Moving to Alcoy

RosieB wrote on Mon Feb 21, 2022 10:36pm:

Hi There

I just wanted to say hello as my son will be moving into Alcoy from Nottingham this week and I wondered what kind of place it is? I am a bit apprehensive but I'm sure he will be fine !

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He has a place on a cycling team and will be racing in the area until September. We plan to come out and visit him soon (middle of March )so I just wondered if can anyone recommend an apartment/hotel for 3/4 days.

We would like to do some hiking and exploring in the national parks, would Alcoy be the best base ( we will hire a car) any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Rosie

RosieB wrote on Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:47pm:

Hi Max,

 Thanks for this information, Like you say probably most places have their good and bad areas. We are still undecided where to stay as we don't know what Wills training/race schedule is yet, hopefully we will find out soon. One of the places I like the look of is Casa Bons Aires in the Font ...

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...Roja national Park, although it is quite isolated but appears to be close to some beautiful hiking trails. There will be 4 of us travelling to the area in total, when we have more info Ill drop you a line.

Rosie

matelotmax wrote on Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:56pm:

Good Morning Rosie [I say that because we are currently in Barbados - I know, I know, ........name dropper lol ;-) - time differnce etc]

Wrt Casa Bon Aires, excellent choice. I located it on Google Earth - simply type the name in.

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Looks fantastic, about twice the size of our house and on the opposite side of the valley.

The ONLY potential [ and I emphasise that it is only potential] problem is the road it sits on, is the main Banyeres to Alcoi road [CV 797] but nowhere near as busy as the Batoi road [CV 795].  Slightly busy during the day [remember that the Spanish have 4 rush hours due to Siesta], should be quiet at night, but will also pick up again at the weekends - the Spanish are a very "Outdoors" types.  That said, the house is below the road, so the majority of road noise will fly over your head and should be minimised. 

It is not far from the Font Roja, which is a National Park and there is an old railway line called the Via Verde which is simultaneously a cycle path and walk.  It goes for miles through tunnels and is an excellent stroll.

There are also some cold pools in that area, closer to Batoi.  We have tried to find them but our neighbours have always offered such vague directions that we quite gave up.

And a huge Monastery on the nearby mountains [Sierra Mariola].  The Sierra Mariola are also a Nature reserve - and Buzzards breed there.

So all in all a good choice.

I know this sounds silly, but in March take thermals and waterproofs/umbrellas.  My house is at 650m altitude and Casa Bon Aires will not be that much different. This is their Winter, and it rains.  Today is +20*C but that drops to +3*C overnight and the temperatures plummet as soon as the sun goes down [as luck would have it CBA is on the "right side" of the mountains for prolonged evening sunshine].  Dont be surprised if the weather is quite "English".  The "good" weather really doesn't start until later June.

Wrt Alcoi itself, far enough out not to be disturbed and good access roads. Alcoi have implemented a fantastic one-way system through the heart of the city. 3-lanes, traffic lights everywhere but stick to the speed limit and you can go straight through without stopping once!

I would direct you to the Avenida Hispanidad for Tapas.  Its like a French tree lined boulevard, cafes and restaurants down one side, parks and schools the other, traffic one-way but with this wonderful oasis to eat in, in the middle.  Expect Euro 12 - 14 per person for the Plat De Dia, which is traditionally 3 courses plus wine.  We would highly recommend the "Ca Pio" [i believe it has a website].  Alternately Alcoi has a wonderful Old Town c/w Cathedral.  Here the Tapas bars [the good ones that is which the locals use] are hidden down side streets. Again we would recommend the Victor Bar and La Tarreta - in the same pedestrianised "alley", owned by the same people, warm friendly and excellent food & wine.

Anything else, please feel free to ask.

Max & Chrissie ;-)

matelotmax wrote on Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:56pm:

Good Morning Rosie [I say that because we are currently in Barbados - I know, I know, ........name dropper lol ;-) - time differnce etc]

Wrt Casa Bon Aires, excellent choice. I located it on Google Earth - simply type the name in.

Read more...

Looks fantastic, about twice the size of our house and on the opposite side of the valley.

The ONLY potential [ and I emphasise that it is only potential] problem is the road it sits on, is the main Banyeres to Alcoi road [CV 797] but nowhere near as busy as the Batoi road [CV 795].  Slightly busy during the day [remember that the Spanish have 4 rush hours due to Siesta], should be quiet at night, but will also pick up again at the weekends - the Spanish are a very "Outdoors" types.  That said, the house is below the road, so the majority of road noise will fly over your head and should be minimised. 

It is not far from the Font Roja, which is a National Park and there is an old railway line called the Via Verde which is simultaneously a cycle path and walk.  It goes for miles through tunnels and is an excellent stroll.

There are also some cold pools in that area, closer to Batoi.  We have tried to find them but our neighbours have always offered such vague directions that we quite gave up.

And a huge Monastery on the nearby mountains [Sierra Mariola].  The Sierra Mariola are also a Nature reserve - and Buzzards breed there.

So all in all a good choice.

I know this sounds silly, but in March take thermals and waterproofs/umbrellas.  My house is at 650m altitude and Casa Bon Aires will not be that much different. This is their Winter, and it rains.  Today is +20*C but that drops to +3*C overnight and the temperatures plummet as soon as the sun goes down [as luck would have it CBA is on the "right side" of the mountains for prolonged evening sunshine].  Dont be surprised if the weather is quite "English".  The "good" weather really doesn't start until later June.

Wrt Alcoi itself, far enough out not to be disturbed and good access roads. Alcoi have implemented a fantastic one-way system through the heart of the city. 3-lanes, traffic lights everywhere but stick to the speed limit and you can go straight through without stopping once!

I would direct you to the Avenida Hispanidad for Tapas.  Its like a French tree lined boulevard, cafes and restaurants down one side, parks and schools the other, traffic one-way but with this wonderful oasis to eat in, in the middle.  Expect Euro 12 - 14 per person for the Plat De Dia, which is traditionally 3 courses plus wine.  We would highly recommend the "Ca Pio" [i believe it has a website].  Alternately Alcoi has a wonderful Old Town c/w Cathedral.  Here the Tapas bars [the good ones that is which the locals use] are hidden down side streets. Again we would recommend the Victor Bar and La Tarreta - in the same pedestrianised "alley", owned by the same people, warm friendly and excellent food & wine.

Anything else, please feel free to ask.

Max & Chrissie ;-)

RosieB wrote on Fri Feb 25, 2022 3:30pm:

Thanks again Max

Excellent information on the accommodation and position, I think we can leave it another few weeks before we book. We may even just stay in Alcoy itself. I am really looking forward to trying out the food in the city too !

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Thanks for the recommendation to take thermals etc, (So is that why you are in Barbados? lucky things) We will be coming from Sierra Nevada after skiing for a few days so our winter gear wont be wasted (it would be nice if we didn't need it though!)

Again I appreciate the time you have taken with this, I will drop you another note when we finalise things.

PS Our son arrived 2 days ago, now has his bike all sorted and has been up into the mountains today ( I need to remind him to stay on the right !)

Have a great weekend

Rosie

matelotmax wrote on Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:52pm:

Hi Rosie

We are in Barbados to get warm. ;-)

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While it is not particularly cold during the day, at night the temperature plummets due to the altitude.  Fortunately one of the first things I installed in my house was a huge wood burner.  I use my own sawn-offs from my own trees plus usually buy 2.5 tonnes of wood locally.  More than enough to see you through the winter.

We will return to the house around May/June for a bit of tidying up before we put it on the market.  Spanish house markets are [if you were not aware] notoriously slow.  The previous owner had our house on the market for over 9 years but then he started at £850,000 and it gradually went down as recession set in etc.  So we are hoping to have a few nice long summers by the pool in the coming years [we have a raised dais beyond the pool which I want to enlarge, we have chairs and a table on it and sit there with iced drinks, books and nibbles and simply enjoy the peace and quiet until it goes dark].  The good news is that, in the summer, the mountain temperatures are almost as high as the coast, so the pool is well used.

There is a road along the Sierra Serreta behind us [the CV-70 to Penella and Benilloba.  It is tortuous and winding and a favourite with cyclists [Saturdays] and motorcyclists [Sundays]. Just outisde Penella is the "VENTA NADAL" famous for its meat and home made sausages. I would encourage you to visit and watch your son cycle by.

Similarly, on the road to Jijona/Xixona is the Carresqueta [Italian style mountain road] again a favourite of cyclists.  Visit the Venta Teresa. The food is excellent and again watch the cyclists struggle up a 1:3 ;-)

Max

RosieB wrote on Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:36pm:

Hi Max

Thanks so much for the information you supplied us with - You were right about the weather it poured the whole time we were in Alcoy, we stayed in the Old Town at Casa Timotea in the end, which was really lovely. We didnt get a chance to try out your food recommendations, it was so wet a lot of p...

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...laces werent open, we had a great meal at Bambu though, which I would recommend. We will definately be back when its a bit warmer. Thanks for your help though.

matelotmax wrote on Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:05am:

Good Morning Rosie

What a shame about the weather. Alcoi and the surrounding areas are much better when the sun shines.

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My neighbour went to the Bambu and also recommends it.

We hope you got to see your son in action despite the weather.

Regards

Max & Chrissie