Mike, Mil Palmeras, Spain

37-year old Swedish IT Professional Mike has made a home in sunny Mil Palmeras, Spain. Perfect weather, friendly people and beautiful coastlines make up this lovely seaside beach town and it's no surprise that Mike and his wife, Rose love it there. We ask Mike to tell us more about his experience living the life in Mil Palmeras.

What do you enjoy best in the country you're in?

Any recommendations for travellers going to your new country?

Things I enjoy most in my new country:

Mil Palmeras is a small tourist village in the south of Spain. The name of the place is a direct translation of "thousand palms". I am not sure about why the place is named that way but probably because there are palm trees growing everywhere. We have 300 days of sunshine, making our village a popular destination for tourists.

Now, what I love about my village:

We make great Spanish food- I've never eaten in a Spanish restaurant around Mil Palmeras and have been disappointed.

Since we've owned the house for 20+ years, I have a lot of friends who go to Mil Palmeras for vacation and it's quite nice to have an opportunity to catch up with all of them.

Being 5 minutes away from this:

Knowing all of the residents. My wife and I used to live in big cities and it's refreshing to live in a community where everyone knows everyone.

Other things I like about being in Spain:

Laid back attitude of the Spaniards. Spanish people are not lazy. They work really hard but they also know that life is too short so they enjoy life.

If you go to Barcelona, you will see Gaudi's work.

Cheap, good quality wine- in our area, you can find a decent bottle of wine for 5 Euros. If you're willing to spend between 15-20 Euros, then, we're really talking about really good wine.

Great weather

There are so many towns to visit that are equally rich in history and culture. The best and cheapest way to travel around Spain and I suppose, around Europe is still by car but if you don't have a car, both the bus and the train are comfortable and are available on all cities. Of course, the smaller the city, the fewer the trips so you have to really be good at planning ahead.

Spain grows a lot of fruits and vegetables for the rest of Europe so we have great produce/ingredients.

We are world famous for our Iberico ham. In my opinion, they keep the best ones here and the price is much friendlier than you would find them abroad.