Due to a website glitch with our original choice of hotel, their loss was our gain when we switched hotels to Casa Mistela. The owners, John & Sonja, warmly greeted us at the door on our arrival and for the next eight days we were treated like family while duly graced with superb personal service throughout our stay. John & Sonja hail from Maastricht, with a lifetime of experience running customer-service businesses. And boy, does it show. Every square inch of this B&B is immaculate, as was our bedroom suite, which was as roomy and comfortable as you would find in any 4-star hotel. Each morning we would come down to a breakfast spread that would put other B&Bs to shame. The coffee and fresh orange juice is on tap, and the aroma of warm croissants, crisp baguettes (with scrambled eggs by request) was the best possible start to our day. Oh, one of many wonderful features is the first glimpse of warm sunrays that suddenly beam through the expansive skylight over the breakfast room each morning, signalling, it’s time to venture out for the day. Just a short walk away is the small village square, and only in Spain could you discover a magnificent church housing an interior commiserate with the scale and artistry of a grand cathedral (named Saint Maria). The Xalo valley itself is breathtaking and completely encircled by mountain views, which you can enjoy without having to scale steep mountain roads. No wonder the pro cyclists’ love this valley as a popular haven for sightseeing or training. As a keen cyclist himself, John had only recently discovered a small beach town called Javea (Xabia) only 20-km away. Our favourite beach town was Moraira. It’s simply beautiful. All in all, a fantastic trip to remember.
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