Unico Care – Valencia – Chapter 1: Accommodation

Moving On
After a very pleasant and relaxing time in Villajoyosa, it was time to move on to the company’s other resort in order to do some ‘comparing and contrasting’. We were picked up promptly and driven through Spain’s citrus orchard – there were beautiful orange groves as far as the eye could see in the glorious countryside – to Valencia, a journey of only an hour and a half.

How close to the beach are we? There were many almond trees and olive groves although the former, in particular, are low maintenance and both can be mechanically harvested by machines which ‘shake’ the trees. The harvesting of Valencian oranges though needs to be done by hand. For those growers who cannot afford to employ people to do this though, it means that the animals end up eating the fallen, bruised and decaying fruit. The other form of produce for which this area is famous is of the porcelain / ceramic variety. Most people have probably heard of ‘Porcelanosa’, which is perhaps the most well-known Spanish ceramics and tiling company. However, as we journeyed towards our destination, I again noted many chimneys and factories idle. 

Design
The resort is Valencia is extremely close to the sea with the promenade and beach (Playa Patacona) conveniently being just the other side of a very small car park opposite. Again, this is a modern building which my husband likened to a four star chain hotel in the UK, largely designed with all the rooms, offering a total of 180 places, off of a central ‘spine’ corridor.

Space between beds Our Accommodation
We stayed in a twin room of over 30metres2 for the duration of our stay. Andrew and I enjoy a very close relationship so the twin beds with the ample space between them would not have been our first choice. 😉 However, I understand that other accommodation options are available including single and double rooms plus single suites.

There was plenty of circulation space. There was a kitchen sink, fridge / freezer, microwave plus tea and coffee-making facilities. Accordingly, it would be possible to make a light snack or heat up some convenience food in the microwave should you so wish. In addition, there were two easy chairs and a dining table, plus a desk with carver chair and TV with access to English language channels.

Ballesol bathroom There was sufficient wardrobe space for a short stay and the beds were more comfortable than we expected. There was a large button telephone by one of the beds which was ideal for people with visual impairments and / or reduced fine finger movement, plus the emergency call buttons.

The bathroom was broadly accessible with a folding grab rail to the left of the loo; a sink; and a level access shower with grab rail at waist height as well as full height to the side. There was an emergency pull cord alarm by the loo.

When inside our room, which was fully air conditioned, we could hear trolleys being wheeled down the corridor with food for people who had opted to dine in their rooms.

Lounges / Dining
Once again breakfast was served in our room every day but there are a couple of dining areas and we were allocated a table in one where our lunch was served at 1.30pm each day and dinner was served at 8.00pm each evening. The chairs are all easy to transfer in and out of as they are carver ones and the tables are of sufficient height to allow for people to sit in their wheelchairs with ease as well. People who need assistance with food and nutrition ate in the other dining area where nursing auxiliaries were on hand to help. Refreshments were served around tea time (5pm) in the lounges.  

Lounging around There are broadly two main lounges and the usage of each of these seemed to be according to the level of care needs of the individuals concerned. In the main lounge there were several TVs that you are free to turn on should you wish to watch TV in a social setting rather than in your own room.

I was pleased to see that there was information on what to do in the event of a fire affixed to the back of our room door.

For those who may have some level of cognitive impairment, it may be possible to enjoy a holiday here if accompanied by their carer but I would recommend discussing the specific care needs prior to booking to ensure these can be met. 

Sun
Rooftop pool The only outdoor seating is on the rooftop terrace where there is an outdoor pool (there is no indoor pool at this resort) and views to the silos of the disused brewery behind and the sea to the front. Once again, the seating is suited to people with mobility issues as there are arms on the chairs to assist with transferring or getting up and sitting down and access to the pool has been ramped.

Internet Needs
One of the first things we did on arrival was seek out the Wi-Fi room where there are two terminals for one’s use. However, once again, the signal was so good that we were able to access the free broadband connection in our room but such service is not guaranteed in all the rooms.

•  Read Unico Care Costa Blanca Chapter 1: Joy in Villajoyosa
•  Read Unico Care Costa Blanca Chapter 2: The Care Service
•  Read Unico Care Costa Blanca Chapter 3: Food-tempting tapas
•  Read Unico Care Costa Blanca Chapter 4: Excursions

•  Read Unico Care Valencia Chapter 2: The Care Service
•  Read Unico Care Valencia Chapter 3: Food
•  Read Unico Care Valencia Chapter 4: Excursions

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Pamela Mykytowych

Company director, rally driver & traveller

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