Move to Spain - think about Javea

Early retirement in Spain - 

have a look at Javea

When it comes to living in Spain, Javea, Costa Blanca is one of my favorites. Javea, also called Xabia, is located in the province of Alicante, by the Mediterranean Sea..

The town's population is around 31,100, thanks to around 7,700 British nationals, 2,000 Germans and many senior citizens of other nationalities. But at high season the population growths to 100,000 easily. Over the last decade, Javea's infrastructure has been undergoing significant expansion and improvement. An advantage of Javea both Alicante and Valencia airports are only an hour's drive away. The impressive Montgó, is the highest summit of the region at over 750m tall. The official language is Valencian, but Spanish is also spoken, as well as English.

Check out my Hotel Tip for Javea: Hotel El Rodat

Property prices in Javea and also along the Costa Blanca are at their lowest for a decade. If you are looking for a nice place to retire, not to far from home, this is a good place and time.

The cost of living in Spain is cheaper than in the UK, for example:
0.5 liter domestic beer is 1.25 €
1 liter Milk is 0.82 €
500g fresh white bread 500g is 0.93 €
12 medium size Eggs are 1.65 €
500 g boneless chicken breasts is 2.25 €

Emigrating to Spain - why you should learn the language

If you are thinking about emigrating to Spain you have to learn Spanish.

Maybe you never thought of learning another language  and indeed many people live their whole life without knowing more than their mother tongue. This might be ok for holidays, but not if you consider living in another country. 

If you learn Spanish, your acclimatization will be pleasurable instead of frustrating.  This is because you can communicate well enough to handle situations as they come up. Maybe you can handle to go shopping or to a restaurant, but what about the administrative procedures, the doctor visits, or the chat with your neighbours?

Without speaking Spanish you might not be able to make local friends. To be honest Spain is much to beautiful, don´t limit your opportunities and live in a English speaking enclave only.

Picture Palacio Real Madrid

Spain - In A Nutshell

About Spain
For tourists Spain is famous for its flamenco dancers and bullfights. For people looking for a place to retire overseas, it has much more to offer. The spanish architecture often shows a mix of europena and Moorish style. Natural beauty, perfect beaches, cave paintings, renaissance cathedrals and unique museums, there is a lot to do and see for everyone. Spring, fall and early summer are very pleasant here, though summers are hot.

Spain´s Culture
Spanish is the regional language of Spain, although Basque, Catalan (Valenciano), Galician, Aranese are regionally used. English is also widely spoken in the tourist areas at the mediteranean coast. 
An introducion to spanish names: Fernando Antonio Hernández Iglesias is addressed as Señor Hernández (Mr Hernández), Ines María Álvarez Rodríguez is adressed as Señora Alvarez (Mrs. Alvarez) or even more polite as Doña Alvarez.To sum up, if a man named Fernando Antonio Hernández Iglesias marries a woman named Ines María Álvarez Rodríguez, their child Manuel would be named Manuel Hernández Álvarez, more likely than not. In Spain, spanish women upon marrying, do not change their surnames.
To greet someone, a handshake will do the job. Take a small gift along when visiting someone’s house. Save the flowers for special occasions. Dinner is generally taken very late in the night. People wear casuals most of the time. Men are expected to wear jackets at some restaurants. Swimsuits should be confined to the pools and beaches. Recently a ban has been applied on smoking in public places.

Shopping in Spain
Shops open quite early in the morning and stay open late in the evening. In the afternoon from 1pm to 5pm, the smaller ones are closed for lunch or siesta. Porcelain and leather goods are famous and they will be good gifts for friends and family members back home. Bills are to be paid along with the service charges, so tipping is a matter of gratitude.

Electricity in Spain
Voltage is 220 volts and frequency is 50 Hz, the plug-ins are the same as in the rest of continental Europe.

Getting To Spain
IBERIA is the national airline of Spain. British Airways and Iberia had signed an agreement to merge, which makes the combined operation the 3. largest commercial airline in the world by revenue. Many other low-cost airlines offer services in the country. There are nearly thirty international airports in Spain, out of which Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Malaga are the most busiest.
Madrid airport, located at 13km away from the city has a good bus service every fifteen minutes. Underground service also works to transport passengers to their destinations. Other facilities offered at this airport are duty free shops, bank, restaurant, tourism information, and hotel reservations.

Barcelona´s airport is very close to the city, situated at a distance of 3 km only. Buses are available every 15 minutes and trains are available every 20 minutes. Taxis are available throughout the day. Duty free shops, restaurants, bank, car hire and tourism information are available here.

There is a good network of roads connecting Spain north to south. Toll booths are installed in some parts of the country. Carrying few Euros will help smooth sailing at the toll booths. If driving one’s private car, it would be better if the travel insurance covers medical costs too. Carrying a medical kit can prove to be of some help.

Emigrating To Spain? Denia is incredible!

When it comes to emigrating to Spain, Denia at the beautiful white cost or Costa Blanca is one of my favorites.

Denia, on the Costa Blanca of Spain has always been strategically located on the skirt of the Montgo hills, dominated by a castle which was once an Arab fortress, right on the Mediterranean Sea. Dianium was its first name given to it by the Romans owing to the fact that there was a temple nearby which had been dedicated to Diana. The Greeks seem to be the first tourists in 6 B.C. and staying for a while because of its climate, very similar to that of Greece, giving it the name of Hemeroscopeion. But as we have seen in many other places in Spain, the Arabs were the ones who stayed the longest and who really populated the area, converting it in the capital of the region of the Caliph of Cordoba. After the expulsion of the Moors, this city suffered terribly both economically and in population. But it made its comeback with the production and exportation of raisins, mainly to England. But unfortunately this has decreased considerably both in Denia ( http://www.alicante-spain.com/denia.html ) as well as in Javea. But a city does not die out that easily and it has made itself into an important tourist area. Take a look at my Denia Hotel Tip: Hotel Nou Roma

Denia has preserved its old charm.

Other than having been renovated and made into a modern city dealing with a large number of tourists who are looking for cheap flights and good hotels, Denia has still conserved its old quarters and neighbourhoods such as Les Roques found at the bottom of the castle, The Baix la Mar (down near the sea) located in the fishermen's neighbourhood or the Cross Square (Plaza de la Creu) where you can rest for awhile to have a snack , lunch or dinner while you glance at the Mediterranean Sea. Along the Cervantes Promenade you can find terraced cafeterias or restaurantes where it is very typical to eat 'tapas' or small portions of seafood, ham or different omelettes and refresh your dry mouth with cold Spanish beer or delicious wines. You can even try typical dishes from other cities or surrounding towns like Torrevieja, Altea, Murcia and Calpe. But being as these places are not very far away, and the scenery is quite nice, it would be recommendable to do a car hire and go for seeing is believing.

Back to the old quarters where the Mayor and Loreto streets are, you will see pretty neolassical buildings which belong to the upper Valencian class people.
The Town Hall dates to the 17th century, the Saint Mary Assumption Church on Vila Vella street goes back to the 16th c. There are also two museums- The Archaeological Museum which has a great number of remains of all the different cultures which has invaded this area and can be seen at the same time as you acquire your entrance ticket to the castle. It is open from 10 to 1'30 and from 5 til 8, closed on Thursdays. And the Ethnological Museum on Cavallers Street no. 1 which deals with the times when the raisin business was at its best. It is open from 10'30 to 1 and from 4 until 7, closing on Mondays and Sunday afternoons.

One of the most looked for characteristics of this big town is its beaches and coves. Heading towards the south to a rocky coastal area called Les Rotes, there is a group of small coves where scuba-diving and fishing fans hang out. To the north of the town, the there are sandy beaches like Els Palmars or las Marinas and not very deep waters- ideal for family outings. Other than the well known Fallas, also done in denia and the Moor and Christian parade, Denia has a very original feast honouring its patron saint ( Santisima Sangre ) the first 15 days in July called ' Bulls into the water'. Where else can you become a bullfighter overnight? Denia like many other coastal towns can give you full satisfaction with all your holidays needs.

Want to know more about Spain as the perfect place to retire and emigrate? Visit:
Best Places To Retire