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ORBA, ALICANTE INFORMATION
Having been a visitor to Orba for 28 years we thought that it might be useful to others to record some of the general information that we have about the town. We hope that this will interest all those who live there or just visit. If anyone has any constructive comments, or would like to contribute to making this site better we should be pleased to receive these at the email address - orbaphileatbtinternetdotcom. Last updated 16 Nov 09
LATEST ORBA NEWS
The Town Hall are seeking views from residents on the FUTURE for Orba. A map of proposals is available for inspection and a questionnaire can be filled in by yourself. ACT NOW. This years Gota Fria was earlier that usual and covered the last two weeks in September but still some 500mm of rain over that period. Fortunately for Orba we did not experience the worse storms. Some flooding occurred but it was not as bad as 2007. Val Bon, Girasol and the Bodegeta have closed. The petrol station restaurant is now New Indian Gate. Building and house sales activity are still very low.
ORBA TODAY
Orba is located 18km (11m) inland from the Mediterranean coastal town of Denia. It lies at approximately 39deg N and is almost on the Greenwich meridian (0deg W). Orba is roughly equi-distant between Alicante and Valencia airports and it takes about one and a half hours from either by road, that is mainly on the AP-7 autopista then on the N332 to Ondara, the aim for Valencia and turn right to Orba on the CV-731. The town of Orba is situated at the head of a large fertile valley that grows mainly citrus fruit of a quality that is the best in the world. It has an altitude of about 160m above sea level and houses some 2117 residents. Most employed persons are in agriculture, the Torrens Hermanos handbag factory (which has recently split into two units), or in the service and construction industries. Picturesque mountains form a backdrop and there are wide, uninterrupted, magnificent views from most villa properties. Orba is relatively unaffected by tourism and retains its Spanish agricultural identity. Yet despite this, or perhaps because of it, a significant number of English, Dutch, German and Swiss have made Orba their home town and many have integrated well with the friendly local Spaniards. The church (iglesia), situated at the plaza, was built on the site of an old mosque. It is not much to look at from the outside but the inside is a delight. There were several paintings by local artist Carlos Ruano Llopis added when the church was extended and restored in 1917. Unfortunately the ravages of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 destroyed them all except what is now the altar piece (The prophet Abraham). The bell tower (torre campanario) built earlier, around 1850, is said to have been designed by Toribio Iscar Saez who was also the architect of the unsuccessful dam (known as Isbert�s folly) in the Barranc I�Infern near Fleix. The bell gallery is faced with yellow Tosca sandstone and holds 3 bells, La Grosa 108cm 729Kgs east (1917), La Menuda 70cm 198Kgs north (1941) and La Mitjana 90cm 422Kg south (1978). The earlier bells were made by Manual Roses Vidal and La Mitjana by Salvador Manclus both being from Valencia. You will never hear them rung in harmony. The tower also houses the town clock and the bells strike on the quarters and on the hour, which is repeated after a short interval (to confuse the devil or to give you a second chance to count the strikes take your pick). Orba is now a small town and Orbeta, which is a few minutes walk away, is its satellite village. Anglican services at the Ermita see http://costablanca-anglicanchaplaincy.org/orbeta.htm - Susan Hollister 966404650. There are several urbanisations on the outskirts and these are adequately covered by the numerous selling agencies for properties. If you are property hunting why not start with - http://www.pereto-grupo.es/principal.aspx. If you need help to translate try www.freetranslation.com
ORBA WEATHER
The climate of the Costa Blanca is considered to be one of the most healthy in the world by the World Health Organisation. The weather is almost perfect for holidays. Daily temperatures are in the upper 30C's (90F's) in July and August with 11 hours sunshine (some might say that it is too hot). Even in midwinter 20C (68F) is commonplace with an average of 6 hours of sun. Humidity is usually low. The driest months are Jun,Jul,Aug. The wettest (on average 4in/100mm or above) are Nov,Dec,May with Apr,Sep,Oct close by. Almost any month can be exceptionally dry. Rain usually comes for a week or ten days in October/November and for short periods through the winter until May. As Orba is surrounded by mountains it can on occasions attract clouds. In this case try going to the coast where it can be clearer. Orbeta rainfall statistics were available on the Venta del Vi noticeboard. Despite the attractive climate some of us still manage to get bitten by the odd mosquito (not the dangerous type) but never-the-less still very uncomfortable. Take vitamin B1 (or Marmite) to make you less susceptible but its not guaranteed. Rub bites with a cut lemon.
PLACES TO EAT IN ORBA (Restaurante)
No information changes more quickly than this topic. You will soon make up your own mind as to what suits you best. Here is an overview. All we will say is that enjoyable meals have been had at all of these places but that is no guarantee for the future. Most restaurants offer a basic MENU DEL DIA that is a complete meal for as little as 8E - 15E‚¬ (thank you Franco), although you can push the boat out and spend two or three times that much on local a-la-carte. At busy fiesta times and on days when some restaurants are closed it is advisable to book in advance. At LA PLACA (www.orbahostalplaza.com) which is also a hostal with rooms and Wi-Fi is situated at the main square, but is under a new operator. AWRABA, is now run by Euwan and Gayle and is worth trying (some live entertainment). It has an al fresco area for summer. EL QUIJOTE is now under new Spanish family management and located just out of the village on the Benidoleig road. The satellite village of Orbeta, a short evening stroll away, offers a further three restaurants. The FORN VELL, (converted from an old ceramic oven - look for the curved remains) run by Linda. Close by is the VENTA DEL VI run by Stephan. The SANCHO PANZA is situated adjacent to the Forn Vell served to you by Madeline from Rudis kitchen. If you have a vehicle with you then you could go to the top of Carrer Assagador hill to the EL CANTARO (Valencian drinking vessel) If you want to drive out of the village. At the gas station is a new Indian restaurant. ALCALALI offers numerous restaurants incl an Indian which was Los Almendros, as do JALON, BENIDOLEIG and PARCENT. The nearby TORMOS restaurante was traditional Spanish, but has changed hands yet again. Maybe you just fancy a coffee and a snack. On the Calle Mayor you will find EL CARRER which has an Internet and phone facility and next door CENTRAL PERK (both do meals), whilst at the Plaza there is BAR ESCALES (run by Alex). Fish and Chips are available from LA FUENTE ( Avenida des Americas). BAR CHEERS has had a revamp (near DAZIs entrance). A further bar called CAL XON is just out of the village near to the John Deere garage and NATURA newsagents, stamps and gift shop and across the road LEE's snackbar (up for sale) with live entertainment on some Thursdays. Pizzas are good from the village PISCINA BAR.
SHOPPING IN ORBA (tienda)
Most of ones needs can be bought, or satisfied, locally in a shop in Orba. There are two small supermarkets, the Spanish SUPER MARIBEL and the larger CHARTER as well as CORNER SHOP specialising in English goods and several smaller shops offering household goods and foods. Snr Julio BALLESTER will give you good service for your entertainment, white goods and air conditioning needs. There are two builders merchants MARORBA and DAZI, two metalwork (carpenteria metalica) workshops (Snrs PAYA & MIRALLES) and a wood window and door maker. There is also a glazier (at the PERELLO shop, Avenida des Americas) for things like that broken window or glass shelf in the fridge.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN ORBA
The major entertainment in Orba centres around the bars, and the fiestas are the highlights of the village year. The biggest fiestas are the 4 day weekend in May and the week long fiesta at the end of July into August. There is a smaller fiesta in Orbeta in June. Bull-running (bous al carrer) is the main activity in June and July. If you are tempted to join in then be very careful - the bulls, or to be more precise cows, may be small but they are very quick and agile, their horns are long and sharp and can do you serious damage. Paella cooking competitions, bike racing round the village and dressed carts, or floats, are all topped off to the sounds of the Orba Band. Modern Spanish pop bands pass away the early hours of the mornings at fiesta time. Hardly a month goes by when there is not a religious fiesta day with parades in the streets. Some of the most moving sights are the processions at Easter time but those in Orba are nothing to what one might see in bigger cities. All fiestas have firework displays that make our Bonfire night look like a damp squib event, although the credit crunch has curtailed these. The nearby villages of Tormos, Sagra, Sanet y Negrals, Rafol, Benidoleig and Beniarbeig, Fleix, Campell, Benimaurell and Murla also hold similar events so if you miss the Orba ones look out for those. Christmas is not celebrated in the same way as the English do it. The Spanish big day is the evening of January 5th for the Epiphany or Three Kings day, (rather than Christmas) when the Kings, who can arrive on horseback, distribute presents to the children of the village at the plaza, calling them up one at a time. New Years Eve is also well celebrated but you will need to book early if you want a meal.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE NEARBY
There are a few nearby events that you should try and see if they are happening when you are there. DENIA holds its own version of bull-running (Bous al mar) which is perhaps less cruel than the norm. Staging is erected in the form of a square with one side being the quay to the harbour. The brave (or foolish) ones try to entice the bull to fall, or be pulled into the sea. The aficionados stand on the quay waiting for the bull to charge. They then attempt to grab a horn at the very last second so as to pull the bull into the sea. This is a somewhat risky but amusing spectacle as lines of youths systematically dive into the water. The bull usually wins, but should he happen to fall in, he is gently led back to the shore by a boat. The Moors and Christians troupes of Alcoy hold the biggest processions of their kind in Spain (around 23rd April). The costumes, spectacle, noise and atmosphere are electric, something to be seen and never forgotten. At FONTILLES in mid-October on a Sunday daytime they hold a smaller repeat version, primarily for the patients in the sanatorium. A Medieval Market is held in ONDARA every November and a similar event in BENISSA in early February. Street entertainers, people in costume, crafts, trades and wares are there in abundance. If you are a mountain walker see CBNews around p46 or try this site www.marina-alta-walks.org/
For further information on Orba - history (moors, moriscos,mozarabic), natural history (flowers,birds,butterflies,moths,insects, nasties), ancient land measures (hanegada, braza), walks, pigeons, Carlos Ruano Llopis, Cristobal Zaragoza (artists), leprosy, Orba ranch, see sister site www.webspawner.com/users/portzed2/index.html
For Spains history see http://www.sispain.org/english/history/ Santana Books "The Story of Spain" by Mark Williams
Costa Blanca Newspaper
Medieval Markets
Sister site
Orba Town Hall
General Information on Spain
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