This new year the weather is surprisingly mild why not have a day out and explore the area there is lots of information about the towns around the area on the website, have a browse and see where you can visit.
www.discovercostacalida.info

 For those of you who are staying in Spain or those of you who are visiting Spain for Christmas and New Year there is plenty to see and do.

At the moment many towns are preparing their Belens to be assembled in the town/village square and which tell the whole story of the nativity.  If you have never visited the one in Murcia it is well worth a visit - it is in the Bishop Palace on the square by the cathedral and is fantastic it is open mornings and evenings but closed for siesta. 

Then on January 5th the spanish celebrate the 3 Kings and the Spanish children receive their presents

Whislt on 31st Dec if you are in Spain make sure you have your 12 grapes ready to eat one on each stroke of midnight for good luck for next year

We are planning to enjoy the mild weather sample Spanish Christmas foods and celebrations if you want more information take a look on the website www.discovercostacalida.info

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THOSE IN SPAIN AND ELSEWHERE READING THIS

 This weekend we were invited to the wedding of some Spanish friends. whilst our friends live near us on the Costa Calida the wedding was held in Elche

Elche for thos that do not know is a city near Alicante Airport and sometimes spelt ELX

The wedding was held in the Balsilica in the centre of Elche and then the Bride and Groom - novia y novio were taken into the park which is full of palm trees for their wedding photos then we all headed to a restaurant for a fantastic meal.

The service was at 18.00 and celebrations continued late into the night - everybody had a good time and it was more informal than and English wedding

If you have never visited Elche it is well worth it with the old city and then in the surrounding industrial estates many shoes factories with outlet shops, there is more information about Elche on our website

 No not the pop group but the weather here on the Costa Calida at the moment having had a very dry summer we are certainly experiencin some very heavy rain at the moment.  It is an ideal opportunity to spend some time in the house and catch up with some of the jobs that need doing!!! I am sure the sun will return very shortly and life will return to normal here in Spain. 

want to get out the house and have a walk then the indoor shopping centre on the edge of Cartagena is the best bet as it even has an underground carpark plus plenty of restuarants and shops. 

 When buying a property in Spain there are many questions to be answered and one of them is whether to buy on a Golf Course or to buy in a Spanish town or village either in a new urbanization or in the older more spanish neighbourhood.

Here on the Costa Calida many but not all of the golf course complexes seem to have been built near a Spanish town but not within walking distance and in most cases quite a car drive.  With the crisis many of the Golf complexes still remain unfinished and whilst the homes are built the infrastructure is not what was promised to those who bought off plan.  Consequently some complexes have very few facilities in the ways of bars or restaurants or shops. Also whilst there is supposedly security at the gates many of the sites we find are very lax and do not stop us when we drive in or out  to see a client!!!

In the area there are many Spanish towns and villages that have had urbanizations built on the ourskirts where many Brits and northern european people have chosen to buy a holiday home or full time home.  The advantages to these urbanisations is that they are usually within walking distances to local shops, bars, banks and medical centres.  It also means that whilst having English speaking neighbours which includes Dutch and Scandanavian there is also an opportunity to mingle with the locals surely one of the reasons for moving to Spain.

Also on the urbanisations near town and villages there are people around all year and the shops etc operate all year round whilst on some of the golf complexes it can be very quiet even ghost town like during winter months

Also in Spain there is a community charge for upkeep of areas around the golf course or urbanisation and there are vast differences in these fees from a couple of hundred euros a year to a couple of thousand a year so when buying make sure you find out how much these fees are going to be or otherwise your bargain buy holiday home could incur very expensive ongoing annual fees!!!

to find more about some of the towns that are on the Costa Calida visit the website www.discovercostacalida.info you will even find property for sale.

 Want somewhere to go???  why not visit Cartagena there's lots to see and some fabulous eateries up the street from the port. For more information on what to do and what to see on a day out there check out our page on Cartagena at www.discovercostacalida.info

This time of year it is not too hot to walk thro the streets and admire the fantastic architecture as well as visit the Roman Ruins and take a trip round the harbour, a good day out for young and old.

 yes Costa Calida means the warm coast and according to many reports the area is one of the healthiest places to live and add into that the muds at San Pedro del Pinitar which people plaster all over their bodies for the health benefits it is certainly worth a visit if you have never been before

The costa Calida is less developed that the near by area of the South Costa Blanca and has made unspoilt totally Spanish villages and and stunning scenery

We love living on the Costa Calida, the people, the villages, the scenery and Spanish life in general why not try and explore it too

 hi for those of you who live at the northern end of the Costa Calida there is a new shopping centre opened at La Zenia  Centro Comercial Zenia Boulevard  there is a wide range of shops and eateries including Primark, C&A, Leroy Merlin plus all the normal designer shops and many more, there is plenty of parking and after the madness of the first few days it is now worth a visit.

 well following a visit to UK for a family wedding followed by a tour of UK visiting various family members I have to say I am very glad to be back in Spain, people smile over here, the sun is shining and you don't need to take a loan out to buy a round of drinks!!!

We plan to add to our website over the next few months and are looking to promote more local businesse. services etc thus providing more information for the visitors to our site, if you live around the Costa Calida and want to recommend someone do visit our site and use the contact page and help us out

 come and meet us! We are at the show in San Miguel de Salinas at Castilla Restaurant, tomorrow & Weds @ International Food Show

We are sharing a stand with Bryans blinds and are ust inside the main entrance of the show