Luxury villa for rent in Oliva, Spain

Casa Nialto is in the typically Spanish town of Oliva on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast).  Close to the airports at Alicante and Valencia, Oliva has blue-domed churches, narrow winding streets in the Old Town, lots of good shopping and markets and most importantly mile after mile of Blue-flagged sandy beaches.  An open plan living area, fully equipped kitchen, family bathroom and 3 double bedrooms inside with lots of outside space including a private pool and hot-tub ensures that Casa Nialto provides a special home from home.
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About Oliva

Oliva is located in the Spanish region of Valencia on the Costa del Azahar at the northern edge of the Costa Blanca.

This has long been a popular resort with the Spanish who either own or rent the apartments and villas which have been built in the area to accommodate the summer season "run for the sun".  It boasts 10 kilometres of Blue Flag beaches and shallow waters backed almost in their entirety by dunes which separate the orange groves form the sea.

The town lies at the heart of Spain's orange growing region, 75 kilometres south of the provincial capital, Valencia and 100 kilometres north of Alicante.


Monuments and places of interest in Oliva

The town which is well preserved, the Christian village and the Moorish suburb stand out.  The church Santa Maria la Mayor (17th century) and San Roque (18-19th century), the hermitage of Santos Antonio and Vicente (18th century), the abbey of San Roque (16th - 18th century), wall ruins (15th-16th century), the chapel of la Virgen del Rebollet (18th century) in the church of las Caramelitas, town market, the home of Gregorio Mayans (18th century) the cave la Cova (18th century) chimneys "dels Rajolars" (brick fabric) and the ruins of the castle of Santa Ana (12th - 14th century)

Worth a separate mention is the Pego-Oliva Fen Nature Reserve, an area of wetlands with abundant indigenous animals and plants of great ecological value.

Places to visit

Gandia

Gandia is the second city of the province of Valencia and is about 10 kilometres from Oliva. The city's prominence and wealth dates back to 1485 when Rodrigo Borgia became the first Duke of Gandia and founded the famous/infamous Borgia dynasty. His son Cesare and daughter Lucrezia were implicated in murder and debauchery whilst his great-grandson was canonized as St. Francis Borgia by Pope Clement X in 1671.

The city has many advantages - The Ducal Palace and Cathedral offer rare glimpses of Old Spain.  Totally unspoilt, yet being a truly sophisticated working Spanish city with a wealth of good modern shops, tree lined walkways, parks and squares, the whole town is on a level plane. It is compact so that almost any part is within a pleasant walking distance from the city centre. Just three kilometres away is the Port, Yacht Basin and Gandia Playa coastal resort offering a seven km promenade, with many beachside restaurants and tapas bars faced with palm trees and golden sands.

Gandia has 2 shopping malls and a very large supermarket called Carrefour. There is also a McDonalds in Gandia.

Benidorm

Before the 1960's Benidorm was a small fishing village on the Costa Brava.  Today Benidorm is a holiday resort for thousands of tourists who visit its high-rise hotels, clubs and bars every year. There are also large shopping areas and weekly markets. The city is divided into five parts, Poniente (Ponent) and Levante (Llevant), each fronted by a beach of the same name, the old town (also called El Castell), La Cala situated to the west side of Poniente and El Rincón de Loix or El Racó de l'Oix situated to the east side of Levante. Between the two beaches lies a rocky promontory and the port. The old city occupies the promontory and the area immediately inland, while most of the hotels occupy the more recently developed sections inland from the two beaches. A few miles from shore is an uninhabited island which provides a dramatic centrepiece to the seascape. Benidorm boasts four family-oriented theme parks: Terra Mítica and Terra Natura are inland from the city, at the foot of the mountain and Aqualandia and Mundomar are located on the outskirts of the city on the Llevant side. In addition to large shopping and commercial areas.

Terra Mitica
Terra Mitica is the Mediterranean's leading theme park and is about 45 minutes from the villa on the outskirts of Benidorm. The park has five themed countries, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia and the Islands - each designed so you can enjoy the mysteries of the most ancient, enigmatic and legendary civilisations of the Mediterranean. There are a large number of rides and roller coasters. Inspired by the five civilisations of the Mediterranean, Bendidorm's Terra Mitica theme park will take you on an incredible journey back through the mists of time to the Egypt of the Pharoahs, Ancient Greece, the glory of Rome, Iberia's pirate past and the Mediterannean Islands of myth and legend.  As well as its many rides and attractions, Terra Mitica boasts no less than 20 fantastic live shows with a cast of over 300 actors and dancers. Let them entertain you, but watch out for the pirates! Of course a great theme park would not be complete without great rollercoasters and rides and Terra Mitica does not disappoint. Accept the mission to ride the awesome Rescue of Ulysses if you dare or tackle Europe's largest wooden rollercoaster  - Magnus Colossus! And if you have 35 seconds to spare, board Tizona for an adrenaline filled ride of death-defying nosedive falls, 360º loops and corkscrew turns!

Terra Natura
Terra Natura is a new-generation wildlife park where you can discover the "Zooinmersion" experience -a new concept in habitat design which will enable you to come into contact with the animals as if there were no barriers between you- at least, no visible ones! The 320,000 square metres of the Benidorm park are divided into four themed areas: Pangea, the entrace to the park, America, Asia and Europe.
Their opening hours change depending on time of year and day of week. In September they open at 10:00 and close at 20:00 between the 1st and the 12th, 19:00 from the 13th and on all Saturdays and Sundays. For more info visit:www.terranatura.com


Mundomar
Mundomar, on the northern outskirts of Benidorm is about an hour from the villa. The Mundomar Marine and Exotic Animal Park has many excellent attractions including one of the best dolphinariums in Europe. Mundomar makes a great day out for the whole family. Two beautiful picnic areas with fantastic views over Benidorm mean you can spend the whole day in the park. Mundomar specialises in exotic marine animals but also has an enormous variety of aquatic birds. You will see the most exotic birds imaginable, especially wild swans, ducks, pelicans and many aquatic birds The prize of the park are the flamingos, noted for their beautiful colour and majestic style. The Mundomar aviary recreates a wild forest in which you can watch close up an incredibly varied range of exotic tropical birds. Mundomar's sea lions have astonishing skill and ability. Together with the seals, they perform a wonderful show every day.Visit the Mundomar website at www.mundomar.es or telephone 0034 96 586 9101 / 9102 / 9103


Aqualandia
Aqualandia was the first water park to be built in Spain, and it opened in 1985. It is currently still one of the biggest water parks in the world, and it is known for it's great water slides and excellent customer service. Aqualandia is a big park of 150 000 square meters and additionally it has 50 000 square meters of free parking. 
Aqualandia has plenty of green areas, with plants and trees from the area that provides plenty of shade.  This means that there is plenty of space to relax and unwind as well as trying all the water slides. The park also has picnic areas, souvenir shops, a photography shop, a cash point, locker hire, safe hire, sun bed hire and inflatable rings.
Aqualandia has several self service restaurants, snack bars, barbecue, pizza restaurant, burgers, several food stands, ice cream stand, cafeterias, a pancake stand and a kebab shop.
Most importantly Aqualandia has several types of swimming pools, water slides and children's water play areas.  The water in the park is extracted, purified and recycled using the most advanced water treatment system. There is a mix of calm areas and slides including:


Caves & Waterfalls

Cuevas del Canalobre
The Caves are about an hour and a half's drive from the villa towards Alicante. The Candelabra Caves (Cuevas del Canalobre) is a single huge chamber 150 metres long, 630 metres above sea level, and containing many dripstones, some of them looking like a candelabra, giving the cave its name. The rock is calciferous limestone, and was formed during the Jurassic period between 135 and 200 million years ago. The cave is beautifully lit with coloured lighting to bring out the natural colours and highlight the fantastic shapes. The average temperature of the cave is 17 degrees Centigrade. The chamber has excellent acoustics, so it is often used for concerts and folk festivals and a large stage has been built for such events. The entrance is high on the slopes of the Cabezón de Oro (Golden Head) in a dry and hot bare karst region, and the visitor has a beautiful view of the Province of Alicante and the Mediterranean. There are several paths in the area for good walking tours. It is believed to have been discovered by the Muslims in year 740. During the Spanish Civil War it was used as an ammunitions store and maintenance facility for aero engines. At this time the tunnel entrance was enlarged to about 40 metres to improve the access The Cuevas del Canelobre are located about 3km north of Busot, 10km south east of Jijona and 24 km north east of Alicante

Caves at Beidoleig
Amazing caves only half an hour from the villa.  Well worth the visit and a very good restaurant nearby. (El Cid) The Calaveras (skulls) Cave is the main attraction of the village of Benidoleig. The cave obtained its name from the 12 skulls that were found in its interior when it was discovered in 1768. Cavanilles established that these were the skulls of Moors who had died during earlier explorations of the caves. Bronze and Neolithic remains have also been discovered in the cave. A 400 metres passage inside the cave ends up at an interior lake.

Algar Falls
Beautiful Natural Waterfalls high in the mountains behind Altea, these beautiful waterfalls and springs cascade into fabulous natural pools where you can enjoy a dip in a lush, tropical paradise. These days the surrounding area is protected by environmental initiatives to preserve what is an amazing natural phenomenon. The area supports the growth of fabulous vegetation, natural spices and medicinal herbs. Visitor facilities include a camp site, barbecues, restaurantes and toilets and you'll probably want to visit the site's Museum of the Environment.


Valencia

The third largest city in Spain is known worldwide for its Fallas festival in March, whilst its traditional dish paella is known around the world. Less than an hour from the villa Valencia is well worth a trip. It has an impressive history dating back to the Romans and a number of historical buildings the most famous of which are the Cathedral and the Gothic silk exchange. Valencia is famous for its vibrant nightlife. Today, the more alternative/bohemian bars and nightclubs are concentrated in the Carmen, while the student nightlife is found around Blasco Ibáñez and Beniclamet,  the more mainstream weekend nightlife has its clusters in the areas of Cánovas and Joan Llorens. In the summer, there is also nightlife on the beach and at the Port.

The City of Arts and Sciences is an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex in the city. The City of the Arts and the Sciences is situated at the end of the old riverbed Turia. Turia became a garden in 1980, after the bypass of the river by the great flood of Valencia in 1957. Its buildings include:
"    L'Hemisfèric - an Imex Cinema, Planetarium and Laserium. Built in the shape of the eye and has an approximate surface of 13,000 m².
"    El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe - an interactive museum of science but resembling the skeleton of a whale. It occupies around 40,000 m² on three flats.
"    L'Umbracle - a landscaped walk with plant species indigenous to Valencia (such as rockrose, lentisca, romero, lavender, honeysuckle, bougainvillea, palm tree). It harbors in its interior The Walk of the Sculptures, an outdoor art gallery with sculptures from contemporary artists. (Miquel from Navarre, Francesc Abbot, Yoko Ono and others).
"    L'Oceanogràfic - an open-air oceanographic park. It is the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe with 110,000 square meters and 42 million liters of water. It was built in the shape of a water drop
"    El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía - an opera house and performing arts center. It contains four large rooms: a Main Room, Magisterial Classroom, Amphitheater and Theater of Camera. It is dedicated to music and the scenic arts.


Fiestas
Beaches

With 10 kilometres of wide, sandy, Blue flag Beaches and gently shelving water into the Med, Oliva is ideal for families.  Free parkinng arounnd the beach is widely available. - Terranova, Pau-Pi, Aigua Blanca, Rabdella, Aigua Morta and Les Deveses.  The liveliest areas are around the beaches of Daimus, Miramar and Guadamar.  The yacht club and marina provide the opportunity to do water sports such as windsurfing.