Costa Lifestyle

Día de la Madre: how Spanish mothers are celebrated (without the perfume ads)

Earlier this year, I celebrated my first Spanish Father’s Day — in March — while the rest of Europe wasn’t even thinking about it yet. By now, I’ve learned: holidays here don’t just fall on different dates — they feel different too. And Día de la Madre, or Mother’s Day, is no exception. This Sunday, I expect to see the same scene as last year at the market in Jávea: […]

05/01/2025 2

Viva Cultura

Día del Trabajador: Spain’s Labour Day

Heads up: the day after tomorrow, Thursday, is 1 May — and that means in Spain: shops closed, bureaucracy quieter than ever, and not a plumber in sight. Last year, on 1 May, I tried to pop into the supermarket in Valencia — only to find the doors shut. And not just there. The bakery, the pharmacy, the ferretería, even the local Chinese takeaway — all closed. That’s the power […]

04/29/2025 1

Gusto

Fresh fish! From market to table on the Costa Blanca

Where to go, what to look for, and what to do with it You follow your nose to the fish market. Not that pungent smell of fish that’s been sitting too long, but the salty, briny freshness you remember from childhood days by the sea. It’s still early — just before the midday sun hits the stalls. Styrofoam boxes creak, knives flash, voices call out in local dialects. Here at […]

04/28/2025 6

Casa Y Vida

The Spanish bathroom: zen or a drain on your water bill?

Bathrooms rarely show up in dreams. Kitchens do. Bedrooms too. But bathrooms? Hardly.Maybe because we tend to design them as functional corridors — places to pass through, not to linger in. And that’s a shame. Especially here in Spain, where sunlight dances through the window and water is a resource, not a given. A bathroom deserves more than white tiles and an IKEA mirror. I still remember my first Spanish […]

04/23/2025 3

Gusto

Easter traditions on the Costa Blanca – from mona to bacalao

Spring has arrived, the scent of frying onions is back in the air, and you know: Semana Santa has begun. In the week leading up to Easter, Spain comes alive in a way you don’t easily forget — and you feel it not just in the streets, but at the table too. Last week, we explored tortilla de patatas — perhaps the most widely shared dish during this festive week. […]

04/21/2025 5