Murcia

The huge sandy beaches of the Costa Blanca, and the riotous I fiestas of Valencia and Alicante, are Valencia and Murcia's chief tourist attractions. Inland the region appears scantly pic- turesque: dry winds whisk around the whitewashed cubes of houses scratched in a dust-scoured countryside; empty villages dot and hillsides, relieving seamless acres of sun-drenched orange groves. Valencian farms produce vast quantities of citrus fruit, but for most of the year they are not labourintensive and a lack of development here and in Murcia has forced people to leave the land to find work in the cities and coastal resorts. Yet, despite this quiet rural emptiness, and despite the waves of tourist development that have engulfed the Costa Blanca, the whole area bears the lingering exotic aftertaste of far earlier cultures.

Valencia Hotels

Hotel Europa Ribera, 4 Valencia 46002 Spain
Vincci Lys Hotel - Martinez Cubells 5 Valencia 46002 Spain
Melia Plaza - Plaza Del Ayuntamiento 4 Valencia 46002 Spain
Palau de la Mar Hotel - Navarro Reverter 14 - 16 Valencia 46004 Spain
Hotel Neptuno - Paseo de Neptuno, 2 Valencia 46011 Spain
Las Arenas Balneario Resort - C/ Eugenia Vines 22 - 24 Valencia 46011 Spain
Ad Hoc Monumental Hotel - C/ Boix 4 Valencia 46003 Spain
Silken Puerta Valencia - Cardenal Belloch 28 Valencia 46021 Spain
Melia Confort Ingles - Marques de dos Aguas 6 Valencia 46002 Spain
Jardin Botanico - 6 Doctor Peset Cervera Valencia 46008 Spain
Eurostars Gran Valencia - Valle de Ayora 3 Paralela Cortes Valencianas Valencia 46015 Spain
Barcelo Valencia - Avenida Francia 11 Valencia 46023 Spain

The Phoenicians, Greeks and, above all, the Moors who settled the area in pre-medieval times left a rich cultural heritage, most evident in the region's food. It was the Moors who irrigated the land, planted the first date palms that were the beginnings of the palm groves of Elche, and gave the Costa Blanca its rice, dates and almonds. There is no shortage of palm-shaded terraces to sample local dishes, and for the best paella in Spain - wait until you get to Valencia!