The villa is only a twenty-minute drive from the airport and thirty minutes from Valencia and its beaches.
The nearest villages, Pedralba and Villamarchante, have numerous shops, supermarkets and a few local bars and restaurants.
Lliria, fifteen minutes away, is the main town of the Turia valley and has all the facilities you would expect - bars, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. There is a metro station (free car park) that connects with Valencia (a 40-minute journey). Trains run every 45 minutes and the fare is 1 euro each way. Lliria is renowned throughout Spain for its Music and has two famous Music colleges, each with its own Band. There are regular concerts throughout the year featuring artists and bands from all over Spain, Europe and beyond. There are horse-riding stables on the outskirts of Lliria that will hire out horses or arrange guided trips into the mountains.
Valencia, is just a 30-minute drive away, although it's easier to take the Metro from Lliria. You can get off the Metro in the old city and explore the many attractive palm-lined boulevards and beautiful historic buildings, including the 'Torres del Quart', the 'Torres del Seranno', and the Cathedral Complex, with what the Catholic Church claims to be the true Holy Grail.
For a complete contrast from the historic buildings, head to the stunning Ciudad de Las Artes y Sciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) designed by Santiago Calatrava. This is Europe's largest Educational & Cultural complex and apart from its stunning modern architecture, it contains a huge Marine park and Dolphinarium; a Science Museum, where many of the exhibits are interactive; an IMAX cinema (with headsets for English and other European languages); a garden promenade; and the stunning Palace of Arts Concert & Recital Hall. There is also the world-renowned IVAM modern art museum and the Museo de Bellas Artes (fine arts) museum.
There is a vast array of shops, bars and restaurants many of which you can sit outside and watch the world go by on a sultry summers evening. The city is compact enough so that all its attractions are within walking distance once you are there, so be sure to set aside at least a day to experience these.
For sun-worshippers, the beaches of Valencia are excellent and have all the amenities expected of a seaside city: restaurants, bars and first-aid posts. Sun-beds and parasols can be hired for a reasonable price on the beach. Parking is free, although the beaches at Malvarossa and Las Arenas are also accessible by Metro/Tram. There are many more Blue Flag beaches along the coast and they are well equipped for a variety of water sports including Windsurfing, Scuba Diving, Jet Skiing, etc
The Sierra Calderona National Park, around 10 kilometres from the villa, is ideal for mountain biking, horse riding, and hill-walking. For something completely different, visit the 'Grutas de San Jose' at Vall D'Uixo - an underground river with boat tours. For the more adventurous, there is a range of activities, including rock-climbing.
The surrounding areas of Olocau and La Rodanas are ideal for walking and cycling. Further up the Turia valley from Lliria there are interesting villages and towns, such as Chulilla, perched above a gorge with an ancient castle on the cliffs above. Nearby there are the wine growing areas of Utiel and Requeña, so why not indulge in a wine tasting trip and purchase some of the fine wines. Nature lovers will enjoy the reserve at L'Albufera - a huge lagoon with many nature walks around it.
Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo is the local race circuit and a 10-minute drive from the villa. It hosts various motor sports, including a round of the Moto GP and Formula One testing. It was recently confirmed that the circuit is soon to begin hosting an actual round of Formula One every year.
The 2009 Formula 1 Telefonica Grand Prix of Europe is being held in Valencia on 23 August 2009.
Golf Information The area has three Championship Golf courses: Club Escorpion in Bétera, El Bosque at Godelleta (a 15-minute drive from the villa), and El Saler Golf course - voted 2nd best course in Europe by Golf World magazine (a 40-minute drive from the villa).
Fiestas!
In the local town of Buñol on the last or penultimate Wednesday of August there is `La Tomatina´, the world's biggest food fight involving four tons of tomatoes being dumped in the local town square, after which several hours of mayhem follow.
'Las Fallas' is a wonderful and wild fiesta that runs between 15 and 19 March in Valencia itself. There are round-the-clock celebrations for the whole four days including street parties, world-beating firework displays (day and night!), parades, open-air concerts and bullfights.
Valencia considers itself the pyrotechnic capital of the world and this is when you find out why! Las Fallas themselves are spectacular huge statues built by local artists on behalf of their local areas and displayed throughout the city centre. Just after midnight on the last day of Las Fallas the statues go up in flames.
Other fiestas - there are too many to list individually, but all towns throughout the Valencia region have their own fiestas which are lively family affairs with colourful parades, lots of eating and drinking and the odd firework or two. Some of the local towns also have bull-running events where you will see the bravest villagers running through cordoned-off streets being chased by angry bulls, so not for the faint-hearted!
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