La Mozaira: Hard to Find, Easy to Love
The best places are often the hardest to find, and La Mozaira doesn’t draw attention to itself with ugly signposts. But then when you have something special to offer, people will always find you.
I hope I won’t regret writing this, because I might now have to share this secret with a lot of people like me, who are looking for high quality at a reasonable price for those special moments.
La Mozaira is an old Valencian farmhouse in the middle of the Valencian Huerta, but only a kilometre away from Port Saplaya. Nevertheless, you’ll need a map to find it, although you could follow the signs to the nearby Horchata Museum.
It took owners Toni and Pepe four years to turn this 17th century building into a functioning hotel, restaurant and events location for companies, and it is a labour of love as much as a business, as can be seen by the fact that Toni has named each of the bedrooms after one of the women of her family, including her great grandmother.
They both already have their own successful businesses; in fact Pepe is the owner of the well-known Fartons Polo, which makes the long, sweet pastries that accompany the famous local drink made from tiger nuts: ‘Horchata’.
The building is full of surprises; from the typical Valencian kitchen, put together with old and new ceramics, to the low, original Arab arch through to the lounge area (duck if you are six foot or more!)
Each of the twelve bedrooms, while similar, in that they combine traditional furniture with modern touches such as the plasma TV screens, has an original touch, with decorative details lovingly selected by Toni.
In each nook and cranny there is something to draw your attention, whether it be a welsh dresser or a working hand pump to draw up the water from the underground well (they have one of those outside as well; if you’ll forgive the unforgivable pun).
In fact a large part of the four years was dedicated to ridding the premises of the damp so typical of the area, and ensuring that all the rooms were insulated so that nobody need hear the unpleasant noises of their neighbouring guests.
Outside, apart from the spacious car park covered and topped with solar panels to provide clean energy, (they also use low consumption bulbs throughout the buildings) you can find a citrus garden, a large vegetable patch to supply the restaurant, and a swimming pool, as well as ample terraces to enjoy a moment of tranquillity or a gin and tonic.
There are two dining rooms, one with delightful views of the surrounding fields, and one as a backup, and in the restaurant you can enjoy traditional cooking with modern touches of creativity and a concern for fresh ingredients and healthy, non-fattening combinations, choosing from the mid-week menu with three starters, a main dish such as rice with wild mushrooms, a sweet and drinks and coffee.
There are two areas for company events; a lounge area and a basement fully equipped for events, meetings and conferences, if you can manage not to be distracted by the extensive wine cellar that is also down there, or the sketches on the wall displaying typical, traditional agricultural activities of the area..
La Mozaira is obviously a name of Arab origin, as is the irrigation system of the Valencian Huerta where the hotel is situated. The name belongs to a bridge in the village of Chelva, where Toni comes from. This Arab construction led to an area where a group of temporary houses were built to shelter local people when engaged in the seasonal work of sowing and harvesting out in the fields, and the name literally means ‘a group of isolated houses’.
La Mozaira has that splendid isolation of feeling that you are far from the madding crowd, although it is in fact only a fifteen minute walk through the field to the nearest large town, Meliana, which has an Underground station if you were thinking of a non-driving excursion.
Wood, brick and ceramics bathe the senses as you enjoy this quiet and tranquillity, pampered by the Manageress Marisa and her English speaking staff, and, to tell the truth, by the time I had to leave, I was ready to stay.
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