About Spain in general

The beauty of Spain

The coastline of mainland Spain offers a fantastic lifestyle, with something to appeal to everyone. As home to an array of sun-blessed beaches and whitewashed inland villages, it is the perfect location. Renowned for its beaches and vibrant, sophisticated nightlife, there is much more to this coastline than sun and sand. Steeped in centuries of Moorish domination, Spain has many ancient ports, cities, towns and villages with narrow streets, quaint houses and fascinating craft shops, where traditional markets still flourish, contrasting sharply with modern marinas, and cosmopolitan towns and cities.

.Wherever you are in Spain you can’t help but notice the Spaniards infectious enthusiasm for life. In towns, cities and villages there is always something happening on the streets, especially at fiesta time. Spain is a treasure trove of arts and culture, rhythmic dance, music, history, paintings, architecture and fiestas! It quickly becomes an addiction
The exuberance of the Spanish people and the glorious predictability of the weather have for many years been attracting Europeans and British clients wanting to buy property.You can enjoy the warm Spanish dusk as the sun sets over the Mediterranean. Stroll between bars the way the locals do, pausing for a glass of wine or a chilled beer. Visit music bars or seek out the compelling rhythm of a Spanish guitarist and the flashing movements of colourful flamenco dancers.Sport & Leisure

Sporting activities and opportunities are boundless and varied with a climate that is so mild all the year round.Spain is a golfers paradise with many championship and less testing courses playable all year round. Tennis, squash, water skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving, fishing, lawn bowls, horse riding, sailing, and of course many safe blue flag beaches for those swimmers who prefer the sea.

Skiing in Spain is cheap and the facilities and conditions are surprisingly good. The season runs from December to May and the most accessible resorts are in the Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees and in the ranges north of Madrid.

Food & Drink

In Spain you will find a tremendous variety of International cuisine from which to choose. Dining out is inexpensive with most restaurants offering 3/4 varied courses, with wine, for around £5 per person!

Fresh seafoods are used a lot in the wonderful local cuisine, in combination with the tremendous variety of fresh mouth watering produce on offer. Spain is known as the Market Garden of Europe and is seen by many as being the gastronomic centre of Europe. There is an abundance of orange, lemon and olive groves, pomegranates and grapes. Spain also produces some of the finest wines from the Rioja region, which are exported all over the world.

In Spain, tapas are appetiser foods served in popular wine bars and ‘tapa hopping’ is part of the Spanish way of life. The variety of the dishes is mind boggling. With a few friends try stopping in several taverns or bars, having a glass of wine or beer and sampling the tapas specialities of each.

Paella is a national dish and should not be missed on a visit to Spain. Its origins lie in the Huerta, a fertile lush basin just outside Valencia. Workers in the rice fields used to cook rice over wood fires adding whatever was available, mainly vegetables and snails. Although Paella with snails is still very popular with traditionalists, it is the Paella Marinera (with fish and seafood) that is most common. Fiestas and Saints days are still celebrated by the sharing of vast dishes of Paella.Good seafood is the key for these recipes and is abundant throughout Spain. On a visit to one of the many food markets there is plenty to choose from to stimulate your appetite at a fraction of the price paid in the UK.

Healthy Living

Spain is one of the healthiest regions in Europe to live (As recommended by the World Health Organisation), primarily because of the weather and diet. Spain has a wonderful climate, boasting over 320 days of sunshine per year, extremely low rainfall and an average daily temperature of around 20 degrees. Even in December the average daytime temperature rarely drops below 17 degrees centigrade.

Although we’re not all sun worshippers, the benefits of living in a warm and sunny climate are not to be under-estimated. Many people suffering from ailments such as arthritis, rheumatism. asthma and general aches and pains find that their condition is greatly improved.

Fiestas

It's hard to beat the experience of arriving in some small Spanish village, to discover the streets decked out with flags and streamers, a band playing in the plaza and the entire population out celebrating the local fiesta. Everywhere in Spain, from the tiniest hamlet to the great cities, devotes at least a couple of days a year to their festivals. Usually it's the local Saint's day, but there are celebrations of harvests, of deliverance from the Moors, of safe return from the sea, any excuse will do. There are also the events of the Catholic calendar, most notably Semana Santa (Holy Week), which in Andalucia sees theatrical religious floats carried through the streets, accompanied by hooded penitents atoning for the year's misdeeds.

Each festival is different. In the Basque country there will often be bulls running through the streets (most famously at Pamplona in July). In Andalucia, horses, flamenco and the guitar are an essential part of any celebration; in Valencia they specialise in huge bonfires and firework displays (climaxing in Las Fallas in March). But this is just the mainstream. Fiestas can be very strange indeed, ranging from battles with water or even tomatoes, to parades of devils.