Whether you’re a regular visitor, live here or like to holiday here, these videos of the Costa Blanca remind you of the reasons you chose Spain in the first place. Hopefully you might have been able to visit since the end of lockdown. If not, we hope to see you soon:

Spotlight on Guardamar

Guardamar del Segura is a small town in the Alicante province of Spain. It has many interesting features including its sandy beaches, pine tree forest and dunes. In this article, David Ruiz explains its history, what Guardamar has to offer and why people might choose this location for their holiday home or permanent residence:

Congratulations Elche!

You may or may not know that we do have some avid Elche supporters in our Ábaco office. So, when Pere Milla scored a goal for Elche in the 96th minute it was an opportunity for celebration. This last minute goal against Girona means that Elche will now return to the First Division and look to take on the big boys such as Barcelona and Real Madrid.

It wasn’t a straightforward promotion either. You can read more about it here:

Opportunity to improve your Spanish

Do you want to take your Spanish to the next level? Real Spanish is designed for people who already speak and understand some Spanish but perhaps are finding it difficult to progress further. It provides an interesting mixture of activities including videos and stories that place the Spanish vocabulary and grammar in context. Why not give it a try?

You might also be interested in the new restaurant ‘Frijolino’ that has just opened there and serves Italian and Mexican food:

Guadalest is a beautiful little town in the Valencian region, close to Benidorm. It has many interesting and beautiful features you can visit. It’s particularly famous for its waterfalls but in this video and promotional material we’re told about its castle. You can also take a virtual tour around it to give you a real flavour of what to expect:

Unlocking the mysteries of Spanish wine 

If you are a fan of Spain’s albariño wine then you might want to read this Guardian article about the origin of the very special grape that it’s made from:

Really? But it’s not even October yet! The town of Vigo in the north of Spain has already begun to decorate in its bid to be the city with the best Christmas lights in the world. The idea is that the decorations will help fill the town’s hotels - an idea that some other towns and cities in Spain might want to consider:

Until recently the Worldcrunch articles have been behind a pay wall. Now, on a temporary basis, you can access them for free. As the title suggests, the articles provide content from all across the world and on many different subjects. You can subscribe to their newsletter for free and read a selection from their website:

Whether you think the tomato throwing escapades of Buñol in Spain are a messy waste of time and tomatoes or whether it looks like great idea fun, the Tomatina this year will be celebrated with a difference.

This year there will be no actual Tomatina. Instead people are being encouraged to ‘do-it-themselves’, creating their own food fight and then uploading the video onto social media. There is also a prize draw with – you’ve guessed it tickets for next year’s Tomatina.

This article from The Local provides interesting insight and advice from a personal point of view. Stephanie de Leng took the plunge and bought a rural property. She got some things right but made mistakes along the way:

You can also follow Stephanie’s experiences through her blog 'Up a Mountain in Spain'. She includes lots of photos and personal accounts that will ring true with anyone who has spent time in Spain.

In this article from The Local they suggest 11 types of Spanish food and drink that can help you keep cool. Some of the suggestions also have links to a recipe so you can try making it yourself. How many of these have you tried?

We would welcome any suggestions for future themes you would like us to cover either in the newsletter or in an article on Spain Explained.

Please let us know by email at newsletter@abacoadvisers.com.

Thank you!