They include, Crevillente, Orihuela, Cartagena, Jumilla, Lorca and Murcia.
The area is also home to some of the longest celebrations in Spain, with Cartagena’s programme lasting 10 days.
In addition it has one of the longest running Easter processions in Jumilla, which has run for over 600 years.
Drawing crowds from all over Spain, the procession includes 3,000 nuns and monks from 20 different religious organisations.
A BRITISH expat is facing jail and a €10,000 fine two years after trimming a tree overhanging his swimming pool.
Michael Grainger, 56, and his wife, Marina, 52, were dramatically quizzed by police at their €400,000 villa on the Costa Blanca after paying a gardener to cut back the pine tree.
The Welshman told the Olive Press how the tree at his villa in San Miguel de Salinas was ‘spoil-
EXCLUSIVE By
Yzabelle Bostyning’ his daily swims as any gust of wind propelled hundreds of pine needles into the pool. He said he was forced to take matters into his hands on March 1, 2022, after repeatedly trying to contact his neighbour and getting no response.
Incredibly, nearly two years later on January 16, Guardia Civil and Policia Local cars pulled up to his property ‘to arrest him’ for criminal damage.
CONFRONTATION: ‘Agressive’ police served papers on Marina Grainger
Video footage shared with the Olive Press shows aggressive officers shining a torch into his wife’s eyes before throwing a court summons at her through the gate on the driveway.
“It was terrifying and a complete overreach,” Grainger insisted, “They hurled abuse at my
wife and tried to arrest me but my lawyer told them we would deal with it at
FACING JAIL: Michael Grainger (right) has a criminal case over the tree trimming (above)
court and thankfully it wasn’t necessary.”
Marina, who grew up in the Soviet Union, added: “This is something you’d expect to happen in the old USSR, not the EU!”
The couple quickly sought help at their local police station, where they claim they were told to “f**k off”.
The expat, who has spent 10 years in Spain, says he tried to settle the matter out of court but his offer was refused. He said: “I’ll give them money, but
what I refuse to have is a criminal record. I did nothing wrong.”
Grainger learned that locals‘claiming to be the owner’ of the property next doorhad filed a denuncia against him.
But he claims the home had been empty for years after the previous owner died.
The Welshman has spent €6,000 in legal fees and interpreters ahead of his date at Torrevieja court on May 3. He said he expects a guilty verdict but is ‘ready to fight back’.
Grainger said the ordeal has left a sour taste in his mouth, adding: “Europe isn’t a good place to live anymore.” SOME
POLICE arrested a Valencia man, 42, who hit his wife who was with their baby at an El Carmen district bar on Sunday night.
Easter boost
BENIDORM’S lifeguard service will be extended over the Easter period along with extra police patrols from Saturday through to April 8.
Well fall
FIREFIGHTERS rescued two walkers who suffered injuries after falling into a 10-metre semi-covered well in a rural area of Corvera.
MUTXAMEL council will oppose plans for a solar farm covering over 500,000 m2 which could be set up next to a residential area and have a ‘negative visual impact’.
A
A CALPE street thief who threw a victim to the ground has been arrested by the Guardia Civil.
The robber, 24, tried to snatch a bag from a 52-year-old man.
His tug was so fierce that the victim lost his balance and hit his head on the kerb.
He needed treatment at Denia Hospital for an open wound, with the assailant detained a few days later after being identified via security cameras.
garters and other lingerie.
The Christian Lawyers group claimed that a crime of corruption against minors had been committed and filed a lawsuit on February 14.
The Torrevieja judge ruled that the 'perpetration of crimes' do not appear to be 'sufficiently justified' and that no child was forced to take part.
Christian Lawyers say they will be filing an appeal.
ken her hip and, shockingly, remained on the floor for three days while the other two drank alcohol, it is alleged.
TWO female burglars hid behind a sofa as police officers checked out a Denia finca that had been robbed. Neighbours reported two men dressed in dark clothes driving away from the property and called the Policia Nacional.
Accompanied by the homeowner, officers inspected the finca to see what had been taken and discovered two women aged 51 and 53 trying to hide in the living room.
They were arrested along with one of the two men who fled the area.
According to the Guardia Civil, it was not until March 12 that the pair realised the woman was not breathing. It was only then that they called the emergency 112 hotline for assistance.
Local reports said the daughter of the victim has a long history of visits from social services for not providing quality care for her own children.
The daughter and the man were arrested at the home during an early morning visit by the Judicial Police of the Guardamar Guardia Civil. They have since been released on bail after appearing before a judge in Torrevieja, with the daughter receiving an additional charge of family abandonment.
A PAIR of men were caught with a giant piece of beef worth €300 that they stole from the back of a van in the Orriols district of Valencia.
Two Policia Local officers spotted the thieves running through San Juan Bosco with a large object covered by a jacket. They were stopped for questioning and made up a variety of excuses over how the pristine cut of beef happened to be in their possession.
A passing Policia Nacional patrol confirmed to the officers that they’d just been told by the delivery man that his meat had been stolen and the two thieves were arrested.
A CLEANING lady has been arrested for allegedly supplying two men with security alarm codes to help them rob Alicante homes and shops. The trio - in their 30s - have been charged with an unspecified number of robberies. The woman worked for a cleaning contractor that had access to numerous properties. The burglars scoured social media platforms to see if potential victims were away on holiday to find out when targeted properties were empty, police said. The probe started after a robbery at an Alicante business where €6,900 was stolen and €13,000 of damage committed.
THE god of goth rock will be casting his cloak of darkness over Spain this year.
Nick Cave and his legendary Bad Seeds will play two shows in Barcelona and Madrid, followed by a date in Portugal.
As part of the Australian band’s Wild God tour, they will bring their blend of rock, post-punk and gothic sound to Palau Sant Jordi in Bar-
celona on October 24, the WiZink Centre in Madrid on October 25, and the MEO Arena in Lisbon on October 27.
Support band The Murder Capital’s debut album, When I Have Fears, has had widespread critical acclaim.
Queen Camilla’s secret Spanish holiday escaping the media frenzy back home over Wills and Kate
EXCLUSIVE
By Ben PawlowskiQUEEN Camilla has enjoyed a secret hunting break in a luxury Spanish finca as a royal crisis engulfed the British Royal Family, it has emerged.
King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis and Kate Middleton’s prolonged absence from public duties have provoked a major issue as speculation swirls over the marriage of Prince William and Kate. In perfect timing, the Spanish media went into overdrive over rumours of the split just as Camilla was trying to get away from it all. It started when Cuore, a women’s magazine, suggested Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley had been ‘having an affair’ with William.
The pub lication added Han bury is ‘said to be divorcing’ her husband, Da vid, the 7th Mar quess of Cholmonde ley.
It was followed up by magazine that trumpeted that ‘Kate is asking for a divorce’ over ‘rumours of infidelity’.
With King Charles sidelined as he begins treatment for
SPAIN’S top opera singer is taking to the stage this summer, despite a string of allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Placido Domingo, 83, will perform at the Starlite festival in Marbella on August 13.
Alongside Luciano Pavaraotti and Jose Carreras, Domin go was one of the Three Tenors, renowned for their spectacular voices. However, 27 women have accused the Ma drid-born performer of sexual assault and harassment, in-
cluding unwelcome fondling, grabbing and forced kissing in incidents dating back to the 1980s. A 2020 investigation by the LA Opera into the allegations found the tenor had engaged in ‘inappropriate conduct’ with multiple women over the three decades he worked there. Other acts confirmed for the summer include Tom Jones, Keane, Gipsy Kings, Simple Minds, Take That, UB40 and Myke Towers.
cancer, Camilla has been heading up constitutional duties with various official appointments. Formerly Camilla Parker Bowles, she is a long-time fan of Spain and has been a regular visitor over the years. This has included various trips to Tarifa and Sevilla, as well as a number of ‘secret’ week-
ends in land when she herself was having an affair with
This included a number of trips to the giant hunting estateSpain’s biggest - owned by the Duke of Westminster that straddles the border of Cordoba and Ciudad Real.
His forthcoming theatre production, Fashion Freak Show, will dazzle audiences with a host
Finca La Garganta, near Conquista, has long hosted members of the British royal family for hunting weekends, with Prince Harry once allegedly shooting a rare protected eagle there.
Richest
The giant estate has been caught in various other controversies, including its owner, the UK’s 11th richest man, the Duke, Hugh Grosvenor, blocking public roads through it. Journalist Marisa Martin confirmed to TV show TardeAR Camilla had flown in to get ‘some respite away from the stresses and strains’ of royal life. She said she was ‘hunting partridges’ at a luxury finca used by King Juan Carlos and other members of the Spanish nobility.
of artists from the world of circus, music and dance. Gaultier, on a visit to Barcelona, said that the fashion shows he stages are like ‘a play’ with himself choosing ‘the music, models, and scenery’. He said his new venture should not be a total surprise as 'fashion is synonymous with theatre'.
Catch it at the Teatre Coliseum in Barcelona between April 4 and 21.
FILM star Leonardo di Caprio is well known for his environmental credentials. Now he’s making his first foray into a green business in Spain.
The Hollywood legend has pumped an undisclosed sum into Barcelona company SolarMente.
The solar start-up works with solar panel installations - assuring homes get the full benefit of green energy. It was co-founded by CEO Wouter Draijer, who could not believe how few domestic solar panels there were on Spanish properties compared to his native Netherlands. “My support is a responsible move towards a cleaner future and I'm proud to see SolarMente actively shaping a sustainable energy landscape,” said di Caprio.
A FAULTY kitchen appliance caused last month’s apartment block fire in Valencia’s Campanar district that killed 10 people.
The government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabe, said it was an accident and that the Policia Nacional had decided there was no criminality involved.
Initial reports suggested that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the mechanism of a balcony awning outside an apartment.
The fire broke out on February 22 shortly after 5.30pm in an eighth floor property and the flames quickly spread throughout the building due to the materials used in the wall. Insurance company assessors entered the damaged building last week under police supervision.
VALENCIA will once again be a host city for the world’s premier men’s tennis team competition, the Davis Cup. The Fuente de San Luis arena will
jointly stage the Group Stage of this year’s finals, along with Bologna, Manchester, and Zhuhain in China. Former Javea tennis star David Ferrer will captain Spain with their Valencia group opponents being Australia, the Czech Republic, and France. The matches will be played between
September 10 and 15.
It will be the third successive year that Valencia is involved and the finals will once again be held in Malaga between November 19 and 24.
The top two teams from each Group Stage will qualify for the Malaga event.
HUNDREDS of homeowners who faced losing control of their own homes under a new Coastal Law have been thrown a lifeline.
Despite having been perfectly legal for decades, thousands of homes and businesses on the Costa Blanca face having the land they built on reclassified as ‘public domain’.
While the Coastal Authorityknown as Costas - said no properties would be demolished and
SALINAS has launched a phone app that it hopes will ‘fight depopulation’ by bringing together single people.
The Alto Vinalopo town has around 1,500 residents - 25% of whom are non-Spaniards.
The app revolves around a tapas route being held this Saturday and
By Alex Trelinskiowners could still sell and their beneficiaries inherit, after 75 years any buildings would fall into the ownership of Costas. The idea would be for Costas to then recover the land and reduce building congestion.
Critics pointed out that this would have a dramatic effect on the value of the properties.
Sunday, and can be downloaded by searching for ‘Salinas City Council’ on Google Play for Android and Play Store for iOS. People will be able to ‘like’ or ‘match’ with fellow participants with the hope that it will be the first step in a friendship or something more substantial. The app will also invite users to enter a draw for a Benidorm weekend hotel break where potentially a new couple can get to know each other better.
approved by the Partido Popular (PP) which holds the majority in the Senate, but the matter will return to the lower Congress of Deputies - led by the PSOE-Sumar government, which is expected to veto the move.
of a Calpe
beach has started three years late, after a boundary dispute delayed a major marina development.
Sand is being dredged from the mouth of the Puerto Blanco to recover its 80-metre-long beach.
The dredged sand is then checked for its suitability before it is taken to the beach. Large breakwater rocks have been placed to make sure the new sand deposits are not dislodged.
Now Spain’s upper house of would guarantee legal protection to the tens of thousands of people who, having had legal homes on the coast now see their properties threatened by the new demarcations of public domain.
The amendment parliament, the Senate, has passed an amendment to the Coastal Law to protect the ‘unique homes’ on the coast.
The measure was
There have been many cases in the Valencian Community in the last year including in municipalities such as Torre de la Sal, Cabanes, Moncofa, Gandia, Denia, Pucol, Bellreguard and Tavernes de la Valldigna.
The Senate’s amendment means that the Coastal Law will incorporate an appendix to take into account the ethnological, singular and heritage ‘value’ of coastal homes. Town halls must report these homes to regional authorities so that they will be protected. Once those measures have been taken, the designated areas would no longer fall under the maritime-terrestrial public domain.
The beach expansion is part of the €5 million Marina PortBlanc development with construction starting last September. There will be 203 moorings and five commercial units at the site of an old deserted marina which was cleared by developer Port Boutique Calp.
Improving the beach was part of the original project plans unveiled in December 2020.
IT is absolutely laughable that police on the Costa Blanca saw fit to harass and berate a British expat couple after they trimmed a tree that was encroaching onto their property (Special branch, p1) Michael Grainger and his wife Marina had every right to cut back the branches that were literally filling their swimming pool with pine needles - especially after multiple attempts to talk to their neighbour went unrequited.
The video of two police officers flashing a torch into Marina’s face before throwing a court summons at her is quite frankly a disgrace.
It’s hard to believe that the reaction by locals and even the authorities has not been inspired by anti-British sentiment.
We will be following this couple’s story and hope that, come May 3, the Torrevieja court sees this case for what it is; a load of nonsense!
THE wave of anti-tourism movements in Spain should be a cause for concern among business owners and expats (Tourism wars, p6). There seems to be a growing anger among locals, particularly the young, who have been priced out of renting or buying homes following a surge in Airbnb rentals.
It is absolutely understandable why some locals may begin to feel this way.
If things continue at their current rate, cities will be filled with holiday apartments that become empty in the off season.
But instead of directing messages towards ‘guiris’ and tourists, locals should focus on local governments, whose strict tenancy rules make it very unappealing for landlords to rent long term.
Hopefully governments across Spain can come up with a model or some form of aid for locals that will stop anti-tourism sentiment from getting out of control.
Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es
Simon Hunter
Alex
Walter
Yzabelle
Ben Pawlowski
EXCLUSIVE
By Laurence Dollimore & Walter Finch in TenerifeIT began in Mallorca in the summer of 2017, quickly followed in Barcelona and Valencia and now it has spread around almost all of Spain.
The anti-tourism protests, organised by anarchist group Arran, first gained international headlines when they rocked diners at a portside restaurant in Palma.
As reported in the Olive Press (below), the two dozen masked protesters held banners and flares outside the restaurant Mar de Nudos then showered the mostly foreign punters with confetti.
The following week an unnamed organiser revealed they would ‘continue to carry out’ numerous plans they had for the summer, adding: “We know tourism is something we can’t avoid, but we want people who come to our island to realise they are contributing to its contamination and destruction.”
They claimed to have over 500 members and went on to plaster 1,000 rental cars with anti-tourism stickers.
Soon a sightseeing bus in Barcelona had its tyres slashed and was daubed with graffiti claiming ‘tourism kills neighbourhoods’. The masked protesters were so intimidating the tourists believed they were being attacked by terrorists.
In Valencia, meanwhile, protesters seized a rental apartment used for city breaks and unfurled a banner decrying the
gentrification of the centre caused by tourism.
It led to Spain’s then Prime Minister Rajoy to condemn the ‘crazy’ actions, with Arran hitting back accusing him of ‘giving little importance’ to ‘unsustainable’ tourism. Their message was certainly a reasonable one: that ‘touristification’ destroys neighbourhoods, causes prices to go up and makes long term rental accommodation almost impossible for most locals.
While the protests slowed down, particularly with the pandemic, they came back with a vengeance last year with signs warning tourists off beaches on the Costa Blanca and anti-tourist graffiti being seen around Malaga and Sevilla. Protests were organised in Mallorca, Sevilla and Barcelona.
bling under and it’s likely to spread all round mainland Spain anytime soon.
Locals in Tenerife are furi ous that holidaymakers are turning their paradise into a ‘tourism ghetto’ thanks to soaring rents, inflation and yobbish behaviour.
‘Rents are soaring and people cannot afford to live here anymore’
The latest campaign kicked off in Tenerife this month, when the holiday island made global headlines when a series of graffiti messages were scrawled on walls and buildings, reading ‘tourists go home’, ‘your paradise, our misery’, and ‘average salary in Canary Islands €1,200.’
The Olive Press went out to investigate, discovering that tensions are very much bub-
In 2023, Tenerife received 5.6million visitors, up 600,000 compared to 2019, setting a new record. While some locals attempt to shrug off the graffiti as the work of a disgruntled few, there are many on the island who find agreement with the message.
Josua Garcia-Garcia, 33, who works in a bar in Playas de las Americas, told the Olive Press: “It can be a nightmare when the tourists come, I only get four hours of sleep every night because of the music and noise, which keeps me up until 3am.
“We need stricter rules for tourists, a lot of them are ignorant of how we are suffering. “Rents are soaring and people on average salaries cannot afford to live here anymore, once they pay their rent they have no money
20 years after Spain’s worst bombing the effects are still being felt, writes Alex Trelinski
THE King and Queen of Spain have led a memorial service to mark the 20th anniversary of the Madrid train bombings that killed 192 people and injured 2,000 others.
The Al Qaeda attack - the country's biggest terrorist incident - is regarded as having influenced the general election held three days later which saw the PSOE socialists swept into power.
On March 11 2004, the capital was plunged into chaos as 10 bombs planted by the terror group devastated four commuter trains during the early-morning rush hour.
Although Spain had experienced decades of violence at the hands of the Basque separatist group ETA, it had never been hit by an attack of such magnitude.
There is no doubt that the emergency services and the people of Spain rallied together. Images that are best remembered are of ordinary people who rushed to help.
Neighbours still dressed in their pajamas helping and comforting the wounded , buses being used as ambulances and masses of people queuing to donate blood.
The attacks had a major political impact as before that fateful day, the ruling Partido Popular led by Jose Maria Aznar were strong favourites to stay in office by defeating the PSOE Socialists led by Jose Luis Zapatero.
But within hours of the attack, Aznar’s government was laying the blame at the door of Basque separatists ETA.
This was viewed by many as either a cynical election ploy by the traditionally hard-line anti-ETA party, or an effort to avoid any imagined responsibility for the attacks having supported the US led war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, had threatened reprisals against any countries that took part in the operation.
Doubts over the government's explanation quickly spread across Spain, and during huge demonstrations the following day, pro-
CARNAGE: 192 people died in a series of train bombings
testers expressed hostility towards the authorities who were accused of lying.
On March 14, Aznar's government was swept out of office, with the administration's handling of what happened playing a pivotal part in their defeat- according to political experts.
The Partido Popular stayed in opposition until 2011 when Mariano Rajoy won that year's election - ousting Zapatero.
In early April 2004, seven suspected members of the terrorist cell involved in the atrocity blew themselves up as police surrounded an apartment where they had been hiding on the outskirts of Madrid - with a police officer also killed.
After a three-year investigation, 29 suspects - the vast majority Moroccan - went on trial in 2007 with 18 convicted.
Only three are still behind bars - two Moroccans who were each handed nearly 43,000 years, and a Spaniard, who supplied the explosives and was jailed for nearly 35,000 years.
They will remain in prison until 2044 at least while the others have been released after serving their sentences - the vast majority of them deported or extradited, mainly to Morocco.
for food.
“Some areas have been totally saturated by tourism. The police need to be tougher and bring in stricter rules, people are fed up.”
Anti-tourism campaigners claim an increase in holiday lets means an increasing number of homes are unavailable to rent to locals.
This decreases supply and therefore brings price increases. Homeowners are more tempted to rent to high-paying holidaymakers than long-term tenants.
Last May, hundreds of protesters took to the streets, holding up signs reading ‘The Canaries are no longer a paradise’ and ‘the Canaries are not for sale’.
The march was organised by almost a dozen social and environmental groups, who are calling for a tourism ‘eco-tax’.
They claimed the island’s services ‘totally collapsed’, with ‘a coast full of sewage spills, kilometre long traffic jams’ and the ‘destruction of the environment due to the construction of new hotel complexes in coastal areas’.
Olivia Valdiva, 50, who lives in Palm-Mar, said:
“Life is very hard here now, the only people who live well are the foreigners and tourists.
“We can’t afford to eat well and maintain a car and house, the locals are tired of having no money.”
Zarite Chinea, 39, described the area as ‘a bit of a tourism ghetto’ due to its fierce reliance on the industry.
“It’s like there are two worlds in Tenerife, the tourists and the locals, and we don’t mix.
“I would try to reduce the number of holiday-
makers and I think we need better quality tourists, who respect our land and nature, who want to explore the real Tenerife and go hiking for example.”
Alex Kelly, 20, is a British expat working in the popular Rejoyce bar in Las Playas de Las Americas. She said: “Living here has gotten tough in the last few years, rent is just unaffordable.
“I’m living with my boyfriend in his parents' home because we can’t afford to move out.
“‘I totally get the viewpoint of the anti-tourism people, a lot of young people feel that way, the prices are crazy.”
Emiliano del Pino, 58, (pictured below), who was born and raised on the island, admitted there were problems but insisted tourism is still very much welcome.
“There is a problem with drought and water since last year, and the government’s priority is to make sure the tourist areas are cared for ahead of the locals in the countryside, and that can obviously rub people the wrong way.”
However, he insisted that tourism is essential to the island’s economy.
The retiree added: “The people behind the graffiti are just kids who have been spoon fed from birth and now there are economic problems, they are lashing out.
“But there are the same problems all over the world, not just here, we can’t blame tourism for that.”
Jorge Sanchez, 58, who works in a local cinema, echoed this sentiment, telling the Olive Press that ‘without tourism, Tenerife is f****d.’ He said: “The whole anti-tourism movement is stupid. Take away all the tourists and what the hell are we going to do? These young people want to blame others for society’s problems, but we need the British, the Germans, the Italians, without them we don’t have an economy.’
Meanwhile, British bar owners raced to defend themselves over what they see as an attack on their businesses and way of life.
Scott Walters, 35, from Stoke-on-Trent, has owned the Havanas bar in Playas de Las Americas for 10 years. He told this paper: “I understand the young people’s point of view,
rents have gone crazy, there are people with five or six Airbnbs and this pushes prices up.
“For a studio around here it can be like €1,200 per month, which is more than the average salary.
“It’s also upsetting to see friends who are local but have to live so far away to be able to afford a place.
“But Tenerife needs tourism and I think we bring a lot to their economy so it’s kind of a Catch 22 situation.”
Dawn Warriner, 33, who owns the Sun Lounge next door, also feels disheartened by some of the anti-tourism comments.
The Manchester native, who opened her bar just before Covid struck, told the Olive
“Some of the locals clearly don’t want us here but I think it’s a minority.
“There were hundreds of protesters a few months ago shouting all this anti-tourism stuff.
“I understand that rents have increased a lot recently and I do get that, but they need tourists here, they’d be nothing without it.
“Police here have also not been friendly to us Brits, when I went to the station to report a crime I had witnessed, they heard me speaking English and shouted ‘Brexit’ and laughed.”
MORE than 500 people have signed an Olive Press petition to keep tourists and expats safe from the deadly painkiller Nolotil.
Our Kill the Drug campaign urges Spanish health professionals to agree to follow the 2018 directive banning the German-made drug for British, Scandinavian and Irish patients.
Since launching on February 12, some 587 people have backed the campaign, with many adding comments.
Despite expanding in recent year, the Olive Press remains a community newspaper at heart.
We are not afraid of ruffling feathers and shining a light on the injustices around Spain.
One supporter wrote: “Well done for tackling this problem. Too many lives have already been lost.”
While Nolotil is now banned in 40 countries, it is still being regularly prescribed around Spain.
Campaigner Christina del Campo of the Association for Drug Affected People (ADAF) claims her group has over 100 cases of British people dying from the drug.
Others have had amputations ‘and worse’.
“Something needs to be done about this as nobody’s taking notice. It’s excellent the campaign is growing,” she said.
We now plan to contact local health facilities to urge them to comply with the official warning from Madrid that urges hospitals and clinics not to hand out the drug to foreigners.
Please sign the petition by scanning the QR code on your mobile device.
Have you been affected by Nolotil? Email us tips@theolivepress.es
The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
1- Are Kate and Wills on the rocks? Rumours swirl in Spain and beyond after speculations of an affair and the ‘disappearance’ of the princess
2- This 'sun-drenched' city in eastern Spain is the most affordable 'paradise' for British expats, according to experts
3- Inside Amazon's new pre-fabricated house that's available in Spain for just €27,556but how safe is it?
4- 'We were paid to run the only bar in a tiny town in Spain - and are loving our new life'
5- Drought latest in Spain: Has this weekend's rain helped relieve the pressure on Malaga's reservoirs?
THE world's first map showing areas most vulnerable to soil subsidence has Spain as one of those most affected in Europe.
Sinkholes are becoming more common due to underground water extraction via aquifers.
The extraction occurs in porous areas of the subsoil, which causes the progressive compaction of underground sediments and eventual deformation of the ground.
In research published in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists at the Colorado Mining School say there’s a direct correlation between the rate of groundwater extraction and land subsidence.
They conclude that greater attention needs to be paid to managing water resources to reduce the risk of subsidence and sinkholes.
IBERDROLA has been given the goahead from the government to build a 275 megawatt pumped storage project in Caceres.
It aims to harness the Tagus River's energy potential by seasonally storing the system’s surplus energy in the Valdecañas reservoir.
The capacity of a reversible pumped-storage power plant allows
large amounts of energy to be stored and released quickly with the plant itself acting as a large storage battery.
The project will slash 200,000 tonnes of CO2 per year thanks to the greater use of renewables.
Iberdrola says it will create 165 jobs plus another 500 indirectly, and claims that it will have a major impact on the local economy.
GREENPEACE has gone to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg over the long dispute over an illegally-built hotel in Almeria province.
The campaign group wants the 21-storey El Algarrobico hotel demolished because it is in a protected zone of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.
Built just 14 metres from the shoreline, the structure has been at the heart of 20 years of legal wrangling with multiple court rulings.
Greenpeace wants an Andalucia Supreme Court rul -
By Simon Huntering in favour of Carboneras council overturned. It stated that the hotel could not be demolished because it did have a building licence. The group says the European Convention of Human Rights has been breached, which is why the matter has gone to Strasbourg.
It argues that since the court has given judicial powers to Carboneras council over the matter, citizens are being denied the right to have an ‘independent judge’ and ‘effec -
tive judicial protection’.
Greenpeace also wants the European Court to investigate why a Supreme Court
THIS winter was the joint warmest since records began, and is likely to be followed by a spring that is also above average in terms of temperatures.
That’s according to Spain’s Aemet state meteorological agency, that revealed temperatures this winter are on a par with that of 2019 to 2020.
Rainfall, meanwhile, came in at regular levels, with 170.5 litres per square metre in the peninsula. While 10% below average, this is still considered to be ‘normal’, according to Aemet.
judge took a leave of absence and worked for a law firm that had dealings with Carboneras council.
Del Cambio also warned about the ‘speeding up of climate change’ that is being reflected by the weather, given that four of the last seven seasons in Spain have been warmer than average. “There is a trend for drier winters,” he said. There is a ‘very high probability’ that April, May and June will be very hot, in particular in areas such as the Costa del Sol and the Balearic Islands. As for the summer, a very hot and very dry season in Spain is also likely, according to Aemet.
Sponsored by:
The ‘coolest spot’ on the Costa Blanca, Javea is spoilt with some of Spain’s best beaches, but you’d be best to visit outside midsummer, writes expat resident Joshua Parfitt
IT was a Monday morning in August and I arrived at the descent down to Playa Granadella with my old man and a boot full of snorkeling gear.
“Perdona, playa is closed - it is full,” said the sweaty civil protection officer blocking our path with a piece of rope.”
I tried my best Valenciano , bribed him with coffee, but it was no use. We joined the four or five cars turning around like stingrays in the sand of what National Geographic and Conde Nast Traveler dubs as one of Spain’s best beaches.
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From previous page
for lunch after a short, delightful 15 minute swim.
Evidently, Javea has outgrown some of its secluded coves… at the height of summer, at least. We tried our luck at Portitxol beach on the other side of Javea’s dramatic southern headland. And after placing our towels on a rock and swimming over to Portitxol island we decided we were hungry. I’ve jumped in cages surrounded by great white sharks with my dad, dived down inside 30m-deep shipwrecks and spent hours scouring “Let’s do a bit more next year” my dad snorted, removing his flippers. At the time, little did we know we’d been treading water above one of Europe’s most stunning sunken treasures.
Later that day - yes, the very same day! - 57 gold Roman coins were found at the foot of Portitxol island – leading to international headlines!
‘little port’ is one of the true gems of Javea, also known as Xabia, correctly, in Valenciano Also known as Cala de la Barraca it is a 900m stretch of mostly gravel, pebbles and rock between Cap Prim and el Cap Negre.
A truly charming cove it is sheltered by cliffs and counts on a series of quaint fishermen’s cottages, or casitas, which are privately owned and whose owners come and go at their leisure.
Javea is truly spoilt by some of the best beaches in Spain, something the foreign media frequently trumpet.
The Times praised the ‘Ibizan vibe’ of places like Granadella
and Portitxol, calling Javea ‘the coolest spot on the Costa Blanca’. And take it from me, having lived here for half a decade, the Javea area is much more Balearic than Benidorm. Beach-wise, the above are the two most instagrammable, the box-ticking tourist classics that will take your breath away, but particularly off season when the hordes are not descending. I also really like Cala Blanca, only reachable by walking through a round hole in the rockface, before you meet the dramatic Cabo de la Nao headland with hidden coves you still today can’t reach by foot.
one end. The area spreads backwards inland from here by about five or six blocks and this is the truly international part of the resort.
Another of my secret beach spots is Cala en Calo. It’s been grabbing world rankings alongside tropical beaches in Thailand and the Philippines. Then there is Playa Ambolo that is a fabulous walk particularly for an early morning or evening swim.
Arenal beach is Javea’s most popular – and the only really sandy one –and this is where all the fun and action is, if you are looking for nightlife. It’s also the one for the best waves in the area if you are a surfer.
There are lots of great restaurants and shops, not to mention the excellent Michelin-starred restaurant Tula, an unpretentious place run by couple Borja and Clara.
The Arenal’s best known patron, the Javea Company, runs a series of bars and restaurants at one end of the beach, including Bambula, which
Punctuated by a few strands of palm trees, it is a shallow beach to get into the water and has the historic Parador hotel bookmarking is a popular spot that bounces into the early hours. Meanwhile the Geographic has become a popular joint for a light lunch or to watch live sports on its doz-
en-plus screens. Heading north you will find another blue flag beach in the port area. Playa de la Grava is a pebble beach in a very warm bay, where it’s common to see bathers from March to November.
The port area is another distinct part of
Javea. It is here you will find plenty of the best restaurants and hotels and the famous modernist church. It also has the amazing Cinema Jayan, which has plenty of Version Original
Continues on page 12
films showing throughout the week.
For walkers, a top tip is the rocky hike from the end of Javea’s port to Cala Tango with its 17m-high platform to jump into the sea. It looks like a hard slog, as it kicks off direct-
ly uphill but it only takes about 30 minutes. From the port you need to walk inland to access the true gem of Javea, its wonderful old town, largely From previous page
All about
built from the local honey-coloured tosca stone.
The 14th century Iglesia de San Bartolome is a great example of this, built out of the sandstone hewn out of the headland by Cova Tallada (meaning ‘carved cave’).
Indeed, since Moorish times builders have carved out the tosca stone from the area which is reached only by boat at the foot of the San Antonio headland.
The atmospheric old town is little untouched and with its streets largely too narrow for cars you can wander around to your heart’s content, enjoying the nice mix of boutiques, cafes and bars.
This was once a heavily fortified town to ward off the Barbary pirates and this defensive past is typified by San Bartolome church, which was once almost a fortress and siege ready.
Next to it is the hip municipal market with its great cafes and bars… and where you must try the typical local dish, a coca – a traditional sourdough flatbread topped with either chopped tomatoes and salted tuna
or typically, a single anchovy. The whole centre truly comes alive in the evenings from Easter onwards when the tourists mix with the locals on an evening out.
MY TOP TIP: Take an early film at the old cine- ma near the port and then wonder up into the old town for a spot of tapas and a few wines by the glass. You’ll soon realise why I have end- ed up living in the true gem of the Costa Blanca.
Here are three of Javea’s secrets that archeologists, spiritual pilgrims and cave-diving spelunkers have yet to figure out.
THE name of Javea (Xabia in Valenciano) reportedly comes from the Arabic word Xabiga for ‘well’ or ‘cistern’.
Though Javea’s abundance of water is evident in its green hills, the underground secrets of Javea are something cave-divers are still scratching their heads about.
The Moraig river is one of Spain’s most famous for being an underground river – possibly the deepest in the world – but no one can figure out where it comes from.
The river is believed to begin somewhere beneath Javea in the aquifer of Benissa that stretches all beneath the town, before it mysteriously emerges from underground at Benitachell’s Cala de Moraig beach. Since 1978 cave divers have tried to follow the river to its source without any luck – the most famous of these, the German expert Bernhard Pack, won 17 international awards for his documented expeditions before tragically losing his life to the cause in 1992.
According to neighbouring Benitachell’s town hall, the aquifer of Benissa is one of the ‘most unique hydro-geological phenomena in the world’ together with the Greek Island of Cephalonia.
It could be a source of high-quality potable water to see the region through summer droughts – but despite investigations beginning again in 2014, no one can figure out where this hidden secret of Javea actually resides.
IMAGINE the day a century ago in 1904.
Agricultural labourers are ploughing land to make way for orange groves in the area of La Lluca. Suddenly the plough hits something,, which turns ut to be a ceramic urn buried 1.5 metres deep. Cracking it open, the urn reveals a golden diadem, three gold necklaces, a golden brooch and various gold and silver bracelets.
So highly valuable was the treasure that the landowning Torres Orduña family was in the process of selling the pieces to French researchers when Madrid’s Museo Arqueológico Nacional heard of the hoard. It turned out to be a 4th century BC
bridal trousseau (ornaments worn by a bride at her marriage) and it remains on view known as the ‘Treasure of Javea’ and one of the nations most significant Iberian finds.
Javea’s municipal archeologist
Ximo Bolufer told the Olive Press the Treasure of Javea was ‘hidden’ underground during a period of conflict.
This same hypothesis was given to the haul of 57 golden coins recently found at Portitxol – hidden for safe-
JAVEA’S 175m-high Cabo de San Antonio has been a place of spiritual refuge for close to 700 years.
The headland got its name in 1373 when the bishop of Valencia granted a female hermit Catalina Blas the right to build a hermitage dedicated to Saint Anthony.
The San Antonio monastery soon sprung up next to it, but it didn’t survive long as in 1388, Barbary pirates sacked it and burnt it to the ground.
keeping during a likely raid from Barbary pirates that ravaged Javea’ coasts from the 4th-17th century. Experts from the University of Alicante continue to probe the waters around Portitxol to see how many more buried treasures may yet to be discovered.
They’ve already found the highest concentration of ancient anchors in the whole Mediterranean – some 258 dating back beyond 2,000 years.
Legend has it that three centuries later an intact canvas of the Virgin Mary was found among the rubble, and it is the only surviving vestige of Sor Catalina’s Hieronymite order of monks.
It led to the La Plana area becoming a site of pilgrimage for centuries and in 1964 the current monastery Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles was rebuilt.
Once a year in August it lets a handful of people in on the secret to behold Javea’s own miraculous piece of history hanging above the altar.
Artist Joaquin Sorolla hoped that his first UK exhibition featuring Javea would make him rich
THE year of 1908 marked the first time Londoners set eyes on Javea.
In an age where aeroplanes were still learning how to fly, and photographs still in development, the meeting inevitably came through the paintbrush.
But the exhibition at Grafton Gal-
leries through May, June and July weren’t just any old paintings of Javea.
The posters put Javea’s name next to that of Joaquin Sorolla, calling him ‘the world’s greatest living painter’ following international success.
Sorolla, born in Valencia in 1863, fell in love with the Costa Blanca fishing town of Javea during a visit in 1896.
“Javea is sublime, immense, the best I know to paint. It surpasses everything,” he wrote in one of more than 2,000 letters kept by his wife, Clotilde.
Sorolla’s obsession with the play of light and water in Javea saw the town make up a large part of the 278 paintings he took to London in search of fortune.
Among these paintings include Cabo de San Antonio, Javea that captured the site of Javea’s iconic headland back in 1896.
There was also Cordelores de Javea, Nadadores de Javea, El puerto de Javea, A child in Javea and countless others referencing the seafaring, sea-loving and golden-coloured moments Sorol-
la encountered. One of Sorolla’s most famous paintings known to have sold was
LIKE many of those who end up living in Spain it was after enjoying a holiday with friends that Jennifer Cunningham took the decision to relocate from London to sunnier climes for a quieter life.
“My late husband was much older than me and, after suffering a cardiac arrest, he wasn’t expected to live long, so we took a snap decision to move over to the Costa Blanca where the climate suited him and in fact he thrived and lived another 12 years,” she tells the Olive Press from her home in Javea where she has lived for more than three decades.
“I was suffering from diabetes so the move gave us both a new lease of life, swimming every day in the sea and the Mediterranean diet really helped me,” she continues.
“The Spanish way of living, taking time to enjoy family and friends, also really gave me a new way of looking at life.”
But Jennifer wasn’t ready to retire.
Instead she started up what has be come one of the most successful ex pat businesses in Spain.
It began with one small office in Javea and has now grown to seven branches across the Costa Blanca and one in Lanza rote.
“I never tire of Javea. I can sit on a terrace and gaze at the sea day after day.
It’s wonderful at sun rise and sunset, spec tacular, but it’s when the bay twinkles in the
moonlight that Javea is at its most beautiful,” reveals Jennifer.
“Sitting with a coffee or a glass of wine and watching the world go by is one of my pleasures in life. Even in early March you can enjoy the warm sunshine on your face, look out over at Montgo, and see waterskiers in the bay.”
Javea occupies a special corner of Spain with its own microclimate that makes it a firm favourite with expats and Spaniards alike.
“It’s a wonderful place to live and while it has changed a lot since I arrived, it still has the old town with a marvellous market that still retains the feeling of the fishing village it once was.” The seaside town has become one of the most fashionable destinations during the summer months with crowds of Madrileños descending from the capital to holiday homes during July and August.
“Those of us who live here year round breathe a sigh of relief when September 1 comes and the multitudes go home. But in truth, the tourists are needed to keep the local businesses, the shops and restaurants alive,” explains Jennifer. The pandemic was particularly hard on local businesses with many pulling down the shutters forever.
“Unfortunately, a lot of restaurants were forced to close with Covid but thankfully not as many as feared. Some of our favourite places managed to survive and things picked up quickly.
Now, in 2024, Javea is once more thriving.
“There are new apartments going up everywhere,” says Jennifer. “Little teeny patches of scrubland suddenly get snapped up and then there’s an apartment block.
“This isn’t a good thing. Parking is a huge problem in Javea even outside the summer months but in peak tourist season, it’s impossible.”
She believes the town should introduce a ‘park and ride’ type system so visitors can leave their cars outside the town and catch a bus in.
she first encountered on a holiday in the 1980s continues.
She recalls the snap decision she made to move to Javea all those years ago.
I was ruled by my heart and not by my head - not something I normally do
“It’s hard seeing the town I know change so much and I wish there was more thought going into its development,” she admits. But on the whole the love affair with the town
“Here I was on holiday having a lovely time and I did everything you shouldn’t really do when making important life decisions. Just like that I saw a property I loved and put down a deposit, then went back and sold up in the UK,” she laughs.
“I was ruled by my heart and not my head and that isn’t something that I would normally do.
“But if you asked me if I would do it all again I’d say yes, I absolutely love Javea and feel very safe here. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
For more information please visit www.jennifercunningham.net or www.paulcunninghamnurses.com
While London may have fallen in love with Javea and Sorolla at the exhibition, the opposite never happened.
Sorolla was disappointed with his reception in London.
He complained about the cold air, he complained about being lonely, and he feared the ‘polite’ upper-class English were too cerebral to appreciate his masterpieces of light and fresh air.
Worst of all, Sorolla sold few paintings in London in 1908.
“I feel old, I can’t live alone, I’m emptier than you, for you at least have the children,” he wrote to Clotilde.
“Today is a disgusting day, I’ve only just had my lunch with electric light and it’s already 2pm – I hate big cities, viva Javea.”
England later proved to be Sorolla’s lucky ticket, however, as it was there he met American philanthropist Archer
Milton Huntington.
Sorolla soon received an invite to exhibit at The Hispanic Society of America in New York, where he sold 195 paintings. The society later commissioned Sorolla to paint a huge mural called Vision of Spain , that captured the Spanish nation in a series of works taking six years (1913-1919) to complete.
By the time Sorolla was done, he had earned enough money to buy a house in central Madrid that today houses his works as the Museo Sorolla.
When he died in 1923 Sorolla was already established as one of Spain’s all time greats.
It took another 100 years – until 2019 – for London’s National Gallery to put on a British exhibition of Sorolla ( Sorolla: Master of Light ).
Except that, this time, Sorolla’s painting of Javea had already become priceless.
FOR
studies conducted in the 1990s, Javea shot to number two behind Rio de Janeiro, also backed by its famous mountain.
The Montgo blocks icy, arctic winds from ruining winter (20C days in January are common) while cool sea breezes keep scorching summer temperatures to between 23C to 27C. This geographical stroke of luck has turned Javea into a top retirement destination for expats the world over. And Javea understandably swells in summer as the wellto-do from Valencia and Madrid flock down to enjoy their well-earned holidays. For them, Javea has become something of a status symbol thanks to the entrancing paintings of Joaquin Sorolla, as well as being the birthplace and home
The Agency opens new office on the Costa Blanca bringing worldwide reach to local sellers and buyers
THE Agency is proud to announce the launch of its new office on Spain’s Costa Blanca North.
The Global Real Estate powerhouse is expanding its presence along Spain’s iconic coastline, with The Agency Costa Blanca North marking their third office in the country, joining locations in Marbella and Mallorca. It will be led by Managing Partners Alistair Barton and Leonie ter Brugge and serve the towns of Moraira, Javea, Calpe, Altea, Denia, and Benitachell.
“We are thrilled to launch our new office in Costa Blanca North as we continue to prioritize our strategic growth across Europe,” said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and Founder of The Agency.
“Alistair Barton and Leonie ter Brugge are trusted experts in the market and we are confident they will serve as exceptional leaders and stewards of The Agency’s culture and brand as we continue to introduce The Agency to coveted markets around the world.”
“The stunning beachside landscapes and accessibility to other parts of Spain and Ibiza make the Costa Blanca North the perfect fit for our next office location in Spain,” said Jim Ramsay, Executive Vice President of Franchise Sales at The Agency.
“The demand for the Agency brand
in Europe continues to excite us and we have found fantastic partners in Alistair Barton and Leonie ter Brugge who we know will represent The Agency well in this next chapter of our global expansion.”
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of Spain’s former world no.3 tennis player David Ferrer. Javea also shares a bounty of fresh gambas rojas (red prawns) with its neighbour of Denia, one of the gastronomy hotspots of Spain.
According to popular local agency Blanca International, Javea has one of the largest concentrations of foreigners in Spain.
From page 16 the most expensive municipality in the Valencian Community, followed by Benidorm at €2,466 per m2 and Altea at €2,203 per m2. On a par with Estepona and Nerja on the Costa del Sol, it is considerably cheaper however, than Marbella which averages out at €4,526 per m2, according to Idealista.
“With a reputation for stunning beaches and great food it’s no surprise that Javea has one of the highest expat populations, with 54% coming from abroad,” says Sigve Kommedal.
“In Valencia province, this is only beaten by Calpe, Altea, Teulada-Moraira and Rojales,” says Kommedal. But this popularity comes at a price, with few places on Spain’s coastline having such high house prices. With average prices in Javea at €2,519 per m2, it is
Marbella is also home to one of the most expensive streets in the country, with houses averaging €7 million. While the Valencian Community doesn’t make the top 10 most expensive streets in Spain, you can still pay a pretty penny, with the area’s most costly street, Jazmines in Poble Nou de Benitatxell, Alicante, clocking in at an average €2.7 million per property. It is closely followed by Javea’s Calle Penaguila, which according to Idealista averaged out at nearly €1.3 million in 2023. And that’s no surprise with the amazing road snaking up from the edge of the port into the nearby hills with incredible views. They say location is everything and this street is hard to beat with less than 100 houses, most of them
large - but not outsized - with decent gardens and in easy reach of both countryside walks and the heart of Javea old town and the port, with its cinema and restaurants.
Currently the most expensive home for sale in Calle Penaguila is at €4.5m, a four bedroom property with an infinity pool, while you can pick up a five bedroom further down the hill for €1.2m.
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In addition to its client-centric approach, Coldwell Banker Solaris is known for its strong presence in the local market and access to an extensive portfolio of exclusive properties in Jávea, including luxury villas, seaside homes, modern apartments, and more. Their expertise and professionalism ensure transparent and hassle-free real estate transactions for their clients.
Coldwell Banker Solaris Real Estate in Jávea is synonymous with integrity, excellence, and proven results in the local real estate market. Whether you're looking to purchase your dream home on the Mediterranean coast or sell your current property, you can rely on the Coldwell Banker Solaris team to provide you with the highest level of service and customer satisfaction.
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Xabia International College is looking to the future with a raft of new facilities
XABIA International College has expanded with new facilities for the Sixth Form Centre and a whole new campus for Foundation and Primary school.
Founded in 1994, the college is the only international school in Jávea, for students from two to 18 years old, to provide a quality education based on the English Curriculum combined with the Spanish Educational System.
This expansion represents the school’s ongoing com mitment to providing the best possible educational experience for each student at every stage of their academic journey.
With these new facilities, XIC is creating an even more dynamic and supportive environment where students can thrive and achieve their full potential.
The school comprises Foundation, Primary and Se condary sections, offering continuity of education from Nursery to University.
“At XIC, we are committed to providing an exceptio nal and unique educational environment. We inspire children to flourish in a vibrant family environment, supported by dynamic teachers who provide per sonalised attention in small classes using the latest technology.
“We are dedicated to empowering our students for the challenges of a modern, ever-changing world, nurturing their holistic growth and providing them with the skills they need to succeed,” said a spokesperson.
“The future is very exciting at XIC! We are in a situa tion where we are never standing still, our focus is on innovation and how to be better every day.
“Admissions for September are now open. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit us and know more about the school.”
JAVEA’S old town is a perfectly preserved relic of the past, exuding a rustic charm that is all too rare in today’s world.
Dating back to medieval times, its buildings are a patchwork of historic architecture spanning seven centuries.
Today’s old town is distinguished by its narrow lanes adorned with white façades and gothic windows alongside its distinctive tosca sandstone.
The beating heart of the town was once dedicated to the raisin trade,
For more information on enrollment and the new facilities at Xabia International College, please telephone +34 966 471 785 or visit www.xic.college
ornate raisin drying facilities still remain in the form of sandstone partitions and galleries with large ulls, which would shelter the grapes on thatched mats to dry. Indeed, to walk through the old town is to dip one’s toe into a rich mercantile history.
In the 13th century, Javea was but a small enclosure sealed in by city walls but the 16th and 17th centuries gave rise to the construction of Javea’s most inspired architecture, with gothic buildings such as the Palau dels Sapena and the Casa dels Bolufer. There is a nice range of small shops and restaurants to stop at, including the excellent Irish-Romanian-run place, La Sucreria, right by the main
church.
Also look out for the recently opened Carniceria tapas bar, on the outskirts of the centre. Make sure to look out for its ancient market, now converted into a gourmet hall, perfect for lunch or supper.
Needless to say Javea’s old town retains an allure that has wowed visitors for centuries and long may it continue.
See page 24.
BRITS are still the most significant foreign buyers in Spain’s property sector.
Despite Brexit and only being able to visit for three out of six months, they still make up 15.5% of foreign mortgage applications.
Only the Germans come close, making up second place with 14.1% in 2023.
Swiss applicants account for 9% of the market, Americans (8.9%) and the French (7.8%).
Britsshrugoff BrexitandkeeptheGermansinsecondplacewhenbuying inSpain…atleastwhenitcomestotakingoutamortgage
By Walter FinchThe Irish manage to snap up more property (5.5%) than both Belgians (4.5%) and Swedes (2.7%).
The Swiss and Americans, whose average household incomes are €9,527 and €9,097
per month, look for the most expensive homes averaging around €250,000.
The report by web portal
Idealista notes that the Costa Blanca and wider Valencian Community is by far the most popular location for property purchases at 27%.
Remarkably, Catalunya and
Andalucia rank at 16.4% of property purchases each.
The study discovered the average mortgage applicant was 41 years old with a household income of €5,900 per month.
The average purchase is a property of €213,000, notably 20% higher than Spain’s
national average.
The report further highlights the disparity in financial firepower between foreign and local buyers. Foreign applicants boast incomes nearly 85% above the Spanish average, aiming for properties that far exceed the financial reach of their
local counterparts.
Homes bought by foreigners are on average 27% more expensive than those bought by Spaniards. Interestingly, the financial commitment of international buyers is relatively modest. On average, they finance 61% of their purchase and they prefer fixed-rate mortgages, which account for nearly 70% of the transactions in 2023.
Mark Stucklin www.spanishpropertyinsight.com
IN a mysterious way Covid-19 turned out to be a real tonic for the Spanish property market, boosting local, and in particular foreign demand to extraordinary highs in the wake of the pandemic.
The two best years ever for property
The appetite of foreign buyers for residential property in Spain was the second-highest on record in 2023, writes Mark Stucklin
sales involving a foreign buyer were 2022 and 2023.
Using Land Registry figures (with the Q4 stats just published) we can calculate that 87,365 homes were sold to a foreign buyer last year.
Only 2022 was higher when 94,481 sales involved a buyer from abroad.
TRENDS: Two extraordinary years
And the year-on-year decline of 8% is pretty small and less than the 10% decline recorded by local Spanish buyers in 2023.
Indeed, mathematicians among you will work out this led to an increase in the market share of foreigners from 14.6% in 2022 to 15% in 2023, the highest level on record.
So foreign buyers have never been more important to the Spanish property market than last year.
Market comparisons with 2022 say more about that year’s extraordinary boom than the year in hand, so comparisons with 2019, before coronavirus distorted the market, are also helpful for interpretation, as are comparisons with the 10-year average.
Compared to 2019, sales to foreign buyers were up by a staggering 39% last year, and were up 41% compared to the 10-year average.
In other words, 2023 was a great year when compared to any period other than 2022.
As always the biggest foreign market was the UK, with 8,327 residential
property acquisitions in 2023, some 9.5% of the foreign market - a decline of 15% on the previous year - and 5% down compared to 2019. The UK has been the biggestmarket for property in Spain since records began, though its dominance has declined in the years since Brexit. British buyers head in the greatest numbers to the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol as you might expect. The second biggest market was Germany, with a market share of 7.3% and 6,350 sales, down 25% compared to 2023, but up 42% since 2019.
The extraordinary explosion in the number of German buyers after 2020 was probably caused by changing priorities and lifestyles in the wake of the pandemic. Mallorca is the most popular destination for German buyers.
France was the third biggest market with a 6.7% share of the foreign market, which translated into 5,824 sales, down 6% compared to the previous year but up 18% compared to 2019. French buyers head across the border into Catalunya in the greatest numbers.
Of the other markets for which figures are published by the Registrars, sales declined the most year-on-year among the Swedes, down 40%, and increased the most with Russian buyers, up 60%, while Polish buyers are up by 5% among Poles and Irish.
THE Balearic government will have to pay €96 million in compensation over breaching an urban planning deal with a German-owned developer.
The ruling from the Balearic Supreme Court dismisses an appeal by the government over a lower court ruling that ruled that it broke an agreement made in 2013 over the development of the Sa Muleta II urbanisation in Soller.
The Balearic Islands government has two months to pay €63.5 million as a main claim plus another €30 million in interest dating back to the filing of a first lawsuit in 2009.
The vice-president, Antoni Costa, said the award would make ‘a huge hole in its financial coffers’.
He did not rule out appealing to Spain’s Constitutional Court but promised that no ‘essential services’ would be cut.
Costa indicated that the administration would have to pass an ‘extraordinary credit law’ to pay the compensation.
The money goes to Birdie Son Vida owned by businessman Matthias Kuhn and is the largest ever fine imposed in the history of Balearic urban planning legal cases.
It brings to an end a 14 year battle over the German developer’s plans to build 33 luxury villas at Soller.
SPAIN has been named the fourth most attractive European country for investment in 2024.
Meanwhile, Madrid has claimed third place in the top ten European cities for investment.
Barcelona was just behind, in seventh place, in the report by the Global Real Estate Service.
Only the UK, Germany and Poland rank higher.
The report also praises Spain and Italy for ‘making progress in environmental, social and governance issues’.
It also estimates that by 2025, market activity is expected to return to rates seen before the global rise in interest rates in 2022.
And only 27% of those surveyed believe geopolitical issues will be a major issue for real estate investors, down from 42% last year.
A POPULAR TV show is recruiting for participants in Spain’s Andalucia.
Producers of the Channel 4’s
A New Life In The Sun follows Brits as they set up businesses abroad, from microbreweries to glamping sites. After their successful ninth series aired just a couple of weeks ago, they are already on the lookout for new participants in Spain.
Produced by True North, those interested should email anewlifeinthesun@ truenorth.tv
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TENNIS star Rafa Nadal has bought a €4 million luxury Madrid apartment in the city's Colon y Serrano district.
The property is one of 11 luxury homes in the Villa de Paris residential block that he built with businessmen Abel Matutes Prats and Manuel Campos Guallar several years ago.
The trio constructed the building with direct views of the Plaza Villa de Paris, the Supreme Court, and the Church of Santa Barbara.
It was designed by the prestigious architect Rafael Robledo and is regarded as one of the most exclusive residential projects in Madrid.
The homes were sold on the basis of offering a fusion between classicism and modernity in the finishes and design.
One of the purchasers is the president of the fashion giant, Inditex, Marta Ortega. The block has a spa and gym, plus an allocation of two parking spaces per apartment.
Nadal's home in the five-storey building has all kinds of amenities covering 281 m2.
The open plan design features five bathrooms, four bedrooms, a spacious living room and a balcony around five metre long.
The rest of the apartments are far biggercoming in at around 900 m2.
The
March 21st - April 3rd 2024 23
STILL STANDING: But huge amount of work needed
AN ambitious American has revealed her plans to transform an ancient palace in Spain.
Monica C purchased historic Quindous Palace online while surfing the web from her home in California.
The medieval property, in Cervantes, Galicia, had
A LUCKY Scot has won a villa in Spain worth £3 million as well as £250,000 in cash after entering a lottery while trying to buy a second-hand armchair.
Edinburgh man Graham Dunlop’s prize comes from a charity draw called Omaze, which runs regular lotteries with extravagant prizes such as houses, and then splits its profits with charities. Dunlop, who now lives in Southampton with his wife and two children, entered the draw when he met the woman who was selling a battered old armchair online.
Instead of taking payment she told him to donate to her favourite charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, given that her late husband had suffered dementia. As well as donating, Dunlop spotted the £75 raffle draw which was also supporting the same charity. His lucky ticket left him the new owner of a four-bedroom villa in Mallorca, complete with a swimming pool and stunning views.
failed to sell over a four-year period.
SPAIN’S house prices rose by 4.2% last year proving the resilience of the market.
It comes despite a fall in the final quarter of 2023, according to the National Statistics Institute.
While prices fell around Europe, due to rising interest rates, prices here grew solidly until October.
An upward trend in new build prices appears to be slowing however, with costs rising 11% during the third quarter of 2023 and 7.5% in the final quarter.
Although construction materials costs remain high, prices have stabilised or even gone down slightly over recent months.
According to European Central Bank (ECB) estimates, the Spanish market was overvalued by 11% in the third quarter of 2023.
But a decline in prices during the fourth quarter is expected to lead to a slight drop in overvaluation.
Meanwhile, prices in most other eurozone countries are even more overvalued.
The home mortgage market fell by 17.3% last year due to higher interest rates and high house prices putting off buyers. Analysts expect interest rates to fall this year, which will be good news for the property market.
Monica, originally from Colorado, flew in at the beginning of January to assess the mammoth task ahead of her.
The castle has more than 20 rooms, which she plans
PRIZE:
“This win is fantastic for our family’s future,” he said. “It just opens up so many opportunities. The money really helps give us a bit of peace of mind and gives us some choices about how we choose to spend the rest of our lives.”
The draw not only made Dunlop and his family multi-millionaires, but also raised £3.1 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
to turn into a cookery school that will teach students how to cook Galician food.
Monica, who had never before visited Galicia, also plans to open a restaurant on the site. The small village of Cervantes is home to just 1,200 people. The palace was first built in the
15th century and was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1949.
It sits atop a 9km winding road and offers stunning views of the Os Ancares mountains.
It was first put up for sale for €500,000, which was reduced by half in 2018, before eventually going for €225,000.
It was finally sold to Monica at the end of last year via Country Homes, a real estate firm owned by British expat Mark Adkinson.
...while global pricesare also on theup
GLOBAL house prices have largely recovered after hitting the ‘deepest property downturn’ in a decade.
Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows the property market has ‘hit a turning point’.
Based on data from 37 industrialised countries, house prices grew on average by 2.1% in the third quarter of 2023.
It comes after house prices dropped in many countries in 2022 after interest rates were raised at the ‘fastest pace in decades’ in order to curb inflation.
Overall prices grew by only 0.6% by the end of the year, the lowest rate since 2012.
Experts now predict that central banks will cut borrowing costs to help boost mortgages. A shortage of properties has also helped growth.
Calle General Castals complex is part of a portfolio of real estate assets owned by Nadal - worth €30.3 million. FANTASTIC This amazing Mallorca villaSainte-Lucie-de-Tallano, Corsica
Architects: Amelia Tavella Architects France
What the architects say:
“This building, built in 1480, listed as a historical monument, was partially in ruins and dormant. We had to rebuild it without separating from the vestiges of the past. We believe in higher and invisible forces. Housed at height, on its promontory, it was a defensive castle before being a place of prayer, of retreat, chosen by monks aware of the absolute beauty of the site. Faith rallies to the sublime. “
SPAIN has two incredible properties on the shortlist for the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award for 2024.
Handed out every two years by the European Commission and the Fundacio Mies van der Rohe, it recognises ‘excellence in contemporary design, sustainability, and innovation’.
The seven nominated projects come
The Olive Press brings you the top finalists for the Mies van der Rohe architecture awards and what they have to say about their projects
from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, France and Norway.
The winners will be announced on April 25 in Brussels, with awards handed out at a ceremony on May 14
at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.
Here we take a look at some of the finalists and what they have to say about their projects…
Madrid
Architects: Andres Jaque/Office for Political Innovation, Madrid
What the architects say:
“The design, construction and use of the Reggio School is intended to exceed the paradigm of sustainability to engage with ecology as an approach where environmental impact, more-than human alliances, material mobilisation, collective governance and pedagogies intersect through architecture.”
STUDY PAVILION, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF BRAUNSCHWEIG Braunschweig, Germany
Architects: Gustav Düsing, Berlin, and Max Hacke, Berlin
What the architects say:
“The new build Study-Pavilion on the grounds of the Technical University of Braunschweig is an open space concept designed to accommodate various student activities. The concept follows the principle of a superstructure which allows the user to change and re-configure the layout of the building in order to meet the ever-changing requirements in a fast-developing campus. Through high flexibility in layout, the Pavilion becomes ephemeral and thus responsive, ensuring a long-lasting relevance as a new type of campus building.”
HAGE LUND Sweden
Architects: Brendeland & Kristoffersen, Norway
What the architects say:
“Hage is a public space that should both work as a shortterm space for public discussion, events and workshops, while also, in a long-term perspective, offer a meditative, beautiful urban space and garden at the heart of a new neighbourhood. Open to everyone, it is a response to the question of how to build a new community: start with social space.”
From
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Barcelona Architects: SUMA arquitectura, Madrid
What the architects say:
“The García Marquez is a pioneering and landmark library that culminates a three-decade plan to build these facilities in Barcelona. It sits in a tough working class neighbourhood that has lacked significant investment for years and desperately needed a ‘people's palace’.
Architects: Branco del Rio, Coimbra, Portugal
What the architects say:
“The only flat and open area of hilly Piódão is given back its dignity with this welcoming gathering place. What was previously a parking lot has been redesigned, paved, and partially shaded using traditional materials and techniques.”
Quooker, the success story, that is now taking Spain by storm
But the story of the Quooker begins in 1970.
Henri Peteri was in London, at the multinational Unilever’s headquarters, when he had an inspiration that would change his life forever.
It was during a presentation about instant soup.
It was shown how to dissolve soup in boiling water in just five seconds.
‘And that includes water that has to be left on the fire for five minutes?’ thought Peteri, ‘What madness!
Why don’t we have boiling water in the house?!”
The rest is history. Peteri went into the basement at home to develop a prototype of the world’s first boiling water tap. He sold it to friends and acquaintances, who were very enthusiastic.
When son Niels completed his studies and joined his father, the idea became a product.
In 1992, the first Quooker (‘quick cooker’) was introduced, the Quooker Basic.
From the moment son Walter joined the company, Quooker slowly but surely began to gain ground on the market.
From 2000 onwards, Quooker was doing well. The boiling water tap caught on in the Netherlands. In 2004, the first batch of Quookers was exported abroad.
Now: a popular product in the kitchen
Quooker currently produces more than 350.000 Quookers per year and there are more than 10.000 dealers. Quooker now has branches in 16 countries including Spain and is the result of years of development, testing and technical innovation.
The Peteri brothers have always aimed for the most responsible, energy-efficient and high-quality product possible.
They now run an internationally successful company.
But, entirely in the spirit of their father, who died in 2007,
they continue to invent.
As Niels Peteri explains: “The fact that more and more people are embracing the Quooker as an indispensable tool in the modern kitchen is reflected in sales, which are increasing explosively. We are very proud of that. “However, leaning back is not an option. We want to keep innovating. We do this, among other things, by developing our own production resources, which enables us to come up with original solutions.’
In the future: indispensable worldwide
Quooker is about to conquer the rest of the world. Our ambition is to provide as many kitchens as possible with boiling water, in a smart and responsible way.
To this end, Quooker’s head office in the Netherlands works every day on new technical ideas and design solutions to make the products even more economical, even easier to use and even more beautiful. We also think about new products, but we keep our focus on the tap and the sink.
The Quooker system consists of a boiling water-tap on the worktop linked to a small tank in the kitchen cabinet. The tank acts like a vacuum flask connected to the water mains.
The water in the Quooker tank is heated to a temperature of 108°C. The air in the insulated wall is so thin that the heat is unable to escape. It therefore takes very little energy (just 10 watts) to keep the water in the tank at 108°C. The water only starts to boil when the tap is turned on and the temperature of the outflowing water drops to 100°C. While the water is flowing out of the tap, fresh water immediately flows into the tank. A special active carbon filter inside the tank further purifies the water. Alongside the boiling water-tank Quooker also developed a system for chilled- and sparkling water: the Quooker CUBE. This is an extra tank that is installed next to the boiling water tank in your kitchen cabinet.
More information about Quooker can be found at www.quooker.es
Quooker has arrived in Spain. You can now benefit from official technical service and local warranty. Visit www.quooker.es to know more or to find a dealer near you! With a Quooker in your kitchen you always have 100 °C boiling water alongside regular hot and cold. Add a CUBE and you will also have filtered chilled and sparkling water – all from the same tap. The tap that does it all.
info@quooker.es
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Experience the ultimate in outdoor living with Dumas Design. Visit us today and discover how our exquisite collections and unparalleled craftsmanship can transform your outdoor spaces into havens of style, comfort, and elegance.
Former war reporterturned sommelier takes Jon Clarke on an adventure through the Costa Blanca’s best seafood at BonAmb
THEIR ladders were carefully pinned to the vertical cliff walls of the Marina Alta area or hung down using ropes.
An ancient, thousand-year-old fishing method, the locals clambered down risking their lives particularly on days when it was too rough to go out on boats.
Then when close to the water they shone an acetylene gas lamp towards the sea, bringing fish up to the surface and easy to catch.
Called the ‘encesa’ method, this is the
CREATIONS: Dozens of exciting dishes with black truffle being Charlie’s favourite
inspiration for this years new menu at Javea’s most famous restaurant, BonAmb.
Created by Alberto Ferruz with his sommelier and Maitre Pablo Catala (pictured below), it proves beyond doubt that the very best fine dining is as much about theatre, concepts and textures as it is the food.
“We wanted to pay tribute to the brave men who caught the fish in this way and the menu is today 90% local fish and vegetables from the nearby huertas,” explains 37-year-old Alberto from Zaragoza.
“We try to be as seasonal as possible and use mostly local ingredients, but above all it is about the intensity of flavours,” adds the chef, who started working at the age of 16 and picked up lots of experience in Paris and San Sebastian, as well as nearby Denia, with Quique Dacosta.
Hot on the heels of his mentor Dacosta (who is a close friend), Alberto is very much deserving of his two Michelin stars and definitely heading towards three. BonAmb is an experience that any true gourmet will need to try out.
Aside from the stunning location, architecture and grounds, the kitchen guarantees a journey through the senses, like nothing else on the Costa Blanca.
This was my third visit, the second with my commercial manager Charles Bamber, to celebrate our three-year anniversary since launching an Olive Press edition here. We had last dined here on our launch in 2019 and on this showing it keeps getting better. Our guide for the night was co-owner Pablo, who once worked as an army press officer and cameraman in war zones, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.
And this tour of duty - the amazing ‘Canyis’ set menu of around 18 courses by my countwas not far off being as complicated. Take the gazpachuelo soup, with sea bacon, cured monkfish liver and Mediterranean curry, this was not your average seafood fare. Nor was foie in ‘duke’s gunpowder’, a Mediaeval sauce, or eel
juice and pickled mushrooms or ‘flickering custard’, with dill and salt. He had his work cut out just explaining the dishes (and quite frankly none of his team were able to do it properly in English) and how best to enjoy them. Matching up the menu with wines was a battle in itself, the countless fish flavours wreaking havoc with most wines. His suggestion of a Godello called 12 Casas was a masterstroke. There were certainly plenty of highlights, in particular the starter of celeriac crepe, with red mullet sauce and salted Chantilly cream. Its rich aftertaste still lingering now. The cauliflower roasted in a Roman-style with black truffle on top was delightful as was the marine tartlet, with delicate flowers on top. A real feast, out came white prawns
from Santa Pola, an oyster in a rich creamy sauce, a sausage made out of tuna, a sea urchin and a smoked clam with caviar.
So much was eaten with the hands and everything was part of the overall ‘encesa’ story.
By the time we had finished up some three-and-ahalf hours later, it felt like a night out at the opera or a
front row seat at Hamilton Entertaining in the extreme.
Forget the price of 185 euros a head, it would cost you that in the stalls at Covent Garden and you’d be paying a lot more
WITH pretty-as-a-picture panoramas, gorgeous beaches, the Montgo mountain, lively social life and a fabulous range of properties to suit most budgets, it’s no wonder Jávea is a popular choice for people moving to Spain.
Jávea’s coastline is so attractive there is a special route of 15 viewpoints (miradores) offering panoramic and spectacular views.
Add 320 days of sunshine a year, a golf course, excellent restaurants, and an incredible quality of life, and Jávea ticks the Yes box for many expats looking for a new life in a top location on the Costa Blanca.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT LOCATION:
When people say location is the most important factor, they’re right! A beach-front property by the Arenal or Port sounds idyllic, but it will be busy and noisy in the summer plus parking could be super difficult.
Likewise, living up the Montgó mountain or around Granadella beach with far-reaching views can be relaxing. But you’ll have to drive everywhere which could become a bore if you must ferry children to school, friends’ houses, and after-school activities.
THINK ABOUT YOUR NEEDS:
? Do you want to walk to the shops, bars and restaurants?
? Do you want to be near to a school?
? Do you need good public transport links?
? What is the Wi-Fi like in this area?
Then see if the property you like is in the right location for you.
“Rent before you buy” is the advice you’ll get from many people when you’re moving to the area and we agree. We deal with winter lets and longterm rentals as well as sales and would love to help.
THINGS TO DO IN JÁVEA:
You’ll be pleased to know Jávea is a very social town with lots of clubs and associations for all ages.
These include a tennis club, rugby club, theatre group, computer club, U3A for people no longer in full-time employment and various business networking meetings. On top of this we have lots of fiestas. This June it is our favourite with the International Festival plus the Fogueres de Sant Joan – do not miss these if you are in the area as it will create special memories that are unforgettable.
JUST WANT TO RELAX?
Of course you can be as active as you like with cycling, hiking, walking, padel and much more but nothing stops you from enjoying hours by
the pool or a leisurely lunch. Take Javea at your own pace. There is something new to discover every day and every reason to come back & see more.
The team at VillaMia estate agency on the Arenal in Jávea has many years of experience of living and working in this beautiful region. Get in touch to discuss moving to Jávea and finding your dream property in the right location for you.
IF YOU HAVE A PROPERTY TO RENT OR SELL, OR ARE LOOKING FOR ONE, CONTACT VILLAMIA ON INFO@VILLAMIA.NET OR CALL +34 965 794 139
YOU cleaned your teeth this morning…so are you sure they are really clean?
Its not really possible to see if you have done the job right as plaque is the same colour as the teeth and that is what you are trying to remove, and you can only see the front teeth.
It is important to be thorough and consistent, we are sure you want to start the day with a clean teeth and fresh breath?
So here are the 6 commons mistakes that people make…
● When to clean?
Before breakfast and before bed is most logical. Cleaning after meals is not recommended as can more likely lead to enamel erosion and sensitivity.
● Not brushing into the gums around the necks of the teeth
Avoiding the gums will prevent you from removing all the plaque since most of it is next to the gum and if left there it will eventually infect the gums causing gingivitis which make the gums bleed on brushing. Gingivitis is the first stage of gum disease, when plaque penetrates the gum causing inflammation then bleeding tendency.
● Not reaching the back far enough
Its takes effort to think and reach right to the very back and once you are there you need to spend a bit more time on that area especially if there are wisdom teeth.
● Not brushing the insides
This is common as people tend to clean the front of the teeth much better than inside…. the angle of the brush needs to be adjusted to effectively clean round the insides right to the back of the mouth both upper and lower.
● Brushing too softly
People seems to be worried about ‘receding gums’ which is silly as you do far more damage to gums by not cleaning properly!
Also some soft brushes are often too soft and so not effective cleaners, whereas as hard brush bristles don’t bend around so well in between the teeth and brushing hard with these brushes is too hard on the gums.
So, generally use a medium bristle small headed brush and with this you cannot go far wrong.
● Not brushing or flossing in between the teeth
Many people think this is unimportant and too much bother but in truth it has increasing importance for adults (not for children) as the interdental spaces tend to widen as we age and therefore, hold more plaque which the toothbrush cannot reach in any case. This plaque left there can cause gum disease and gum pocketing and lead to cavities most of which start between the teeth.
If you don’t minibrush or floss then your mouth is only 60% clean.
In short…a quality medium small headed brush, vigorous, circular movements and a thorough job - a maximum clean in the morning with interproximal brushes and a second quicker clean at night.
We recommend electric brushes of course for an easier deeper clean, especially Phillips Sonicare
NEED A CLEAN UP AND POLISH? Come and visit out friendly dental Hygienist Alex for a thorough clean and personalized advice.
Contact us for an appointment at Clinica Dental La Plaza by telephone on +34 966 461 120 (Whatsapp) or visit us at Edificio Plaza, Local 5, Javea
“THE climate in Javea is considered the second-best microclimate in the world,” claims the town hall website.
But is it actually true?
Many websites promoting Javea parrot the claim, some saying it was from a study in the 1990s or from the World Health Organisation and that it was second to Rio de Janeiro.
Being a health organisation, however, means the WHO has a little more than zero information on microclimates.
The World Meteorological Organisation might be a
more likely source but again, there’s nothing saying Javea is a world benchmark. So what do we know about Javea’s climate?
According to the Atlas Nacional de España (ANE) Javea is one of few areas in Spain enjoying a median annual temperature between 20-22.5°C. This makes Javea one of the northernmost points in Spain enjoying such high average temperatures.
But it’s a different map from the ANE which shows Javea’s unique climate within the region.
Whereas other parts of southern Spain and Valencia can see scorching temperatures above 45°C, Javea’s maximum temperatures never go above the high 30s.
This is wholly thanks to the majestic Montgo mountain. This 753m massif protects Javea from cold Arctic winds from the north in winter, and makes Javea jut out into the Mediterranean enough to get cooling breezes in the summer.
LADY Elizabeth International School has over 35 years experience offering British and international private education for children from two to 18 years old.
It offers a unique educational experience of ‘Amazing Learning’, based on discovery and growth, blending innovative methodologies with an international perspective.
The goal of LES is to build a community of open-minded long life learners, ready to thrive and contribute in today’s global context: Innovative Learning & International Mindset. This produces independent, curious and active students who find their way within the multiple academic options on offer. Through constant immersion in English and Spanish in an environment of academic excellence, the school prepares them to unleash their full potential and inspires them to grow globally.
LES uses a curriculum based on UK national standards and which defines, designs, delivers and demonstrates learning through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) - its Key Stage 3 curriculum - and then UK GCSEs and A-levels.
The school has a wide range of over 20 subjects on offer - from the arts to the sciences with subjects such as Marine Science, Photography, Business, Graphic Design and Tourism - for GCSE and A Levels. Based on the British system, les also offers the Tests of Specific Competences (PCE) in Baccalaureate, thus ensuring access to the best universities in the world, including Spanish ones.
The school promotes a student life beyond the classroom to extend the learning process. More than 40 extracurricular activities under its Plus Clubs are offered, including arts & crafts, sports, swimming, stock exchange, robotics, board games, filming and much more!
Also available are business trips, sports and cultural activities, the Student Body, and awards such as Duke of Edinburgh Award.
FACILITIES: The school boasts an incredible campus with more than 40 extracurricular activities
The school also offers ISP Future Pathways, a tailored career program for students ages five to 18 to support each ISP student in making informed decisions to succeed now and in the future.
Broad GCSE and A Level offer to suit all academic paths
As part of the ISP group, LES also offers international opportunities for students within the ILOS programmes such as ISP Virtual Buddy Exchange, ISP Maths Challenge, ISP Model United Nations and I am an ISP Scientist.
Students can make use of two swimming pools, two libraries, sections by educational stage, sports hall, basketball court, soccer field, playgrounds, digital whiteboards, two dining halls, computer classrooms,
music classrooms, psychomotor classroom, childcare room, physics, biology/ chemistry, food science and robotics labs, recording studio, theatre and dance room, photography studio, and auditorium with seating for 400 people. School residence (boarding school).
Amazing language offer
Lady Elizabeth School offers English, Spanish, French and German with the option to study any mother language.
There is also a Russian school on Saturday and active support of study groups for other mother languages.
The Yorkshire Linen Company in Jávea and Altea opened their doors over 18 years ago. Whether it’s a complete transformation or just some finishing touches needed, Yorkshire Linen has everything you need to dress your home ALL UNDER ONE ROOF.
With family, friends and/or renters coming to visit this year, we sell sofa beds and mattresses at very competitive prices. The mattresses are made up of a thick HR (High Resiliency) foam core for optimal support and memory foam padding which provides warmth in winter and on the other side a layer of hypoallergenic fibres for breathability and freshness for those warm to hot summer nights.
Apart from everything and anything a bed could need, we stock a wide choice of UK and blackout curtains and offer an in-house seamstress service. Our lovely selection of indoor and outdoor rugs can also add extra touches to rooms.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see the latest collections coming in and see our Easter opening hours as well.
Facebook www.facebook.com/yorkshirelinencostablanca
Instagram www.instagram.com/yorkshirelinencostablanca
The modern church that brings a new grace to the town’s architecture
IT could well be the most quirky-looking church in Spain. Sculptural Nuestra Señora de Loreto rears up over its nearby buildings like an angry spider or a spaceage creature from HG Wells’ War of the Worlds.
It was built on the site of an old fishermen’s church by the port in 1967, designed by four architects. An important example of avant-garde religious architecture, it stands out for its bold lines and its use of space.
On the outside, its 12 slender pillars represent an allegory of the 12 apostles.
Inside, its cement and red pine wood interior is said to represent a fishing boat, with the light penetrating through the skylights in the form of jets, sliding down the pillars and giving the building its boat keel shape.
It is a must visit from 9am to 8pm all year round.
Better be safe than sorry by getting a proper structural survey done
THE Costa Blanca has stayed ever popular as an investment and lifestyle hotspot for buyers from both the UK, EU countries and the US.
Brexit and a pandemic have actually increased demand, and estate agents have a shortage of properties, with property values and speed of sale being greater than ever.
Alternative investments like crypto currency and stocks have been performing badly, whilst bricks and mortar investments have proved to be literally ‘as safe as houses’.
With increased newbuild costs, most buyers are still getting great deals on resales (at well under the true cost of the building and plot). Importantly however, they need to know what they are really purchasing and whether their chosen property has significant defects that could prove costly to correct.
A structural survey not only highlights defects, but will provide estimated costs of the works required, which can be used to negotiate the price. Typically this achieves a better deal for the buyer, which more than covers the survey fee.
If you are concerned about structural stability, damp, mould risk, concrete decay, termite attack, pool and retaining wall stability etc. be sure to include a professional structural survey when buying.
See advert below for more information and how to contact Mark Paddon about arranging a structural survey
653 733 066
96 280 7247
mrmpaddon@hotmail.com surveyorscostablanca.com
If you are buying property in Spain or have problems with a property you already own, a professional structural survey can help identify and record defects whilst suggesting remedial solutions and cost implications.
Mark Paddon BSc Hons. MCIOB. CAAT. is a British Building Surveyor and Spanish registered Arquitecto Tecnico, insured via Lloyd’s of London. He has been working on the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida for over 20 years carrying out buyers structural surveys and providing general property purchase and insurance claims. (Thermal camera inspection is also included).
Whether its an old town house, apartment or luxury villa every property purchase represents a considerable investment and deserves a close inspection for defects such as damp, termites, subsidence etc. Specialist structural assessment of problem retaining walls and swimming pools is also undertaken.
Fast turnaround video survey options now available.
FREE buyers guide available via website. Initial telephone and email advice is FREE.
THE challenge starts in the 700ha Granadella Forest Park, a scrubland still recovering from a forest fire in 2016 that decimated the area.
The most challenging partthe route, this walk through scrubland can be steep and rocky, though the lack of trees
Toffers sublime views all the way down to Javea’s amazing Playa de la Granadella. (above). After a short scramble up the hill from the beach the Mediterranean arrives like a balm for sore bodies out from Castell de la Granadella viewpoint.
HE third viewpoint looks out over the Isla del Descubridor (Discoverer’s Island), allegedly named after a Javean sailor who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas.
A more shocking discovery for anyone who decides to take a pair of binoculars, however, would be the nudist beach at the foot of this cliff. The real crown jewels is the dramatic coastline stretching east of the Ambolo viewpoint, locked in a perpetual battle with the sea that happily produces the shingled beaches enjoyed by the fully-clothed and nudist alike.
The Mirador challenge may be gruelling at 30kms long, but the views more than make up for it, writes Joshua Parfitt
VISTAS are places for dreamers as well as the adventurous, looking for something different. They are also perfect places to show off on Instagram and Facebook - and to get in your minimum 10,000 steps a day.
The Mirador Challenge helps you with those… and a lot, lot more.
First created by British expats Mike and Fay Smith over a decade ago, it traces 15 viewpoints (miradores) along the dramatic limestone coastline cradling Javea. The route covers 29km and promises some of the best scenery in Spain. You can of course do parts of it, or the whole lot in one day if you get your skates on early. Here, we pick out our favourite sections.
CABO de la Nau is the name given to this whole headland south of Javea.
The protruding cliffs here mark the closest point on the Costa Blanca to Ibiza, which can be seen on a clear day across the shimmering blue.
But Cabo de la Nau also refers to a high, rocky outcrop boasting two restaurants, Cabo de la Nau and Mirador de Javea, with unbeaten views over the Med.
The viewpoint itself, the fifth on the chal -
lenge, is bejewelled with purple clumps of toothed lavender—a rare, endemic species that is separate to the more common English lavender seen in ornamental gardens.
THE woods around La Falzia viewpoint are the only forested area on this otherwise highly-developed coastline. But with sunrise views over Porticholl island, who can blame residents for choosing such an inspiring vista early in the day. The water is so crystal clear you can almost see the fish, and you probably would quite rapidly if it wasn’t for wooden barriers keeping you from the sheer cliff-edge.
A great place for walking, La Falzia is only a stone’s throw from the Playa de la Barraca, which offers a secluded bay for swimming in the summer months.
From this, the seventh viewpoint, you drop down to Javea and along the coast to the port.
FROM the port you have the final climb up the winding footpath to the top of Cabo San Antonio which offers perhaps the most stunning, near-360 degree views on the Javea coastline.
From Ibiza to the east, the whole of Javea beneath you, and the Montgo mountain to the west, this is a true dreamer's paradise.
From here, you can see how the citrus groves just outside the old town of Javea find sanctuary in this valley from the hard limestones cliffs that confront the sea like a rampaging Spanish bull.
And as you gaze longingly over the town, it won’t be long before you’re enticed back into one of its bars to remind your battered body why beer is best served ice-cold.
How to slash your power bills with a payback period of just six to seven years, writes Phil Bennett, owner of misolar & miagua
BEFORE heat pumps entered the Spanish market in 2006 there was a limited range of options for powering a central heating system.
BUT WHAT ABOUT IN 2024?
The price of gas bottles (bombonas) keeps on rising. The cost of filling a gas tank comes with increasing extra costs like transport. And then there’s the complaint we hear a lot in Spain: gas cutting out at the worst possible time.
This year, more and more people are asking me whether heat pumps are cost-effective to power your central heating (radiators or underfloor heating). Here’s a real-life example:
HOW OUR CLIENT IS SAVING €1,800 A YEAR WITH A HEAT PUMP
One of our latest clients in Javea used to spend €3,000 a year on gas for central heating and domestic hot water.
The replacement heat pump system cost €12,000 euros (equipment + installation).
The heat pump cut out the homeowner’s consumption of gas. But it also added €300 euros a month to his electricity bill for 3 months over the winter period.
TO SUM UP…
This client went from spending €3,000 a year on gas to spending €1,200 a year on electricity. A saving of €1,800 annually
The homeowner is looking at an annual return on investment of 15% and a payback period of 6-7 years. Looking at it that way, it’s a better investment than even stocks or shares.
1. AVOIDING ONE-TIME PAYMENTS OF €3,000
This client had an external gas tank and it cost €3,000 every time it needed refilling. He found it easier to pay once for the heat pump heating system, and then have a manageable extra €300 per month to pay over winter.
2. NO INCONVENIENT OUTAGES
The gas tank ran out at inconvenient times. A heat pump system avoids the problem entirely.
3. BETTER REPLACEMENT
His existing boiler was old and needed replacing. Instead of paying €1,500-4,000 on a new gas boiler, it made sense to increase his budget and get a heat pump heating system at home that would pay for itself through the energy savings.
4. THE COST OF GAS
The cost of liquified natural gas (LNG) will only keep going up. During the last crisis in January 2022 the price of gas hit a price 12x more expensive than in January 2021. Any bottlenecks in supply will only cause the price of gas to rise once again.
5. INSTALLING SOLAR
The biggest deal-breaker for the client was his plan to install solar later in 2024. Being able to run the heat pump off his own solar energy would reduce electricity costs and help him break even much faster.
Given the surge in questions on this topic, I am offering anyone interested the opportunity for a short telephone call to discuss your current system and potential options.
Many times, I will tell someone that the heat pump isn’t the best choice and suggest an alternative they hadn’t considered.
To get answers to your questions scan the QR code and fill out our Callback Request form. We will call you back at a convenient time within 24 hours of receiving your details (week days).
WILL A HEAT PUMP HEATING SYSTEM MAKE SENSE FOR YOU?
Javea is becoming a real gourmet hive with a range of chefs vying for attention, writesJon Clarke
THERE is a quiet revolution going on in the charming back streets of Javea.
Not content to count on its two Michelin-starred joints, BonAmb and Tula, the fast-growing resort is developing a food culture to rival anywhere on the Costa Blanca.
“It’s amazing how much it has changed in the nine years I’ve been here,” explains expat chef Robert Mcteague, who owns two restaurants in Javea old town with his wife, Andrea.
“There is so much healthy competition now and everyone is doing their own thing,” continues the Irishman, who ran restaurants back home and in Italy for over a decade before moving to Javea.
“It’s a really cosmopolitan place and best of all it is not expensive, even the Michelin-starred Tula, where we ate a lovely long meal with two bottles of wine for just €250 recently,” adds the father-of-two.
Sandwiched between sea and sierra, it is no wonder Javea has the best of both worlds when it comes to ingredients.
Split between its three distinct areas, the port, the Arenal and the old town, you have everything from tapas joints to formal sit downs.
By a long way my favourite is stunning BonAmb (www.bonamb.com), which manages to combine the best quality local ingredients, with creative cooking and amazing ambience.
The two-Michelin star restaurant is
an experience that any genuine gourmet will need to try out.
As well as its stunning architecture and grounds, the kitchen guarantees a journey through the senses, like nothing else on the Costa Blanca.
Creative and inspiring and continually fighting for its third star (which must be fast approaching), its head chef Alberto Ferruz does the Valencian community proud, showcasing mostly local dishes.
Having partly-trained in Paris and San Sebastian as well as nearby with Denia’s culinary king Quique Dacosta, you are in safe hands.
There is lots of fish and plenty of fruit and veg and the restaurant’s Maitre Pablo Catala is one of the most interesting restaurateurs in
Spain, having worked as a cameraman in war zones, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia, and then as an army press officer.
Its main rival is Tula, which has had a Michelin star since 2019 and is known for its simplicity and excellent use of local ingredients. Run by Borja Susilla and Clara Puig, it regularly changes its ingredients and is a breath of fresh air in the busy Arenal area.
Among other places you have to try are Robert Mcteague’s very own Carneceria tapas bar, on the outskirts of the centre.
This hip new joint is set up in a former butcher’s shop that first opened in the 1950s and counts many of its original features, such as counter, floors and even its ancient walk-in
fridge. The sign outside says it all, while Robert continues the authenticity, making his own bacon, ribs and sausages and featuring a simple menu to go alongside a nice array of tapas plates.
It’s a great place to while away a few hours
and has plenty of local wines by the glass, as well as Guiness on tap, as you’d expect from a West Coast of Ireland native. Don’t forget ‘Taco Thursdays’, while there are other fun nights in the offing for the Spring. His other place, mostly run now by his friendly Romanian wife Andrea, is La Sucreria in a prime location next to Javea old town’s main church. It has an excellent mix of dishes and is always busy.
Among other exciting places to try out are Volta i Volta, run by a Valencian chef and his Italian wife Marguerita from Verona. Focussing on great local ‘KM0’ produce, expect plenty of pickles, conserves, syrups and marinades. Es Tapa Ti on the Arenal is also good.
In terms of country joints, El Campo, takes some beating with its charming garden and experienced local chef Amanda Trenco, 40, who knocks up a great mix of Asiatic twists and a solid a la carte menu, with such joys as shrimp gyozas with spinach and roast suckling pig with apple and red berries. There is even an occasional Mexican special menu.
Heading into Javea port you should look out for popular tapas bar, Andares Ibericos, opposite the cinema that specialises in excellent ham and cheeses and great light bites. A friendly, family-run place it has real charm and an excellent selection of wines by the glass.
The best spot to enjoy wine is at the Bonapata, which describes itself as a ‘boutique bar of grapes and acorns’ just up the road, also in the port.
es and, best of all, the best Jamon Iberico, from the Val de Pedroches, in Cordoba.
The Spanish couple who run this place have just opened a new place up on busy Arenal, which will also likely do very well.
Another great spot, always busy, and an excellent spot for burgers and light snacks is Geographic, which always has all sporting events on a huge range of televisions.
And make sure you drop into the excellent Lancashire Bruja, just opposite the tennis club, where well established local expats Stephen and Christina serve up sell out roast dinners and all your British favourites including fish and chips and the classic English fry up, of course. The couple also organize the town’s popular New Years Day swim, which raises money for charity.
Finally down on the beach there are two chiringuitos, one La Siesta that
There are around 70 different wines by the glass, not to mention an amazing selection of pates, cheesreally gets going in the summer when it is THE place to hang out and be seen and Thalassa, which sits halfway along the road from Arenal to Caleta de Dins. Named after the Greek word for ‘sea’ it is exactly that, dominated by the ocean, and with a seafood style menu to match.
AS one of Spain’s emblematic towns - like Ronda, Toledo and Santiago - Javea rightfully counts on a Parador.
Yet, surprisingly, the popular Valencia resort has a real paucity of good places to stay. Assuming you don’t have a few hundred euros per night to splash the cash, the 1969-built Parador is out of most people’s budgets.
By far the best value option is Javea Hotel (www.hotel-javea.com) in the heart of the port, next to the stunning Nuestra Señora de Loreto church and a short 100m walk from the beach.
While some of the rooms are small, it is stylish and friendly and counts on its own restaurant on the roof with a stunning sea view.
It is also next to the celebrated VO cinema and walking distance to a dozen good places to eat, not to mention with air-conditioning and WIFI in the room.
Another great value spot is Quinta la Sal (www.quinta-la-sal.hotel-in-valencia.com) that sits right at the other end of the town in the hills above the Arenal area.
Set in pine woods, full of red squirrels and birds, it is just a short walk from breathtaking Playa de Ambolo and a
five-minute drive to Granadella beach.
Each of its dozen or so casitas are well appointed and have plenty of outside space and shade, plus a nice pool to chill out by.
A step up in quality and a little bit in price is the stylish Ritual de Terra Resort and Spa (www.ritualdeterra.com), a hotel to cleanse your mind and unwind.
This dreamy spot is surrounded by nature and focuses on wellness, as well as making the most of its lovely views towards the sea and the faraway Montgo mountain. There are yoga classes twice a week, meditation classes, as well as wellness workshops and a fascinating ‘gong vibrational sound bath’ which is said to reduce stress, aid sleep and encourage creativity.
The spa counts on a massage suite, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, as well as an indoor pool and there are plenty of face and body treatments available. With quality linen, super king size beds as well as a great wonderful central pool area, tennis and padel courts, you should end up feeling both energised and pampered.Meanwhile its new restaurant MADRE serves Mediterranean classics, with mostly seasonal ingredients.
ONE of Spain's most prolific dubbing actors, Montserrat Miralles, has died at the age of 67.
Miralles' range was broad and included TV and movie voice dubs of mainly-English speaking roles into Spanish.
The Barcelona-born actor became Victoria Principal's character of Pam Ewing in the epic soap Dallas and took on the vivacious Marilyn Monroe in the classic comedy film, Some Like It Hot.
Miralles started acting in the theatre and then developed a career in dubbing movie legends like Claudia Cardinale, Olivia de Havilland, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, and Barbra Streisand.
SPANISH police have smashed a counterfeit art ring that was selling fake Banksy pieces around the world.
Officers arrested two people at a workshop in Zaragoza for allegedly creating the forgeries.
They also arrested another two people for selling the artworks.
The suspects are under suspicion of continued fraud and infringement of intellectual property.
Each piece, supposedly by British street artist Banksy, sold for between €80€1,500.
AT WORK: Painter went too far
By Yzabelle Bostyn
According to the Mossos d’Esquadra Catalan police, the scammers made up to €10,000 in the scheme.
Mossos d’Esquadra seized nine works and have identified another 25 in Scotland, Spain, the US, Germany and Switzerland.
The group sold the pieces, often spray painted onto cardboard, in specialist shops, Barcelona auction houses and online. Officers also seized the various stencils and paints used to create the artworks.
A PRIEST has apologised to angry locals after ordering workers to paint over historic frescoes during a church’s restoration.
Hector Lunar, a priest on Tenerife, has asked for forgiveness following an outcry by churchgoers, claiming that he never knew that the 300-year old artworks, fragments of which survived, had been given protected status over a decade ago.
The Church of St Anthony of Padua, which dates back to the 16th century, was being restored when
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The group claimed the works had been created as part of Banksy’s Dismaland project, a temporary exhibition resembling a dreary theme park.
Named ‘The UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction’, the exhibition was held in Weston-superMare near Banksy’s native Bristol.
the walls were ordered to be repainted.
“No one told me about the frescoes. All I wanted to do was add another coat of paint to that bit of the church to get it ready for Holy Week events”, Lunar insisted. The frescoes were discovered two decades ago during separate restoration works, with the church listed in 2011.
BRITISH LGBT campaigner
Peter Tatchell has urged Spain’s first pansexual matador to ‘turn his back’ on the ‘oppressive’ bullfighting industry.
Mario Alcalde, a 31-year-old matador from Madrid, came out as pansexual in January. Now Tatchell has sent Alcalde (below) a letter imploring the bullfighter to see ‘the obvious parallels between the oppression of LGBTQ+ people and that of animals’.
“Bullfighting is the ritualised killing of innocent animals, who have no choice but to enter the ring. They stand no chance of coming out alive. It is the killing of living, feeling beings for entertainment and pleasure," writes Tatchell.
The scammers reportedly included stickers, stamps and certificates from the exhibition to make the product seem more authentic.
According to police, the creators were ‘young Banksy fans in economic trouble.’
The investigation remains open and police could make further arrests. They are working with Pest Control, the only official company to verify authentic Banksy pieces. Banksy, an anonymous artist, is famous for his murals, critical of modern politics and art, often found in unexpected locations like the West Bank and Gaza.
"Our LGBT+ community has long fought against oppression and injustice.
“Not only is torturing animals to death in a bullring morally indefensible, it also flies in the face of the altruistic values we stand for as a community."
SPAIN'S government has approved a merger between telecom firms Orange and MasMovil following EU clearance last month.
Digital Transformation Minister Jose Luis Escriva said that plans for the new combined entity were 'truly ambitious' with big investments in fixed and mobile infrastructures.
It would become Spain's biggest mobile operator serving over 30 million customers.
Orange's Spain division and MasMovil are currently the country's second and fourth largest telecoms providers.
The deal with a value of around €18.6 billion is expected to be formally completed by the end of April.
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SPAIN'S biggest supermarket chain, Mercadona, recorded a record net profit of just over €1 billion last year - up 40% on the 2022 total. Sales grew by 15% to €35.5 billion, according to annual results presented by the company.
Mercadona chairman and main shareholder, Juan Roig, said it had been the company's 'best year'. Results were driven by improved productivity; good tourist numbers; growth in
SPAIN’S Supreme Court has ruled that the time taken for a morning coffee break and period employees take to settle into the working day should count as part of their hours worked.
The decision allows workers a courtesy margin of up to 15 minutes at the start of the day - if this has been agreed between company and workers beforehand.
This decision stems from a dispute involving the employees of Caixabank and its top brass over their assertion that hours worked must be a ‘faithful reflection of reality.’
The ruling specifically addresses a 1991 agreement between unions and the bank, which stipulated that clock-
By Alex TrelinskiPortugal; and more users of their online service.
Mercadona increased its share of the market by 0.6% to 27.6% in Spain in 2023, well ahead of other supermarkets, with Lidl next at 6.4%.
Roig says they are reaping the rewards of €10 billion of investments made since 2016 to refurbish stores and logistics centres.
ins within 15 minutes before or after the scheduled start time are counted as effective work time.
However, in 2019 Caixabank released a new ‘Time Registration Guide’ which argued the opposite, provoking the trade unions to go up in arms.
The new guide claimed ‘the breakfast break is not counted as effective time, unless it has been dedicated to professional or commercial tasks.’
It also introduced a new clocking-in system, meaning that if an employee arrived five minutes late, they would
He stated that 1,364 of its shops have been renovated in recent years, and are twice as profitable as the old units. "We have changed the location of 400 stores and closed
be obliged to leave five minutes later. The workers’ unions objected to both claims on the grounds that they violated the 1991 agreement of labour rights The Supreme Court came down in favour of the unions.
130," Roig said. “Closing or relocating sites is one of the bravest and sometimes unpopular and annoying decisions I have had to make to increase efficiency,” he added.
Mercadona's record results come at a time where food price increases have been making the headlines. Roig said the company, which raised prices by an average of 10% in 2022, made reductions in a thousand products between April 2023 and February 2024. These price cuts have contributed, according Roig, to the retailer gaining a 0.6% market share rise last year.
SPAIN’S Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has temporarily blocked a US-based firm called Worldcoin from its activities, after it emerged that the company has been scanning people’s irises.
The company has scanned the eyeballs of some 400,000 people, paying them in its own cryptocurrency.
The AEPD has taken action against Tools for Humanity Corporation, a German company that has been working for Worldcoin to carry out the scans.
The Worldcoin app can be used to store cryptocurrency but also can be used for identification purposes.
The company calls the iris scan a ‘proof of humanity’, and offers the user the option of creating a unique code based on the data from their eyeball and then destroying the image, or the preservation of the photo. But it is still less than clear exactly how these scans are being used, which is what has prompted the fears over data protection.
The company has been notified that it can not collect more scans, nor can it do anything with the data that it has already collected from 400,000 people.
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AIRPORT unions have announced daily two-hour strikes over Easter at Valencia.
The stoppages will run between 11am and 1pm from March 28 to April 1.
Grievances include dissatisfaction at a shift system to cover absent staff and the lack of a 24-hour canteen service. The strikes affect workers employed by the airport operator Aena, who have not commented on the impact they will have on services
On March 28 and 29, there are two flights to London operated by Easyjet and British Airways that fall within the time frame of the planned stoppage.
There are also Ryanair services to Rome, Milan, Bologna, Sofia, and Wroclaw.
A Good Friday flight from Dublin may be affected.
A SURVEY of online travel booking website users has crowned Alicante province as the number one Spanish destination for British travellers looking to celebrate the Easter holidays.
The study from online flight por -
tal JetCost says that the area is also popular with Dutch tourists- coming third on their list of favourites. Jetcost's Marketing Director, Ignazio Ciarmoli, said that it will be 'a record-breaking Easter, with record hotel and flight searches'.
LATE night restaurant meals could soon be a thing of the past if Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz has her way.
“It is not reasonable for a country to have its restaurants open until 1am,” said Diaz, who is the leader
ANDALUCIA’S first ever ‘vegan butchers’ has opened in Malaga’s Huelin district. The Catalan business, el Vegans’, offers vegan versions of popular Spanish charcuterie. Its goal is to ‘help publicise the suffering of animals through food, which many people see as an insurmountable barrier’, and has now made its way down south. The ‘butchers’ offers 100% vegan milanesas, serranito sandwiches, seitan cannelloni, soja chunks, croquettes, battered ‘chicken’ breast, ‘fish fingers’, burgers, cheese, black pudding, fajitas, kebabs and sweet treats.
By Simon Hunterof leftist alliance Sumar, which is the junior partner in the Socialist-led coalition government.
“We cannot try to keep extending timetables until who knows what time,”
Diaz, who is also Spain’s labour minister, added, arguing that working beyond 10pm can be a risk to mental health.
The minister described Spain’s famous late-night dining culture as being out of step with the rest of Europe.
But Madrid premier Isabel Diaz Ayuso, from the conservative Partido Popular, was quick to take to X to slam Diaz’s comments.
“We are different,” she wrote in a tweet.
“Spain has the best nightlife in the world, with the streets full of life and freedom. And that also brings jobs. They want us to be puritans, materialists, socialists, with no soul, no light, and no restaurants because they feel like it. Bored and at home.”
Diaz, in response, dismissed Ayuso’s comments as ‘frivolous’. She said that her party was ‘in favour of leisure time’, and that proof of this was that ‘we want to reduce the working day’.
HIGH speed Renfe train services from Elche, Orihuela and Murcia will be directly linked to three Castilla y Leon region cities from next month.
From April 8, travellers to Burgos, Segovia, and Valladolid will no longer have to change trains in Madrid.
For example, Renfe’s budget Avlo trains will go to the capital on the Murcia lineas at present- but then continue to Valladolid.
The company’s move comes as low cost rivals get ready to launch services on the Murcia-Madrid line later this year, including stops in Alicante province.
BUDGET airline Jet2.com has begun trialling cash-free flights. Passengers onboard flights to and from Manchester will have to purchase food, drinks and other items using card and contactless payments only.
The low-cost airline has emailed customers who are part of the trial to inform them of the change. A 2020 study found that over two-thirds of major airlines were now operating cash-free on board. Jet2.com is the third largest airline in the UK, behind easyJet and British Airways.
INDUSTRIAL engineering was Begona Rodrigo’s initial career plan when she attended Valencia Polytechnic University.
But after a trip to Amsterdam she got the travel bug and ended up working around
the Netherlands and then the UK’s restaurant business.
After a couple of years at the head of London’s two-Michelin star Aquarium, she came home and, in 2005, opened La Salita in Valencia’s foodie barrio, Rufaza. The winner of Spain’s first Top Chef TV show (in 2013), Valencia’s Cook of the Year title in 2014, she has a second restaurant, and a phenomenal cocktail bar, La Coctelería al Nu. Today she counts on a Michelin star and, as of last month, three Repsol Sols, the only chef to snare the top award this year. As she told the Olive Press last year on a trip to the Costa del Sol: “Cooking was in my veins and it’s my passion.
TEAM VALENCIA: Rodrigo, Dacosta and Ferruz and tally of Soles and Stars below
“Valencia really has it all when it comes to food and the sheer range of top chefs now is extraordinary.”
Pere III El Gran 11, València, 46005, España Tel.: +34 963 817 516 www.anarkiagroup.com
A family restaurant that opened in Cocentaina in 1980, it is named after the ladder you had to climb to get into it. It later swapped location and the second generation, chef Kiko Mayo and his cousin Alberto Redrado, took over. Since then, L’Escaleta has accumulated two Michelin stars and three Repsol Suns.
Mayo works with local products to produce tasting menus that change according to the season. He emphasises memory
and a cuisine that goes back to forgotten recipes such as chicken crest. When asked to define his cuisine, at a bash last year, he told the Olive Press: “I aim to create a cuisine that is simple, honest and humble in every sense. I want everyone to feel at home from truck drivers to food critics!”
Subida a la Estación del Norte, 205. Cocentaina, Alicante Tel.: +34 965 592 100 www.lescaleta.com
Andalucia and Valencia are running neck and neck in the race to tempt travellers with stellar gastronomy. DILIP KUNER dishes up his A-list, while, JON CLARKE talks to the chefs
SPAIN once again beat its own record with more than 84 million international visitors in 2023, spending a whopping €108 billion. But these days it’s Michelin stars and Repsol Soles, not beaches, that are pulling in the punters. And that’s no surprise with the country being, unequivocally, the world’s best place to eat. Spain has so many chefs in the world’s best lists and the huge growth of Michelin stars backs this up. The past 20 years has seen a revolution in Spanish
Valencia-born Jose Manuel Miguel worked in the Ritz in Madrid and Le Bristol in Paris before returning to his native soil. As chef of Beat, located in the Cook Book Hotel in Calpe, he has been awarded one Michelin star and also scooped the Sapiña Prize for Innovation.
The 46-year-old has developed a very personal style, adapting
highly refined and technical French cuisine to fresh, local products.
His favourite bywords: ‘Tradition, technique, elegance and innovation’.
Partida Marisol Park, 1. Calpe, Alicante
Tel.: +34628277858
www.thecookbookhotel.com
Born in 1984, Alberto Ferruz already holds an impressive record for such a young chef, and he shows much more promise.
Originally from the Zaragoza region, Ferruz has trained and worked in France and Spain where he collaborated with Quique Dacosta. His style follows the up-and-
gastronomy with an emerging generation of chefs at the forefront of culinary innovation that goes way beyond patatas brava, tortilla and paella.
But what has really changed in the last five years is the big spread of where the top chefs work.
While they almost all used to ply their trade in Catalunya and the Basque Region, today they can be found all around the country.
And it’s the regions of Valencia and Andalucia that have grown the most in recent years… and incredibly they are neck and neck with a scoreli-
Dacosta is one of the most notable leaders of Spain’s culinary revolution. His Denia restaurant was awarded three stars in the 2012/13 Michelin guide and he has held on to them ever since. He also has three Repsol soles and was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts in 2020 - and his signa ture dishes certainly are artistic.
This year’s menu, Por amor al arte (For the love of art) hammers home the message that his edible creations are full of ‘knowledge, innovation, culinary vision and passion for creativity’.
And all for just €295 (drinks not in cluded).
Coincidentally, he also runs the ama zing two-star El Poblet in Valencia city, plus Deessa, at the Ritz in Madrid.
Carrer Rascassa, 1 Urb. El Poblet, 03700 Dénia, Ali cante Tel.: +34 965 784 179 www.quiquedacosta.es
coming trend of tradition, anthropology and innovation. “I am for an avant-garde cuisine that is 80% Mediterranean product, but I also recuperate old, forgotten recipes,” he told the Olive Press last year. BonAmb has been awarded two Michelin stars and three Repsol Suns.
Carretera Benitaxell, 100. Jávea, Alicante Tel.: +34 965 084 440 www.bonamb.com
ne of 31-31 in their Michelin star count, while Repsol Soles (Spain’s equivalent) lands 74 for Andalucia to Valencia’s 60.
Much of the spread south is due to young chefs jumping on the locally-sourced bandwagon, rediscovering forgotten recipes and voicing their modernity through theatrical reinterpretation. Tradition, culture and region are now celebrated in haute cuisine menus and although technique keeps improving, ingredients are the new protagonists.
In southern Spain, Malaga and Cadiz are leading the way, although the other provinces are getting into the mix. In the West it is Valencia and Alicante that have the foodie hotspots. But it’s really no contest. If fine dining is your thing, you can’t go wrong either way. Here we pick out the top stars for each region.
Mauricio Giovanni is an Argentinian from Cordoba who started his Spanish career ma king pasta ‘like many Argentinian cooks do’. In 2003 he opened Messina in Marbella, along with his wife Pia Ninci whose name is an homage to his grandpa rents who were natives of the eponymous Sicilian town.
The restaurant has long been a favourite among Marbella’s dining cog noscenti although it didn’t
earn its first Michelin star until 2016.
Giovanni’s a la carte and tasting menus are based on local products, particularly fish and shellfish.
He combines avant-garde culinary techniques with a simple and elegant presentation.
However, you will have to wait to pay a visit - it is temporarily closed for renovations.
Av. Severo Ochoa, 12. Marbella, Málaga Tel.: +34 952 864 895 restaurantemessina.com
Benito Gomez learnt his trade under Spain’s most famous chef of all time, Ferran Adria.
The El Bulli boss liked the Catalan livewire so much he sent him to help launch his Andalucian diffusion joint, at Hacienda Benazuza, near Sevilla, two decades ago.
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And he simply never went home, loving the southern region so much, he decided to stay when Benazuza shut, opening his own restaurant Bardal in Ronda.
One of Andalucia’s top restaurants, with two Michelin stars and two Soles, his laboratory champions the best local ingredients and changes regularly. He has a second diffusion restaurant, Tragata, in the town and he is usually found crossing the road between the two joints which are 100m apart. “I love Ronda and its amazing range of cheeses, mushrooms and vegetables,” he told the Olive Press this week. “Andalucia is the front line of food these days and there are so many chefs doing amazing things here.”
C. José Aparicio, 1, 29400 Ronda, Málaga
Tel.: +34 951 48 98 28
www.restaurantebardal.com
November 29thDecember 12th 2023
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The Chef of the Sea, as Angel Leon is known, is famous among other things for being the first to introduce plankton as an edible ingredient in dishes. Hailing from Jerez, he studied in Sevilla and worked in France before starting his own restaurant. Aponiente quickly earned a reputation for its creative cutting edge dishes featuring fish and seafood never previously seen in cuisine. He guaranteed this by going out and buying his own fishing boat to find his very own fish. With three Michelin stars and three Repsol Suns, the New York Times considered it one of the ‘10 restaurants in the world worth taking a plane for’. Set in a former windmill, it boasts a team of 70 professionals for just 30 diners.
The marine-themed tasting menus astonish with their elaborate presentation.
He told the Olive Press last year: “Sustainability in cooking is my main driver and I just pray the days of overfishing are coming to an end.”
Cádiz
Tel.: +34 956 851 870
www.aponiente.com
Chef Paco Morales met his wife Mariana in her native Cordoba, Argentina, and in 2016 they realised their life project: opening Noor in Cordoba, An dalucia.
One year later they earned a Michelin star and a Rep sol Sun, and now have a very im pressive three of
each.
Noor’s interior is influenced by Andalucia’s Moorish heritage, while dishes combine modern culinary techniques with flavours and aromas from the past.
Every season, the restaurant explores a different historical period, currently the ‘Golden Age’ of the 18th century, when the New World brought its ingredients to Spain.
A genuine culinary genius (some might say mave -
When Marcos Granda opened his tiny restaurant in the heart of Marbella nearly two decades ago lots of people expected it to last a few months.
With just 12 covers (yes TWELVE covers a night) it seemed impossible to imagine that it would survive. But today the Asturian businessman - who is a sommelier by trade - has three Michelin stars in Marbella alone (two at Skina and one at Nintai) not to mention two more stars at Clos in Madrid and Ayalga in Ribadesella.
rick) his creativity is off the scale.
Above all, he is a diplomat and true champion of southern Spain.
“There is no doubt the chefs in Andalucia are now starting to push the boundaries,” he told the Olive Press. “Our creative edge is finally getting noticed.”
Pablo Ruiz Picasso, 8. Córdoba
Tel.: +34 957 96 40 55
www.noorrestaurante.es
Having trained at El Bulli and at Greenhouse in London helped, as did various stints in the north of Spain.
And that’s not all, his new restaurant, Marcos, which opened in Gijon exactly a year ago, won a star in this year’s Michelin guide after just TEN months. The man is on fire… a dynamo, who has not just put Andalucian cuisine on the map, but now exports it all around the country.
“Nobody trusted my ideas,” he revealed shortly after winning his first Michelin star in 2008. “Noone would have bet on my vision. But in my mind, the secret was clear… however, I wanted to put it to the test first.”
Aduar Street, 12, 29601 Marbella, Málaga
Tel.: +34 952 76 52 77
www.restauranteskina.com
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SPANISH researchers have come up with an innovative way of easing gout. They’ve patented a treatment based on a molecule found in coffee and cocoa.
Dr. Antonia Costa and Dr. Felix Grases from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) have revealed the benefits of 7-methylxanthine. This increases the solubility of sodium urate and stops the formation of uric acid crystals, which cause pain and inflammation in the joints of affected people.
The breakthrough comes after a decade of research to find a solution to the condition that affects up to 5% of the world's population.
The success of the two doctors has its origins in the discovery, in 2014, of theobromine as a substance that inhibits the crystallisation of uric acid.
That research led them to study substances derived from theobromine - namely caffeine - to stop crystals forming in joints.
The UIB says that the pharmaceutical industry has already expressed major interest in their discovery.
It hopes that a licencing agreement will make the
Quick Crossword
Across: 1 Sensed, 6 Ills, 8 Orson, 9 Spends, 10 Ant, 11 Elfin, 12 Leia, 13 Eden, 14 Liners, 16 As is, 17 N A S A, 19 Scythe, 20 Isms, 23 Okra, 24 Piano, 26 Chi, 27 Niacin, 28 Tacky, 29 Uses, 30 X-files.
Down: 2 Express, 3 Sandals, 4 Dose, 5 Ask for it, 6 Inane, 7 Litre, 15 No chance, 17 Neo-Nazi, 18 Surmise, 21 Socks, 22 Spits, 25 Onyx.
treatment widely available to gout sufferers as a safer and more effective option to combat this painful disease. People with gout have to follow a strict diet that helps prevent excessive uric acid production.
At the same time, there are various medicines based on anti-inflammatories to reduce pain, diuretics to increase urine excretion, and medications to reduce uric acid production.
All of these have notable side effects, including increased cardiovascular risk, which makes the UIB discovery even more appealing.
A POPULAR meal-skipping plan could increase the risk of cardiovascular death by 91% according to new research.
Fasting for 16 hours has been linked to 91% more risk of cardiovascular death in comparison with those who eat within a 12-16 hour window.
Those who fast limit their eating time to four to 12 hours, often spend the majority of the day without eating anything.
Eating during an eight hour interval and fasting for 16 is the most popular version of intermittent fasting.
However, research carried out by the United States Heart Association has warned that fasting for this long, even if you sleep during this time, could be dangerous.
Previously research had shown that fasting can reduce blood pressure as well levels of sugar and cholesterol.
Now, a study using over 20,000 US adults has found fasting for 16 hours or more increases the risk of cardiovascular death by 91%.
It also found that fasting is not associated with living longer.
Researchers say they were ‘surprised’ by the findings.
The study concluded that although there was a correlation, there was no direct link between fasting and cardiovascular issues.
SCIENTISTS have revealed the optimum number of steps per day to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Research from the University of Sydney found that walking 9000-10,000 steps a day could reduce the risk of early death by 39% and the risk of cardiovascular events by 21%.
Just 4,000-4,500 steps could be enough to give you half of these benefits. Any step count higher than 2,200 a day was associated with lower mortality rates and cardiovascular events.
THE EU has issued a food safety alert after a 1.5 tonne shipment of strawberries entering Spain from Morocco was found to contain traces of hepatitis A.
The risk was classified as ‘serious’ by the EU’s RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) after officials conducted tests on the haul after it arrived in the port of Algeciras.
The Valencian association of farmers (AVA-ASAJA) called on the government and the Eu-
ropean Union to enact ‘urgent measures’ to prevent a dangerous repeat of the situation.
Officials believe the strawberries contain hepatitis A, which can cause a highly inflamed liver, due to the irrigation of fruit farms in Morocco with fecal water.
PROSECUTORS say there’s no criminal case to answer over excessive waiting times for breast, colon, and cervical cancer screenings in the Valencian Community.
As previously reported by the Olive Press, the Patient Ombudsman asked for an investigation after the regional government said that up to 200,000 women waited as long as four years for appointments.
Carmen Flores asked the Valencia Provincial Prosecutor to see if a crime was committed.
After opening a pre-trial probe, the chief prosecutor said just three days later that the complaint ‘does not contain anything that could be classified as criminal’.
Cristobal Aguado, head of the AVA-ASAJA, has sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, urging him to “urgently ask the Moroccan government for explanations and to specify what measures it intends to take to prevent this type of thing from happening again”. He also lobbied the under-fire minister to insist that all strawberries coming from Morocco should undergo a thorough health inspection and, in the event that more health alerts are detected in other fruit and vegetables, controls should be extended to those products.
Junta president Juanma Moreno stated that ‘those strawberries should never have entered Spain’.
Authorities have confirmed that the strawberries were detained at the Andalucian port and prevented from entering general circulation.
the buildings.
Also there is a wonderful extra you can add to your policy and that is accidental damage, which is unique to Liberty Seguros and covers many breakages and claims within the home.
Therefore can I please ask you all to double check the coverage of your home policies, whether you are with Jennifer Cunningham Insurance and Liberty, or another company, to understand the cover you actually have. Finding out you have the incorrect and insufficient coverage when you want to make a claim is far too late.
My consultants are currently working on assessing the home policies, and if they feel you would benefit with increased, additional coverage, they will contact you at renewal. In the meantime, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact one of my offices and we will be able to give you the advice you require and answer any questions.
We also have optional guarantees available, which include dangerous dog liability, public liability for mobility vehicles, cover for electric vehicle chargers, and illegal occupation if the policy is for a second home and unpaid rent if you are a landlord renting your property.
If you have expensive garden furniture, we can increase the cover for these. We can also offer increased cover for valuable objects and jewellery in event of theft with violence. We can tailor your house policy to suit your own individual needs.
AN autonomous robot police dog will soon be using artificial intelligence to patrol the streets of Malaga on its own, sniffing out crimes with a suite of stateof-the-art sensors.
SPAIN’S leading pollster, who was widely ridiculed after misjudging the recent Galician regional elections, has blamed conservative nuns for boosting the rightwing vote.
DORITOS Spain have dumped Spanish transgender influencer Samanatha Hudson, 24, after tweets emerged - from when she was 15 - detailing her ‘depraved’ desires towards under-age girls.
RESEARCHERS have found parakeets - a common sight in Spanish cities - have developed regional dialects.
A study compared the calls of monk parakeets in eight cities and four countries across Europe and found each had ‘different accents’. Published in Behavioral Ecology magazine, the research was carried out by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour and Evolutionary Anthropology.
AN e-scooter rider has been filmed carrying a door and huge slats of wood on the base of his two-wheeled vehicle in southern Spain.
The viral video is alleged to have been recorded in San Fernando, Cadiz.
The middle-aged rider can be seen travelling in between cars on his scooter while trying to balance the large number of items perched on the electric vehicle by his feet.
He is then seen taking on a roundabout, as travellers in the car behind him record a video on their mobile phones.
According to the study author, Stephen Tyndel: “Similar to humans, monk parakeets have developed unique ways of communicating according to where they live.”
The birds are the ‘ideal’ subject
to study the evolution of communication in a non-human species.
The birds originate in South America, but escaped pets have established colonies around Europe.
The researchers carried out their study in Spain, Belgium, Italy and Greece. Each city had a different dialect, with variances in the structure and frequency of each call. Although difficult for humans to distinguish, it was discovered that the Brussels parakeets had the strongest dialect.
The results surprised researchers, says Tyndel: “This suggests the dialects came out passively, as birds copy each other, they make mistakes and over time these become a new dialect.”
The team believes accents could develop actively as a form of social communication to help birds recognise their friends in big groups.
City parakeets live in very crowded nests, leading researchers to think ‘slang’ could have developed.
A VULTURE has won a legion of fans online after being pictured ‘taking over’ an apartment balcony on the Costa del Sol. Pictures shared on Instagram show the bird of prey seemingly posing for pics as its claws clutch onto the railing of the terrace in Fuengirola. The snaps were taken from an apartment in the Stella Maris building next to the Paseo Maritimo on Sunday. Commentators joked that the vulture was ‘a new type of squatter’.
TWO men doing Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago pilgrims walk had to take refuge up an oak tree after being charged by several cows. The hikers, aged 28 and 64, were in the Caceres area when they were surprised by the animals.
One of the cows was with her calf and took an instant dislike to the men and charged them. They climbed to the top of an oak tree and stayed there for 20 minutes until the Guardia Civil arrived to help them.
