Maribel

Another recent lunch of paella valenciana with rabbit and chicken at La Finca Bandida (owners of Cala Bandida on the Costa Blanca), taken at La Finca Grand Café, Pozuelo de Alarcón. Very simple, not piled with extras, to let the rice shine.


Paella valenciana de pollo y conejo

ekscrunchy

Maribel, I need a car for Denia city? Too far to roam with taxis? Where would we need to drive?
We could rent a car if you think necessary, but hopefully NOT have one in Valencia (??)
I've already figured that I need to book Baret in July (!!).


How would you think about splitting the time between Valencia, Denia and Cuenca (two nights Cuenca)??
I could probably stretch the trip to just under three weeks, but partner would surely prefer two weeks; I was thinking about leaving the US just before Thanksgiving. I'd need to be back by around December 8, more or less..... I can work out the dates, just curious about how to split this up...

Maybe fly into MAD, immediately take train to Cuenca.
Cuenca--2 days
Train to Valencia--9 nights???
Train/taxi or rent car and go to Denia--5 nights?

Drive back to Valencia and fly home via MAD? (If I have time, or should cut Valencia or Denia, could go to Alicante for 2 (??) nights and fly home from there.....

None of this has to be delved into too deeply right now.....I'm just formulating a plan..do you think this is pretty good, more or less?

Maribel

it's not within the normal taxi range. From the Only You, it would be an hour, 15 min. plus drive. The distance is 106 km.
No, you definitely don't want a car in Valencia. Do your Valencia-Cuenca trip (or Madrid-Cuenca-Valencia) by AVE.

Then after leaving Valencia, go to Dènia for a some great eating days, then drive back to Valencia, ditch the car and take the AVE to Madrid to fly home.

Or...with a car, if you want to extend it further south to Alicante, another great dining city, add it, then ditch the car at the rail station and take the Alicante-Madrid AVE home, as we did.

ekscrunchy

So if I am understanding right, I would not need a car IN Denia to Alicante but mainly to go from Valencia to Denia and on to Alicante. (??).
(Renting car we could stop in Sueca for lunch, but then again, do I need the car for the days in Denia?).
Might as well try to include Alicante since we would have to go to the Alicante airport anyway, to get home from Denia, or else go back to the Valencia airport from Denia.

Maribel

eks,
What I mean is this: pick up a car upon departing Valencia, drive to Dènia, and if you want to explore dining outside of Dènia, keep the car, then if you want to continue south, along the coast to Alicante, do this by car (gasping when you see from the car window the monstrosity that Benidorm has become), then drop the car off at the Alicante rail station (very easy), then after your Alicante stay, take the AVE back to Madrid or fly home (through Madrid) from the Alicante airport (ALC). See the airport's destinations here:.
The AVE takes 2 hrs 30 min. and stops in Cuenca and ends at Madrid's Chamartín station, not Puerta de Atocha.

Alicante (Alacant) is a pleasant city on the Med with a lovely promenade. It's not filled with exciting sightseeing opportunities.
Other than visiting the Castillo de Santa Bárbara, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC), and the Museo de las Hogueras, the Bonfire Museum, filled with the amusing Fallas that are erected and then burned on the eve of San Juan, a big, big celebration for the city, you would be there to relax, visit the market, and to dine.

But...it is a great dining destination.....Nou Manolín, Pirirpi, Bar Manero and its new Bikini Cóctel Bar below the market, La Taberna del Gourmet, El Portal, Monastrell, La Ereta plus Susi Díaz's place, La Finca, in Elche.