Villa Florence

On a more positive note, I’ll tell you about my Mum and Dad’s place in Spain. My parents sold up their house in England back in 2002 and bought a fantastic villa on Spain’s Costa Blanca, on the South Eastern side of the country.

All of the houses in this area look like fairytale sandcastles in striking shades of yellow, sandy brown, pink and red. Here are some examples:






My parents’ place is a very pleasant corner house on a hill. The place is named Villa Florence, after my dear departed grandmother. Allow me to show you some views of this superb mini-palace:





The house itself occupies one floor and wraps around a corner lot placed very carefully on an up-slope. As a result, there are two entrance gates, one slightly higher up than the other. The garden is laid out in a bewilderingly beautiful blend of rockeries, patios and flowering bushes that curves round toward the terracotta steps that go down to the basement flat which is where my wife and I are staying.

Just above the basement, up another set of steps, is the back of the property, dominated as it is by an irregularly-shaped swimming pool, framed by various garden sun furniture, Romanesque statues and a barbecue area. There is just too much to describe in words, so you'll just have to wait for me to take some more pictures!!

This house is in an exceptionally quiet, visually-colourful area, mostly inhabited by expatriates from the UK, Germany, Norway and of course local Spaniards. As you can see from the pictures, it is hard to imagine why you would be unhappy living there, despite the occasional water shortages!

More from Paradise later……