Travel to Alicante

• Documents required when driving in Spain

  Mon 05th December 2011

  Of all the years travelling to and from Spain I neglected to take my vehicle registration document. Stopped on a routine police check in Spain I was asked for it. Yes, I had the driving licence in paper format and in plastic card format too, as well as the original MOT and the insurance certificate to hand and all in my name, but no vehicle registration log book, which I had left back in the UK.
  As far as the police are concerned it could be a stolen vehicle I was driving, and informed that any child could copy the other documents presented. Showing the tracking device paperwork that the car had cut no ice.
  It was nicely explained to me that they could impound the car and be retrieved upon the registration document being shown, plus a fine for their trouble.
  A lesson learned from the helpful Guardia Civil and they very kindly let me on my way, but just as he did so the nice policeman noticed that the GB sticker I thought was on the number plate wasn't there. A 5 year old car that has gone through France and Spain every year went unnoticed and unpunished.
  A possible on-the-spot fine would be 200 Euros for this misdemeanour, but the Guardia kindly let it go. Must have been the pending xmas goodwill.
  I had the document posted out to me in Spain toot de suite, along with the missing GB sticker, just in case. What documentaion is required when driving in Spain and France?

  • Driver's license in plastic card and paper format
  • Insurance document (original)
  • GB sticker on bumper or a 200 Euro fine
  • Vehicle registration (original) document (or rental documents), otherwise you risk car being impounded.
  • Wearers of spectacles should carry a spare pair
  • Fluorescent jacket (for each occupant of vehicle)
  • Two warning triangles for Spain to allow for front and rear warnings.
  • Spare light bulbs, even if you cannot fix them.
  • Fire extinguisher (recommended)
  • First-aid kit (recommended)
  Speeding:
  What is nice about Spain and France, apart from the usual enjoyments of being abroad, is that they pre-warn you of radar, so if you happen to be over the limit, by any chance, then at least you have been warned. The exceptions are when the police have a hand operated radar unit. One place notorious for this in Spain is on the Teruel to Zaragoza road around the turn off for Monreal del Campo (normally always under the bridge).
  

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Halal & Kosher food on the Costa Blanca

  Tue 28th June 2011

  We have been getting an increasing number of requests, from clients, for information regarding their dietery requirements whilst on holiday in Spain.

  There is a large Moroccan community in Spain and every town has halal butchers, where  you could ask for advice on eating out locally at restaurants serving halal or kosher foods, as well as picking up supplies for your self-catering at one of our holiday villa rentals.
  The best one in our region is in Teulada, on the ‘Avenida Santa Catalina 48', which is in the centre of town, by the town hall, near the Aquagest (water company) office. There is another in Calpe and Benissa.

  There are plenty of established Indian restaurants in the area, mainly in the resorts of Moraira, Calpe, Javea and Altea, and they may be serving halal meat, so best to check.

  There is a lovely family-run Lebanese restaurant in Calpe - SHADI, Tel 96 583 6464. Cabo La Nina (close to fountain by the dry river bed at the bottom of the town).

  AL ZARAQ Carrreterra N332 - Calpe Tel: 96 573 1615 (on the national road, signposted, just north of Calpe). Upmarket Lebanese restaurant set within beautiful grounds overlooking Calpe. Very special, formal and abit pricey but well worth it if you are looking for something different. Tables outside in lovely gardens.

  For tapas, there are a lot of seafood and vegetable tapas (tortilla, calamares, mejillones, olivas, anchoas, pulpo) - hope this does not count as halal, as they are delicious, and would think that, like kosher food, seafood is alright so long as the animal has scales (fish). Also, just tell the barman that you are allergic to pork! Happy eating.

  Please let me know of your own thoughts and recommendations as we like to provide as much information as possible to our clients who enjoy renting villas from us and the joy of home from home comforts, with a bit of warmth and sun, I hope!

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Lottie - new member of the team at VillaSpain

  Thu 26th May 2011

  It's true to say that you do go all soft and gooey eyed when a pup joins the family.

  Lottie is just 10 weeks old and a very adorable chocolate brown Cockapoo. More Cocker Spaniel than poodle, it seems.

  It has been a long time since having a dog, so updating myself on those books entitled how to bring up a dog has been absorbed.

  Lottie just loves lying over your shoe to make sure she has a tag on you, as she is not keen yet on being left alone.

  If you have a pet then why not take him/her with you to Spain.

  Take a look at the Newsletter here for details about useful links and those villas that are pet friendly.

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Las Fallas – the greatest fiesta of fires on earth

  Mon 14th February 2011

  The insider guide to Las Fallas in 2011

  When? 15-19 March, each year

  Where? Valencia

  Why? To honour St Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters

  Really? Yes, but one feast day has turned into a crazy, five-day fiesta of fires.

  How? It's Spain, remember.

  The land that brought you bull-running in Pamplona and the world's largest food fight in Buñol (La Tomatina) brings you a pyromaniac's dream - Las Fallas in Valencia, a five-day fiesta of fires. If there's one thing Spain does exceptionally well, it's party.

  Neighbourhood groups, known as casal falleros, create enormous, papier maché figurines. Creations are often satirical, always elaborate, can scale above three storeys and cost up to €600,000. Pick up a local Fallas map (from tourist offices and dotted throughout the city) for all the exhibit locations.

  All but one of the creations are stuffed with fireworks and set alight at midnight on the 19 March in La Cremà (the burning). The pardoned figure is chosen by public vote and joins generations of previous fortunate favourites in the Fallas Museum.

  The finalé is an ear-splitting cacophony of noise with flames appearing to engulf the city. Don't be tempted to squeeze into the front rows behind the barriers as the heat and floating embers from the towering fires routinely drive crowds back. Resourceful bomberos (firemen) are on hand to douse out-of-control fireballs. This event is not for the faint-hearted!

  Looking for something more sedate? Head to the Plaza de la Virgen on the 17 and 18 March. Entire communities, including their fallera mayor (festival queen) don exquisite, traditional costume and offer flowers to a huge wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. The processions are joyful and music spills through the streets.

  Accommodation for Las Fallas 2011

  Accommodation is tough to find in the city, but check the virtual tours of our luxury villas for a quiet bolthole within an hour or so of the city.

  Parking in Valencia

  Driving? Make the most of the Valencia park & ride system. You'll find car parks and great transportation into the city from: Llíria, La Pobla de Vallbona, L'Eliana, Massarrojos, Rocafort, Empalme, València Sud, Paiporta and Seminari.

  Or try parking along the Turia dry riverbed, close to parks, gardens and Valencia's major architectural highlights. In the city, find blue zones and pay at the nearest machine. Watch out for red and yellow zones (or blue signs with a yellow line through them). Park here and your car will be ticketed, clamped or towed.

  Helpful links...

  for accommodation away from the noise click here

  for a cheap flight to Alicante, Valencia and Murcia click here

  for the Las Fallas 2011 itinerary, photos and information click here

  for transport information for Valencia click here

  Have you been to Valencia in March? Will you be going to Las Fallas in 2011? Tell us your story, email your photos and give us your top tips. blog@villaspain.co.uk

• Making a claim against an airline for cancellation of a flight. My personal experience

  Tue 25th January 2011

  Yes, we all have to get caught out on the odd occasion and this time it was my turn.

  Having booked a return flight with Ryanair UK Ltd (Gatwick-Alicante), both myself and a partner were caught up in the cancellation of the return flight due to the closure of airspace. Although not desperate to get out of Spain, the earliest date for a flight with Ryanair was two weeks away, so we simply booked with Monarch airlines on the trusty laptop for a flight leaving in 6 days. Time was not wasted with a laptop to hand.

  One month after my return to the UK, Ryanair kindly refunded the return flight, but sadly would not accept my claim for compensation of a cancelled flight under (EC) Regulation No 261/2004 *(see next paragraph), and responded  by stating that any such claim should be claimed from my insurer. After submitting documents and drawing their attention to the issue and the regulation it was rejected twice, on the basis that I had chosen to use another airline to fly back to the UK, even though it mitigated further losses. Ryanair  then stated that their decision was final and further correspondence would not be entered into. I therefore sought settlement through the small claims court, which was more driven because of their tone than anything else.

  *Under (EC) Regulation No 261/2004  (article 9) you are entitled to compensation for additional accommodation costs, food and travel cost between hotel or other to the airport, but Ryanair would not accept the European regulation.

  Whilst it may well be unfair to airlines that claims are brought against them for circumstances beyond their control, it is incumbent upon the airline to be insured for this, or as is the case, airlines are claiming from the government for unnecessary closure of airspace for their losses. The (EC) Regulation was put in place to protect travellers that have had their flight cancelled, irrespective of cause.

  Making a claim for compensation on cancellation of a flight is straightforward in most cases, but this was due to the ‘ash crisis' back in April 2010 and with Ryanair........oh dear. Ryanair are not known in the forums for being very helpful in meeting the simplest of claims, but airspace closure??? This was going to be a challenge.

  To cut a long story short they kindly settled out of court with £700 out of the £800 claim.

  

  If you ever need to communicate and take action against Ryanair, under similar circumstances, then you may well find the following helpful after issuing proceedings against them

  Address, as it is not easy to find;

  Ryanair UK Ltd
  Satellite 3
  London-Stanstead-Airport
  Essex CM24 1RW

  Firstly, Ryanair say they will defend the case.

  Then the secretary of Ryanair UK at Stanstead will send an application to the judge stating that Ryanair UK is a dormant UK company and that it did not enter into an agreement with the Claimant.

  The file then goes to the District Judge for directions, which usually results in a mediator being appointed to hear your case, which you can agree to do.

  In the meantime, the Secretary of Ryanair UK will write to you asking to settle the claim and to phone him on his personal number. He will include  a notice to discontinue the claim in the letter.

  The deal is about 50 Euros per person accommodation per day plus allowance of travel and food. If your claim is not excessive and falls within these boundaries then you may want to consider accepting the offer. If not then let the secretary submit your claim to Ireland for further consideration.

  The secretary then confirms the offer in writing to you.

  You then send a letter of acceptance and withdrawal of the case.

  Many have been successful suing Ryanair in Ireland, for which many Forums advise that it only costs about 15 Euros to do, so you could try that.

  Ryanair Holdings PLC
  Ryanair Corporate Headquarters,
  Dublin Airport,
  Dublin,
  Co Dublin,
  Ireland

  To my understanding, if you took off or landed in the UK; then a UK court has jurisdiction, and the applicant can choose where to start the claim.

  The moral of the story is do not be put off making a claim, particularly as there is an EC regulation that supports such a claim.

  It is a pity that some companies are simply unreasonable and in this case downright difficult.

  Hope the above is helpful to those who have or may have a similar experience in the future with an airline.

  Bruce

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Why not spend some time in Alicante?

  Thu 30th December 2010

  It won’t take you too long to understand why Alicante is referred to as the City of Light. Because thanks to an eye-opening annual average of picture-perfect blues skies, even a late autumn/early spring visit to the capital of the Costa Blanca is a bright and refreshingly breezy affair. Add this natural wonder to an equally enlightened cultural and culinary backdrop, which includes museums, archaeological and architectural treasures reflecting over 3,000 years of history, and an enticing range of traditional and boundary pushing bars and restaurants, you’ll wonder why you haven’t sampled the best of Alicante at this relaxing time of year before.

• New Alicante airport terminal

  Wed 29th December 2010

  Alicante Airport has now completed the new terminal which will allow it to increase capacity by up 25%. In the past the airport apron could take 31 aircraft an hour. The new terminal will increase this to 46 aircraft with a maximum of 22 being processed in an hour. The new terminal has 92 check-in desks, 40 gates, of which 16 has airbridges and 14 baggage reclaim carousels. it will enable the airport to process 6,000 passengers an hour.
  Before the terminal opens testing will take place by the general public, as `extras' if you are available from February and would like to participate you can register on their web page

• Why book early?

  Thu 23rd December 2010

  Why book your holiday early?
   The choice of resort destination on the Costa Blanca - Javea, Moraira, Calpe or Denia
   Secure your perfect villa rental from our choice of villas
   Best availability on cheap flights & car hire
   & most importantly, to book your holiday travel dates.

• Save an extra £10 on Monarch return flights with their discount code!

  Fri 03rd December 2010

  Use the special discount code and save £10 on return flights to the sun this weekend. It's never been easier to save, the code is available for use on all routes, all dates and all seats until Thursday!

  It's easy to claim your discount, just enter ALLSEATS into the discount code box when you make a booking and watch the price drop in the running total. Don't miss out - book by midnight Thursday!

  Posted by Bruce Gibson