Villajoyosa

The charming seaside town of Villajoyosa, meaning "jewelled town" is located 26 Kms from Alicante and 10 Kms south of Benidorm at the mouth of the River Sella.

Villajoyosa has a number of buildings from its historic past including roman bridges, a gothic church whose elaborate doorways provide an entrance to the old walled town centre and a 16th century watch tower that gave warnings against raids from Berber Pirates.
Historically, the town has relied mostly on fishing for its economic survival, and fishing still remains as an important industry for the town , the busy afternoon fish market in the small, bustling harbour providing local restaurants with some of the best seafood on the coast. 

Villajoyosa retains its authentic Spanish charm with narrow streets and tiny houses along one half of the seafront painted in a gaudy combination of colours, including ochre, red, yellow and indigo blue. The reason for the brightly coloured facades is so that returning fishermen could recognise their home while out at sea and therefore safely find their way home. The original and oldest part of the town centre with its bustling market stalls selling locally made artifacts has recently been declared a site of historical interest.

Villajoyosa is also known as the 'chocolate town' and is world famous for its production of traditional turrón and spanish chocolate delicacies. This local industry has a long history and the museum housed in Villajoyosa tells the story of Don Valeriano López Lloret, who started his business back in 1881 when the town first started to import the cocoa bean from Ecuador in the eighteenth century. Nowadays you can taste many varieties of chocolate and although it is still a family business it has kept up with the times and with new technologies. A visit to the Valor factory or the museum is a must for chocolate fans and the delicious pastries are the ideal accompaniment to a steaming hot chocolate drink.