Spanish Lifestyle

Spain and the Canaries have very different lifestyles from Britain. The customs, attitudes and behaviour of the local people are not the same as ours. We have attempted here to describe the quirks of Spanish/Canarian life but don't let these put you off. The locals are a warm and friendly people and by accepting their customs and standards you will have a far more enjoyable holiday.

Spanish Lifestyle - Noise:

The Spanish and Canarians are incapable of doing anything quietly! To discover this you merely have to visit a village bar where the cacophony of sound greeting you comes from men conducting their conversation at the bar by shouting at each other, old men slamming their dominoes on the table and a television in the corner showing a basketball or football match. The motorists are noisy, children at play are noisy and the animals are noisy. The latter particularly in rural areas during summer nights. During the long, hot days of summer, animals are inactive and tend to come to life at night when it is slightly cooler. Cocks crow, dogs bark and donkeys bray during the summer night perhaps making the "peaceful" rural location not as quiet as expected.

Unlike Britain, noise in Spain is not linked to aggression, and if you accept it and derive amusement from it, rather than irritation, it should not adversely affect your holiday in any way.

There is one event, however, when the noise can break all decibel records and this is known as a Fiesta! Every village, town and city in Spain holds the occasional Fiesta. The main ones are held during the summer months and especially the middle weekend in August when all Spain celebrates. A typical village Fiesta lasts a few days and is a great excuse for celebration for the local people who love to dress up for the special occasion. A fairground is normally set up in the village and temporary bars and refreshment stalls erected. During the evening bands play in the village square and the music and dancing does not stop until 5 or 6 am when it is time for everybody to take some hot chocolate and churros (long thin doughnuts).

Our experience is that travellers either love fiestas and become totally involved, or they hate them because they take early nights and can't stand the noise. It would be useful to know the exact dates of all fiestas, but sometimes these are not finalised until a month or so before and can be changed at short notice, so it would be unwise for us to suggest provisional dates.

Spanish Lifestyle - Currency:

The currency in Spain and the Canary Islands is the Euro. Although Travellers' cheques and credit/debit cards are generally accepted, it is worth remembering that some banks in smaller more "off-the-beaten-track" communities may not have facilities to change Travellers' cheques.

Spanish Lifestyle - Business hours:

The Spanish and Canarians keep very different hours from us. They work during the morning, take a long siesta and a late, leisurely lunch in the afternoon and go back to work in the evening. This explains why most shops are closed in the afternoon but open quite late in the evenings.

Later in the evening families usually like to take a stroll and have dinner. They eat much later than we do, 10pm being the normal time, which explains why many restaurants will not serve meals until after 8pm.

The Spanish go to bed late and this includes the children. During the summer you will see many families still sitting outside bars or their houses past midnight while their children play in the street.

Spanish Lifestyle - Driving:

The main roads linking major cities have undergone considerable improvements over the last few years and are now very good. However, there has not been much investment in country roads and some of our more remote rural houses are reached by dusty lanes or steep, rocky mountain tracks. Although the roads to mountain villages are normally surfaced, they are often narrow and winding and distances take longer to cover than they would appear to from looking at a map.

Spanish Lifestyle - Language:

In the major cities and resorts frequented by tourists, some hotel and restaurant staff and local people speak English. In more remote areas very few, if any, of the local people speak our language. Often property owners in many rural areas, and even some coastal villages speak only Spanish. These people are eager to please and communicate with their guests and we believe part of the pleasure of visiting a foreign country is trying to communicate with the locals in their own language. Please take a phrase book with you; an attempt to speak the language should be treated as an adventure not a problem. Remember that we are foreigners in their country and a little patience will be rewarded.

Spanish Lifestyle - Who dropped that?

The scenery in rural Spain and the Canaries is spectacular and the villages picturesque, but many of our travellers ask us why the locals, who take great pride in the cleanliness of their houses often discard their litter at random. Every little village appears to have its derelict car and the odd discarded fridge and bedstead, sometimes spoiling a perfect scene! Only recently has a decent refuse disposal service been operating in many of the rural areas. The authorities are aware of litter problems and recent improvements are apparent.

However, re-education of a society used to having to dispose of their refuse themselves will take time. For example, one of our managers wondered why, in the tiny village of Las Hortichuelas, did there appear to be odd discarded shoes lying around the village. The question was answered when one day he saw an old lady with a bag of shoes walking around the village dropping shoes at random. The old lady obviously thought it would be unsightly to tip a bag full of worn out shoes into one pile in the street and environmentally less damaging to spread them about the village.

If you are used to a pristine environment this can be disturbing, but accept it as part of the natural scene and it won't spoil your dream.

Spanish Lifestyle - Down on the farm:

In rural areas, chickens from the farm next door could invade your patio, donkeys and herds of goats may wander past your door and there may be a pig in a sty nearby. In villages, cattle, donkeys and mules are occasionally stabled in old village houses and chickens peck in the street. This inevitably means that there are going to be some rural odours. Another feature of rural houses is the much maligned gecko which has alarmed many travellers. The gecko, a small, harmless lizard which patrols ceilings in search of its prey (flies and mosquitoes), is held in high regard by the Spanish who do not consider it a pest.

Spanish Lifestyle - The 'Real' world:

Although on your holiday you will want to forget about the "real" world and enjoy your dream, wherever you stay everyday life continues around you. Most of our houses are privately owned, just like our own homes in Britain, and not purpose built holiday accommodation as in tourist urbanisations. Therefore our accommodation can be affected by the same disturbances you may experience at home. Here are some examples.

Building work: In the UK if your neighbour decides to build an extension to his garage, the noise during the day and the skip in the road may annoy you. Furthermore, he does not have to seek your permission or inform you when he is going to start work and you have no redress against him. Exactly the same situation can arise with your privately owned holiday home in Spain. Although our Area Managers and owners are instructed to inform us of any construction work they are made aware of which could cause concern, at which time we would pass the information on to you, we cannot accept responsibility for circumstances originating off our owners' properties.

The weather: Sometimes high rainfall in Northern Spain, in contrast to the south with its predominantly hot dry climate, causes the levels of humidity to rise dramatically.

Water shortages: When there is a water shortage in the UK, hosepipe bans are sometimes enforced and, if a drought continued, stand pipes would be erected in our streets. Spain and the Canary Islands have a much drier climate than Britain and water shortages are common in the summer months. Most local authorities have solved the problem and cuts do not occur everywhere. If there are water cuts, no notice is normally given but they usually occur during the daytime when most people are not at home. Additionally, to conserve water and energy resources, many Spanish and Portuguese properties only have a small hot water tank, and you should maybe bear this is mind when planning showers/baths for a large party of people.

Neighbours: We all complain about the dreadful family who have recently moved in down the road but unfortunately we can't choose our neighbours! It rarely happens but the same problem can occur on holiday. There is little we can do about the Spanish family with the noisy children and dog that barks at night, who have just arrived at the house down the road. Domestic animals including some farm animals are treated as pets and are allowed to roam freely. If you have a problem concerning this, please check with our reservations team prior to booking.

Spanish Lifestyle - Well I didn't know that:

When travelling abroad on holiday it is often easy to assume certain things and not always appreciate the consequences that can occur from what appear to be simple actions. Here are a few tips.

1. Many public telephones now only take cards. Why not purchase one en-route?
2. Keyholders of property also have homes to go to. Our latest acceptable arrival time for self-catering accommodation is 21.00 unless pre-arranged or contact made en-route. We also request that you arrive at your hotel no later than 18.00 unless contact has been made to advise the reception of a late arrival.
3. In most cases the cost of heating, where available, is not included in the price.
4. In our descriptions when we refer to local amenities we cannot be held responsible for non-availability or opening times.
5. Sundays and public holidays may coincide with your arrival. Consider this when packing provisions.

Spanish Lifestyle - National Holidays:

This list is only a guide and does not include local or regional holidays:

1 January, New Year's Day.
6 January, Dia de los Reyes (Epiphany).
March/April - Semana Santa (Easter).
1 May, Labour Day.
15 August, Asuncion Maria (Feast of the Assumption).
12 October, Spanish National Day - Discovery of Las Americas.
1 November, All Saints day
6 December, Dia de ls Constitucion (Day of the Constitution).
8 December, Immaculada Concepcion (Immaculate Conception).
25 December, Navidad (Christmas Day).