were up for a fairly early start this morning – not having had such a late night the day before! They cooked more food on the barbecue and spent the rest of the day enjoying the great weather – it looks like summer is here to stay at last!
This week saw the welcome return of some guests who have spent many holiday and property searching breaks at Villa Florencia……….Murano glass jewellery designer Lut Schops and her partner web designer Herwig Claeys. They have visited us many times in the past, normally with their daughter. However, this time Isa was spending time on a school camp, so Herwig and Lut were able to visit us for a more romantic break in the welcome Spanish sunshine.
The weather was indeed generally sunny, but it has to be said that when they went for a trip to visit Alicante castle there was a very bad thunderstorm in that area, which prevented them from strolling around Alicante old town as much as they would have liked. Otherwise, they generally spent their time relaxing in the garden or going on trips around the local area in the hope of spotting the house that they might one day make their own. However, there is no urgency in their search, and they are already looking forward to their next trip to us in August, when they will be bringing Isa with them again. We look forward to welcoming them back for another visit – it is always good to see past guests return as friends!
Usually, the “despedida” party-goers come from far and wide to celebrate the impending wedding of the boy or girl involved. Part of the purpose of the trip to Gandia and the Villa Flo is the lively nightlife to be enjoyed in Playa de Gandia – usually much better that what is on offer in their hometowns. So what does a group of lads do for their party when they actually come from this area themselves? Instead of going out to the probably familiar clubs…..they make their own club here!!
Friday afternoon saw the arrival of a group of boys from the Gandia area to celebrate Javi’s despedida. But along with the usual overnight bags, an enormous array of music equipment was brought up the path, to be proudly installed on the terrace – and taking up most of the space there! Mixing decks, amplifiers, light displays, smoke machines and huge speakers were set up, and the sounds soon started pulsating around the Marchuquera valley! The party continued through to the small hours of the morning when things quietened down, only to start up again by the middle of the morning! The lads were all having a great time, spending time during the day on Saturday in and around the pool, making a huge paella on gas burners in the garden and generally enjoying themselves. Saturday night fell, and it was party time again with fabulous light displays up on the terrace and lots more dance music going for the rest of the night………
Monday saw the return of some past guests – or at least one past guest, this time returning with her husband, rather than her daughter who came with her in March 2009. Now, Deirdre was visiting us with Mick, and it has to be said the weather was a whole lot better for their trip this year, with almost continuous sunshine.
On Monday evening we invited some friends round for dinner who are involved in the Spanish holiday villa rental business. They own the lovely Casa Satora villa nearby which they use for their own holidays, and then they rent it out to holidaymakers when not using it themselves. Also, some friends of theirs were visiting from the LittleRock in the USA, so there were a total of eight of us for dinner – and a thoroughly pleasant and convivial evening was had by everyone.
Deirdre and Mick went out exploring the area during the days on Tuesday and Wednesday, returning to dine with us each evening. Sadly, their visit was over all too quickly and Thursday morning they left to continue their Spanish holiday, driving south to near Malaga, where they were meeting some friends who live in the area. It was really good to see Deirdre back with us again, and bringing Mick along with her. We told them that they must come back again soon, this time bringing daughter Kate and the rest of the family with them!
Your hosts, Nigel and Mark, run the Valencia-BedandBreakfast-Spain Guest House with all of its facilities and comforts like a small country hotel and combine this with a welcoming feeling of informality and relaxation. Our aim at Valencia-BedandBreakfast-Spain is to provide an exceptional standard of individual service to our guests, making them feel that they are in a friendly and informal atmosphere where they can relax and unwind without the usual constraints of a conventional hotel.
Our 5 spacious bedrooms (three twins and two doubles) all have air-conditioning and heating, are well furnished and benefit from housekeeping services on a daily basis. Complimentary tea and coffee making facilities are provided in each room and all have modern en-suite bathrooms with power showers. The villa also has ample car parking facilities – we would suggest that guests hire a car in order to derive the greatest benefit from the surrounding towns and countryside.
They come by car, by plane, and now by Spanish Train!!
This weekend’s house booking was a group of 9 lads from Madrid, celebrating the impending wedding of one of them, and they came to Gandia from Madrid by train – via Valencia, of course. They arrived at about 10.00 on the Friday evening in a couple of taxis from the station, and wasted no time in settling in to the house and lighting the barbeque for their first meal of the weekend together. The rest of the night – through to the small hours of the morning – was spent either in the pool, on the terraces outside, or taking part in a poker championship that was being held in the bar and upper terrace area.
Saturday got off to a gradual start, but soon everyone appeared and had a leisurely morning round the pool with some barbequed sausages before setting off at around 3.00pm to Playa de Gandia for a paella lunch that they had arranged in advance. This was apparently a great success, and the lads returned about 6.00pm for some more time in the gardens and pool before carrying on with the poker championship. Later on – about 11.00pm – the customary taxis arrived to take them to Playa de Gandia once again, for the main celebratory meal of the weekend at one of the specialist restaurants there. This was followed by more drinks in the bar and club area of the resort, and they tell us they returned to the villa round about 6.00am! Being the considerate guests they are, we heard nothing at all!
Sunday dawned bright and sunny to complete the perfect weekend for them, and the day was spent in the gardens again, having lunch together at the barbeque, and swimming in the pool. All good things have to come to an end, however, and the taxis came to collect them around 5.00pm to take them to the station for their trip back to Madrid. Once again, all the lads were very appreciative of the time they had spent at our villa, and said they had had a great weekend. Repeat bookings will surely follow if their enthusiasm for the place is anything to go by!
Reserva este fin de semana la casa había un grupo de 9 chicos de Madrid, la celebración de la inminente boda de uno de ellos, y llegaron a Gandía desde Madrid en tren – a través de Valencia, por supuesto. Ellos llegaron como a las 10,00 en la noche del viernes en un par de taxis de la estación, y no perdió tiempo en instalarse en la casa y encender la barbacoa para su primera comida del fin de semana juntos. El resto de la noche – hasta las primeras horas de la mañana – se gastó tanto en la piscina, en las terrazas exteriores, o participar en un campeonato de póquer que se celebraba en el bar y terraza superior.
Sábado tuvo un inicio gradual, pero apareció pronto todo el mundo con una cadena por la mañana tranquilamente de la piscina con unas salchichas asadas antes de salir en alrededor de 15:00 a Playa de Gandia para un almuerzo de paella que había preparado de antemano. Esto fue al parecer un gran éxito, y los muchachos regresaron acerca 18:00 por algún tiempo más en los jardines y la piscina antes de continuar con el campeonato de póquer. Más tarde – sobre 23:00 – los taxis tradicionales llegaron para llevarlos a la Playa de Gandia, una vez más, para la comida principal de celebración del fin de semana en uno de los restaurantes especializados allí. Esto fue seguido por más tragos en el bar y zona de club de la localidad, y ellos nos dicen que regresó a la ronda alrededor de 06 a.m. villa! Ser considerado con los invitados que son, no oímos nada en absoluto!
Domingo amaneció luminoso y soleado para completar el fin de semana perfecto para ellos, y el día transcurrió en los jardines de nuevo, almorzando juntos en la parrilla, y la natación en la piscina. Todas las cosas buenas tienen que llegar a su fin, sin embargo, y los taxis vino a recoger alrededor de 17:00 para llevarlos a la estación de su viaje de regreso a Madrid. Una vez más, todos los muchachos estaban muy agradecidos por el tiempo que habían pasado en nuestra villa, y dijeron que habían tenido un gran fin de semana. Repita reservas seguramente seguirán si su entusiasmo por el lugar es algo para pasar!
No sooner had the weekend’s despedida party left on the Sunday, than we received a phone call on the Monday to enquire whether we could accommodate a couple for 2 nights. We could, so shortly before lunchtime we had the pleasure of welcoming Jean-Philippe and his partner Thomy to our home. Originally from Switzerland, they were taking a well-earned break from their working lives, in the form of a brief honeymoon (they were married a couple of weeks ago), and had spent time in Valencia city before beginning the trip home – and staying with us for a couple of days’ relaxation along the way!
It turns out that they also run a Casa Rural, inland from the Elche and Alicante area. They were really great people to have stay with us, and it was interesting to talk with them and exchange ideas about the type of lives and businesses we run. Of course, we had so much in common and it was refreshing to find that we were not the only ones who had encountered certain problems in establishing this kind of business in a country that was new to us all. They spent their time mainly relaxing around the pool on the Monday, and then dined with us in the evening. On Tuesday they explored Gandia and Playa de Gandia before spending some time on the beach itself before returning for some more relaxation around our pool. Tuesday night was spent having a really enjoyable barbeque together and talking afterwards in the garden about ideas we all had for developing our businesses. A thoroughly enjoyable visit from two very nice guys, and we shall certainly stay in contact with each other in the future – and probably visit them in their Casa Rural when we feel the need of a short holiday ourselves!
Fiesta de San Juan on the Beach 23/06/2010
