ALGORFA

The quaint and typically Spanish village of Algorfa is located on the beautiful Costa Blanca region of Spain. Ideally situated between the busy market towns of Almoradi, Orihuela and only 20 minutes from the bustling coastal town of Guardamar Del Segura, Algorfa is only 30 minutes from both Alicante and Murcia San Javier Airports and also with major motorways within easy reach, Algorfa is a highly accessible village, but still maintains the sleepy feel so typical of many areas in Spain.

Apart from being a popular and vibrant tourist area, Algorfa is also home to many ex-patriots from locations all over Europe. The superb La Finca Golf Club is only a 5 minute drive from the centre of the village, making Algorfa a very popular destination.

Algorfa’s primary industry stems from being one of the Veja Baja’s citrus fruit farming villages due to the lush and highly fertile surrounding countryside. Lining every road approaching Algorfa are countless orange and lemon groves, not only providing both employment for the local population and Algorfa’s main income, but is incredibly beautiful when all the fruits hang heavy on the citrus trees. It really gives you the true Mediterranean feel.

Algorfa’s history is long and varied. Discoveries show that Algorfa stems back over 3000 years with finds in the area of Neolithic remains and various tools and instruments from the period. Algorfa formally established itself in 1328, when the Valencian Monarch Alfonso IV granted privilege to the Valencian people to allocate a district solely for the purpose of building of homes and farms for at least 15 families located in the area; this established the first known borough of Algorfa. Today, Algorfa is spread over an area of around 20 Square Kilometers and is home to around 3000 people and is both a bustling and thriving village intermingled into which is a small expatriate community which is happily integrated into village life .

Algorfa has many attractions for such a small village. The recently refurbished town square dominates the village and is the main focal point for all social events and fiestas. The square is surrounded by bars, restaurants and shops, the Ayuntamiento (town hall) Police station and church. The local primary school is only a 2 minute walk from the square, with the secondary school which is due for completion in 2010 being built just on the outskirts of the village. A municipal pool, a brand new floodlit astro-turfed football pitch, 5-a-side football pitches, all add to the vibrancy of this surprising little community. And all this is surrounded by stunning views of the Sierra de Callosa mountain ranges.

Finally, it would be amiss not to mention the beautiful Neo Gothic Church which dominates the outskirts of the village. La Emitca as it is commonly known was built in the late 19th century and stands on the main road leading towards Benejuzar. This beautiful and impressive building overlooks the village, and is well worth a visit.

LA FINCA GOLF

Located near the village of Algorfa, on the popular Spanish Costa Blanca, lies the famous La Finca Golf Course which once seen becomes every golfer’s dream. Developed in 2002, it was conceived and designed by the famous Spanish designer Pepe Gancedo. La Finca is nestled amongst the mountains of the Sierra de Callosa and the beautiful Costa Blanca coastline.

This superb championship course is ideally situated with easy access from both Alicante and Murcia San Javier airports, and is approximately 35 minutes drive from each, making La Finca within easy access of many of the low-cost airlines which operate from most airports across the UK.

For the passionate golfer it really is a true paradise. With a climate which is one of the best in the whole of Europe makes this impressive and challenging course even better for playing golf all year round. La Finca is also widely renowned as without doubt second only to the famous and exclusive La Manga course located near Murcia and it is regarded as one of the best championship courses within Spain attracting visitors all year round.

The course at La Finca is relatively new, less than 10 years old, but is fast becoming one of the most popular courses in Europe. It is destined to host the Spanish Open and achieve Ryder Cup status in the near future. The sheer quality of this exciting course has made la Finca a definite ‘must play’ venue for golfers of all abilities from beginner to Professional. Owned by the high quality building company QUARA which was established in 1972, QUARA have become one of the most prestigious builders within Spain, specializing in developing mainly top class property of exceptional quality within the golfing community within Spain.

The course itself course has been mainly designed for hosting top class tournaments and has the greatest variety of greens of any course on the Costa Blanca, ranging in size from very large to very small. The course also has as a bonus feature, It also has a reserve hole to allow, in the event that one of the holes has to be closed off unexpectedly, players are still able to complete a full 18-hole round. The natural setting not only provides grandiose views of all the surrounding lakes, trees and mountains but it also provides many hidden challenges. It has already evolved into a course which is enough to test even the best golfers while still being playable for the beginner. A few examples of how challenging this course can be are, the green on the 7th hole is almost completely squared and is surrounded by a spectacular bunker. The fifth and sixth holes are especially challenging, with the island green next to a superb lake with several spectacular waterfalls to the left. This lake provides these holes not only with a precarious water hazard, but also gives them an added beauty.

At nearly 6500 yards, the course is long (a golf buggy is definitely a must) and there are plenty of water hazards, so it would be a good idea (unless you’re a seasoned golfer) to ensure that you have a good supply of balls. Lakes and natural running water are in abundance, the round is a pleasure as there is plenty of local wildlife which, add to this the breathtaking backdrop of Mount Escotera you have a course which is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also challenging.

COSTA BLANCA

The Costa Blanca (White Coast) refers to the over 200 kilometres of coastline on the central to South Eastern area of Spain. Alicante in Spanish (or Alacant Valencian) is a province of Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is sandwiched by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east. The province gets its name from its capital, the city of Alicante.

The name “Costa Blanca” was originally used as a promotional name used by British European Airways when they launched their air service between London and Valencia in 1957. Since then, it has become a massively popular destination not only for British and European tourists, but for visitors form all over the world. The stunning Costa Blanca extends all the way from the town of Denia in the north, beyond which lies the Costa dels Tarongers, to Torrevieja in the south, beyond which lies the Costa Calida. It includes the major tourist destinations of Benidorm and Alicante.

With breathtaking beaches stretching the length of the coastline, its easy to see why the Costa Blanca is one of the foremost tourist havens in the world. Coupled with this the area is also home to over 700,000 British Ex patriot’s who want to escape the cold and grey skies of the UK and settle in the Sun and blue skies of the Spain’s “White Coast”.

Costa Blanca´s most famous town is of course Benidorm. Built up massively from humble beginnings as a fishing village, Benidorm exploded during the tourist boom in the 1970´s and became the first of the “package holiday” destinations. Since then, Benidorm has now grown into a huge hive of activity with almost everything to do for all ages. Ranging from the famous Benidorm Palace to being the home of Aqualandia water park and the Terra Mitica theme park, Benidorm is still one of the most popular areas on the Costa Blanca.

The Costa Blanca though has more than Beaches and package holidays, there is breathtakingly stunning scenery with the Sierra de Callosa mountain ranges which hide an array of Spanish castles like the beautiful fortress at Guardalest which are nestled in the beautiful spectacular settings. The stunning countryside is in every direction which is dotted with beautiful citrus groves as far as the eye can see. Typical Spanish villages punctuate the area each with their own individual charm, and style. As every village has their own patron saint, it is not unusual to suddenly come across a local fiesta where everyone is welcomed warmly.

The extensive and beautiful coastline extends from Cabo de la Nao (Nao Cape) in the north to almost reaching the amazing Mar Menor (Minor Sea) with its famous hot mud baths in the south which make the area extremely attractive to a vast array of both migratory and resident seabirds and water birds. Natural coastal dunes are present in the Guardamar areas which are now protected areas of beauty. These were planted with thousands of pine trees during the 19th century originally in order to protect the area from the advancing dunes but which has created now an area of beauty and has created a haven for the vast array of indigenous wildlife which make the dunes their home.

Still, after all this, what the province is mainly known for is its massive attraction to millions of tourists every year from countries such as the UK, Germany, Belgium, Norway or France and also from other parts in Spain like Madrid. With so much to see and do here with lively bustling and cosmopolitan cities like Alicante and Valencia to stunning hidden away areas like Guadalest and Chelva it is no surprise to see why the Costa Blanca attracts thousands of families who own a second home here.