Casa Andromeda. . where time is to be enjoyed. Information Book 2. Around and About In Javea and Montgo Toscamar. From your base in Casa Andromeda

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1 Casa Andromeda. where time is to be enjoyed Information Book 2 Around and About In Javea and Montgo Toscamar From your base in Casa Andromeda

2 Safety First Sorry to start with something so negative but we want you to have a very happy holiday, so we need to start with awareness building It is an unfortunate fact but robberies do occur! Javea and the Costa Blanca area are no exception, we are very sorry to say. I had my handbag stolen off the middle console of the car when I got out of it to fill petrol (admittedly I got most of my belongings back because the thief fell and dropped everything when I chased him. but not everyone is that lucky). We now sadly have several acquaintances who have been asked directions and robbed while they were (unknowingly!) trying to help the partners of these thieves to find their way looking at a map. There is simply no limit to the brazen and invasive approach taken by these petty (and pathetic!) thieves. They will stop at nothing to divert your attention, so they can take what is yours. even to the extent of puncturing tyres and then stopping to help. Please therefore be vigilant and never leave valuables unattended or available for someone to grab, however helpful or nice they look. And put the alarm on when you leave the house please! Now to your holiday and information we hope will be of value (in alphabetic order NOT in order of importance) Car Hire If you need an additional hire car during your stay, Javea Cars will come and collect you from the villa, free of charge and take you to their location in Javea where you complete the paperwork and pick up the car. See contact details and additional information in the Appendix Doctors, Dentists and Health Emergencies Within a couple of kilometres of the villa Casa Andromeda, is Clinica La Ermita (Emergencies ). Drive down the hill to the main road, Ctra Jesus Pobre and

3 turn left, direction Javea. Clinica La Ermita is on your left just past the supermarket (also on your left). La Ermita also has a Dentist, a Physiotherapist and various Health and Beauty Treatment facilities. Garden Centres You may think it is strange that I include this information in a holiday info pack, but there is a good reason for this. It is inspired by my aunt from Norway who, admittedly a keen gardener, so enjoyed the beautiful and vast selection of plants and trees in Javea s Montgo Verd Garden Centre, that she considered it one of her most enjoyable visits in the area. So, to those of you who enjoy gardening take a trip in to Javea, head for Benitachell (Benitatxell) and turn left in to Cami Cabanes at the 2 nd roundabout you come to after leaving the outskirts of Javea town. It is on your left after a few hundred metres. Golf The closest is the La Sella club (18 holes) at the Marriot Hotel, This is 3km (less than 5 minutes drive) from the villa on the CV-735, direction Denia, and away from Javea. Go down the hill and turn right towards Jesus Pobre. Keep going straight on, past the left turning in to Jesus Pobre. The Marriot is round a few bends in the road on your left. Javea Golf Club (9 holes) is on the other side of Javea in the direction of Benitachell. For further information have a look at; Hair and Beauty

4 KRU in Javea, just before you enter the Port area, (at the roundabout opposite Lidl, where you can park) is a stylish Hairdressing Salon run by Darren. He is a magician with cuts, colours and blow-dries for young and old and has very reasonable prices. It is very easy to make an appointment; via phone or info@krusalon.com See also for further info. Gym and Beauty Spa The Marriott hotel (3km from the villa) has a gym and lovely beauty spa and they welcome non-residents. Go down the hill from the villa, turn right on the CV-735 towards Denia and continue straight till you see the Marriott on your left. See further details of treatments and costs in the appendix. Police and Fire Services Javea Police Station is in the old town directly opposite the top town car park. Local Police: Guardia Civil: Fire Brigade: Post Offices (Yellow logo, Correos ) The closest is in Gata de Gorgos, on the N-332, direction Alicante, on the right hand side. There is parking behind the post office. Note: It is open 8.30am pm The main Post Office is at the top of Javea Old Town. Park in the main car park at the top of the town and walk the 3-4 minutes from the car park. Note also; In Spain you pay extra postage for coloured envelopes! See postal rates in appendix Restaurants Within a few minutes driving or walking distance of the villa, at the bottom of the hill on the main road, is the newly opened Le Gourmand restaurant. This highly appreciated restaurant, originally located by the Arenal beach has moved to Montgo Toscamar, to our great delight. The French owners are lovely, the food excellent and the location, perfect. A

5 few minutes drive further drive away, in the direction of Javea is Chez Urs. This is a European restaurant with very reasonable and delicious food cooked by the Swiss owner Urs and served by his lovely Spanish wife Victoria. A few hundred metres further are the restaurants Montgo and Los Almendros opposite each other. Both the latter are also popular with the Montgo Toscamar residents, although we have had mixed experiences. This is not gourmet food, but Montgo do great 'take-away paellas!! A little further on the right is El Gaucho ( )- very popular - lovely outdoor dining and reasonable standard food. In the opposite direction and only 3km from the Villa is the Marriott Hotel (direction Denia on the CV-735), with its lovely restaurants, including the Brasserie Montgo serving Mediterranean cuisine in a informal atmosphere and Segaria Restaurant, also serving Mediterranean cuisine in an elegant atmosphere. (There are also three different bars, the Jazz & Blues bar, the Lobby bar and the Pool bar, only opened during the summer) They serve delicious food of a good quality standard and priced accordingly. The Old Town of Javea has some very Spanish restaurants. Our recommendation is that you park in one of the car parks and go for a wander. It is small enough to walk everywhere. Our favourites are La Rebotica (San Bartolome, near the church): Very Spanish, reasonably priced and wonderful food let them recommend. In the parallel street is Iberia (Calle de San Buenaventura). Recently opened by two young men (Spanish and English) with wonderfully creative tapas type food (See card details in the Appendix) Enjoy the narrow streets and the majestic church in the square just past these restaurants! Fabulous real Spanish food and old town atmosphere. The Port area is a favourite of ours too. We recommend you drive to the sea front and walk. There are lots of beach bars (summer time only) and restaurants (all year) on the sea front, to choose between. Or for the popular family restaurants try the Arenal Beach area. There is no shortage of choice. They have superb pizzas and great service at Il Lungo Mare. Shopping and Retail Therapy (i) Food and Drink; The closest supermarket is La Ermita on the Ctra Jesus Pobre (main Jesus Pobre to Javea Road, the CV-735) direction Javea. This is just a couple of minutes drive (walk-able distance) from the villa. Opening hours are Mon-Saturday 9am-1.30pm and 4.30pm-7.30pm Sundays 10am-1pm. They have an excellent butcher with delicious and very good quality meat, (amazing real meat, home-made burgers!) Very convenient for your Sunday barbecue!

6 There are many other options: There are two nice, big Spanish Mercadona supermarkets in Javea; one on the way in to town and one on the way to Arenal beach, opposite the Repsol petrol station. There is also an Iceland and Lidle, that cater specifically for the British and German populations of Javea. The more upmarket (& marginally more expensive) supermarket is Supercor, on the road towards the Arenal, after the Lidl roundabout and almost directly opposite Iceland. There are also several good Spanish Masymas supermarkets both in Javea and Gata de Gorgos, and on the way to Pedreguer, both the latter are on the N332. Most of these are open till 8 during the week and closed on Sundays. In mid summer opening hours are extended. (ii) Other Shopping; There is a reasonable sized indoor shopping centre at Ondara, by the name La Marina, This is 10 minutes drive from the villa and has a good selection of fashion shops for clothes and shoes, fast food places, coffee shops, a cinema and a large hypermarket / supermarket, Eroski, that sells pretty much everything, including a wide food selection. There is lots of parking and it is open Mondays Saturdays 10am-10pm. To get there, take the N-332 towards Valencia and come off it at the exit for the motorway AP7 and Ondara. Do not take the turn to Denia, nor to the AP7, nor Ondara, but immediately after the Ondara turn there is a small slip road, signposted to Parque Commercial (La Marina is on your left at this point). Take this little slip road, go up to the roundabout and take the turning to Parque Commercial (left) Gata de Gorgos is the place to go for baskets and basket-work. There are many shops next to each other all along the N332 in Gata de Gorgos. Closed for siesta. For typical Spanish pottery / ceramics, continue towards Alicante on the N332, out of Gata de Gorgos town and you will find a number of such shops on either side of the road, both before and after the Repsol petrol stations. Heading in the opposite direction, also on the N-332, towards Valencia, you will find more of the same. There are also several fashion, gift and tourist shops and supermarkets in Javea itself, both in the Old Town, the Port area and Arenal Beach. (iii) Markets; The closest markets are in Jesus Pobre (only one fruit & vegetable stall every Thursday morning!) and a much bigger one in Javea Old Town on Thursday mornings. This is worth visiting for cheap holiday clothes and local produce. Then there is an everything you could possibly imagine -market on Sunday mornings till around 2pm, in Pedreguer. Take the N- 332 direction Valencia. Pedreguer is on your left before you get to Denia. It is less than 10 minutes drive from the villa and worth a look if you want a change of scenery. Tourist Offices

7 These are in Gata de Gorgos (on the N-332, direction Alicante on the right), or in Javea Old Town, opposite the church (Plaza de la Iglesia, 4) Other alternatives are in the Port (Pl. Almirante Bastarreche, 24 Aduanas del Mar), or in the Arenal area (Carretera Cabo de la Nao, Urbanización La Plaza) Walking, Running and Cycling.. or your own exercises on the lower Naya. Our favourite is the Montgo, of course! Drive down the hill (or walk, starting from the path at the edge of the forest going down Calle Andromeda towards the main road). When driving, turn right along the Jesus Pobre Road and turn in to the car park on the right just past Los Lagos and directly opposite the left turning in to Jesus Pobre. Here you can leave the car and walk straight up the hill, following the little road past the houses, then the wide stonepaved path to start with and then the narrower mountain path as you get higher. Enjoy the views, the wild Rosemary, Fennel and Lavendar, the caves and the exercise minutes to get up to the flatter areas and then a couple of hours walk along the top. If you have 2 cars, you can leave one at the car park on this side and drive to the Javea town side on the road towards Denia and walk from one to the other. We have not done this yet, but are told it is a 3-5 hour walk depending on how fast walkers you are (and presumably how many stops you take for a picnic, and perhaps even how many bottles of wine you take with you for your picnic )! Other easier walks and for cycling from the villa; cross the Jesus Pobre to Javea main road (CV738), and in to the fields, via Calle Malaysia. Here there are many paths either direction Jesus Pobre or Javea. Explore if you fancy the exercise. If the orange trees are in bloom, you are in for a treat for your senses! You can hire bikes from several places, but Javea Bikes are a favourite; friendly & very experienced! If you want to go further in to the Costa Blanca mountains, refer to the book we keep in the villa (Costa Blanca Walks Vol.2). This includes maps and directions. For Other Activities See appendix or Or you can always call or mail us; heidigiaever@yahoo.com (UK Mobile) Have a wonderful holiday!

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