IN the international community, Calpe is relatively an unknown place. But once you’ll find out that this relatively unknown place is a paradise, you’ll definitely come back for more here. First of all, it is part of the 250 kilometers of the Mediterranean coastline of Spain. So there are lots of fresh seafood available here. In fact, many restaurants here have their own aquariums featuring live fish or lobsters for you to choose. You’re in luck if you drop by the fishing village and if you know a little Spanish and if the fisherman is impressed, then there’s a great chance that he will give you a huge grouper. A strict Mediterranean diet consisting of seafood and capped with rose is said to be the healthiest modern diet in the world and you can find it all here in Calpe. The place also has an abundance of olives which means that using olive oil generously in sautéing your food is cheap as compared to buying olive oil back home in groceries.

The beaches here in Calpe are divided into two – the conventional beach and the nudist beach. It’s nice to dip in these nudist beaches at night because glowing planktons swarming around will illuminate your body underwater. Isn’t that lovely to spend a honeymoon in spring with your loved one here? Conventional or nudist, beaches here in Calpe are quarterly monitored by the European Union for quality of service.

Aside from the beaches, one of the entertainment pastimes here are the casinos, the most popular of which is Casino Calpe. Records from 2007 show that the number of female gamblers has surged as compared to their male counterparts. Most of the gamblers here are not Spaniards though but are Norwegians, Italians, Belgians, English, Irish, Portuguese and other nationalities of Scandinavian descent. Calpe and ther surrounding areas also have some very glamorous and fun casinos to be enjoyed. Popular with the French (who practise at home playing casino en ligne), they really can add a glam touch to your holiday!

Another beautiful thing that you can do here in Calpe during spring time is bowling. Another thing that is slowly becoming a trend here is the creation of community radio stations or what is known as development journalism or development communication. Under this scheme, the government of the town of Calpe is reaching out to the people by giving them information over the radio. The Calpe town government maintains one such radio station in Calpe open 24 hours a day which broadcasts the latest hits in music when there is no developmental information needed to be broadcast.

ONE of the places in Spain that is a language center in Iberian languages is Calpe. In this Mediterranean paradise, Spanish is learned here extensively as there are dozens of language schools here. Language courses vary from four academic years leading to a bachelor’s degree in Spanish to short term courses from two days to four weeks to three months and two years long which ultimately end up with an associate degree. Aside from learning Spanish, students here also learn the regional dialects in the Iberian region such as Catalan, Basque and Portuguese. Most of the students here are foreigners coming from Britain, the Scandinavian region and a few Americans, Canadians, South Koreans, Filipinos, Japanese and Saudi Arabians. That’s how diverse the tourist and expat population in Calpe is.

It is because owning land here is so easy even for foreigners. All you need to subsequently pay are the annual income tax and the garbage collection tax which goes directly to the local government of Calpe. Some of them ultimately convert their properties into vacation homes and they make earnings out of this.

One of the most basic needs of a home in Calpe is cooking. And people here prefer gas stoves over electric stoves because electric stoves eat too much energy. There are two kinds of cooking gas distributed all over Calpe – propane and butane. Since most of Calpe is relatively coastal, it is ideal to use butane because butane works well in higher temperatures. Of course, you need to use propane cooking gas inland because it is relatively cold inland especially in the mountainous areas of Calpe. Because of a burgeoning expat population here in Calpe, there have been a growing number of cooking gas suppliers here. They give free door-to-door deliveries and they really like the foreigners as customers because they give hefty tips. That is especially true even for the locals who live on the fifth level of the condominium they are renting because the delivery man has to bring with him the heavy gas cylinder.

If you want to eat here in Calpe, then you will have two options. One is to eat out at restaurants and the other is to simply grill food yourself in your vacation home. Since Calpe is located in the Mediterranean, people here adhere to a strict Mediterranean diet consisting only of nothing but fresh seafood. If you are lucky enough to know Spanish, then stroll immediately to the beaches and befriend some local fisherman. As always, local fishermen here are amazed at seeing other Westerners and will immediately entertain you. They may even give you one big catch as your dinner for the evening. So grab the opportunity and go back to your vacation home and grill your catch with olive oil, the healthiest cooking oil in the world because of its relatively low fat content. Then sit back, relax and savor a very enchanting Calpe vacation- whether it’s in your own home or something a little more glamorous (be it a cocktail bar or doing as many of the German tourist do and playing at the pokern tables at a casino), you’ll surely fall in love with Calpe!

WE know of course that Calpe is located in the Mediterranean section of Spain. Although it is admittedly unoccupied during most winters, right now is different. A lot of British visitors who have trooped to Tenerife and Ibiza last Christmas were dismayed with the rainshowers prevailing in the area thus spoiling their holidays. Thus, they had made last minute arrangements to go to the Spanish mainland and spend a couple of nights just in time for New Year’s Eve so they can continue their vacation here. And I’m pretty sure they have made just the right decision since the weather forecast for the next few days is really sunny. That’s no surprise at all because even in the middle of winter, Calpe has a very temperate climate.

To prepare the visitors for the upcoming New Year celebrations, a barrage of activities has been lined up by Calpe organizers. Among other things, a bowling tournament has been organized. Earlier this week, there was exhibition match between the teams from Calpe and El Cid. Another activity up for grabs for visitors is a rowing tournament for all, including locals from Calpe. In this way, visitors from Britain and other countries will have a chance to prove themselves that they are equally competent with the locals. There are also various golf courses here in Calpe and they are all inspected and certified by the PGA. In fact, all the instructors and caddies here have undergone PGA training. The PGA folks themselves have come here to give a two-week crash course on the basics of golf and how to treat amateur players. That’s how booming the tourism hospitality in Calpe is.

But if sports is not your passion, there are still other ingenious ways to enjoy Calpe during the rest of the days this year. If you are an avid art collector, then there are lots of indigenous materials in Calpe which are quite worthy to possess at a reasonable price. Or if you do not dig into Calpe materials, then there are also lots of French antiques in Calpe that are up for sale. There’s one Belgian businessman I know who has a habit of collecting antique French furniture and reselling it to tourists in Calpe. He’s based in Calpe by the way. This just goes to show that there are lots of Scandinavian expats here in Calpe aside from the regular British tourists. Aside from the Belgians, there are also a few folks from Holland here.

The wide appeal is due to the fact there really is everything in Calpe! With Benidorm being a neighbour, you can escape the tranquil destination for one weekend for some big nights out in the tourist hotspot. It would be recommendable to plan something special for the weekend you choose however - Benidorm has so much to see and do that it may be a little overwhelming! A great place to start is to do something you couldn’t do in the quiet Calpe - a superclub maybe and dancing til dawn? Or a casino? It is a glamorous night and would be able to entertain the whole travel group! Cards is a typical Spanish activity and so you really would be experiencing some of the culture, though preparation is everything! Practise some poker online in the weeks before you go (you may even win before you’ve left the house!) and amaze your friends with the knowledge of the game and your expert skill! And after the excitement of a real casino later on, you can retire safely to Calpe the morning after, to relax and plan your next trip!

Or, you could wait for the excitement and “jaleo” to come to Calpe - Christmas is a big celebration here, even though it is known as a quiet place otherwise. Let us not forget though that Christmas season is for Christ and for children. Is it not nice that while you are here in Calpe, you can donate to a charitable organization? In fact, there are lots of such organizations here in Christmastime and they are the conduit to help underprivileged children here. But if donating is not your cup of tea, you can still help the organization by being a volunteer for a few hours this Christmas season.

No matter when you choose to come to Calpe, you are assured of a great time! And the same goes for how long you spend here - with so much to do, and so much to see nearby, visitors often come back for the long haul, that is to say, to live. Emmigrating is not a light step to take and one must be able to guarantee a number of things before deciding to go ahead - are there enough means to live comfortably whilst away (jobs such as giving one to one English class or child minding help with this type of obstacle)? Are there commitments at home and would it be easy to travle back if need be? Assuring all this then why not go ahead and consider your Spanish life?