Posts filed under 'Spain'
In my humble opinion, I believe that our site on Spain is one of the best you will find on the net! The author is an ex-pat who lives in Spain and has travelled extensively around the country collecting valuable and interesting information. This information is at your disposal if you visit our site: www.indigoguide.com.
One of the more interesting places to visit in the South of Spain is Cordoba. It is about 1.5 hours drive north of the Costa del Sol (an extremely popular holiday destination for the British) and provides holiday makers with some stunning art, culture and historical sites to visit. It’s the perfect spot for a combination holiday. You can spend your days soaking up the sun on the beach, swimming in the sea to cool off and drinking sangria at night in the wild and vivacious Costa del Sol. When you have had enough of the sun, sea, sand and sangria take a drive to Cordoba and enjoy the real Spain.
On our site we provide you with great information about Cordoba’s history. If you click on the ‘Day Trips’ button you will find a host of things to keep you occupied. One of the sites mentioned is La Mezquita. This is the Arab Mosque built between the 8th and 10th centuries and was considered to be Iberia’s Greatest Mosque. In fact it was rated as the best Muslim architectural achievement in the West. Today the Mosque remains a great sight to visit but also a bit strange because inside the Mosque you have a cathedral. Weird but wonderful.
Our site also gives you information about night life in Cordoba, car hire, fligths and accommodation. Enjoy!
Doreen B.
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February 21st, 2006
Our website has some useful information on Getting Around Spain. Most sites will give info on getting to Spain but if you are not hiring a car, then you need to know more about the transport system in Spain. Click on ‘Getting Around Spain’ for some handy information.
Some advice for you if you intend traveling to Spain soon. Something that has just been hi-lighted… (excuse the pun and you will see why in a minute) when you buy cartons of cigarettes in Spain (as we usually do because it is so much cheaper) they sometimes have lighters attached to the cartons. My advice is to remove the lighters from the cartons because they are considered a fire risk in the luggage compartment of an aircraft. If these lighters are spotted by the airport staff, you will be asked to sort it out at the airport which will cause a delay and it means unpacking and repacking your case. If you are running late it can cause you to miss your flight. Trust me, we have had the experience of being delayed in Spain due to luggage problems and they did not blink an eye lid when we stressed about missing the plane. The Spanish don’t do anything in a hurry.
Just thought I’d share that bit of information with you. If you have any other advice that could help travelers, speak up – your input is needed and appreciated.
January 6th, 2006
We have a little spot in Spain and have a car which we bought in Spain too. Ok so most people make use of car hire companies… What you may or may not know however, is that you can actually get English radio channels on your car radio in Spain.
If you do hire a car make sure its from one of the bigger more reputable companies and you should get a car radio with it. Spend some time tuning the radio and you should find an English channel. I cant tell you exactly what frequency to tune into (it took me a while to find and now I cant remember it) but I found an English channel for Costa Calida. This site may help you with frequencies for other regions:
http://www.andalucia.co.uk/channels/general/radio_stations.php
December 15th, 2005
When we bought our property in Spain 3 years ago, we were convinced to pay what they call ‘black money’. It was a very unpleasant experience. It felt wrong and criminal but we were convinced it was the ‘norm’ in Spain and was considered a tax advancement.
Basically the seller does not declare the full sale price of the property so that he does not have to pay the full tax. The part of the sale price that has not been declared is paid by the buyer to the seller in cash. This is known as ‘black money’. We were told that when we sell one day, we would do exactly the same so that we could recoup the cash we paid in black money and also avoid paying the total tax amount due.
My advice to you is to make sure that the full purchase price of the property is reflected on the escritura (deeds). Basically we had a really uneasy feeling about doing it and we are not prepared to go through the whole experience again so when we sell, we will end up having to pay the capital gains tax that should have been paid by the original seller. Its a really good idea to take a look at our sight before going ahead with your purchase. The site was written by our English journalist living in Spain, so the advice is sound.
http://www.indigoguide.com/spain/spanish-property.htm
December 13th, 2005
One journey I have not yet taken is the train to Spain. If you have not yet heard about it, give a go and let me know. Apparently you take the Eurostar to Paris. Then you cross Paris by métro to the Gare d’Austerlitz. The train known as the ‘trainhotel’ is called the ‘Joan Miro’, leaves the Gare d’Austerlitz every night at 8h30pm. There are two destinations, Madrid and Barcelona. If anyone has done it, please comment on the experience?
December 12th, 2005
One of the best Christmases I ever had was skiing in Sierra Nevada. This was also the first time we had ever been skiing! We booked skiing lessons for all five days we were there including Christmas day and only got to open our presents late in the afternoon after a full day of skiing and a huge lunch put on by the hotel. The resort is well situated and we found we did not have to leave the mountain for anything. There are tons of restaurants and pubs and shops to keep everyone happy - that’s if you have time and energy after 4 hours of skiing a day. The only part I did not enjoy was the drive up and down the mountain but that’s just because I’m a baby. The road is safe and cars all drive slowly because you cant really drive fast. I loved the atmosphere at night with all the music playing in the bars and restaurants and just the hive of activity with people mulling around. Its a great place if you are looking for good atmosphere and lots of fun and lots of activity. Comments will be welcome.
December 6th, 2005
My very fist visit to main land Spain was a stay at La Manga resort. It was a great experience but a very expensive one. In the 5 days we were there we made friends easily and felt comfortable enough to give my son quite a lot of freedom around the complex. There is tons for kids and adults alike to do and it is quite safe. I also used this opportunity to gain experience of driving on the right hand side of the road because its a completely self contained little village. Don’t let that put you off though because it is close to various other attractions like Europe’s largest salt water lagoon and just outside the walls of this little village you will find the REAL Spain if you are looking for it. We used this as a starting point to find a property to buy in the Real Spain. Let me know your thoughts?
December 6th, 2005
The one and only time I visited Benidorm, there were no festivities taking place but there was still a vibrancy in the air. I found tons of little treasure shops and stalls to buy nic naks from, much to my husbands disgust.
If you want to do the festivities in Benidorm, I believe that it is worth being around for the ‘Three Kings’ procession on the 5th of January and also to see in the New year at the ‘Triangle Square’. There is tons of stuff going on in Benidorm all year round. They have over 50 festivities in Benidorm alone. Gee wiz. Let me know if you want more hot and happening information on Benidorm?
December 6th, 2005
We (my wife and I - Steve) actually own a property in Spain and spend at least 4 weeks a year there. We purchased our property in a place called Mazarron which is part of the province Murcia. We were looking for the “real” Spain. Today it is still the real Spain but we cannot help noticing the property developers every time we go there. Yes real Spanish food - its a delight. Please add your comments here.
December 1st, 2005
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