The Costa de la Luz, so named because of the strikingly bright light, is the 300km coastline on the Atlantic side of southern Spain.
Running from Ayamonte next to the Portuguese border to the Straits of Gibraltar, the coast is often divided into two sections: Huelva Province, which takes in the western half including the Coto Doñana national park, and Cadiz Province, which stretches from the River Guadalquivir to the mouth of the Mediterranean sea.

It may be neighbours with the Costa del Sol, but the Costa de la Luz couldn’t be more different. Its golden beaches are long, wide, wild, often deserted – and more likely to be backed by sand dunes or pine trees than high-rise apartment blocks. And because 30% of the region is a protected area, it has remained quiet and undeveloped, with most visitors tending to spend short breaks in the beautiful cities of Seville or Jerez rather than explore lesser known towns of equal beauty such as Vejer de la Frontera or Medina Sidonia.

Now, however, the coast and nearby inland areas, particularly near the Portuguese border, are seeing increasing development as tourists and househunters realise the potential of this beautiful nature lovers' region.

PROPERTY PRICES
Having been overshadowed in terms of investment, development and tourism by its neighbour, the Costa del Sol, the Costa de la Luz has in recent years started to generate interest for many investors and holiday home owners.

The region offers greater value for money than the Costa del Sol and a higher possibility of good capital returns on your investment as little known areas among foreign audiences start to generate big interest.
Prices are increasing at a faster rate than in other regions of Spain, assisted by the arrival of Ryanair at Jerez airport, which is due for expansion. Faro, Seville and Gibraltar airports also have regular flights to and from the UK.

While property prices in established resorts such as Conil de la Frontera, and sought-after historic towns such as Vejer de la Frontera, have risen considerably over the past few years, new, growing areas such as Islantilla near Ayamonte or Chiclana near Cadiz offer first-time investors good value for money, with apartments available from around 100,000 euros and beautiful beaches, golf and unspoilt countryside on the doorstep.

Cadiz province has seen increases of up to 26% in house values in the past year. New-build prices are higher in the Cadiz province (1,468 euros per m2) than in Huelva province (1,240 euros per m2).

CLIMATE
Mild and pleasant throughout the seasons, with cool, blue skied winters and hot, sunny summers with average temperatures of around 25 degrees (though this invariably rises to well into the 30s).

There are 3,200 hours of sunshine a year on average – and 30 days of rain a year. The coast is famous for its light breezes which become noticeably stronger around Tarifa, a haven for windsurfers.

The best time to visit is June to September for guaranteed dry and hot sunny days.

GEOGRAPHY
Located on the Atlantic side of southern Spain, the Costa de la Luz has a wilder feel to it than the preened Mediterranean shores of the Costa del Sol. In the Cadiz province in particular, the sea is rougher (and cooler), the winds are stronger (the dramatic sight of hundreds of wind turbines dotting the hillside greets you as you approach Tarifa) and the countryside consists of largely undisturbed expanses of green hills, pine forests, empty beaches and quiet villages. The Huelva province is slightly tamer, its coastline characterised by less windswept long, sandy beaches.

GETTING THERE
For a region which has yet to see huge development, the Costa de la Luz is remarkably well equipped with airports. Faro airport in Portugal, a 45-minute drive to Ayamonte, is best placed for western Costa de la Luz. EasyJet, Monarch, Jet2, bmibaby, Thomsonfly, Avro, BA and TAP Air Portugal have regular flights there from the UK.

For the eastern Costa del la Luz (Cadiz province), fly to Gibraltar airport – 40km east of Tarifa - with Monarch, Avro or BA. The soon-to-expand Jerez airport has regular flights from the UK with Ryanair and BA. Seville airport is served by BA, Iberia and Ryanair.

At a stretch even Malaga airport for the eastern province as it’s 150km from Tarifa. There are also plans to build a new airport near Huelva, 20km from Ayamonte.

There are many things to consider when considering purchasing a property in Spain and moving your life to a new part of the world. Commuting between Spain and the UK is now so easy and relatively cheap that relocating is not longer the huge trauma it used to be. The internet has also made it possible to stay in contact easily and effectively so you don't have to feel miles away from loved ones either.

If you are planning on making the move, make sure you are fully prepared and have covered every aspect of your relocation from how to are going to ship your belongings down to Spain, how to find a local doctor, what is involved in setting up a new business and how to go about recruitment of personnel, where to find a reliable computer support team to look after your business data, as you had with the Computer support Essex team back home, how data backup works in Spain etc. etc.

If you prefer to transport your own car down to Spain then contact Car Shipping Spain with your car details and shipping requirements for great deals on all sorts of vehicle transport to and from Spain.