Valencia for a holiday - any tips, advice or recommendations?

[Luxmum]

Hello,
I want to rent a family villa in late May, flying in with Ryanair into Alghero. Can anyone recommend what areas to stay in or places to avoid? I'll have my parents, DH, DS who is 1.5 and be 5 months preggers, so we will be looking for a quiet villa with a pool if poss to just relax in, near enough to a town for eating out. Any advice is welcomed with open arms, I don't know where to begin on this one..
(do they eat at 'normal' times, or is everythign shut till 9 like in Spain?)

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We've used Individual Traveller to rent places in Spain without any probs - the descriptions were spot on with the places we rented
here

Xativa or Tavernes (1 hour and two hours down coast respectively) are nice places to go with children.

My parents own a villa in Xativa which we stay in. Re Valencia - not much English spoken I'm afraid, but a lovely city, and very very child friendly so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding somewhere to stay.

Gandia is lovely just south of Valencia in Spain, mostly european tourists.

Am i being completely thick - is Alghero in Sardinia? wikipedia or are there two places with the same name?

Wotzaname - didn't get quite as far as Gandia, but my Mum loves it. Hope to go there on a few day trips from The Bisquert Valley in June!!! (just outside Xativa)

funk, my sister lives inland near Denia and i can honestley say that the hour drive from her house to Gandia (on Toll) was worth it. Gandia is lovely, one of the nicest, cleanest beaches although very long and Gandia is very big. In late October when all the British beaches had tones of seaweed and the showers were switched off (Javea beach for example), Gandia was full of Europeans sunning themselves, clear water and all beach facilities open. Hardly any Brits.

Fantastic. will visit again on our next trip to out.

Must go!! It's only a bit up the coast from Tavernes beach. You'd like that too. Super-clean, no english and a lovely seaside place to visit!! Free parking too, hurrah!!

Tavernes, must have a google, thanks.
In Gandia we found free parking about 2 streets back from main prom, near the local bars.

Tavernes has parking right next to beach (at very end of town,on right hand side of beach if you were facing the water,)