Featured
latest thoughts
What Is It Like To Live In An Urbanisation In Valencia?
Living in an urbanisation in Valencia can have many advantages. For example; it’s a great place for families, as many have facilities to cater for kids and you will find a community hotspot like a bar so you can socialise with your neighbours. However, not all urbanisation are the same. They differ in size, facilities,… View more
A Quick Guide On How To Apply For Residency In Valencia
On this post I will walk you through a quick description on how to apply for residency in Valencia, Spain. I assume you have been thinking for a while about living in Valencia, and have come to the conclusion that Valencia is a great place to live. Well, you’re not wrong there! Valencia is an… View more
Recipe: Banana & Nutella Bread Loaf
If you love banana loaf and Nutella I assume that you won’t need much convincing to try this super moist Banana & Nutella Bread Loaf. Not only that it’s easy to make, it makes use of any left over bananas in your fruit bowl. My kids seem to hate day old bananas and won’t touch… View more
Quick Guide: How To Get To Alicante Airport From Valencia By Train
Visiting family and friends in the UK is something that we do frequently. Living in Valencia means that we are fortunate enough to be only 20 minutes drive to the airport. During the month of April to October, flights run from Valencia to East Midlands which is the most convenient airport for us to get… View more
My Top 10 Favourites From The 2018 No7 Beauty Advent Calendar
One of the things I get excited about on the approach to Christmas is what kind of advent calendar I’d get from the other half. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to receive the most awesome advent calendars. From Yankee Candle, Soap & Glory, Hotel to Hotel Chocolat goodies. This year he’s managed to… View more
Festive Family Dining At The Green House Pub, Sutton
Oh Christmas, we have a love and hate relationship. Every year there is so much to organise, people to see, and family to visit. It doesn’t make it easy that we are over 1000 miles away from our nearest and dearest, and every year, we try to alternate who is coming to who! This year,… View more
A Castle By The Sea: A Family Break In Peñiscola
It was 2 years ago when we discovered the charming medieval town of Peñiscola. I must admit that it’s one of my favourite towns in the Valencian Community. As well as having vast amount of history, it also offers pristine blue beaches and an ancient castle. Here you will find the typical Spanish narrow streets,… View more
Things I Miss And Don’t Miss About Living In England
You could say I’ve been an immigrant/expat for quite a bit. Twenty-nine years to be exact. Let’s rewind back to 1989 when my family arrived in England. I was 10 years old. The whole cultural shock was difficult to adjust to. I had to learn a new language. Make some new friends. Basically fit into… View more
Free Monuments And Museums To Visit In Valencia
Believe it or not, Valencia offers a lot more than glorious sunshine and amazing beaches. Similar to its sister cities of Madrid and Barcelona, art and culture are firmly ingrained in Valencia’s history.From the Muslim fortress of Almudín, the Fallas museum, to the impressive Gothic architecture of The Silk Exchange, there are certainly a lot… View more
My Personal Struggles Of Speaking Spanish
The difficulties and struggles of becoming moderately bilingual are REAL. Knowing if an item is male or female. Trying to keep up with a conversation that has 10 people talking over each other can really make my head explode. I have a bunch of phrases and words that I can rely on some situations. But… View more
Recipe: Old Skool Retro Sprinkle Tray Bake
These retro sprinkle tray bake was the trend back in school and one of the highlights of my school days in the UK (yes, really!). I have forgotten how much I loved this cake until my 11 year old and I started talking about our favourite school desserts. You see, school dinners are different in Spain, puddings… View more
10 Of The Best Areas To Live Outside Valencia City
There are many interesting and unique neighbourhoods in Valencia, and finding the best areas to live is not always easy. Everyone has different preferences, and so everyone will have different criteria in terms of location, local amenities, and the price per square meter they are prepared to pay for a home in Valencia. Back in… View more
Free Download: List Of Concertado Schools In The Region Of Valencia
This summer, my inbox was particularly busy with enquiries from families who want to or thinking about living in Valencia. It’s nice to be able to help, or at least point parents in the right direction. I know how important it is to know if you’re making the right decision about choosing the ‘best school’… View more
My Top 10 Kick Ass Business Tools If You Work From Home
Having the right tools and applications for my business is as important as having my first cup of coffee in the morning. Without it, I wouldn’t able to function. Well, not the way I want to anyway. Back in the days when I first started, I used the old school method of jotting things down… View more
Blueberry Cheesecake With Summer Fruit Coulis
[dropcap type=”default”]I[/dropcap]f you’re a cheesecake fan this recipe is definitely for you! On this post, I will teach you how to make one of our favourite desserts. I can’t really take credit for this as this is my husbands’ recipe that he has used over the years. A creamy and thick New York cheesecake with… View more
Water Parks to visit in Valencia And Castellón
Spains first water park was introduced back in 1985. Since then, it has grown to be a favourite summer hotspot for the family and fun lovers during the weekends and holidays. During the months of June to August, Valencia can get very hot an humid. So it’s not surprising that many homes and flats have… View more
Download And Print: Summer Rules Checklist
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that one of the biggest challenge during the long summer holidays, is maintaining my youngest in a routine. With 12 weeks of summer break here in Spain, it’s important that we need to set some ground rules as soon as the holidays begin. Unfortunately, instead of enjoying… View more
Recipe: Corn Dog Muffin Recipe For Hungry Kids
My boys are forever hungry. When the summer holidays arrives, I know full well that I will be spending most of my ‘vacation’ time in the kitchen. They know that I’m game when it comes to cooking, but when they asked me to make corn dogs I was not too keen on the idea. Fried… View more
6 Stunning Pueblos to Visit Outside of Valencia
Oh, Spain! Land of the beautiful pueblos (villages) where time stands still. Valencia, on the east coast of Spain, is home to hundreds of ancient villages rich in history and dating back to the Moorish and Medieval eras. From foreboding fortresses through to ancient cobbled streets. New York travel company AllTheRooms recommends hiring a car… View more
Review: El Passatge Dels Gats A Cat Café In Valencia
I wrote an article a year ago about the opening of a new cat café in Valencia. As a cat lover myself I’ve been waiting for an excuse to visit. So on my birthday, my daughter thought it would be a great surprise to treat me with the experience of having some feline company whilst… View more
The Best Restaurants To Try An Authentic Paella In Valencia
Valencians are VERY passionate about their heritage especially when it comes to food. In the 5 years that I have lived here, I have learnt not to mess or even joke about putting chorizos in a paella. For the reasons that, mentioning such comment even in a joke can potentially get me hung out, beaten… View more
16 Useful Facebook Groups To Join In Valencia And Around Spain
[yasr_visitor_votes size=”small”] Are you thinking about living in Valencia? Have you been doing endless research on the internet to find out more about the city? I’m sure you’ve probably exhausted the forums an dug so deep that you ended up landing here! First of all, I want to tell you that I can totally relate…. View more
Travel Gear Cleaning Guide For Toddlers
Travelling with toddlers can never be as light as we want. Unfortunately. However, it is a good fortune that nowadays there are lots of useful products on the store which can make the trip run on wheels. I appreciate all the gadgets that make my life easier especially when it comes to family journeys with… View more
Weekend Kitchen: No Bake Maple Syrup Millionaires Shortbread
If you landed here looking for the best no bake millionaires shortbread tart then you have come to the right place. Though I must warn you that this tart comes with a health warning. If you are looking to indulge then I suggest that you read on. Just don’t blame me for those extra pounds… View more
Anniversary: Part Three: Aiyanna Ibiza & Restaurante Port Balansat
After Las Dalias sent our senses into overdrive. It was only right to have a more relaxed plan for the next day. I couldn’t believe that we were already on our second day. We haven’t even scratched the surface! But we must make the most of our time here, and today we wanted to check… View more
Single parents: Travel to visit family this holiday season — It’s easier than you think
Traveling for the holidays can be super-fun or super-stressful. When you’re a single parent traveling with your children, chances are it will be on the stressful side. You have to get all their luggage packed, loaded up and checked in, then you have to get them to an airport gate or in the car, then… View more
Anniversary: Part Two: Las Dalias Hippy Market
Though I could have happily stayed in the hotel this entire holiday, it was our main intention to get out there and find out more about the northern part of the island. Our friends who had worked and lived in Ibiza had given us a list of places to go and things to try. And… View more
Anniversary: Part One: Staying At Aguas De Ibiza
My husband and I are close. I mean, extremely close! Not only that we are (obviously) married to each other. We are also co-workers, full-time parents, and we run a business from home. Which 99% the of time means that were together 24 hours, 7 days a week! Ok. This intimate setting might not be… View more
Parent Like a Pro: How To Handle Back To School In Spain
You see, starting a new school year in Valencia is more than just waving your child goodbye at the school gates. I found that different schools in Spain have their own way of doing things. To be an efficient parent; planning and understanding how the system works is the key.
Parents Guide To ‘La Xarxa De Llibres’
Putting your child in education in Spain can be quite an expensive affair. Unlike in the UK where the majority of school materials are free, in Spain materials such as books, notepads, papers and anything else that your child will use will need to be bought by yourself. During the first year of our son… View more