Work which has been going on to connect the promenades at Marbella and Puerto Banus has resulted in a footbridge which Minister of Tourism, Luciano Alonso, has called ‘the longest in Spain of its characteristics’.

Standing at three metres in width and 70 metres in length, the wooden footbridge, which is known as the bridge of Rio Verde, cost a total of 850,000 euros to design and build and is just part of a program to develop the infrastructure of the area which has seen around 2.7 million euros being invested by the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Sport.

The bridge, which was opened by the Minister of Tourism and Mayoress Angeles Munoz, was only part of the recent work to be carried out in the city, which has also involved the remodelling of the terraces at the marina in the Costa del Sol’s tourist capital of Marbella.  With an area of around 7,000 square meters having been recovered as part of the redesign project, visitors and local residents now have an attractive new open space where they can enjoy weekend concerts at the auditorium and where children can make use of the new playground facilities.

Stair and ramp access to the terraces has also been improved and new street lighting installed, as well as pergolas having been strategically placed so that visitors can enjoy views out to sea and of the plaza.  More green areas have also been created with shaded areas to offer greater levels of comfort in the heat of summer.

Marbella’s mayor believes that these most recent improvements contribute greatly, not only to the city’s image, but also to the quality of life of its residents and the many thousands of visitors who come here every year.

If you are thinking about buying a home in Spain, either to live here permanently or in which to spend holidays at various times of the year, heating is probably one of the last things on your mind, especially if your experience of the Costa del Sol has been limited to the summer months.  Although the climate in winter is very temperate, however, and certainly considerably warmer than in Britain, even one summer spent in the heat of the sunshine will see you quickly becoming acclimatised, which means that the inevitable drop in temperatures in the winter will still be noticeable.  The days are often still warm and sunny, but it is in the evenings that it can feel quite cold.  There are though, a number of excellent and very cost-effective ways of heating your Spanish home.

As in the UK, many Spanish properties are fitted with central heating systems or under floor heating, although rather than being gas-fired they are fuelled by oil.  You will find a range of local oil suppliers in the area, so shop around to get the best deal and remember to check whether the company that you use charges extra for delivery.

Another option is using the air conditioning units which are installed in most properties as a form of heating.  In nearly all cases the units can be used for both heating and cooling, although it has to be said that this can be a more expensive option and, if you are trying to heat a larger area, not as efficient.

Of course, one of the best ways to keep yourself feeling cosy on a cold winter’s evening is with a real fire.  Although fireplaces are relatively rare in the UK these days, they are a feature which you will not only find frequently in older Spanish properties, but many new ones too.  Not only is this an extremely effective way of heating a property, but unlike some other methods of heating, it is a dry heat which will not cause damp.

Paraffin heaters, gas heaters which use bottled gas and halogen heaters are other options, and the units are all pretty cheap to buy.  You might also like to consider some of the alternative energy sources such as solar, geothermal or biomass systems which, although more costly to install in the first instance, can make for a good long-term investment.

With so many British expatriates living on the Costa del Sol and so many of the locals involved in the tourist industry able to speak their language, in some ways it’s easy to see why so many fail to learn more than just a few words of the Spanish language.  According to recent reports, however, not getting to grips with the language and not understanding the laws and the regulations of the country is not only causing them problems, but can also leave them feeling socially isolated.  Help, however, is at hand.

In a deal struck up between the British and Spanish authorities, Spanish civil servants are to be placed at the British consulates in Malaga and Alicante in a bid to help expats deal with the local bureaucracy.  They will be on hand to offer advice on property issues, registering with local authorities and finding their way around the country’s health services.  In many cases, British people living on the Costa del Sol have failed to make themselves part of the Spanish system by registering with the proper authorities, something which has caused them difficulties particularly when urgent situations have arisen.

While in some ways speaking the international language of the world can have huge benefits, in others it can prove to be highly demotivating when it comes to learning the local language when Brits move abroad.  Those who originate from countries where their native tongue is not understood elsewhere generally pick up the language of their host country very quickly…because they have to.  For the British, however, their mother tongue acts as a disincentive when, in many situations, they can already make themselves understood.  For both practical reasons and from the perspective of improving their quality of life abroad, however, learning the language, becoming part of the country’s system and understanding its rules and regulations can offer huge benefits to those who choose to make the Costa del Sol their home, and it seems that both the Spanish and the British authorities are keen to help.

Whether for a better way of life or to escape the lousy British weather, the interest of Brits in buying property on the Costa del Sol certainly doesn’t seem to be diminishing if figures for the early part of 2010 are anything to go by.  With Spain’s unemployment rate running at around 19%, however, those who want to make the leap but also have a way to go before they hit retirement age are finding themselves facing a deal of frustration.  In today’s technological age though, work in the traditional sense needn’t be a barrier!

Aside from the obvious opportunities for starting up a bar, restaurant or other type of ‘real’ business in Spain, or even an online business, another thing which might be well considering is ‘virtual’ work.  With nothing more than a laptop and an Internet connection, the possibilities are almost endless.

Many of those who are anxious to make the move but are put off by the lack of work opportunities in general and year-round opportunities in particular, will have specific skills which they used in their employment in their home country.  These might involve anything from computer design or writing skills to data input or general secretarial skills, all of which are greatly in demand by businesspeople across the globe.  In most cases, the location of the service provider, who acts as a freelancer, is immaterial as all the work is carried out using a computer and the finished ‘product’ is simply e-mailed to the client.

Because so many of the people who are interested in moving to Spain are keen to find a better and more relaxed way of life, virtual working can offer the ideal solution in that it allows the opportunity to work from home and to fit the working day around all the wonderful leisure pursuits that the Costa del Sol region has to offer.  In addition, because the projects that virtual workers take on are based in so many different countries around the world, they don’t have all their economic eggs in one basket!

Related Content: Finding Work In Spain, Starting A Business In Spain

In common with many other Mediterranean countries, Easter is the main celebration of the year in Spain.  Whilst Christmas pales into insignificance compared to the four-month long frenzy of commercialism in the UK, it is during the Semana Santa, or Easter Week, that the devout Spanish citizens take to the churches and the streets to celebrate the miracle of life itself.  For those living in or visiting the Costa del Sol, not only is it a wonderful time of the year to learn about the religious traditions of the region, but also a great opportunity to join in with the local celebrations and bond with the local people.

In reality, the Easter celebrations in Spain begin before the period of Lent, around the time of Shrove Tuesday, and it is then that villages and towns throughout the country truly get into party mode.  Floats and parades fill the streets as everyone dresses up in fancy dress and celebrates through until dawn.  Bars and restaurants are full to bursting and everywhere there is street music and dancing.

Running from Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) until Easter Monday (Lunes de Pascua), the Easter Week celebrations vary from place to place but are generally focussed on lively and colourful carnivals and processions, as well as music, dancing and, of course, eating.  Setting out from the churches of the towns, the processions see the local people carrying images of Christ on the cross and the Virgin Mary through the streets in what is a deeply significant and moving homage to their religious beliefs.  In many places, passion plays are also enacted, but whatever form the celebrations take, everyone from the oldest to the youngest takes part.

The city of Malaga is the place to head for on the Costa del Sol for those who want to experience some of the most spectacular Easter celebrations in the whole of Spain.  Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week, is an ideal time to visit, but be sure to get there early so that you can take in the whole day of celebration and merrymaking.

After years of dragging yourself into work five days a week, the prospect of retiring to the Costa del Sol is undeniably an exciting one.  Especially if you are considering moving to Spain immediately after retirement, however, there are a couple of particularly important things to bear in mind when choosing your location.

Of course, wherever you are thinking about buying property in Spain, especially in later life, there will always be additional factors that you need to consider.  Current and future levels of fitness will probably be some of your more immediate concerns, not only with regard to the style of the property, but also in terms of its proximity to local shops and services.  If you are leaving family behind in your home country however, and especially beloved grandchildren, what is equally important is the ease with which you will be able to travel backwards and forwards.  With all the excitement of emigrating, it can often be easy to underestimate the impact of not being able to pop round and visit family and friends when you feel like it, so consider carefully how close you want to be to the airport.  Thankfully, the Costa del Sol’s main airport at Malaga is very convenient and offers a good number of year-round flights at really excellent prices.

Another thing to consider carefully is what your chosen area offers by way of things to do.  Although the prospect of simply doing nothing for a while is undoubtedly a tempting one, and of course exploring the region will probably come fairly high on the list of early priorities, be sure to investigate the facilities and activities that will be available, not just at the height of summer, but in the winter months too.

We know that it can sometimes be a daunting prospect when buying property in a foreign country especially when there seems to be so much conflicting information flying around the web on the buying process.

Due to this, we will be populating the site on a regular basis and adding to the content that we already have, more information on living in Spain and other important aspects such as obtaining your NIE number and information on the Spanish Social Security System for both employed and self employed workers.

So please return frequently as it is our aim to not only present you with a wide range of properties for sale, but also to provide you with all the information you need to make your purchase or even your life in Spain that little bit easier.

Just to let you all know that we have added a couple of new articles to the site which are Finding Work In Spain and also an article on Starting a business in Spain.

Hopefully these will be of interest and of use to those who are looking to move here and need to work.

Yesterday we added another local area guide to the site for Marbella. The marbella guide aims to give you an overview of Marbella and we will also be adding important contact numbers and information to the guide in the near future.

If you have any important links or numbers that you feel we could add to the guide to make it better please contact us.

We have started to add more content to the PGM website in the form of local area guides. We have started with a guide to Mijas but will continue to add more guides over the coming weeks.

The guides will not only contain general information on the local towns of the costa del sol but also important information, contact numbers and email addresses of town halls, police and other emergency services. We will also hope to add information on local tradesmen and businesses.