We took a trip down the AP7 Motorway from Valencia and noted five cool things to do or see here
1. Explore the town
It is a very important town from both a commercial and touristic point of view and the areas 10km of clean sandy beaches keep the visitors coming each year, from France, Germany, the UK and Spain too. The beach is backed by sand dunes which protect and shelter the nearby orange groves, a common sight in this part of Spain.
Oliva has had a British presence for many years and it does have a couple of British bars, plus a small British food shop, selling all your favourite foods if you are on a self-catering holiday on the Costa Blanca and need to stock up on stuff!
The town itself has a very nice old village part to explore, and a bonus is that it still has remains of its Moorish past including castles, ruins, palaces and old fortresses to see.
2. Experience the spectacle of the Moors and Christians
The residents of the town celebrate many important cultural festivals each year, such as the regions famous fallas, but one thing they are certainly noted for is the fiesta of the Moors and the Christians which is approached with some gusto every year.
Each year two teams stage a mock battle after parading through the town in their finest period costumes and if you can bag a place in the crowd, next to the old ladies who strategically place dining room or patio chairs by the side of the road with their name on, then you are sure for a treat if you can catch this. It takes place around the 2nd to 3rd week in June each year.
3. Hit the beach at Oliva Playa
The beach is set back from the town and looks out to the well-known landmark or the Penon de Ifach, another day trip in itself, however the soft, fine sand is a delight underfoot and the long sweeping bay is ideal for an evening stroll whilst listening to the waves crashing up against the shoreline.
The beach is often busy in summer but for a bit more life, head for the nearby beaches of Daimús, Miramar or Guardamar. There is also a yacht club in Oliva and the towns adequate marina has places that offer water sports if you are action minded on holiday.
The area is also well known for camping and there are a few really nice camp-sites nearby, at reasonable cost, with good facilities for the whole family. For the gold mad, the town has a good 18 hole golf course to improve your handicap.
4 See top flight horse riding in Oliva
Since last year (2012) Oliva has hosted an international show jumping event, which even if you are not into horses, it's worth going to see and intermingle with the internationals sports stars that congregate for this yearly event. Events involving horses at the time are also held on the beach promenade and in the town too, the whole place comes alive with the sound of hooves and excited children!
The horse show has associated events that you can see today including various exhibitions, horse riding, pony trekking and, if you are brave and wealthy enough, helicopter rides around the area.
5 . Visit the nature reserve in Oliva
Lastly, and you mustn't miss this if you like peace and quiet and getting up close to nature is the Pego-Oliva Fen Nature Reserve which is an area of wet lands with loads of animals and plants of great ecological value and unique to the area.
It's a great place to take a picnic and just relax and listen to the birds overhead and the call of the various animals, including some sounds I guarantee you would never heard of. If you visit during summer, take some anti mosquito spray with you as they can be somewhat of a nuisance the closer you get to the waters edge
There is so much to do in the area, this article just isn't long enough so maybe we will return to Oliva in the near future with our camera and notebook, and plan another article for you to enjoy and share with your friends.