In this article we bring you the 5 main reasons why Spain is a favourite lifestyle destination for foreign buyers.
1. Undeniable appeal as a lifestyle destination
Spain’s place as a property hotspot has been well document. Recent figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reports an 11% year-on-year increase in the number of transactions from January to November 2018 with total annual sales rising to 481,220. According to registradores, the proportion of foreign buyers has also seen a significant increase and now accounts for almost 14% of sales compared to just 4% in 2009.
According to our own study, during 2018, Spain was the second country in the world that gathers more interest from foreign buyers.
With more than 120 million international visitors per year Spain also has undeniable appeal as a lifestyle destination. It’s no surprise that plenty of people choose to live, work, get an education, retire and generally ‘live their best life’ there too. It also offers the financial appeal to add peace of mind to all this entertainment, as confirmed by the Financial Times, which put Catalonia and Madrid in the top two spots on a list of the best places for foreign investment in 2019.
2. Climate and beaches
The world-class beach lifestyle explains the widely held belief that the Iberian peninsula has a Mediterranean climate, but in reality this is just a part of the whole warm, welcoming story.
Spain is big, and with its immense central plain, spectacular mountainous regions and the significant length of coastline that also bumps the Atlantic, this is a country of subtle climactic differences – all of which are fair set for enjoying life.
Sure, it rains on the plain, but while the weather might let you down occasionally the climate won’t. Whether you’re basking on the white sands of Ibiza, cruising the ski slopes of the Pyrenees or picnicking in verdant meadows overlooking the dramatic Galician coastline of the north, conditions will be on your side.
On the other hand, Spain has 8,000km of mainland and island coastline, including some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Think crystal clear blue water, white sand, picturesque rocky cliffs, hidden coves and beautiful dunes. Choose walking, promenading or basking in the sun, bobbing about, surfing or training for a triathlon.
Ibiza beach Source: unsplash
Widespread Blue Flag certification underlines Spain’s position at the forefront of beach quality and safety, with 569 beaches (20% of the total) officially allowed to display this prestigious banner of excellence. 16% of the world’s Blue Flag beaches are in Spain. A strong commitment to coastal clean-up targets litter and waste, and help to secure these natural environments for wildlife residents too.
3. Gastronomy
Spanish eateries have appeared in the top three of the ‘World’s Best Restaurants’ list since it started in 2012. The list has made international household names of Ferran Adriá and El Bullí (won three times) and The Roca Brothers and El Celler Can Roca (won twice).
Gastronomy at El Bulli. Foto: El Bulli
But to dwell at the ‘top end’ of the culinary scale is to betray the sheer depth and variety of Spain’s exceptional gastronomic offering, from tapas to tortilla, bacalao to jubago and pulpo to paella. There are regional specialities to suit any taste, and venues for any occasion.
Paella, One of the most typical dishes in Spain Source: unsplash
Spain is also the world’s third biggest wine producer (after Italy and France), with a million-plus hectares of cultivated vines and 500+ native grape varieties.
Rioja, Cava, Tempranillo and Valdepeñas (a favourite of Hemingway) trip romantically off the tongue as easily as they arouse the palate. Whatever your taste, you’ll find world famous reds, whites, Cavas and Sherries to remember.
4. Culture and festivals
Fiestas are an art form in Spain. It’s virtually unheard of for a week to pass by without a celebration that everyone can enjoy. As a Catholic country Spain has plenty of religious festivals and parades. Giants, costumes, long tables on closed streets and the echo of drums are integral to life in every city, town and village.
Pamplona’s San Fermin festival, the famous ‘running of the bulls’, and the very messy 40,000 person fruit-based flingfest of La Tomatina in Valencia may grab the international headlines but rich traditions and the love of a day off, a dance or a firework – live on even more strongly and authentically in ‘real’ Spain.
Pamplona San Fermín festival Photo: unsplash
Also, while many countries claim to have café cultures, but junk-food versions can’t hold a cappucino to Spain’s seemingly endless array of individual, characterful, welcoming and often rowdy establishments.
These places have no time for baristas and overpriced beans. They are community staples, an essential part of the lifestyle where a businessman can take a fast cortado alongside workmen easting sandwiches from silver foil and enjoying a hard-earned breakfast beer. And where a gin and tonic or glass of wine is taken on the terrace or on rickety chairs perched on pavements.
5. People
A friendly sense of community pervades Spanish society. People pull together to discuss, to protest and to celebrate. Age is respected and enjoyed and family is everything - whether you’re the latest addition or the oldest you’ll be a part of things, never more than in a restaurant on a Sunday lunchtime.
Friendly, challenging, parochial, cosmopolitan, traditional and forward-thinking in equal measure, the population of Spain is a fascinating mix of characters and social mores based on a long, tempestuous history that continued until relatively recently.
La gente
española Foto: unsplash
But this only seems to strengthen the determination to move into the 21stCentury as a leader in so many aspects of life’s good things. Spanish people are proud and have a strong identity, but luckily they can be welcoming too, which means outsiders can join in and enjoy their own version of a perfect lifestyle.
Spain has it all
We all have different ideas as to what constitutes the perfect lifestyle, but Spain’s appeal lies in a wealth of natural attributes that have been forged from the earth over millions of years
Whatever you’re looking for, Spain has countryside, islands and coasts that deliver the perfect setting for your version of your best life. It has vibrant cosmopolitan cities, sleepy fishing villages, bustling market towns and countryside idylls that provide peace and tranquility miles from anywhere.
Lakes, mountains and valleys stand in majestic natural contrast to glittering superyacht marinas and new developments that are all about taking luxury to new levels. A love of old history remains despite the will of innovators to write the digital history of centuries to come.
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