Oliva holiday house: Oliva

This is our annual hideaway, we have visited at the end of October and at Easter (oragne blossom) time. The house is always clean and welcoming. There is plenty of bedding and towels are provided, the kitchen is well equipped and the lounge/diner is comfortable. Both bedrooms have ample storage and hanging space. Our favourite place is on the top roof terrace, eating our evening meal which we cook ourselves - we never eat out - with a good bottle of wine watching the lights come on over the old town and beyond to the sea. Sometimes we get treated to a firework display in the distance but the enjoyment is listening to the sights and sounds of Oliva old town - people chattering away in Spanish down in the street and young people clapping on their way from flamenco classes are a nightly occurence. In the house you have to be able to use stairs and you cannot park outside the house, only in nearby side streets but we have never found this to be a problem, there are a few local shops nearby which sell most things and the new town a few minutes away has a good range of shops, banks, bars and restaurants. The house is part of the local community and the old town is very traditional. There are great beaches and local walks and beautiful mountain drives, the drive to Calpe through the National Park is lovely during the day and very exciting in the dark. Overall, it's just the place to escape to. We are both 55+, active but not fit and we have no problems with the stairs in the house or with the hills in the old town. The only niggle for us is that the cold water pressure in the old town flucuates, this results in the shower becoming too hot or the gas boiler switching off making the water cold, it is difficult to maintain a constant temperature and the bath takes a very long time to fill.