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José Pizarro set to wow the literati with a pop up tapas bar at the Hay Festival

At this summer’s Hay Festival (23rd May – 2nd June) visitors will find a rather unusual food emporium nestled amongst the books and crowds – in the form of a pop up tapas bar hosted by José Pizarro and created by the Spanish Tourist Office.

Tapas España by José Pizarro will offer a stunning range of dishes from London’s favourite Spanish chef, based on his menus at his popular Bermondsey Street bar José.  Dishes have been designed to delight guests and to highlight the diversity of Spain’s many twists on traditional tapas.  Dishes will change on a daily basis depending on what looks good at market that morning, but typical dishes include Gazpacho with Apples & Cockles, Empanadas, big, juicy Gordal olives stuffed with orange, Estofado (a sort of rustic stew), Grilled Squid and José’s popular Lamb Chops.

Spain has long been known for its excellent cuisine ranging from its culinary constants such as jamón and olive oil to the pintxos of San Sebastián, the paella of Valencia and the suckling pig of Segovia.  The basis of Spanish cuisine is good quality ingredients and simple home cooking, both key elements of José’s cooking.

As always, José will use the very best meat and fish available to him and he is keen to use as much local produce as possible in order to keep a check on the food miles.  Lamb will certainly come from Wales and he is also considering showcasing other locally produced food and drink such as Welsh Cider.

Wales shares a proportion of their ancestry with Northern Spain and even today, there are many parallels. With lush green and verdant scenery, the fertile soils in Wales and Northern Spain provide a wealth of fresh vegetables and happy grazing livestock, which twinned with an elongated coastline, provides an abundance of mouth-watering ingredients, suitably fitting for a Hay Festival pop-up.

In order to be true to his roots, José has insisted that the wine list carries some of his best-loved sherries, cavas and wines, reining from Spanish regions including Andalucía, Cataluña, Galicia and the Basque Country. The design of Tapas España by José Pizarro will be sympathetic to his current restaurant sites and will be comfortable and welcoming – just like a true tapas bar.

José said of the collaboration, “I am thrilled to be able to take what we do at José in London into one of the most exciting literary and food festivals in the UK.  I have long been a fan of the festival and it really is a dream come true to be able to take the food of my country there and to represent Spanish cuisine on behalf of the Spanish Tourist Office.”

Mega shopping plan for El Altet airport terminal

Alicante based company “Aerovillage” has submitted a proposal to Spanish airport authority AENA, to transform the old terminal building at Alicante airport, most recently known as Terminal 1, into an “outlet” shopping centre with over 100 stores, with 40 million euro in investment and the creation of 650 jobs.

The centre would cover all three floors of the unit, including the basement, with a total area of 40,000 square meters of space, in which 109 units would be created, with shops and restaurants, a hotel, indoor karting and aviation and Formula 1 simulators.

The initiative fits into an EU directive that seeks to promote smaller, more isolated areas, scattered over a wide area, as well as satisfying AENA´s need for satisfying the use of buildings with a reduction in traditional airport based activities.

Plans had previously been drawn up to reopen the terminal building as a compliment to the new and existing terminal hub, but AENA technicians have decided that with the current terminal, with capacity to serve 25 million passengers a year, is enough, and the former T-1 is no longer needed.

The remaining terminal building, known as Terminal 2, will still be performing aeronautical functions incidentally, to be reused to accommodate “general aviation” such as private jets, air ambulances, and other smaller activities.

“Aerovillage” would transform the redundant building, which also has its own car park opposite, and operate as a stand-alone unit in the centre of the airport complex, attracting shoppers and tourists alike, as well as those with time to kill at the airport.

The plan calls for a staged development, with the 109 units brining in around 140 leading brands of clothing and accessories on a surface of 29,000 square metres on the ground floor and the mezzanine, reserving an area of 3,000 square metres future expansion. The next stage proposing the adaptation of the old office building connecting terminal 1 to terminal 2 into a hotel with 36 rooms.

Although bold and dynamic, the proposals would no doubt transform the area and inject more investment into the Costa Blanca, which would become a flagship of retail in addition to the growing transport hub that Alicante airport is already offering.

Spanish plans to licence all holiday rentals adding to confusion over tourist lets

Confusion surrounds plans by the Spanish government to licence the letting of holiday homes with conflicting advice making home owners unsure whether or not they will have to comply if new rules are introduced.

Currently in some regions in Spain it is obligatory to have a licence if a property is let out to holiday makers and those who do not have a licence can face stiff fines.

The British Embassy in Spain said that it is aware of a number of cases where home owners have been fined up to €30,000 for letting properties without the correct permits.

Letting on a short term basis, i.e. holiday rents, are currently strictly regulated in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The law says that you can only rent out a semi detached or detached house, not an apartment unless it is part of a tourism development and even then there are strict conditions in terms of number of bathrooms and services.

Recently the authorities in these areas have been cracking down on home owners who rent out their properties to tourists without complying with Spanish law and tracking down those who do not have licences via online advertising.

There are now proposals that would see a nationwide licensing system introduced for all holiday rentals across Spain. It would mean that all property owners wishing to rent to tourists would need to be registered and obtain a licence from their local council and rental income would be taxed.

It is estimated that the government could get millions of euros a year in revenue under the proposals but the proposals are unclear and there is concern that if all holiday rentals are rigorously regulated it could put off a lot of people who only want to do so at peak holiday times to cover the costs of owning the property.

However, property experts say that owners should not be too concerned. ‘I don’t think they are trying to stop people from renting their property, but instead trying to get an idea of the numbers involved. There is no way of regulating it unless there is some form of registration of the property in the first place and I think this is what they are hoping to achieve,’ said Chris Mercer, director of Murcia based Mercers.

He said it should not be seen as a ‘foreigners tax’ as it would apply to all property owners including Spaniards. ‘There is of course a possible positive to this, and that is if they are going to tax the owner then one would presume that any reasonable costs could be claimed/offset against that tax,’ he explained.

‘At the end of the day, I think Spain will find it hard to police this new legislation, how could they possibly know, although there is rumour of the government asking for information from electricity companies if they see short term spikes and troughs in energy usage,’ he added.

Richard Way, Editor at The Overseas Guides Company, said that if new rules also impose specific health and safety conditions this might not be achievable for many property owners.

‘One of the incentives for many British and other foreign buyers in Spain is the opportunity to pay for the upkeep of their property through rental income and without that benefit, buyers could look elsewhere for a second home, in effect making the new legislation counter productive,’ he claimed.

According to Mark Stucklin of Spanish Property Insight the problem is that the current law on renting is badly drafted, open to interpretation and it all depends on how you advertise the property.

He explained that in regions where licences are required if you own a semi detached or a detached house then you have the choice of renting out your property either as a touristic rental, by obtaining a license, providing services and charging your clients VAT, or you can rent out your property, without a licence, therefore without providing any kind of service, and therefore without charging VAT.

‘In this second case, the rental will be subject to the Tenancy Act. And in either case, the property can be leased for any period of time,’ he said.

‘If you have a flat the leasehold cannot be a touristic one, because you cannot get a licence to rent an apartment to tourists. But you can rent it out as long as you don’t offer or provide any kind of services. A property advertised as a holiday home where some services are offered may tilt the touristic inspector into regarding your rental as a touristic one and, if you don’t have a licence (if a house because you didn’t want to apply for it, and if a flat, because you simply cannot get it), then you will be severely fined,’ he explained.

‘Adverts and contracts must be in harmony with one another and must steer clear of sounding like touristic rental. It is your property and the law allows you to rent it out to whoever you please, whether a business person or a tourist, and for whatever period of time. You just have to use and apply the law appropriately,’ he added.

Norwegian expands in the German market with flights between Germany and Spain

From the end of October, Norwegian launches brand new routes between Germany and Spain and will fly to Malaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria and Tenerife from Hamburg and Cologne. From Munich, Norwegian will offer flights to Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife.

Norwegian Air Shuttle continues its European expansion. Today, the company announced that it will launch new routes from Hamburg, Cologne and Munich to several Spanish destinations this autumn.

“The expansion in the German market is part of our future strategy to expand our presence outside of the Nordic region in order to meet the strong competition in the airline industry. We see that Germans frequently choose Norwegian when flying to Scandinavia and we believe that there is a demand for a quality airline that offers inexpensive fares between Germany and Spain. We are looking forward to welcoming passengers on board our modern and more eco-friendly aircraft,” said CEO of Norwegian Bjorn Kjos.

From the end of October, Norwegian launches brand new routes between Germany and Spain and will fly to Malaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria and Tenerife from Hamburg and Cologne. From Munich, Norwegian will offer flights to Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife.

Strong expansion
Norwegian is Europe’s third largest low-fare airline. As one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe, it is establishing itself outside of the Nordic region by opening bases in the UK and Spain. At the end of the month, Norwegian will, as the first European low-fare airline, commence long-haul flights to the US and Asia.

Costa Beach, Taylor Wimpey’s new first line development in Mallorca

Costa Beach in Port Vell, is a new residential complex developed by Taylor Wimpey with direct beach access and amazing sea views.

This first line residential complex offers a unique first line location surrounded by stunning natural beauty with numerous coves, white sandy beaches and crystal clear and calm sea. There are 4 excellent golf courses within a ten minutes drive, the nearest being 900 metres.

It consists of 2 and 3 bedroom properties with very spacious terraces surrounding communal gardens and a swimming pool.

The Costa Beach property boasts a privileged position in a natural paradise with extraordinary sea views and direct access to the beach. The development consists of two-bedroom apartments and three bedroom townhouses designed to reflect the beauty of the surrounding area. There is a large swimming pool and wonderful sunbathing area for all the owners to enjoy. All the apartments come with a private underground parking space and some with a separate storeroom included.

The apartments are built to the highest standards and include designer brands of fixtures and fittings. The apartments are air conditioned with double glazing and security doors. There is also a terrestrial and satellite television dish.

Port Vell and Costa de los Pinos offer astonishing and peaceful sandy beaches with crystal clear waters to practice all kind of water sports in Mallorca.

The area offers a wide range of amenities giving you the chance to sample the delights of the local cuisine or explore the area enjoying nice cycling tours or the excellent golf courses around.

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