Costa Lifestyle

Help! My villa is finished – but where’s the soul?

Here you are, standing in your brand-new living room. On bare concrete. Outside, the tyre marks from the cement truck are still etched into what’s meant to become your garden… Congratulations. Your Spanish villa is complete. The dream project you sketched, selected, planned and fought for over months – it’s finally standing. Sleek. White. Modern. And utterly soulless. Don’t panic – it’s not you. It’s the clockwork Spanish way of […]

04/10/2025 3

Gusto

Spanish wines and wine regions along the Costa Blanca

There are places where wine is just a drink — and places where it tells a story. The Costa Blanca belongs firmly to the latter. Here, between the rolling hills of the Marina Alta and the sun-drenched plains around Villena, wine grows quietly. No mass production, no flashy labels — just honest grapes, passionate winemakers and a landscape that reveals more than you’d expect at first glance. Time, then, for […]

04/09/2025 5

Viva Cultura

The blue domes of the Costa Blanca

If you, like me, often find yourself wandering around the Costa Blanca, you’ve probably noticed them too: those charming whitewashed villages with, towering above them all… a striking blue dome. One of those features that makes you think: who ever decided that was a good idea? And why do you see so many of them here? So, here it is: the story of the blue domes of the Costa Blanca. […]

04/03/2025 10

Casa Y Vida

Modern villas: from scepticism to curiosity

It all started with a road trip from Málaga to Valencia. Eight hours in the car, just me, my thoughts, and a playlist that aged badly by hour three. Somewhere near Benidorm, as I was questioning my life choices, something else caught my attention: massive construction sites. Modern villas popping up like mushrooms after rain. After a few days in Valencia, I decided to take my time heading back. I’d […]

04/02/2025 2

Gusto

Mercat del Riurau: the scents and flavours of a Sunday morning in Jesús Pobre

I have a real soft spot for markets. You might’ve read about it in one of my earlier stories here on the site.Anyone arriving in Jesús Pobre on a Sunday morning senses it straight away: the Mercat del Riurau isn’t just any market. It’s an ode to craftsmanship, simplicity, and flavour. Beneath the shade of ancient olive trees, on the inner courtyard of a beautifully restored riurau, local producers gather […]

03/31/2025 6