The meaning of Villajoyosa literally means ‘Joyful Town’ and we know we would be very happy if we lived there too as it is the home of the famous Valor Chocolate Factory.
Valor offer free daily tours which last about an hour, however each tour is limited to 50 people. So you need to arrive a bit early and obtain tickets. They do two English tours per day at 11am and 4pm.
There is more to Villajoyosa than just the chocolate factory. We decided to have a wander around then go to the chocolate factory for the 4pm tour.
The golden sandy beach is about 3 kms long, so we walked along the promenade and enjoyed the warm sun and watched some of the local boys practising walking across a rope.
The buildings on the sea front are all painted different colours and looked so pretty.
We walked back through the town and got to the chocolate factory with only a few minutes to spare. I had prewarned Colin that if we missed the tour he was going to be in a heap of trouble, luckily for him we just made it.
The tour started by watching a video on the journey from cocoa bean to bar. Then we had a look around the museum.
Valor chocolate is a family run business that has grown to become the number one chocolatier in Spain. It was interesting looking at all the old machinery and how it has evolved.
We were given a brief viewing of the factory before heading to the shop. There was chocolate laid out for free tastings and we both gorged ourselves.
We bought some hot chocolate and a couple of bars for consumption at a later date but we don’t think they will last too long!
