Oliva Rama Pension is a very comfortable, family run, bed and breakfast situated on the edge of the old town of Oliva. Jill Sykes who has just moved from Huddersfield, Yorkshire but is originally from Canterbury, Kent, now runs it, along with her son Jules. Since taking over from Amanda she has developed an excellent business, which has been appreciated by her guests (. The double/twin rooms are all ensuite with heating and room fans available, plus each room has a hairdryer, storage hanging space. We offer an ample continental breakfast plus facilities for making complimentary tea and coffee, with beer and wine also available at local rates. Should you require a packed lunch, this can be supplied by prior arrangement at a small extra charge. There is a lovely roof terrace for your use anytime, which has views over the extensive orange groves and the hills behind. It has very easy access from the A7/E15 motorway ( for directions) and on-street parking, not always easy within this town. View from Roof Terrace. Very competitive rates. All prices include breakfast and 7% IVA. Complimentary tea and coffee making facilities. Internet access available on request. Packed lunches available on request. Children welcome (baby facilities available). Use of covered or un-covered terracing. Easy access from and to the A7/E15 motorway. Transfers from and to the airport (by prior arrangement)

General Information Oliva is a very traditional yet progressive town on the border of the 'Costas Azahar Blanca' directly between Alicante and Valencia Airports ( for directions). The town is situated on the Mediterranean Sea coast, with the mountains just inland, which provides an average of 3000 hours of sunshine per year. It was founded in 1449 and remains steeped in history, yet is quite lively with plenty of activities for the more active tourist or prospective resident. There's anything from golf to pony-trekking or a wide variety of water-sports on the miles of golden beach. During the evening you can sample the local fare at one of the excellent restaurants, or enjoy a cool drink at many bars. Also for the more lively during the summer, Oliva opens its 'Chiringuito's' (beach bars) where you can party until the early hours of the morning. Since Oliva wants to maintain a typical Spanish feel it hosts many festivals during the year, with the main ones being the explosive 'Moors Christians' parade, the visually stunning 'Fallas' (Festival of Fire), and the excellent Carnival (. The Old Town This is still full of charm and tradition, with tiny narrow streets that wind towards the beautiful 'San Roc Church'. Then you can carry on up to 'Castell de Santa Anna' the ancient castle that overlooks all of the old town. Around this area you will find traditional Spanish bars tucked away, where 'Tapas and Brandy' is the order of the day!!. Be warned, very little english is spoken in this rustic part of town so take a phrase book. Visit Oliva's oldest street 'La Hoz' and imagine what life would have been like centuries ago. The Market is every Friday, where freshly harvested oranges, locally produced fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and olives can be bought at fabulously inexpensive prices. There are also many other stalls selling clothes, shoes, jewellery, pictures and gigantic paella dishes!! The Beaches There are ten kilometres of clean golden sands that proudly display the Blue flags for European Clean Seas. Oliva boasts several beaches including 'PAU PI' with its yacht marina, restaurants and bars. Further along there is 'AIGUA BLANCA', which is surrounded by naturally protected dunes. Here you can either get away from everyone else and quietly sun worship, or go and try one of the many water sport activities ( for info) that are on offer. Golf There are several golf courses around the Costa Azahar with 'OLIVA NOVA GOLF' ( for info) currently being the most well known. This is an excellent 18 hole course (6,445 meters, par 72) designed by the Spanish maestro and champion Severiano Ballesteros. It is quite a testing course with plenty of water, considered to be one of the best on Spain's Mediterranean coast. N.B. To play you must have a valid 'Handicap Certificate'. Food Prepare your senses to see, smell and taste the delicious food here in Oliva. This area of Valencia is famous for its 'Paella' however Oliva has its own traditional dishes such as 'Les Pebres Farcider' (peppers stuffed with rice), 'La Espar Denya' (an interesting combination of eels and chicken!), and 'Els Figatells' (a type of local hamburger). Along with these there is always fish freshly caught from the Mediterranean and served in numerous ways. Add to this a fabulous selection of pastries and desserts, and complimented with a fine wine or beer, you have a perfect meal. However Spanish cuisine is not the only type available, the town now offers a good selection of other nationality restaurants to cater for everyone's palette. Natural History The Marjel de Oliva/Pego ( Oliva/Pego Marsh) lies just 5Km to the south of Oliva and extends over 1000 hectares of wetland. It is an area of special scientific importance (SSI) for bird and marine life. The Natural Park can be driven round and good views of the hundreds of breeding Herons and Egrets can be obtained. To the west it is surrounded by Mustella and Segaria mountains providing a dramatic backdrop to this ecological haven (

Oliva is a town that always has something to offer. The shared feelings of its residents are reflected in their popular fiestas. Its mild climate, the open character of its people and the wide cultural made possible by its geographical location has created a rich mosaic of possibilities that only shows its great wealth in its fiestas. Click here for a full list of fiesta dates. Moors and Christians. For their spectacle and elegance, the Moors and Christians fiestas of Oliva have carved a niche in the circuit of great processions of this deeply Valencian festival. The high level of processions and quality of the fiesta has been reached by strengthening other aspects of the event to make it more participatory and more solemn at the same time: the day of the disembarkation, the “Saturday at daybreak” (which people attend without having slept after the street parties) the fiesta proclamations, embassies and visits to the clubhouses... So it is that these fiestas recalling the Christian re-conquest of the territory occupied by Arabs for more than 500 years, are enjoying a period of splendour that improves in quality, participation and ­ above all ­ in spectacle year after year in Oliva. Oliva Carnival ­ recovered some years ago ­ has a long tradition. Right back in the 18th century, the people of Oliva asked for the opinion of the enlightened Gregori Maians on the convenience of carnival masks and fancy-dress, a request that was answered negatively as they were seen as elements of temptation. There is also evidence from the 19th century of parades of people covered in flour and dragging cans and saucepans… Historical testimonies apart, Oliva Carnival has come back with a bang and its parades in the old town, street parties, fancy-dress dances and processions and children's attractions have brought back the splendour to this fiesta that marks the start of Lent. If the carnival marks the start of Lent, in the middle of this period of reflection the Fallas fiesta maintains its attraction celebrating Lent in a pagan way: with a great bonfire burning the old to make way for the new. The parodies of the papier-mache monuments paint a portrait of everyday life in a way that is both easy-going and spectacular. In Oliva there is evidence that these fiestas were already celebrated in the 60s but they have been consolidated as we now know them since 1982. Now the five Fallas commissions prepare a great fiesta that lasts a week and in which there is every type of ritual (the naming of the fiesta queens, erection of the monuments, early-morning awakenings, flower offerings, lunches in the clubhouses, prize-giving, firecracker displays, the burning…). It is a great spectacle to which everyone is invited. Fallas photographs - click to see full size image. Oliva's Holy Week has a special attraction: the beauty of its processions. From Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday, Oliva's old town ­ with its unmistakable Moorish air ­ fills with worshippers following the solemn passage of the brotherhoods under the tenuous light of candles and the moon. The climb to the Calvary at daybreak on Good Friday allows us to watch the sunrise from the vantage-point of Oliva Castle at the same time as a rosary of brotherhoods winds between each Station of the Cross. Oliva also has a biblical performance of great tourist interest that has been preserved over the centuries. On the evening of Good Friday in the parish church of Santa Maria they perform the “Desenclavament” or “Desenclavamiento”, a drama presented by the brotherhoods and in which they enact the torture, death and taking down of Jesus of Nazareth. Fiestas of the Cristo de San Roque. The fiestas of the Cristo de San Roque have been celebrated in Oliva since the 17th century. In these fiestas, celebrated on May 3, we can enjoy a great number of acts representative. ---evellers dressed in traditional style, the start of the fiesta is announced to the whole town. A Novena is celebrated in the chapel of the Cristo, considered a jewel of the baroque because of the symbolism and beauty of the paintings covering its central vault. In the streets there are fiestas for everyone: theatre and children's events, thrilling games of the Valencian ballgame “pelota”, colourful fancy-dress parades and, of course, the lively parties that fill our streets with revelry and fun. The fiesta ends with a solemn procession in honour of the Santisimo Cristo. In ancient times the fair in Oliva was an annual meeting of merchants to negotiate commercial sales and interchanges, although they also closed marriage pacts and family agreements. The fairs were born of the privileges granted by the kings in order to stimulate and consolidate the economic activity in their dominions, although they became an annual economic event for every type of cultural and social interchange. Nowadays their commercial function has disappeared but we preserve the fiesta and fun part from the old days such as the “Tio de la Porra”, the fun band that starts off Oliva fiestas. For a week there is the grand funfair to delight the children and youths, accompanied by a sports week, diverse cultural acts, a thrilling race by waiters and street parties until the early hours of the morning. In the Valencian language, “porrats” are fairs selling a great variety of products (sweets, salted fish and meat, honey…) They are of medieval origin and the first is the “porrat” of Sant Antoni celebrated in January, in which there is the ritual blessing of animals ­ formerly work animals but now household pets. Stalls are set up in the streets of the old town and we can savour traditional dishes such as the “pa benet” (“blessed bread”) or the stew prepared with locally-grown vegetables. They also take advantage of this fiesta to celebrate a medieval market with live shows in the streets and different fun activities. In February they celebrate the “porrat” of San Blas, set up in the Plaza de Enguix with children's games. Fiestas of the Virgen del Rebollet. The Virgen del Rebollet is Oliva's patron saint and is represented by a beautiful Roman carving (the oldest Marian representation found in the Valencian region). It was discovered in the Castle of the Rebollet at the end of the 12th century and the mass gathering and procession to the ruins of the castle is the central act of these popular fiestas. In a large procession, the worshippers go to the castle to celebrate an open-air Mass and a lunch of brotherhood. It is also traditional in these fiestas to sing the “aurora” (“flush of dawn”), songs in the Valencian language in homage to the saint, while parading in the streets of the old town at daybreak. The Novena, which begins with a solemn proclamation, supports the day-to-day life of this fiesta. Click here for a full list of fiesta dates.

 Baby chairs and cots are provided
 Playground for children
 Heating
 Parking lot
 Private/Ensuite bathroom
 Tea and coffee making facilities
 Phone at reception
 Patio, summer terrace