Cycling Costa Del Azahar ...The Orange Blossom Coast

Description

One of our brand-new trips for 2027 and EXCLUSIVE to Halcyon Cycling Holidays, is a series of road cycling trips, Cycling Costa Del Azahar, also known as Orange Blossom Coast, staying in a private villa with pool in Benicàssim, expertly guided and hosted by David and Paloma (see bio). 

The Costa Blanca is a premier European cycling destination, renowned for its smooth quiet roads, challenging mountain climbs, and a climate that offers over 300 days of sunshine annually. It is a preferred winter training base for professional World Tour teams like Ineos and Visim-Lease a Bike. Most cyclists base themselves in the northern part of the region, where the terrain transitions quickly from coastal flats to dramatic mountains and the region is famous for its “passess” often featured in the Vuelta a Espana. One of the passes is featured in this cycling holiday – the Coll de Rates, a challenging 6.5km climb at a 5.5% average. It is the region’s most famous benchmark climb; consistent and scenic.

Our base for our Cycling Costal Del Azahar trip is the traditional and charming town of Benissa, on the Costa Blanca, located in the Marina Alta region. It is one of the oldest towns on the coast and is uniquely positioned to offer both a medieval inland village experience and a stunning 4-kilometre coastline known as Benissa Costa. Key highlights include the old town features narrow cobbled street, heraldic shields and 17^th-century stately homes. The Basilica de la Purissima Xiqueta is a dominant neo-Gothic structure in the town centre, known for its impressive size and central dome. The beaches and covers like Cala Fustera, Cala Pinets and Cala Advicat is famous for crystal-clear waters and rocky coves. The region is also famous for outdoor activities such as walking and especially cycling, all year round, due to the temperate climate.

On our cycling holiday, we will be staying at Finca de la Pansa, a 5* reviewed accommodation, offering superb en-suite rooms, excellent customer service and a host of services. You can fully unwind at Finca de la Pansa, translated as 'farmhouse of the raisins'. Around 1900, this traditional riurau was used to dry grapes into raisins, a typical activity in the Marina Alta region where we are located. The rustic property has been completely rebuilt and renovated while preserving authentic elements. At Finca de la Pansa, you can enjoy tranquillity, a refreshing dip in the pool, or a good book and a glass of Moscatel in the large garden. But also, the more adventurous type will not be disappointed here: the region offers beautiful hiking trails and is a paradise for those who love cycling. All rooms are en-suite and the venue also offers bike storage.

Benissa and Finca de la Pansa are centrally located in the Marina Alta region, the northern part of the Costa Blanca. Whether you're looking for an active cycling holiday, culture and history, sea and beach, or a culinary retreat, it's all within reach.

This is cycling at its most welcoming: challenging, relaxed, scenic, and designed to be about making memories as much as physical exertion. Everyone who is booked on this trip will receive a bespoke itinerary via email about one week before departure explaining every element of your trip. There are some real highlights to this trip, which are described in the itinerary. The owners of Finca de la Pansa are your hosts and cycle leader(s) for the week. They will share their passion for cycling and their love of the region, and this truly will be a cycling holiday to remember.

To join this holiday, you will meet us at Alicante airport at a pre-allocated time or you can drive straight to the accommodation. There is no designated flight(s) for this trip due to the choice of airlines and frequency of flights into Alicante airport. You will need to be in the arrivals hall at the airport in the afternoon. You will need to provide Halcyon Cycling Holidays with your arrival details such as flight number, arrival time and departure airport at time of booking or call us for more information.

Highlights

• Stay in a historic Finca
• Explore unspoilt rural Costa Blanca, with its hilltop villages and panoramas
• Visit Denia, a UNESCO city of Gastronomy
• Explore Javea with its pretty harbour
• Challenge yourself by cycling the Caps de Sant Antoni and de la Nau!
• Enjoy delicious locally sourced food, wine and gastronomic treats
• Cycle on world class road surfaces
• Enjoy Moraira with its world class and pristine beaches
• Ride world famous Coll de Rates
• Enjoy tranquil Calpe and Altea
• Hosted and rides led by the owners of Finca de la Pansa

Itinerary

This is a brand new fully guided and supported 8 day cycling trip, professionally guided by our Halcyon Cycling Holidays representatives and ride leaders and hosts in Benicàssim, David and Paloma who are passionate about cycling and live and cycle in the local area.

Trip as follows:

Sunday 11 April 2027 Arrival day at Casa Pedal & Pause, Benicàssim

Welcome to the Costa del Azahar — Spain's Orange Blossom Coast. Make your way to Valencia Airport (VLC), where your hosts will meet you and transfer you, your bikes and your luggage to Casa Pedal & Pause in Benicàssim, a short drive north along the Mediterranean coast.

After settling in, the evening is yours to relax and get to know your fellow riders. David will welcome everyone with a home-cooked dinner at the house — the perfect start to the week ahead.

Monday 12 April 2027 

Ride to Desierto de las Palmas & Via Verde — 51km / 620m ascent

After a Mediterranean breakfast — local breads, fresh fruit, cured meats and something warm from David's kitchen — we assemble and your guides will talk through the route for the day. This is a warm-up ride designed to ease you into the week and give you your first taste of what makes this corner of Spain so special.

We head straight into the Desierto de las Palmas Natural Park — not a desert at all, but a dramatic landscape of pine-covered hills and rocky outcrops rising directly behind Benicàssim. We wind up through the park before beginning a satisfying descent back to sea level. The return leg follows the Via Verde, a former railway line converted into a dedicated cycling and walking path running directly alongside the Mediterranean. It's one of those stretches where you simply can't help but stop and take in the view.

Lunch stop at El Puente on the Via Verde. This ride is graded 3, steady.

On return, there will be plenty of time to take a dip in the pool or ease tired legs with one of the massage guns before we sit down together for an evening meal at the house.

Tuesday 13 April 2027 Desierto, Roman Arch of Cabanes & Torre la Sal — 69km / 760m ascent

After breakfast — perhaps a Spanish tortilla, seasonal fruit and good coffee — we assemble for today's more challenging loop. The only significant climb of the day comes early, as we ascend the Desierto de las Palmas from its wilder, less-travelled side.

The reward is significant. At the top we join the route of the ancient Via Augusta — the Roman road that once stretched over 1,500 kilometres from the Pyrenees all the way to Cádiz, the great artery of Roman Hispania. We pass the Roman Arch of Cabanes, one of the finest surviving examples of Roman monumental architecture in Spain. Built in the 2nd century AD, this triumphal arch — 5.8 metres tall and declared a national historic monument since 1931 — stands quietly beside the road where legions once marched. It's a remarkable moment to pause and consider just how long people have been travelling this coastline.

From here we descend the Puerto de Cabanes — one of our favourite descents, with sweeping views opening up as you drop towards the sea — arriving at the small fishing village of Torre la Sal for a well-earned lunch by the water.

This ride is graded 3, steady.

On return, the ice plunge awaits for anyone brave enough, along with yoga mats set out for a guided recovery stretch before an evening meal at the house.

Wednesday 14 April 2027 Villafamés & La Plana — 76km / 730m ascent

After breakfast — fresh-squeezed orange juice, local honey, yoghurt and David's homemade pan con tomate — we set off on a flatter start, skirting the edge of the Desierto de las Palmas before a steady climb into the interior. Our destination is Villafamés — officially one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain, and easy to see why. This medieval hilltop village, with its labyrinthine cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and the extraordinary Roca Grossa — a 2,000-tonne red rock that appears to have landed perfectly in the middle of the old town — is one of those places that stays with you. At the top, the ruins of an Arab-origin castle offer panoramic views stretching across the entire La Plana region to the Castellón coastline and the Mediterranean beyond.

For those who follow golf, the route also passes La Coma golf course, owned by Sergio García, who was born in nearby Borriol. Here is where he learned!

The return descent is one of the highlights of the week — a long, sweeping drop with the sea gradually filling the horizon ahead of you.

Lunch stop in Villafamés. This ride is graded 3, steady.

On return, massage guns are on hand alongside the pool for a proper recovery before an evening meal at the house.

Thursday 15 April 2027 Rest Day — free time to explore

This is a well-earned rest day. No riding is scheduled and the day is yours. Sleep in, take a gentle walk along the Benicàssim seafront, explore the old town, or simply spend the morning by the pool with a coffee. Breakfast is served at a more relaxed pace today.

For those who'd like to add a little something extra, we're offering an optional Pedal & Wine experience — a guided visit to Mas de Rander, a remarkable family-run winery in the hills above Torreblanca, just a short drive from Benicàssim. Founded by the Tárrega family, whose grandfather once exported Moscatel to Liverpool for the intercontinental rail routes, Mas de Rander is today one of Castellón's most forward-thinking estates. The winery is built into the hillside with a living green roof and uses gravity throughout its production process — a philosophy as thoughtful as the wines themselves. You'll tour the vineyards and cellar before sitting down to a guided tasting of four wines, including their celebrated Temps and Mistela Roure. Transport to and from the winery is included.

The winery visit can be booked in advance as an optional extra for €50 per person.

Friday 16 April 2027 Sitjar Reservoir — 89km / 830m ascent

After a breakfast of freshly baked bread, local cheeses, cured meats and seasonal fruit, we head inland on our longest and most demanding ride of the week. We pass through the tile-making heartland of Castellón on the way to Ribesalbes, a small town with a ceramic tradition stretching back to the 18th century, when the Royal Factory of L'Alcora first ignited an industry that would go on to make this province one of the world's great tile-producing regions. The hand-decorated ceramic alcoves lining the path up to the Calvario Chapel are a small but lovely reminder of that heritage.

From Ribesalbes we continue to the Sitjar Reservoir — a genuinely impressive stretch of still water set among forested hills, with the kind of quiet that is hard to find on the coast.

Lunch stop in Ribesalbes. This ride is graded 4, challenging — today's distance is the defining factor rather than the climbing, and the views on the return make every kilometre worthwhile.

On return, the ice plunge and yoga mats are ready and waiting — today you'll have earned both. Dinner at the house to follow.

Saturday 17 April 2027 Orange Groves & Burriana Beach — 69km / 200m ascent

After a leisurely Mediterranean breakfast — perhaps fresh pastries, local citrus, yoghurt and honey — we head out on our final ride of the week, and we've saved something special. This is the flattest day of the trip, a gentle farewell route through the orange groves that give the Costa del Azahar its name. Azahar means orange blossom in Spanish, and in April the scent of the blossom drifting across the groves is quite something.

We ride out to Grao de Burriana, a relaxed beach town where lunch by the sea feels entirely earned. The return takes us along the Millars River and onto the beautiful promenade connecting Castellón and Benicàssim — with the mountains we climbed earlier in the week forming a dramatic backdrop behind us. A perfect way to close the loop.

Lunch stop at Burriana beach. This ride is graded 2, easygoing.

On return, the pool is all yours — and the massage guns make one final appearance before we sit down as a group for a celebratory last evening meal at the house. A proper send-off.

Sunday 18 April 2027 After a final Mediterranean breakfast together, we say our goodbyes. Your hosts will transfer you, your bikes and your luggage back to Valencia Airport (VLC) for your journey home.

The Cycling

The cycling for the week is grade 3 to 4, steady to challenging. This trip is suitable for mailny road bikes but also hybrids and e-bikes. If you are hiring a bike, see additional information section for more details.

Group size: 8-10 people.

Dates & Prices

Dates 11-18 April 2027. Price for a double or twin share room ensuite is £1095. Double ensuite room for sole occupancy supplement is £150. Please note this trip is based on a half board basis which includes breakfast and evening meal.

Bike hire rates on request and is payable locally.

The price stated is per person.

Additional Info

What’s Included:

• Accommodation is in double or twin ensuite or double for sole occupancy based on a half board basis and includes breakfast and evening meal.
• Services of a ride leader and host. 
• Support vehicle and bike mechanic
• Bespoke and detailed itinerary emailed to you personally a week before travel
• Return transfer from Alicante Airport for bikes, bags and cyclists to accommodation if pre-booked
• Local Halcyon Cycling Holidays representation for the duration of the holiday
• Full financial protection (see booking conditions) 
• Use of facilities including swimming pool etc

What’s Not Included:

• Bike and helmets 
• Travel or flight costs or charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable)
• Meals other than breakfast and dinner
• Travel insurance
• Personal clothing and equipment
• Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills, hotel facilities etc)
• Entrance fees to cultural or historical sites and visitor centres
• Other optional activities
• Tips for guides, drivers, support staff
• Transfer costs such as local taxis, minibuses to take you to meals booked at local pubs and restaurants

Transfer Information

To join this holiday, you will meet us at Alicante airport at a pre-allocated time or you can drive straight to the accommodation. There is no designated flight(s) for this trip due to the choice of airlines and frequency of flights into Alicante airport. You will need to be in the arrivals hall at the airport in the afternoon. You will need to provide Halcyon Cycling Holidays with your arrival details such as flight number, arrival time and departure airport at time of booking or call us for more information.

Bike Hire

We work with a local bike hire supplier in the Benissa area. There is a selection of bikes available for hire. Prices and availability on request. On all of our cycling holidays, wearing of a helmet is mandatory.

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