There are two very different Spains as far as I am concerned. You have the Spain on the coast where the holiday makers congregate, known so well as the 'Costas'. The other Spain is everywhere else. The first is truly terrible, the rest completely interesting and quite entrancing.
To be fair I know little about areas like the Costa Blanca, the Costa Brava, and the Costa del Sol, and long may that continue. There have however in times past been occasions where my journey south had to be made on the coast of the Mediterranean. To make things worse it was in August, and the traffic was literally bumper to fender, at less than 10 miles an hour all the way. All I saw of Barcelona was concrete tower blocks, although I am sure it must have attractive area. Much further south on the Costa del Sol, places like Torremolinos is just my idea of hell on earth with lest than lovely beaches packed with holiday-makers. Behind them are miles of nearly identical restaurants offering virtually identical food catering to tastes from all over Europe with not a real Spanish dish to be seen. As for the old original town, it lies just about submerged under acres and acres of high rise concrete.
The real Spain can be found not so far away. Thanks to some superb roads it is possible to journey from north to south in Spain in around 10 hours, with not a car in sight even in Aug. Just stay clear of the coast, and do your analysis. Find a Spain where life still stops at lunchtime and does not begin again until dusk, as the afternoon siesta still commands. No shops open, just one or two cafes, no hustle, no bustle, just peace and tranquility. Add to this no Sun. megastore opening, barely even a tiny shop unless you are lucky enough to come upon one in one of the masses of unspoiled minuscule whitewashed villages you may very well be staying near.
A life in fact unchanged over the past thirty years. Yes there might be 1 or 2 UK expatriates enjoying the climate and the relaxed surroundings, happy in the knowledge that they selected the right spot to put down roots. No appalling urbanisations where you live cheek by jowl with others you share a typical language with. What is the point in being English in Spain and living next to other English folks. It becomes like suburbia in a better climate, and you almost certainly don't learn Spanish because you do not have to.
How much more fun it is to rent a finca in the country, than a villa on a little plot. It's challenging to make yourself accepted in a local shop that has fruit and vegetables to die for, and succeeed in making a transaction and then discovering that Spain inland away from the crowds is still inexpensive. Buy a enormous bag of shell on gambas and pay only little change, then if you've got to visit a town on the coast discover you are paying less than 1/2 of the holiday makers there are paying.
The other Spain is beautiful, and is just waiting to be discovered. I adore my Caribbean Holiday Spots but inland Spain runs it a close second.
Ian has been researching and rewriting another travel website. Come and visit his revamped website over at Caribbean Vacation Spots, his most recent article is on Halcyon Cove in Antigua and information about the best prices. Ian does however still love Spain and is working on a website on the best unknown Spanish holiday spots.
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