The shopping in Madrid is extensive and if you do not know where to head for it often feels like a minefield.A favourite area for shopping in Madrid City is Salamanca. Full of upmarket boutiques selling exquisite dresses, chic hats, shoes, and bags perfect for Wimbledon, Ascot, and this summers weddings.

On any shopping trip in Spain it is worth popping into El Corte Ingles. El Corte Ingles is a large upmarket department store although be careful there are more than six El Corte Ingles in Madrid. On each floor there is a different department. Women wears, men’s wear, children wear, and toys, home furnishings, there is even a floor with gardening tools, DIY tools, and garden furniture. There is often a restaurant or two in each El Corte Ingles. Books, music, films, cosmetics, the list is endless. The most important thing for me is that you can buy a bikini (for example) for £10 or for £300 and this applies to almost everything in the El Corte Ingles department stores. When they supply something they supply every shape size and label. Brilliant for Christmas shopping, you can buy the whole family’s presents in one hit, heading back to the car park (onsite) whenever your hands are full. El Corte Ingles is like the John Lewis of Spain and highly recommended on your shopping trip in Madrid.

Sparkling seas. Warm and gentle sunshine. Wine and tapas and sparkling cava. Spain is a wonderful country to settle in, and there are countless things that set this place apart and make it special. More and more, holiday goers and investors alike are flocking to sunny and beautiful Spain. A Spanish real estate rush that started years ago with UK residents retiring in Southern Spain is now catching on in the U.S. and the rest of the world: Spain is a hot place to invest, both literally and figuratively.

However, it’s never a good idea to jump into any investment without doing the research first– and in this case, a lot of it. Because as appealing as the idea of a sun-soaked southern villa may sound, the steps involved in getting there are many and complicated. Here are some bright tips that will help you avoid the many pitfalls in shopping for real estate in Spain.