Ideal Country Property's Blog

Hide Caller ID In Spain

Block Caller ID

It seems that many people have inquired about how to hide their number when making telephone calls within Spain. It’s very easy to do.

For mobiles, there is normally a  permanent option normally via a menu section to hide the caller ID (“Ocultar Número” or “Envío ident. llamante” if your phone is in Spanish). If you just want to hide the number before a particular call, then dial #31# before the number you want to dial on your mobile.

For landlines, simply dial 067 before the number you want to call and your number will be hidden. Simple!

I hope this helps. I have tried this with a mobile phone on the Orange network and it works just as well.

Our House Is In Order

David Laver

Alhaurín el Grande is surrounded by charming countryside, yet is only half an hour drive to Málaga or the coast. This enviable location is making the town more and more popular with clients from northern Europe, alongside a growing Spanish market.

The best news is that over the last year, property prices have dropped significantly bringing in some exceptional bargains. In particular, with the weakness of the Pound to the Euro, we have seen many UK owners who are returning home able to reduce the price of their property without actually affecting their Sterling bottom line.

The majority of our clients looking to buy, want the rural dream of a peaceful location with a plot of land populated with olive, orange, fig and avocado trees. They want the pretty home with terraces from which they can enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding mountains after taking a refreshing dip in the swimming pool. As it is now impossible to build a house or a swimming pool in the countryside, these existing country homes are in short supply and in high demand. That said, we do still have a good selection that we can offer you.

Ideal Country Property has been based in Alhaurín El Grande since the company formed in 2007. With the property market slowing down considerably since then, the number of Estate Agents in the town has decreased from 30 to just 5, leaving Ideal Country Property as the predominant inland specialist.

Part of the reason for many of the agencies closing down is the Junta de Andalucía inspecting Real Estate Agents for compliance to the ‘218 Decree’ (“Decreto 218″), which regulates the information given to customers purchasing or renting homes in Andalucía. Many agents did not comply, failing to supply all the information required on each property and ended up with large fines. We have been inspected twice and have passed with flying colours, getting commended both times on how much information we actually give to our clients.

In this day and age it is essential to be able to assure the clients of the legality of their new property and we are pleased to be able to do that. Buying in Spain has become more complicated and it seems like every week a new property-related law is passed or changed that affects what can and can’t be done in the Andalucían countryside. To keep abreast of these changes we have regular meetings with local solicitors and architects so that the information we pass on to our clients is relevant, correct and up-to-date. Coupled with years of local real estate experience, this equates to being able to offer in-depth local knowledge and advice to our clients looking to buy or rent, and owners hoping to sell.

We are  expecting this to help us have a busy and successful 2010.

You can find us at our new addess on the main street (Calle Gerald Brenan, 83) next to Casa Paco.

Picniks – Confectioners Of Distinction

Picniks Of Alhaurín

PICNIKS  is a local British cafeteria that I would describe as being like “Starbucks” but with style.

The owners take an active interest in their customers and never give you the impression that they want you to eat up and leave so they can fit more clients in. There is a wide variety of homemade food available and the quality is superb. In addition to the set menus there are daily specials to satisfy even the most demanding appetite. One such example is the homemade beef burger. I tried the 100% season beef burger last week and when I first saw it I thought that the whole cow had been used due to the size of the meat! The seasoned meat is not only ample but deliciously seasoned and served with a rasher of bacon, melted cheddar cheese, salad and crisps. I’d even go so far as to say that this is the best beef burger I have ever tasted in my life! Try this and you’ll probably never want to eat in a McDonalds again!

As well as the fine quality sandwiches, soups and cakes (including deliciously soft and large ice buns, which on their own put Picniks on the map) there are a range of speciality hot and cold drinks. Of course, if you’re just looking for a great cup of coffee and a friendly atmosphere, then Simon, Debbie and Kate are happy to oblige. You can choose to sit inside or soak up the sun and watch the world go by outside on their ample terrace. Kate also makes celebration cakes to order and has an ample variety of eye-catching and fun designs. CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO SEE LARGER VERSIONS.

DOWNLOAD SANDWICH & MEAL MENU

Alternatively you can contact Picniks directly by filling in the form below.
PICNIKS CONTACT FORM

Easyjet Flight Departure Check

Flight Status

Due all the bad weather conditions lately, Easyjet’s telephone lines have been overloaded with people calling to check on the status of their upcoming flights. The technical people at Easyjet have come up with a special webpage so that you can check the status of your flight online. All you need to do is click on the link below, select which airport the flight is leaving from and press the”check flight departures” button. Simple!

http://www.ideal-country-property.com/blog/EJfcheck

300€ Discount On Securitas Alarm System

WE ARE AUTHORISED REPRESENTATIVES OF SECURITAS DIRECT SPAIN.

Securitas Basic Alarm Pack

Landlines In The Campo

The Vodafone shop in the “La Trocha” shopping centre in Coín can help you set it up and they have English speaking staff, which is a bonus if you don’t speak much Spanish. Maybe now it’s time to start saying “Adiós Telefónica”!

And for those of you that DO have a regular landline and Internet, you should consider the possibility of using VOIP to make cheaper telephone calls. The Federal Communications Commission defines VoIP as “a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular phone line.” Certain VoIP providers may limit you to calling only people using the same service, but others open it up to anyone with a phone number – local, long distance, international and mobiles. Some services now include VoIP adapters for use on regular phones too.

We Have Moved Offices!

New ICP Office

If you have ever visited our old office on the Cártama road in Alhaurín El Grande, you will know that we were already long overdue for a move. The office seemed to get smaller and damper by the month! Now we have a lovely, shiny, bright & spacious new office that is not only better for us but also for our clients. We even have two new sofas, in ICP trademark Orange, for you to sit down and relax whilst you wait.

The move went well after weeks of intensive preparation. The new office needed four coats of white paint to cover all the old green, blue, red and black paint that was used by the previous tenants! We have a new alarm installed and are now Authorised Agents for “Securitas Direct” alarms, which means we can give you a great discount on a similar installation in your own home or office.

Where exactly are we located? Just two minutes walk from our old office. We are on Calle Gerald Brennan, number 83 in what was the old “Videoclub Milenium”, next to the “Casa Paco” Fish Restaurant and directly facing “Cafetería Fahala”. If you get to the BP Petrol Station then you’ve gone too far!

AC3 Codec, DivX and Multimedia Files

DivX

I personally am a fan of DivX files, which are basically compressed video files so they don’t take up a load of space. They have the distinct advantage over normal DVD files as they are a lot smaller and thus save valuable space on your hard drive or media player. The actual software to play these files is free and you can find out more about it and download it for both Windows and Mac here from the official DivX site: http://www.divx.com/

The same company offer a program (DivX Converter) that converts your DVDs to DivX format but after having experienced a problem with this, like many others too according to what I’ve read on the Internet, the solution was to install a free AC3 codec. For those of you who are not-so technical, this is a file that allows videos with AC3 encoded sound to be played correctly on your PC. Maybe you have downloaded a video and you can see the picture perfectly but there is no sound. Well, it could be that you are missing the AC3 codec. As to the DivX converter, after having installed this codec, my DVDs converted with no problem at all. You can download this free AC3 Codec here: http://rapidshare.com/files/338366337/ICP_ac3filter_1_63bFULL.rar

Screenplay Pro HD

Finally, if you have a lot of multimedia files and photos, I would recommend obtaining a multimedia hard drive. As more and more people are moving into the digital age and using digital cameras and videos, this means that we are now accustomed to dealing with multimedia files. Up to now, these have normally been viewed on a PC or burnt to a DVD and watched on a DVD player. However, the advantage of a good multimedia player is that you have ample storage space and you can keep all your files in one place and watch them on your TV without having to have the PC connected to it. I personally recommend Iomega’s “Screenplay Pro HD” that comes in both 500mb and 1Tb format as it accepts a wide range of multimedia file formats, plays Full-HD resolution and comes with a remote control and all the neccesary cables, including the high-definition HDMI cable. You can find out more about it at the offical site: http://go.iomega.com/en/products/multimedia-drive/screenplay/screenplay-pro/?partner=4735#overviewItem_tab

Auto Gordian Knot

So now you know what to play your DivX files on, HOW DO YOU MAKE A DIVX FILE? My personal favourite is a completely free program called “Auto Gordian Knot” (“AGK” for short). It’s made by a UK company and there is a very comprehensive help guide on their website: http://www.autogk.me.uk/modules.php?name=TutorialEN. You can download the program from there but I’ve made a direct download link here (you just have to wait about 30 seconds if you don’t have an account with Rapidshare): http://rapidshare.com/files/341961734/AutoGordianKnot.2.55.Setup.exe

If you have any questions (and especially if any of the above links don’t work), then please feel free to leave your comments below.

Málaga on Yellow Alert for Temperatures Up To 36ºC

Málaga Beach

There are few clouds in the sky over Málaga again today and this will contribute to the temperatures increasing slightly according to the AEMET (State Meteorological Agency).

The minimum temperature recording during the wee hours of the morning was 26ºC and they are predicted to rise up to 36ºC. That is why AEMET have put the Costa del Sol on Yellow Alert (important risk) between the hours of 12 noon and 7pm today.

If you are planning to visit the beach today, then here are a few things to keep in mind to make your trip a pleasurable one:

• Use sunscreen but bear in mind that it wears off, gets rubbed off and also comes off with perspiration and there goes your protection so APPLY IT OFTEN!
• Wear a wide brimmed hat – even better if it is an anti-UV hat which covers your head, face and neck.
• Seek shade during the hours of 10:00-17:00 (10am-5pm).  That’s why it is good practice to take a big golfing-style umbrella with you. Anti-UV umbrellas will give you UV protection, and will cut some intensity of the sun.
• Use these methods of protection every day, not just when the sun is shining.  Clouds are do not protect you from ultra-violet rays that can cause skin cancer.

Local Bus Timetables

These are the new bus timetables for buses leaving Alhaurín and Coín. Other areas covered are Cártama, Fuengirola, Guaro, Málaga, Marbella, Mijas, Monda, and Tolox. The prices and the journey times are also included as well as the times for the return journeys.

 Please bear in mind that with the road works on the Alhaurín to Mijas road, the journey to Fuengirola and Mijas could take up to 45 minutes longer.

Alhaurín Bus Timetable OCTOBER 09 (File Size=362kb)

Coín Bus Timetable OCTOBER 09 (File Size=369kb)

To view the above files you will need Adobe Reader, which you can download for free from here: