Location

The most perfect luxury family home for sale in Spain is located on an exclusive estate comprising only 14 luxury villas.  The estate has its own amenities (including a tennis court and very large swimming pool) and is just a couple of minutes from Gandia, which is a coastal town located on the mid eastern sea board of Mediterranean Spain. It is within Valencia Province (one of the three Provinces of the Autonomous Region of Valencia) and is situated some 70 kms south of Valencia City.

The immediate area around Gandia is known as La Safor, which comprises a number of small towns and villages, of which Gandia is the ‘capital’. Gandia has a permanent population of some 80,000 people, which rises considerably during the height of the summer tourist season. It is at this time that Gandia’s popularity as a Spanish holiday town can be seen, as Spanish tourists (particularly from Madrid) come to Gandia for their summer holidays.

Gandia is effectively divided into two parts – the Playa (beach) area and the town itself. Both are very different and provide Gandia with its unique nature:

1. Gandia Playa

Gandia Playa is located some 5 kms from Gandia town and lies on the coast itself. It comprises a small commercial port, a protected marina for yachts and small boats and a very long stretch of beach, behind which lies a substantial complex of apartments, hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants, night clubs, casinos, shops etc. A small campus of Valencia Polytechnic University is also to be found at the Playa, well behind the beach itself.

Gandia beach is notable for being Blue Flagged and having a magnificent promenade, which stretches for several kilometers. The beach itself comprises golden sand which is kept in immaculate condition during the ‘season’, when it is sieved and harrowed daily. It stretches at least 30m from the promenade thus providing ample room for sun bathers and holidaymakers even in the middle of August. Furthermore, the beach has chiringitos(small bars), life guards, warning flags, medical facilities, play areas, showers, rubbish bins, sports areas and palm trees.

Indeed, it would be hard to find a better ‘commercial’ beach than Gandia anywhere in Spain – or perhaps along the Mediterranean.

2. Gandia town

Gandia town lies some 5 kms inland from the beach although there is a new(ish) estate of houses (La Casona) which physically links the Playa to the town. The town is on flat ground and runs beside the riu Serpis (river Serpis) which, for part of the year, is dry. Bordering on this is the Palacio de Borgias (Borgias palace) from which the original (somewhat notorious Borgias originated.

Running right through the middle of Gandia is a magnificent pedestrian promenade (Paseo Germanias). To either side of this are shops, flats, restaurants and businesses with Gandia hospital (with a full A&E capacity) to one end. The Casa Cultura also borders the Paseo Germanias and is well worth visiting for its excellent exhibitions and superb musical events (often free!).

Towards the bridge (over the river Serpis) end of Gandia there is the Calle Major which is a pedestrian street of boutiques and shops known throughout Spain for its quality and variety. This ends by a small plaza with statues of the Borgias. Closer to the Paseo are other squares including the Prado (meadow) under which there is a large underground car park (there are several car parks in and around Gandia).

Throughout Gandia there are a profusion of shops, supermarkets, small businesses, bars, restaurants and cafes most of which have a terrace – allowing for al fresco refreshment. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Gandia there are several light industrial estates/shopping complexes. From these you can find and buy virtually whatever you need from a new or second hand car through to a dishwasher, computer parts, building materials, and fashionable clothing etc.

Indeed, one of the strengths of Gandia town is that it has an economy that is not reliant on tourism and that is quite separate from Gandia Playa. This is an important point to note as it means that Gandia has a ‘life’ of its own and does not ebb and flow with the tourist season. This makes it an ideal place to live – with the beach area close to get to but not so close that daily life throughout the year is influenced by it.

Needless to say, there is public transport between Gandia playa and Gandia town in the form of buses. There is also a main line railway station to Valencia which takes some 50 minutes with a return fare costing some 8 Euros. The train runs every 30 minutes during the week but hourly during the weekends.  The train arrives in the centre of Valencia and is therefore ideal for business purposes or for anyone wanting to go shopping.

Equally, the main train station in Valencia is only a minute’s walk from the metro – which has a direct line to Valencia International airport.  The journey time from the train station is around 20 minutes, making international travel from Gandia easy and quick.  Meanwhile, AVE (super fast trains) go from Valencia to Madrid and Barcelona.

In short, the exceptional things about Gandia town are its sheer ‘workability’ for permanent life, its vibrancy, proper ‘Spanish’ nature and proximity to excellent beaches and fine communications to Valencia City.

Leisure.  

One of the exceptional things about Gandia, given its coastline location, is that it has remained ‘Spanish’ never having been overrun by foreign tourists. Historically this was due to the distance to Alicante airport (approx 90 minutes drive away) and poor international marketing from a town that was wealthy and had obtained its wealth from Spanish tourists and its successful light industries and citrus fruit agriculture. However, now that Valencia airport (60 minutes drive away) has opened to cheap flights, matters are probably set to change as people find Gandia and appreciate its unspoilt nature.

Certainly, Gandia is blessed with not just a magnificent beach.

Only slightly inland there are beautiful and dramatic mountains that are perfect for Sports Rock Climbing, bird watching, walking, climbing, nature trails, cycling (a big sport here) and mountain biking. This is complemented by nearby Xativa – an historic and beautiful Renaissance town and charming pueblos, many of which are surrounded by lovely evergreen citrus groves (which produce a fabulous fragrance in late April/May).

Accommodation in Gandia. 

Strangely enough, there is not a great deal of hotel accommodation in Gandia town with the town itself boasting only a single major hotel.

However, there are an array of hotels on Gandia beach (of all types and standards), many of which are within ‘shouting’ distance of the sea itself. Meanwhile, around Gandia there are a number of Casas Rurales and small hotels dotted around La Safor both within the surrounding villages and Marxuquera. Needless to say, it is worth booking early if you wish to find hotel accommodation in Gandia during the height of the season. For the rest of the year, generally speaking, you do not need to panic quite so much (although watch out for Easter).

Climate.

Gandia enjoys a wonderful climate – one that is technically temperate. Winters are mild with temperatures along the coast rarely going to zero with sunny days often going up to as much as 20 degrees. Summer temperatures normally do not exceed 30 – 35 degrees and there is normally a breeze to cool the air temperature down. There are important two winds the Levante and Poniente (one fromr the coast and one from the sea). Rainfall is moderate and there has been no water shortage or curtailment of water over the past eight years.

Can you imagine a better location for the most perfect luxury family home for sale in Spain – somewhere truly special where you can really enjoy a quality of life that would be the envy of everyone you know?