The Gandia area is known as La Safor and is a gorgeous area located on the mid-eastern seaboard of Spain, almost adjacent to the Balearic Islands and just below Valencia (Spain’s third largest city). La Safor is on the cusp of the northern Costa Blanca and the southern part of the Costa del Azahar. The capital of the area is Gandia (pop. 80,000) a busy and cosmopolitan town surrounded by a number of delightful smaller towns, villages and estates that extend inland and along a stunning coast of golden, Blue Flagged beaches.
One of the few remaining traditionally ‘Spanish’ areas along the east coast, La Safor has managed to avoid the ‘concrete jungle’ developments of elsewhere. In fact, at the time of writing, Gandia has only 318 British residents illustrating the ‘unknown’ nature of Gandia – despite its superb beaches, first class communications and infrastructure.
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La Safor comprises the following villages, towns and estates (in alphabetical order):
ALFAUIR
Alfauir is a small pueblo five minutes’ drive from Gandia and 10 minutes from the coast
Communications to and from Alfauir are excellent with quick and easy access to the arterial A7 motorway and the N322 – both of which go to Valencia and Alicante and their international airports.
The La Safor beaches are only 10 minutes’ drive away.
BARX
Barx is a tranquil village some fifteen minutes’ drive north west from Gandia and twenty minutes from the La Safor beaches. Beautifully positioned amidst citrus groves in the mountains, Barx is a traditional, rural Spanish village.
Barx benefits from having a lively local community and is renowned for its hospitality to strangers and its superb annual fiesta, which includes an exciting and eccentric water party! The area around Barx abounds with walking, cycling and climbing opportunities and is surrounded by dramatically rugged mountains.
Barx village has a full range of shops, bars and restaurants, a medical clinic and pharmacy.
GANDIA
Gandia is on the Costa Blanca and is located some 70kms south of Valencia and is easily reached from either Valencia or Alicante via the arterial A7 motorway.
A charming, vibrant town with a booming economy and hundreds of shops, bars and restaurants it is ideal for permanent living. Old streets and squares abound with the town blessed by a most glorious, tree lined main Paseo which stretches the full length of the town. Indeed, you are unlikely to find a more atractive and lively town along the whole of the Costa Blanca.
Gandia Beach is some 4 x kilometres from the centre of Gandia town (which is reached easily by either car or bus from the beach). Gandia beach is renowned for its international award winning Blue Flag rating and is a lively area with countless bars, restaurants and nightclubs. The beach is immaculate, sandy and safe with a superb system of lifeguards and warning flags. Indeed, it is probably the best beach along the whole of the Costa Blanca and has a long, shallow incline that allows for safe swimming for children and adults alike. It is also cleaned daily during the summer season and is accordingly absolutely spotless and astonishingly free of rubbish. There are a profusion of showers and play areas and the new, grassed promenade is a source of justifiable pride to the Beach authorities.
The whole area is maintained immaculately and stands as a showpiece for what can be done, with care and good planning, to ensure that a beach area lives up to the highest expectations of holiday makers. This may be less surprising than it seems at first – because this is where the Spanish come for their beach holidays – Gandia playa being the closest beach to Madrid. Perhaps a case of the Spanish wisely looking after their own interests!
At the southern end of Gandia beach is the port and an enclosed, efficient marina for yachts and private vessels. In this area there are also a range of shops and banks that complement the other amenities that are spread around the beach apartments.
Meanwhile, surrounding Gandia are some superb estates – some of them quite luxurious and all of them notable for having wonderful mountainous surroundings.
GANDIA PLAYA
Gandia playa (beach). This is some 4 x kilometres from the centre of Gandia town (which is reached easily by either car or bus from the beach). Gandia beach is renowned for its international award winning Blue Flag rating and is a lively area with countless bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Gandia playa is immaculate, sandy and safe with a superb system of lifeguards and warning flags. The beach has a long, shallow incline that allows for safe swimming for children and adults alike. It is also cleaned daily during the summer season and is accordingly absolutely spotless and astonishingly free of rubbish. There are a profusion of showers and play areas and the new, grassed promenade is a source of justifiable pride to the Beach authorities.
The whole of Gandia playa is maintained immaculately and stands as a showpiece for what can be done, with care and good planning, to ensure that a beach area lives up to the highest expectations of holiday makers. This may be less surprising than it seems at first – because this is where the Spanish come for their beach holidays – Gandia playa being the closest beach to Madrid. Perhaps a case of the Spanish wisely looking after their own interests!
At the southern end of Gandia playa is the port and an enclosed, efficient marina for yachts and private vessels. Resources are clearly being directed towards the port and marina which hosted a team from the America’s. In this area there are also a range of shops and banks that complement the other amenities that are spread around the beach apartments.
Valencia airport is 45 minutes’ drive away and is accessed easily from junction 62 that is just off the arterial N332 road. This can be reached from the playa within minutes – with the motorway accessible within ten minutes’ drive.
GRAU DE GANDIA
Gandia port/marina. This area is at the end of Gandia Playa and is located some five kms. from Gandia town. This is a lovely area that is part port and part marina with a selection of original fishermen’s houses, old town houses and new adosados. A lively and interesting area, there are a full range of shops and banks and other amenities for day to day living. This area also benefits from being inherently busy all year round.
The Grau is quickly and easily reached from Gandia town but also is close to an entry point for the arterial A7 motorway (approx. 4kms) thus allowing for speedy communications to and from Alicante and Valencia. At both Gandia and nearby Xeraco there are train stations that go to Valencia, making a day out particularly easy.
LA DROVA
La Drova is located fifteen minutes’ drive from Gandia and the7 kilometresof award winning Blue Flag beaches of Gandia andLa Safor. Theinternational airports of Alicante (1 1/2hrs) and Valencia (50 minutes) are close by and easily accessible via the excellent arterial A7 motorway. Madrid is four hours’ drive.
La Drova must rank as one of the most beautiful, secluded and convenient places to live in Spain. Set some1,500’ up in the mountains,La Drova rests within a lush valley bounded by mountains on two sides. Monduber, the highest mountain at 847m (2,500’+), dominates the area with its sharp summit clearly visible from all directions.
Five minutes’ drive takes one to the charming and ancient village of Barx where a traditional and vibrant Spanish life continues, as it has for generations. Here there are a range of amenities, including a pharmacy, doctor’s surgery, shops, restaurants and bars.
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La Drova itself has a bar/restaurant and an excellent and well run sports centre which has a large swimming pool, tennis court and a games facility. Wonderful walking, climbing and cycling exist in an area with air so clear and unpolluted that that the stars at night gleam with an intensity barely known in the UK. This is an area that will absolutely seduce even the most hard-hearted international traveller.
LAS CUMBRES
Las Cumbres is located some ten minutes’ drive inland from Gandia and is half way up the magnificent mountain of Monduber (height 847m approx. 2,500ft). The ancient village of Barx with its shops, restaurants and traditional life is some 4 kilometres away, whilst the award winning Blue Flag beaches along Gandia’s coastline can be reached within fifteen minutes. Valencia, with its international airport, is only forty minutes easy drive, with Madrid accessible, via the arterial A7 motorway, within four hours.
Las Cumbres looks down upon the beautiful, verdant Marxuquera valley, filled with citrus groves and has as its backdrop the stunning mountains of the La Safor range.
LA FONT
La Font d’en Carros is a rural village in the middle of evergreen citrus groves on the outskirts of Oliva. Gandia is some 8kms away with the nearest award winning beaches within a few minutes’ drive. Pretty and surrounded by citrus groves and lovely small, rural villages, La Font is extremely convenient as it has quick and easy access to both the N332 and the arterial A7 motorway. Meanwhile the foothills of the lovely La Safor mountain range are only a few minutes’ drive inland.
La Font has a range of bars and restaurants and all the necessary amenities for day to day living. There is also a popular sports centre (polisportiu) with a communal swimming pool.
LES FOIES
Les Foies has a single bar, a scattering of houses and is located within the beautitul Monduver mountain range where walking, cycling and climbing is a delight amidst a glorious wilderness. Les Foies is within five minutes’ drive of Barx and within ten minutes of Simat de Valldigne. Gandia, the N332 and access to the arterial A7 motorway is only twenty minutes away.
MARXUQUERA
Situated just outside the town of Gandia is the broad valley of Marxuquera. This is a stunning valley of evergreen citrus groves that blossom in May with a wonderful, heady fragrance. The Marxuquera valley encompasses a number of small villages within the citrus groves and has as its backdrop the stunning mountains of La Safor, the highest of which reach up to over 1000m (over 3,000’).
Gandia is reached within less than ten minutes, with the beaches only a few minutes further on. Communications are excellent to Valencia and Alicante airports.
This is a prime location for people who want all the benefits of a country property, whilst being within minutes of a busy town (Gandia) and all its facilities.
MONTEPINO
The exclusive estate of Montepino is in an area renowned for its breath-taking views, the convenience of its location and the seclusion of its properties.
The estate is located some ten minutes’ drive inland from Gandia and is half way up the magnificent mountain of Monduber (height 847m approx. 2,500ft). The ancient village of Barx with its shops, restaurants and traditional life is some 4 kilometres away, whilst the award winning Blue Flag beaches along Gandia’s coastline can be reached within fifteen minutes. Valencia, with its international airport, is only forty minutes easy drive, with Madrid accessible, via the arterial A7 motorway, within four hours.
Montepino looks down upon the beautiful, verdant Marxuquera valley, filled with citrus groves and has as its backdrop the stunning mountains of the La Safor range.
MONTEREAL
Monte Real is a small urbanisation overlooking Gandia. The estate is little more than five minutes from Gandia itself and comprises some twenty to twenty five villas.
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Monte Real has excellent communications into Gandia and is close to the Gandia exit of the arterial N332. The beaches of La Safor are with ten minutes’ drive and Valencia can be reached within 45 minutes.
MONTE CORONA
Monte Corona is located 10 minutes from Gandia and the 7 kilometres of award winning Blue Flag beaches of La Safor. The international airports of Alicante (1 1/2hrs) and Valencia (40 minutes) are close by and easily accessible via the excellent arterial A7 motorway. Madrid is four hours’ drive.
Monte Corona is an estate with an array of superb properties that are perched around a hill overlooking the stunning citrus groves that surround Gandia. Beautiful mountains rise up above and beyond Monte Corona providing the estate with a dramatic backdrop. The estate benefits from wonderful views, tremendous convenience and a number of truly luxurious villas.
MONTERREY
Monterrey is an urbanisation on the outskirts of Gandia, just inland of the town. Reached from the quick and efficient Albaida road, Monterrey is situated within a green bowl between the mountains and is surrounded by evergreen citrus groves. This is an area of fine, individual villas that compliment an area of real beauty and peace. It is also supremely convenient for Gandia itself and the award winning La Safor beaches and, just inland, the mountains themselves.
Monterrey is close the N332 and also to junction 62 of the A7 arterial motorway. Accordingly, Valencia (and its international airport) is easily accessed within some 50 minutes and Alicante within about 95 minutes.
Oliva
Oliva is the second largest town in La Safor after Gandia and is famous for its superb European Blue Flagged beaches. Located only 6km south of Gandia, Oliva is close to junction 61 of the arterial A7 motorway and is within one hour’s drive of Valencia airport.
The town has a population of 25,000 people, of whom some 3,000 are north European. This provides Oliva with a genuinely international feel which is reflected in the excellent services and amenities on offer. The town has a myriad of busy shops, bars and restaurants and is well known for its vibrant life.
Oliva is split into three areas: the beach, the old town and the new town. Each area complements the other. The wonderful, broad Paseo of the new town is ideal for promenades, the frequent fiestas and the excellent, extensive, Friday market. Meanwhile the old town is a thriving area of picturesque old houses within the intimacy of winding streets. The beach area provides an area perfect for summer days. Beach bars, play areas for children and spotless, golden sand abound.
On the fringes of Oliva are evergreen citrus groves that extend to the surrounding mountains. Within minutes of the town, are a series of beautiful villages and estates with a wide range of housing from luxury villas to town houses and apartments.
PALMA DE GANDIA
This is some 5kms from vibrant and charming Gandia and 10kms from the busy town of Oliva. The stunning La Safor beaches are ten minutes’ drive away.
Palma de Gandia is a village renowned for its wonderful views across the citrus covered plain leading to Oliva, Gandia and the sea. Pretty, with the beautiful La Safor mountains behind it, Palma de Gandia is charming, has narrow, intimate streets with old buildings and a range of amenities from bars and restaurants to shops. There is also an excellent, large, communal swimming pool.
For excellent bargain properties in La Safor, look at the selection within Casalasafor!
Palma de Gandia is extremely convenient as it has easy access to the N332 and the Oliva (Junction 61) junction to the arterial A7 motorway – thus allowing for quick and easy travel to the international airports of Alicante (approx. 80 mins drive) and Valencia (forty minutes’ drive).
POTRIES
Potries is situated some 10kms from Gandia and is very close to the pretty and busy small town of Oliva. The A7 motorway is easily accessible from junction 61, thus providing easy travelling to Alicante or Valencia airports.
Potries, itself, is a small rural village with many old buildings, including a church that looks as though it was lifted from the English countryside.
The beautiful La Safor mountain range dominates the inland views and provides wonderful walking and climbing for those who wish to turn away from the excellent, Blue Flag beaches of nearby Oliva.
RAFELCOFFER
Rafelcoffer. This is a traditional village of old houses and intimate streets situated a few minutes inland from the coast and is equidistant between Gandia and Oliva. Both of these towns can be reached from Rafelcoffer within a gentle drive of five – ten minutes. The important arterial north/south A7 motorway has an entry point at Oliva allowing Rafelcoffer to be reached easily and quickly from both Alicante and Valancia and their international airports. The La Safor mountains are very close, together with the award winning beaches on the coastline which are some 5-10 kilometres away.
The village is surrounded by orange groves, has a polisportiu, a lovely church, many fine buildings and a range of amenities including bars, restaurants and shops.
SANT MARTA
Santa Marta is an urbanization conveniently situated on the outskirts of Gandia within two minutes’ drive of the town and within sight of the mountains. The wonderful beaches of La Safor can be reached within ten minutes’ drive whilst the A7 motorway linking the east coast of Spain to Gandia is accessible within 10 minutes. Valencia (and its international airport) can be reached within forty five minutes and Alicante within 90 minutes.
Santa Marta is well placed for those who require the convenience of living close to a vibrant Spanish town (Gandia) whilst being on a quiet secluded and exclusive estate. The best of all worlds!
TOSSAL LES BOTES
This is the most exclusive estate in the La Safor area with only some ten other properties, all of extremely high standard, on the estate. Gandia is only some 5 mins drive, with easy access to the arterial A7 motorway (which runs along the east coast of Spain) only some 10 mins drive from the villa. The airports of Alicante (1 1/2 hrs) and Valencia (40 mins) are close by and allow for easy international travel. Madrid is 4 hours’ drive.
The estate looks down upon a stunning valley of extensive citrus groves that stretch away to the base of the La Safor mountain range. This rises steeply from the valley floor and acts as a magnificent, theatrical backdrop to the views. To the east, the sea is clearly visible as a sparkling sheen.
VILLALONGA
Villalonga is one of the largest towns in La Safor with a population of some 3,500 people within a high employment area. Busy and lively, this is a place that is popular amongst the British who enjoy the stunning scenery, convenience and strong traditional Spanish community. There is also an excellent sports centre with a large and well maintained swimming pool.
For excellent bargain properties in La Safor, look at the selection within Casalasafor!
Villalonga is situated some 10kms from both Oliva and Gandia. An excellent new road system allows for quick and easy access to both towns and to the award winning La Safor beaches. The arterial N332 road is close as is junction 61 of the A7 motorway. This allows Alicante to be reached within some 80 minutes and Valencia within forty minutes.
The beautiful La Safor mountains rise immediately inland from Villalonga, intersected by the Beniarres valley and reservoir. Here there is spectacular walking and climbing through beautiful, unspoilt rural countryside.
If you want to know more about the Gandia area – where to stay or what property to buy – then please contact Casalasafor
