BECAUSE of the Mar Menor which is one of the most spectacular rural lagoons in Europe, Costa Calida in Murcia, Spain is an instant tourism magnet among British and Scandinavian tourists here. And not only that, Northern European tourists ultimately stay here for the rest of their lives as expatriates. Most are retired but there are some who are still in their 30s and early 40s who have embraced the place as their home and have even taken Spaniards as spouses. It is heartening to note that some of these tourists are females who have come here and have found a Costa Calida resident as their soulmates. So therefore, not all in the expat community here in Costa Calida are male but a few of them are women from Holland and neighboring countries in the northern part of the continent.

For those who are staying in Spain for an extended New Year holiday, why not check out Costa Calida? While Spain is at the peak of winter right now, the weather in Costa Calida is relatively warmer these days as it has its own temperate micro-climate. This is actually one of the reasons why tourists especially from the colder regions of Europe are clinging here. One of the traditions the folks love to do over and over again during the New Year are farmers’ markets. There are a dozen farmers’ markets splashed all over the 250 kilometer stretch of Costa Calida right now until about January 11 of this year. Most of the farmers in these street markets are selling various goods from farm produce to textiles but if you are lucky enough, you can spot a fisherman selling his fresh catch. And mind you, seafood in Costa Calida is the best because it is hauled off from the Mediterranean. It is suggested that you buy grouper, redfish or lobsters and you can cook them at the vacation home that you’re staying so that they are really fresh when eaten. By the way, a vacation home here in Costa Calida can cost you about 275 euros for a package one-month stay. On the other hand, some attractions in Mar Menor in the first two weeks of this new year are karting and a family cruise along the Mediterranean aboard a yacht. Price is reasonable of course and you do not need to book ahead.

And if staying here for good is your thing, then there are numerous real estate developments going on in Costa Calida. Stakeholders in the real estate sector all around Murcia have assured they will do the best they can to make 2008 a bullish year. A typical subdivision in Costa Calida intended for the middle class contains a golf course designed in PGA standard, its own shopping mall complete with an IMAX moviehouse, a skating rink, an indoor basketball court, an atrium for concerts and major conferences, signature boutiques and of course a spa, among others.

Costa Calida together with its towns provide tourists incredible panoramic sceneries they only seen in the place itself. If you are looking for the best place to launch your party or vacation opt to join the other tourists who were enjoying the paradise like place of Costa Calida within its particular villages.

The town of Almoradi of Costa Calida offers a unique view. The town is popular with its Saturday market which contributes the progressiveness of the village. The other reason why this town is very progressive because it is nearby the access of motorways that make the residence as well as the tourists to easily reach the market every time they want; the village of Almoradi is just like the typical Spanish village. Since Costa Calida is part of Spain the Almoradi village is dramatically belonged to the country. Compared to the other Spanish village, Almoradi is also composed of restaurants serving the best cuisines they have; the presence of tapas is also available. The bar it has is just like the bars found in the city of Spain, vibrant and alluring where tourists were found enjoying the music. The town is within the reach of the coast, the tourists can be accommodated with the available services and activities they have. Tourists can immediately access the beaches of Torrevieja and Guardamar del Segura since the beaches is very close to the town. Almoradi town is surrounded with high standard institutions and trading centers that make the village progressive and famous amongst the tourists.

While if you are looking for the adventurous water sports, drop yourself at the town of Guardamar. The town offers water sports like sailing, wind surfing, water skiing, under water diving, canoeing, jet skiing and more. It is a famous beach resort with a wide and open space. If you want to unwind and relax you can make it here. Gazing with the town’s incredible landscapes and sandbank is never a question why the village is running with tourist and appointed as one of the most attractive tourists destination found in Costa Calida. Sports addict may love on going to the Guardamar del Segura where they can find broad sports amenities. And in fact it has the most significant sports center which is the “Las Rabosas” sport center that provides the sports addict the facilities they are looking for in such a field. The sport center has Olympic swimming pools which can provide swimmers a good practice to enhance their abilities, football pitches, basketball courts, tennis courts, and five aside soccer pitches.

A tour to the village of La Zenia is a fantastic idea, it has also great beaches to drench and bath you. Perfect destination for sunbathing, playing beach sports and more; with the pristine beaches it has the village is another tourist’s destination appointed of clustering tourists worldwide. The beaches of Playa Flamenca, La Zenia, Cabo Roig and Campoamor are the best location to locate you for swimming and among others. Generally, Costa Calida has a great landscape that could never be forgotten by the tourists who have visited the place.

COSTA Calida in the Mediterranean shoreline of Spain has the hottest climate in Spain. In fact, it has a temperature of about 36 degrees Celsius at maximum in the middle of summer. Therefore, Costa Calida in the province of Murcia which is only about 25 kilometers long is a very ideal place to stay during winter when everywhere else is too cold. During winter, temperatures here remain to be at 18 degrees Celsius or so. That’s in fact the average temperature during summer. It really is very hot in here – it is so hot that you can even skinny dip in the middle of the night and appreciates the glowing planktons all around you.

How I wish you can also experience what I’ve experienced. It really was an exhilarating experience I had when we came here in Costa Calida – all four of us Filipinos. We come from a tropical country and naturally, we want a place during winter that is not so cold. So we’ve opted for Costa Calida because we know that the temperature here is very hot by European standards. Whereas many people troop to Spain during summer and majority of them are either British or Scandinavian tourists, the people of the Philippines and other tropical countries including those ones in Africa would rather opt to go to Costa Calida. This is the only place along the Mediterranean stretch in Spain which is friendly to Asians so to speak.

The rest of the group in our excursion tour who come from Germany and France went to Palma del Mallorca. It is only four of us Filipinos as what I’ve stated earlier who proceeded to Costa Calida. We stayed here for more than a month because we have come to like it here. Besides, the food was excellent. It’s a mix of Mediterranean seafood and the best lamb meat in town as well as a sip of yummy Spanish sherry. And their Mediterranean seafood is sautéed in olive oil, said to be the healthiest cooking oil in the world because of its relatively low fat content.

When we first arrived here, we rented a vacation home all of us. The vacation home has a tropical feel because it is thatched with cogon as roof. But the British owners of the vacation home made sure that we are all safe because there’s a fire extinguisher and a fire exit in our homes. Even the toilets have fire exits. They have installed all these remedies because of the Madeleine McCann scandal that has rocked the whole Iberian Peninsula. And since what we have rented is a vacation home, it is already complete with a grill where we grill the Mediterranean seafood that we have bought directly from the fishermen.

I was amazed at first with the Spanish people and really admired them because they never refrigerate sea catch. Instead, they want it to be directly cooked. That’s why there’s an abundance of restaurants here in Costa Calida where customers can directly order lobsters and fishes from the aquarium and just let the chefs cook them in whatever menu or recipe you want them to be cooked. Service is really personalized. That is how the Calida tourism industry has flourished through the decades from the time of Francisco Franco.