Jávea/Xàbia: My Little Paradise

Most people that aren’t very familiar with Spain get really confused when I tell them where I live, so I’ve decided to explain my town a little bit…

My town goes by two names: Jávea, its Castellano name, and Xàbia, its Valenciano name. People use the names interchangeably, but if you don’t speak Valenciano, then you would most likely say Jávea. Jávea is a small resort town that forms part of La Costa Blanca (which literally means “the white coast”) in Spain. The Costa Blanca is a region on the eastern coast of Spain (the Mediterranean coast) well-known for its blue waters and white sandy beaches. The entire region is located in the providence of Alicante. Other popular cities in the Costa Blanca are Dénia, Benidorm, Altea, Elche and Torrevieja.  The Costa Blanca is a very popular tourist destination for people wanting to bask in the sun and experience excellent weather.

Jávea is located in the providence of Alicante, in the region of Valencia. This may sound a little confusing at first; I know I was really confused when I first found out where I was going to be living. The Valencian community is made up of three different providences, Alicante to the south, Valencia in the center, and Castellon de la Plana to the north. Technically, I’m located in the providence of Alicante, but I am about the same distance away from both the cities of Alicante and Valencia. I’m about an hour’s drive and about a two-and-a-half hour bus ride away from both cities. I like the fact that I am right in the middle of the two cities because, when I am traveling, I can easily book a flight or a bus ride from either place.

Jávea is divided into three areas, el pueblo (the town), el puerto (the port), and el arenal (the beach area). Although each area is very close to the next, each has its own distinct ambience that really separates itself from the other.

El Pueblo is the most important area of Jávea. It’s also called el pueblo viejo (the old town). It is where the majority of the authentic Spanish families in Jávea live. El centro historico (the historic center), located in the pueblo is also where the most important town buildings are such as: the town hall, the museum, the banks in the town, the town market, the library and other governmental offices. Inside the historical part of Jávea, there are many small shops and quiet restaurants and cafés. There are also fascinating places to visit, like the Iglesia Sant Bertomeu, a gothic-style cathedral and national monument. I live in the pueblo of Jávea and I love living in this part of town because I feel like I’m in the more authentic and less touristy part. Also, almost every place that I go to is in this part of the town: the market, the bank, my valenciano class, and the school that I teach at. I love walking in the historic part of the town in the evening because I always see lots of people spending time with their families and sitting outside drinking and chatting. The historic part of Jávea is very quiet and relaxing.

El Puerto, or the port, is obviously the harbor area of Jávea. People go fishing here, store their boats here, and also swim at the rocky beach. Whenever I’m in the mood for a walk around town, I usually go to the port because I like to sit down and stare at the beautiful sea. Around the port area there are many clothing stores and boutiques, shoe stores, home good stores, and lots of restaurants. Some of my favorite restaurants are in this area and it’s also where I take my aerobics classes. You will also see a lot of British people here. They are very easy to spot because they are usually blond-haired, they speak English and they are eating at a restaurant at a time of day when most people are working. I’m about a 15 minute walk to the port.

In English, “arena” means “sand.” So El arenal is obviously the beach part of town. This is one of the liveliest parts of town and where most of the tourists hang out at. There are several really good restaurants and bars along the boardwalk of the beach. When I hang out with the other teachers, we usually go to the arenal because there is a great selection of places to choose from. Also, there are many shops in this area, especially touristy shops, and a couple of hotels. I don’t go to this area of town that often because it’s farther away from me, but when summertime comes around I will definitely go to the beach a lot.

The total population of Jávea is estimated to be around 30,000 people (which is very different from the 4/5 million population of Atlanta) and of these inhabitants there is a very decent number of British, German and Dutch families who have come to Jávea to escape the sometimes harsh climates of their own countries and are now a part of the active population of Jávea. I can say that some have blended in well; they have integrated into the society, their kids attend the public schools along with the Spanish children and some of them speak fluent Spanish and some Valencian. Unfortunately though, there are some people from those countries living in Jávea who expect the Spaniards to accommodate to them and so they don’t try to learn Spanish or integrate themselves into the Spanish society. Overall, I am very pleased with the population of Jávea because it is somewhat culturally diverse; I just wish that I saw more people of African descent.

Sometimes I am very frustrated with Jávea because it is such a small town and I am used to living in a bigger city. Jávea is so different from other cities: there isn’t a shopping center, a movie theater, clubs or chained stores or restaurants. And it’s sometimes hard to get around town because there isn’t a metro system or even a bus system. But as much as I talk about how boring this town is, the truth is that I actually enjoy it. Every night I sleep very well and I don’t have to be bothered by noise outside of my window. Every morning I wake up and drink my coffee while looking at the town and the beautiful sea from my balcony. And every time that I go somewhere, I see at least one familiar face. I feel very safe here and very at ease. Maybe living in this town will really teach me something about being patient and more relaxed. How can I complain about living in such a beautiful and tranquil place?