BENNECKE Blog

This year the Ayuntamiento in Orihuela is pleased to announce that there will be a St Patrick’s Day Festival held on the parking area near the Mercadona at Playa Flamenca from the 16th to the 18th of March. This will be a mix of exhibition, market and fiesta! The celebration is organized in conjunction with the town hall of Orihuela and will include food, children’s play area, Irish dancing, entertainment, music, market stalls etc. There will be something for everyone and hopefully this will become an annual event.

Saint Patrick’s Day is the annual feast day which celebrates St. Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland. The feast day is generally celebrated on March 17th. Although the day is a national holiday in Ireland, it is also widely celebrated by parades and parties throughout the world, not just by the Irish but by an increasing number of non-Irish as well. A common slogan for the day is ‘Everyone’s Irish on March 17th’ and everybody loves a party!

Every year there is a massive parade in New York to celebrate the day. This is usually watched by more than two million spectators and has around 150,000 marchers participating. In Chicago they dye the Chicago River green and in Savannah, Georgia, the fountain waters are dyed green. In many bars in the United States they also serve green beer together with ‘green’ food on the day. Worldwide it is also an excuse to try out Irish beverages such as Guinness, Bailey’s, Magner’s, Irish Whiskey etc. All in all, the day is a celebration party and everybody is invited!

Exite radio will be providing the entertainment throughout the event with a mixture of live broadcasts, their presenters playing the best mix of music and live acts, on stage, including local talents such as Rob Bloomer as Bono, Andy McBride as Rod Stewart, Angie Norris as Kylie, plus original performers like The Monos, Shay, Layla and Josh, Charlie Prince and much, much more! Not only that, but the Kingsbury Academy of Dance will be filling the gaps with a variety of performances throughout the day.

The whole event is sure to get packed, so get along early to get a good spot.

BENNECKE´s newest and possibly cleverest service so far is called Garantia de Alquiler. But what exactly is that and how does it help you as a landlord?

GARANTIA DE ALQUILER is Spanish for Guarantee of Rent. It  is a document that is enclosed as an annex in our rental contracts.

What is that good for? To quickly solve any non-performances that arise in the contractual relation between owner and tenant in the of duration of the rental contract as well as its possible extensions, without the need to be present themselves, or the need of a lawyer or attorney. GARANTIA DE ALQUILER is a service of the Spanish Court of Economic Arbitration of Right and Equity that has been created exclusively for this purpose.

How does it work? The Garantia de Alquiler requires a one-off payment of 58 €. It must be signed by all the parties that intervene. Once signed it covers the complete period of the rental. It is not necessary to renew it. Only in case of non-performance we will get in touch with the Court of Arbitration.

The retroactive character of the Garantia de Alquiler allows it to incorporate this form at any moment of the duration of the contract.

The Garantia de Alquiler is recognized by various institutions nationally and internationally. The Bank of Spain proposed the Rental Guarantee Arbitration Court as one of the most effective measures to significantly reduce the time to execute an eviction. It manages to avoid the damage caused by delays in the justice system. Each case is tried within 30 days, counting from its inception until sentencing. If it is delayed even one day, the Court of Arbitration will advancing the amounts claimed to the plaintiff.

In short with the Garantia de Alquiler and BENNECKE earning money through renting your property is now safer and easier than ever. If you are interested in renting out your property long or short term call us on (+34) 965 714 362 or write an email to post@bennecke.com

The Torrevieja Town Hall has announced that over 75,000 people used the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre in 2009.

Amongst that figure are over 1000 people who use the centre on a monthly basis for language, dance, painting and Tai Chi lessons. Over 26,500 people attended various different cultural events and 31,325 people attended the various exhibitions held at the centre.

Torrevieja Councillor for Culture, Eduardo Dolón, said that the Town Hall was extremely satisfied with the attendance at the centre, which has increased from the original yearly total of 6,130 users after its inauguration.
Centro Cultural Virgen del Carmen
C/Del Mar, 28
Opening hours:
Monday-Friday from 8:30 til 21:30h.
Sabados y domingos from 9 til 21h
Study hall open 24h

Tel.:: 965719900 - 965707788

Parking your car in Torrevieja will now cost just 40 cents an hour. The reduction in price is to try and persuade drivers to leave their car in a car park and deal with all their errands on foot. The low price will stay the same until June 30th. It is a 65% reduction of the normal hourly rate.

The participating car parks are Marina Internacional, Marina Salinas, El Arco, Vista Alegre y La Ermita. Your car will be left under cover and with security guards, 24 hours a day. People who work in Torrevieja will note a huge benefit on their purses, as they will also be able to opt for monthly parking tickets, with an even greater saving.

Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, met with the Valencia President, Francisco Camps in Washington on Friday, as the decision has finally been confirmed that Torrevieja will host the new Microsoft Centre for Health Innovation. The town was chosen because of its good communications to the El Altet and San Javier airports, and also because the local hospital is already using the latest Microsoft programs.

Speaking to EFE, Camps voiced his satisfaction for the agreement reached which showed he said the commitment of the Valencia region to research and development.

There is no final number yet placed on the size of the Microsoft investment, but Camps considers the move will convert the Valencia Health Service into a world reference in technology.

The Valencia Government has also signed a deal with Microsoft under which the Valencian language will be incorporated into their software from next April.

Gastronomy, dance and Andalusian flavours from the 22nd to the 28th of February.

The Torrevieja’s Andalusian Association prepares to celebrate its Cultural Week, organized for the 22nd until the 28th of February. A week  when tapas and typical Andalusian cuisine will liven up our stomachs and leave a good taste in members’ and sympathizers’ mouths.

The events will be celebrated in the associations place of residence in calle Valencia nº10.

Program:

Tuesday, February 23, at 7 p.m., conference about public safety by a Torrevieja’s local policeman. (free entry)

Tuesday 24th, at 7.30 p.m., exhibition by the students in the dance courses, castanets and chirigotas, and the possibility of participating at a sevillanas contest. (free entry).

Thursday 25th, at 8 pm., theatre play “Los chicos del teatro”, written by Rafael Ruiz Nogal and starred by the “Candilejas” theatre workshop. Then, Victoria Martínez  will represent some monologues under the title “Requiebros”.(free entry)

Friday 26th, at 7.30 p.m., flamenca dresses parade, with the performance of the dance group called “Azabache”’ and the participation of the choir “Brisa del Sur”.(free entry)

Saturday, 27th at the Centro Cultural Virgen del Carmen, at 8 p.m., music show “Al Compás de Andalucía”, with flamenco shows from the choir “Arte Payá” and the choir “Brisa del Sur”. A supportive show to the benefit of the campaign “Alimentos Solidarios de Torrevieja”. Entry ticket: 5€.  Tickets sold at: association’s seat (Calle Valencia,10) and local theatre’s ticket box, Tuesday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 hours before the show.

Sunday, 28th, Andalusia’s day, at 12 p.m. the Torrevieja’s Asociación Cultural Andaluza (Andalusian Cultural Association) will offer a mass sang by the choir “Brisa del Sur” in the church Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción.(free entry)

Sunday night was not only an opportunity for romantics to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day but also saw Torrevieja’s night-time Carnival Parade taking place, as rain caused a postponement from Saturday.

Over 2,000 spectators lined the route from Patricio Pérez along Ramón Gallud to Plaza de Maria Asunción to be entertained by one of Torrevieja’s fun parades.

From babies in pushcarts to grandmothers and grandfathers, the different ‘schools’ strutted their stuff accompanied by their own music ‘van’, all cleverly timed and spaced so that the music needed seemed to change as the procession moved down the main street. Over a dozen ‘schools’ participated this year, dressing up as in such garb as Aliens, Salt Boats, Disney Characters, Barbie Dolls to Amazonian Woman; at least they looked like Amazonian Woman to me but no matter what, they looked great anyway! It was a fun night for all and the buzz was that the 1800 hrs start on the Sunday was as good as, if not better than, the 2200 hrs normal start time on the Saturday, as many of the younger ones enjoyed the early start and parking was much easier on a Sunday than a Saturday night.

If you were one of the hundred thousand or so residents that missed Sunday’s event or has never seen a Torrevieja Carnival Parade, make sure you pencil it in for 2011. Remember that next month sees the start of the Easter Processions and although solemn in nature, thousands will be lining the streets of Torrevieja during the week to enjoy the spectacular floats, as they are carried through the streets of the city. It seems like Torrevieja has a fiesta or festival every month of the year, so make sure you are there to support your International Cofridia, Los Costaleros, this Easter. No Amazon Women dancing in the streets are expected but it’s still a magnificent spectacle to witness for yourself!

Against all other market trends the famous Sunday Market in Campo de Guardamar, just off the lemon tree road, has added another extension! Last Summer they added al large section of stalls, mainly food and drink, to the west side of the market, almost doubling it in size. This winter another smaller section on its north side has opened. It is occupied mainly by fruit and veg stalls. The produce there is as fresh as it gets and the prices are almost ridiculously small. When you go, bring large bags! Even if you only came for a few oranges, you will probably be tempted by a few other things. To do a weeks worth of fruit and veg shopping is easily done for 10 to 12 Euros. Also when you are done, there are a variety of stalls waiting for you where you can refresh yourself. The market is held every Sunday, there is plenty of parking available. Opening times are 8 am til 14.00pm, some stalls open longer…

Since we started doing rentals, our phones have not stopped ringing! More than a year later the operation Bennecke Rentals is a great success. However since the demand is so high, we are slowly but surely running out of rental properties. We are almost fully booked for the summer and 95% of our long term lets are let out.

We are looking for more properties, especially 3 bedroomed property, detached property and as always the closer to the beach the better! If you have a property that you wish to rent out long or short term please contact my colleague Emma: post@bennecke.com or call us at the office (0034) 965 714 362.

I hope everybody had the best possible holidays and a smooth transfer to the new year.