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Having a closer look at Gandia City for full time living - Advice please?

Posted: Mon Sep 4, 2017 1:36am
17 replies1258 views8 members subscribed
Brennie Boy

Posts: 33

19 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 4 Sep 2017

Hello Jan and all the members,

My better half and myself are retired and have been living in Figueres in northern Catalunya for the last 6 years. I stumbled on Gandia on line a while back and have being gathering information on it ever since. Well now, we have been so impressed with what we have seen and read that we are taking a drive down there for a week to see how nice Gandia really is. We want to see if the internet is fast, the cost of long term renting, the ambience and cost of having a meal or drink out, how good the local football teams are, access to the beaches, parking, water and refuse charges, what an ordinary social life is like there and anything else that would make a difference.

Jan, if you or any of your many members can be of any help to us, please let us know by posting some replies Thank you in advance for your help and best wishes for the success of this forum in the future.  -  Brennie Boy

Jan

Posted: Mon Sep 4, 2017 9:47am

Jan

Admin

Helpful member

Posts: 1135

495 helpful points

Location: Rojales

Joined: 17 Jan 2015

Posted: Mon Sep 4, 2017 9:47am

Hi

Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you will get some good advice and information about the area on here from our knowledgeable members.

Jan

Brennie Boy

Posted: Sat Sep 9, 2017 11:31pm

Brennie Boy

Original Poster

Posts: 33

19 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 4 Sep 2017

Posted: Sat Sep 9, 2017 11:31pm

Hi Jan,

Would you know if there are any pool tables and darts in Gandia town ?

Cheers B

Beamish

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 12:26pm

Posts: 9

6 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 27 May 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 12:26pm

Hi

Regarding Darts and Pool table question I'm not sure about Gandia town but there is a pool table in Jack Pepper as well asTVshowing sports, JPs is in the Grau/Play area, it's a American diner with great food, visiting bands on the weekend and a good atmosphere, have a Google at it and see what you think! Otherwise I think Oliva would probably have a bar with pool table and darts. Hope this helps 

Beamish

Brennie Boy

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 1:47pm

Brennie Boy

Original Poster

Posts: 33

19 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 4 Sep 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 1:47pm

Hi Beamish,

Thank you for that information. Would your name be related in any way to a glass of black stuff. I notice that you are located in Gandia. Could you tell us a little about what you think of the place, particularly the town.

Bye for now,      B

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Beamish

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:53pm

Posts: 9

6 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 27 May 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:53pm

Hi B

Lol no it's from our old black lab.

I'll come back to you later with a proper reply as just about to have lunch kindly cooked by the husband, I'm the UK at the moment as had a new hip last week, the old one was passed its use by date lol.

Speak later

Beam

Brennie Boy

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:50pm

Brennie Boy

Original Poster

Posts: 33

19 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 4 Sep 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:50pm

Hi Beamish,

Bonus points for the good husband. My wife is in the process of cooking stuffed roast pork with roasted vegetables. I wish you well in your recovery with the new hip. In no time at all you will be back playing for Spurs. Looking forward to hearing from you both soon with news about Gandia.

Kind regards,

Brendan

Beamish

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:05pm

Posts: 9

6 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 27 May 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:05pm

Hi Brendan

We don't do football, well not unless Gareth Bale is playing, it's all Welsh rugby in this house lol.

Dinner was lovely, even the gravy! Hope yours was as well, it's crazy whether we are here or Spain it's got to be a typical british Sunday  lunch but I do draw the line when it goes over 80 degrees.

Right then a little bit of Gandia info coming up.

We have been in the Grau since 2001, we bought an old Flat on the Port and have refurbished it over the years, it has mainly been used for holidays but since Retirement  2 years ago we have lived there permanently, apart from coming back to look after Grandchildren at Easter, Summer and Xmas.

As you know Gandia is the main town of the Safor area, it is very pretty and a nice place to visit for the day, good restaurants and bars etc, there are shops there but mainly Designer/Expensive ones. Most of the banks in the area have their main office in Gandia, also there are many Solicitors offices. Historically there is the Borgia Palace, beautiful achitecture and lanes to wonder around, just outside of the town is the Fallas Museum, this is a definite place to go to learn about the Falla. Gandia town mainly consists of apartments and is very Spanish although the restaurants and bars are now speaking more English but there are no English bars that I know of, as I said it is more of a town to sightsee and have Lunch. 

There is Social Club called the Gandia Area Social Club which covers Gandia,Oliva and surrounding area based Oliva, aga

Beamish

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:06pm

Posts: 9

6 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 27 May 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:06pm

Hang on ran out of space lol

Beamish

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:52pm

Posts: 9

6 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 27 May 2017

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:52pm

Again Google it for more info.

So into the Grau, it's about 10 mins by car from town, as you arrive you are in the port area it's a working fishing port along with a container port at the end, daily auctions selling the fish are at 5pm, there are no restrictions to watch the auction or to walk the port which is great in the mornings watching the night fishing men come back into port and sorting the fish, In the winter the big fishing boats base themselves in our port for the catching of cod etc, every Sunday night they leave the port (it's like the M4 out there) and return Thursday morning, the cod is so cheap in the winter months we usually stick up the freezer lol.

As you come over the port bridge you carry on down the main road towards the Playa, it's 7 miles long and kept immaculate, lots of restaurants etc but very quiet in the winter, not many English visit as it's a favourite summer holiday area for Madridians, there is a nautical club as well.

For rental I would suggest the Grau/port area as rental cheaper than the Playa also we have Mercadona, Mas y Mas and Aldi all within walking distance plus banks, there is a big Carrefour about 5 mins away, the main street of the Grau is actually a lane (opposite the church) which has restaurants, bars and a few shops, if you want to find some English expats that's the place to look lol, the Samoa bar being the favourite as cheap and cheerful , (menu del dia about 9 euros)although there aren't many of us ..8/10. I mentioned Jack Pepper which is where the pool table is, again quite reasonable if you want a light meal. We also have a chill out beach on the way to the Playa which is a great place for coffee and boat watching, it's free to go in and a great place to sit in the sun. We do have loads of Fiestas  out main ones being in July Virgin del Carmen, blessing of the fishing men and boats and then in March the Falla, it's a noisy, crazy week but a fantastic atmosphere. Again most businesses are beginning to have English speakers.

I could go on for hours about the Grau but I think you need to go and have a look around. When you reach the Grau don't follow signs to the port ( you will end up at the dock) but follow signs to the Playa, you will go over a bridge and then see a church o

n the right, follow the road round till you see a roundabout, bare to the right and that's the entrance to the car park, from there you can walk back on yourselves to the church, cross the road and have a wander down the lane or go back to the bridge and look at the port. To go to the Playa come out of car park and go right and walk down the main road.

Lots of estate agents around, Orquin seems popular!

We use Vodophone for internet, not the cheapest but realiable, you never know it might be included in the rental!

Hope all this has helped, thanks for your good wishes for the hip, seeing Consultant 31st October and flying home 1st November, can't wait.

Regards

Babs x

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