Villajoyosa, the chocolate hotspot of the Costa Blanca!

Sometimes you see pictures and you think: “Where was that made? I want to go there! "A lot of people do that when they see a photo of Villajoyosa. The nice thing about this village is that - if you immerse yourself in it - it has even more charm than just the colored houses on the beach. ..

Villajoyosa is a small town south of Benidorm. Because you only have to cover 15 km, it is in our opinion really a must see during a holiday on the Costa Blanca.

The town seems to have run straight from a postcard. With the colored fishermen's houses that contrast sharply with the light (kilometer-long) sandy beach and the great promenade that runs towards the harbor. With no less than 3.5 km of sandy beach, hut mutje is not an issue here.

Villajoyosa, also known as La Vila Joiosa in Valencian, originated in the Bronze Age and the hill where the old town is located was once an Iberian settlement. During the Middle Ages, the town was given the name Alonis. After being taken over by a Christian king, it was renamed La Vila Joiosa, which actually means happy city. Well, and we will certainly be happy here!

In the 17th century, the province's coastline was defended from Villajoyosa. King Felipe II built city walls with an enormous amount of watchtowers and watchtowers to battle the Barbary pirates. With success, they drifted off in the late 17th century. Since then the town has flourished and nowadays it not only lives from sea fishing, but also from tourism.

The colored houses, Yes, that is still a story apart; those colored houses are of course great, but how did that street scene come about? The story goes that the colors were a landmark for the fishermen when they were at sea. The location on the water was also perfect again; so they could keep an eye on the sea.

Enjoy the view of this beautiful set of colorful houses, but also take the time to take a walk through the town. You are literally thrown back in time through the 16th century city walls and a maze of narrow streets. And you will find some sights, including the Gothic parish church and the various observation towers. Be sure to check out Torre Simeón, Torre del Aguiló and Torre del Charco.

Chocolate! Villajoyosa has a rich history in the chocolate industry. This dates back to the 18th century when the first cocoa plant was imported. You sometimes already smell the cocoa when you enter the town ... (!) In 1881 the first chocolate factory, Valor, settled here.

There are now three factories, but the first still exists and part of it has been set up as a museum. You can go there daily for free tours. You will also find a shop there. A souvenir is nice as a keepsake, but remember; it is not Belgian chocolate. You can always order churros with chocolate on terraces. Many of these churros are made with the Valor chocolate and are therefore named after this!

A second museum to visit after those great churros (at least, if you like culture) is the Museo Municipal de Arqueología Etnología de Villajoyosa. In the museum you can discover everything about the history of the town. Includes remains of the old settlement.

Enjoy!

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