Areas We Cover
Almansa
Post Code - 02640
The most remarkable feature of Almansa is its impressive castle, built on top of a great rock that crowns the city. Of Arab origin, this castle was rebuilt by Don Juan Manuel in the 14th century.
The historic quarter, which was declared a Historic-Artistic Site, is formed by narrow streets that surround the castle. Inside we must point out the Palace of the Counts of Cirat, also known as “Casa Grande” (Big House), with a beautiful Mannerist main front. Civil architecture is also represented by 17th-century ancestral homes, such as the house of Enríquez de Navarra, and the one of the Marquis of Montortal; the old communal granary, which today houses the local Arts Centre, and the City Hall. When it comes to religious buildings, we must mention the parish of Asunción, from the 16th-19th centuries; the convent of the Augustinians, with a Baroque façade; the convent of San Francisco, and the hermitage of San Blas.
The fiestas in Almansa, in the Region of Castile–La Mancha, are outstanding for their colourful parades and processions in honour of its patron.
Every year, an extensive programme of events pays tribute to the patron of this town in the province Albacete, the Virgen de Belén. The streets are decked out to receive colourful cavalcades such as the Opening Speech Parade, the Moors and Christians Parade, and the Festive Parade. A large part of the celebrations take place in and around Almansa Castle, where the Nocturnal Moorish Parade is held on the second night of the festivities. The programme concludes with the Nuestra Señora de Belén Main Procession, preceded by the Battle of Flowers. All together, more than 4,000 people take part in the different parades and processions.
Caudete
Post Code - 02660
The Villa de Caudete is a typical inland Spanish town with a population of approximately 10,000 people. It located in the province of Albacete, and is a privileged place due to its geographical location, a crossroads between Valencia, Murcia and Alicante. This town has a unique and varied architectural heritage as a result of its status as a border town, and where Castilian, Valencian and Aragonese influences are mixed. In fact, the town of Caudete belonged to the Kingdom of Valencia between 1304 and 1707.
There is also a new motorway under construction that will link Murcia and Valencia. This is great news for Caudete and Yecla in particular as property prices both commercial and residential are on the up in the areas. Business are already starting to move to Caudete and Yecla which will be a huge boost for the local economies. This route will relive the strain on the coastal route ‘Autovia del Mediterraneo’ and reduce journey times to Alicante and Madrid. Journeys to Valencia will be reduced by up to 25 minutes!
It is a vibrant working pueblo and as such has lot’s of local amenities to keep young families and adults entertained!
- Brand new 24 Hour medical centre
- Various supermarkets and local markets including a large street market every Friday
- Various Bars, Restaurants and a thriving café scene.
- Various Gymnasiums including the large In-Gym facility.
- Tennis Club
- Antonio Amorós Sports City – Large Sports Facility
- Church of Santa Catalina de Caudete
- Schools
- Dentists
- Vets
The church of Santa Catalina de Caudete, historically linked to the Kingdom of Valencia and the diocese of Orihuela, has a mixture of two styles, the late-Renaissance Gothic and the Baroque. The Gothic elements reach up to the height of the tower and from that point a transverse the dome and the presbytery rise. This baroque building was completed in the 18th century.
At present, the temple offers us an internal and external aspect practically baroque with Vignolesque Jesuit inspiration, since it has a series of elements and forms similar to the eighteenth-century temples of the Levant and Southeast of the peninsula.
The building has a Latin cross floor plan, with a single auditorium divided into five sections, to which side chapels are attached, at a lower height facing each other. It also has a flat roof with a wide presbytery tower which is topped by a dome with an external glazed tile backing, which indicates its proximity to the Levantine lands.
The main nave is covered with star-shaped ribbed vaults, with Gothic-style terceletes. These are dismounted on pillars, adorned with Corinthian pilasters, with a strongly moulding cornice. This nave was remodelled in the middle of the 18th century, ensuring that the complex acquired a fully baroque unitary appearance based on stucco and the addition of pilasters and cornices with morphology typical of that style. Even in the vaulting, windows were opened in the canvases to produce the effect of lunettes, so typical of the Baroque of that time.
The Eucharistic chapel is spacious, rectangular in shape, with its own front, and responds to the characteristics of this class of enclosures; two wide arches provide a great opening with the nave of the church.
At the foot is the choir and the main portal. The roof is curved tile, gabled.
The tower has a square plan, reinforced at the corners with ashlar stone that must have been completed in the 15th century, although it was later reformed in the 18th century.
Installation that has inside a multipurpose court enabled for the practice of futsal, handball, basketball and volleyball, in addition to allowing the simultaneous acts of up to three mini-basketball matches. In addition to the main room, it is equipped with a warm-up court equipped with two ping pong tables. In this same facility are the offices of the Sports Department, with its secretarial office, management and meeting room. Although, in a conventional way, this facility welcomes the practice of the aforementioned sports, it allows its adaptation for the use of other sports, such as badminton, fencing, taekwondo, capoeira …
It is made up of two independent warehouses, one designed for the practice of basketball, badminton and volleyball, and the other one designed for handball and futsal, although the latter also has a multipurpose room where it regularly hosts other types of sporting activities.
It opens its doors in the summer period, offering users a space of 4,128 m2, housing a multipurpose or recreational pool with Olympic dimensions of 50 × 25 m and a children’s or splash glass for the little ones, in addition to 1,120 m2 of lawn natural with shadow areas.
Since 2011, the football field was completely remodelled, replacing the grass field and replacing it with a third-generation synthetic grass surface, characterized by each of its filaments having three nerves, one central and two lateral, which improves the resistance of the turf. Its marking allows the alternative practice of a football 11 match, or up to two football 7 matches. For its irrigation it has a rainwater collection tank in order to avoid the consumption of mains water.
Ring of eight lanes with a circumference of 400m. and an ash surface. It also has an area equipped with a launch cage for hammer, disc and weight, a space for the high jump and another for the long and triple jump.
It is a lane with a width of more than 3 m and a length of 1,000 m, circumscribed to the perimeter of the Sports City and connected to the ring of the athletics track, which make it an ideal space for pedestrian training.
Annexed to the sports hall, it is a dirt circuit equipped with chicane, dubbing, jumps, boxer … in addition to the tent for the pilots and the commissioner’s cabin for official races.
Installation that has inside a multipurpose court enabled for the practice of futsal, handball, basketball and volleyball, in addition to allowing the simultaneous acts of up to three mini-basketball matches. In addition to the main room, it is equipped with a warm-up court equipped with two ping pong tables. In this same facility are the offices of the Sports Department, with its secretarial office, management and meeting room. Although, in a conventional way, this facility welcomes the practice of the aforementioned sports, it allows its adaptation for the use of other sports, such as badminton, fencing, taekwondo, capoeira …
The Caudete medical centre is a brand new centre that deals with everything a regular UK surgery would and more!
The medical service in Spain is excellent and this is through personal experience and also that of Clients.
When ringing for a doctors appointment you are likely to be given one for the same day, if not it will be the following day. If the doctors have any concerns whatsoever and feel you need further tests, you are referred the same day – in fact you take the paperwork to the receptionist who then faxes it through to the hospital.
The waiting lists are almost non-existent and the healthcare from the professionals excellent. Hospitals like to have the most modern equipment and utilise this to its full potential.
- Boosts cardio fitness. Cycling is an excellent way to get your heart pumping. …
- Can help with weight loss. …
- Burns body fat. …
- Provides a low-impact workout. …
- Strengthens legs and lower body muscles. …
- Allows for interval training. …
- Safer than road cycling.
Toning your muscles reduces fat and body weight. Weight loss on the body’s skeleton results in an improvement in health, which benefits the heart, joints and skeletal system. A toned body provides more strength, energy and flexibility, and can decrease the risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
HIIT , or high intensity interval training. It consists of combining intense anaerobic exercises with periods of recovery.
The intensity of this class is very high, but the caloric expenditure is also very high.
Cardio Kick Boxing. Activity in which martial arts techniques and contact sports are combined, all to the rhythm of music.
Profits:
- Improves muscle tone and coordination.
- Increases flexibility and elasticity.
Most of the other gyms also offer Yoga, Pilates and Full Free weights and TRX etc…
Yecla
Post Code - 03400
The origin of the term Yecla comes from the Arabic Yakka, which was the name of a fortress located in the place that is now called Cerro del Castillo. This toponym, however, is not from Arabic origin and it is very likely that it derives from the pre-Roman terms Iko or Ika.
The most important mountains of the locality are Sierra de Salinas (1,238 m), Monte Arabí (1,065 m), Sierra de la Magdalena (1,038 m), and others. The chief buildings are a half-ruined citadel, a modern parish church with a pillared Corinthian facade, and a town hall standing in a fine arcaded plaza mayor (square). Yecla has traditionally had a thriving trade in grain, wine, oil, fruit and other agricultural products produced in the surrounding country.
The city of Yecla was founded in the 10th century during the Almoravid period, and is, together with Jumilla, the main city in the Murcian Northeastern area.
The city and its environment, with its cultural, archaeological and gastronomic diversity, will enhance the experience of visiting the area.
There are many tours to enjoy. You can follow ancient steps through archaeological sites like the ones in “Monte Arabí” and “Torrejones”, visit a number of monuments, like “Yecla Castle” and “Concha Segura Theatre”, or museums, like “Replicas del Greco”. Yecla has a beautiful cathedral, La Purisima, which is a must to see!
If you are looking to enjoy the Spanish nature, Yecla is surrounded by the “Salinas Mountain Range” where the highest point is the national park of “El Carche”.with its 1370 meters. Here you will find many roads and trails for walking or biking trips.
You can enjoy the many festivals of Yecla , the major one being San Isidro in the middle of May, but also the carnival in February and the wine festivals in the autumn. Not forgetting the celebrations and possessions of Easter and Christmas!
Yecla is, and has been, the major quality furniture producers in Spain and is host to one of the most important furniture fairs in the world “The Furniture Fair of Yecla”, So if you are looking for furniture, this is the place to be!
Its about 25 minutes away from the Main Madrid Alicante Motorway, which you can access at Caudete, Villena, It is not a small village but a fairly busy semi industrial market town, centred on the furniture industry, so there are lots of Lumber yards and there is a Road(Villena Road), dedicated to furniture factories. The town itself is quite lively, with a small expat population, which is growing as you can get some good properties in the surrounding area at a very good price. It is still a very spanish area, and the locals are generally very friendly and helpful, you will probably need to brush up your Spanish.
Yecla sits on the side of a small mountain, which overlooks the Valley, which is mainly to vines and some Almonds, The wines are very good with some great Bodega’s and a large cooperativa in the town, going up to forestry in the North to the Ayora Valley and down south to Pinoso and the Sierra del Pilar on toward Fortuna, The surrounding Rural area is very pretty and not anywhere near as developed as say the Hondon Valley or Pinoso areas.
There is a Major golf course and development on the Yecla/Pinoso road (about 10K out), with a large hotel and golf course on the north side of town. (about 3k out) There are some really good country properties at reasonable prices in the area. In winter, it does get quite cold with nights bringing up a bit of frost now and again and on occasion snow! It is in Murcia Region and Murcia city which is a great place and is only about 40mins away on a very good road,
Villena
Post Code - 02640
Located inside the City Hall and opposite the tourist office, this small museum has a wide range of local finds from the Bronze Age, Roman times and more. The gem of the museum is the collection of gold known as the Villena Treasure or Tesoro de Villena. This collection of gold is one of the most important gold finds in the world. Found locally in 1963, the 60 gold items date from around 1,000BC. It can only be seen under supervision of the museum manager who will open the safe to show you.
There are several other museums in Villena including the Museo del Festero with a collection of ceramics and other pieces of art and the Museo Santafe which is a museum of sculptures by Antonio Navarro Santafe.
Right in the heart of the historical centre is this large square. In this plaza you will find the tourist office, the Archaeological Museum, City Hall, the House of Culture and the Church of Santiago.
This wonderful church dates from the 14th and 15th century and is one of the most important churches in the region of Valencia. Visits must be arranged with the tourist office.
Located in Avda de los Toreros, this building is undergoing a massive restoration and conversion. A full plan of all the monuments in Villena can be collected from the tourist office in Plaza Santiago.
Villena has a wide range of fiestas each year, in addition to the national holidays of Spain. These include the Three Kings in January, the Moors and Christians in March and September and the patron saint day on the 17th January.
Close to Villena is Novelda with a 12th century castle and famed for saffron and marble production.
Sax is dominated by its castle and several fine churches. It’s around 10 minutes from Villena.
Nearest major city is Alicante (59km).
