ray.lemon

Hi everyone, My other half and myself are considering moving out to Villalonga from the UK in the near future. Before anyone says it, yes we can afford to live etc, lol. I was just wondering if anyone else lives there and can give me an honest opinion on the town. Many thanks

Ray

Mitzyboy

I dont live there, but I cycle through it very regularly
It seems a nice enough place

Given the choice around there, I would go for Potries though, it's got a nice feel to it

HBG

I've been to Villalonga when I lived in Denia, and I was trying to place it when you mentioned cycling there, thinking it must be nearby, until I remembered you cycling from Land's End to John o'Groats!

I do remember it, in a line of pleasant towns just inland from Gandia, where a lot of Valenciano is spoken.

Mitzyboy

My normal morning route is either Oliva / Pego / El Verger / Ondara and then along the seafront back to Oliva or Oliva / Rotova / Locnou de St Jeromi / Amisera / Castellonet de la Conquesta / Palma De Gandia / Villalonga / Potries / La Font D'en Carros

It wakes me up in the morning

Villallonga and Potries are both quite pleasant, but Potries to me feels like a bit more of a community .... very friendly ...

ray.lemon

thanks for the replys so far

Nicksnell

Villalonga is fine - a small town within the district of La Safor, of which Gandia (pop. 80,000) is the 'capital'. Villalonga is about 15 minutes from the Blue Flagged beaches of La Safor, which are notable for their vast stretches of sand. Debateably the beaches of Gandia and Xeraco are some of the best in Spain and adored by the Madrileños who pour down to them in the summer months.

Villalonga has a small British community (nearby Oliva has many more) and is surrounded by citrus groves bounded by a dramatic mountain range. Above Villalonga is an area called Llacuña, which is a pretty and wild area, albeit one in which great caution has to be used if buying property (they are still waiting for mains electricity and have been so for approx 8 years).

The main employer in Villalonga is the biggest pastry/bread maker in Spain (Duchesol) which has a huge factory on the outskirts of the town. There is a small Paseo, an historic area and new estate within Villalonga.

Be wary (as with everywhere in Spain) of buying in Rustico areas and take sound legal advice should you find what you want within the surrounding countryside.

Finally, Gandia is superb and one of the last 'coastal' secrets of Spain - still Spanish (as is the whole La Safor area) and very well connected by rail and road to gorgeous Valencia City (and its international airport).

poolboy

Hi Mitzyboy, I live in Denia & cycle some of yr route (on road I assume). If you want to hook up 1 day pm me - I'd like to do the western part - assume you know the best coffee stops!

Now its getting hot I'd prefer an early start.

Cheers

Mitzyboy

I'll bear that in mind :-)
I'm getting earlier and earlier in the mornings :-)

Stillwater

My wife and I bought a townhouse in Villalonga two months ago, but we do not yet live there because we still have to sell our house in Amsterdam which is proving to be difficult...

At least four British couples live in town.

I like Villalonga a lot because:
- it is situated close to nature with many cycling and hiking possibilities.
- it is wheel-chair friendly (it has a large pedestrian zone) which might prove to be handy in future. There are may flower-pots and public benches in the streets.
- it has a huge Mercadona (supermarket).
- many people still have work there because of the Dulcesol factory.
- it has a reputation of being a party town (check out the Villalonga triatlon on youtube: more fun than sports).
- it has a bus connection to Gandia.
- it has a public pool on a small hill within easy walking distance.
- the town has made some effort to separate garbage.
- there are many birds; in the evenings you can see bats flying about; at night there are many stars visible.

So I would say: good choice !