A recent article on Pinoso ( Alicante ), as reported by a Spanish based English language newspaper…

An often-asked question by those with the intention of retiring permanently to Spain is "where is the best place to live". As you would imagine, the question is as broad as it is long. If bars, restaurants, quiz nights in the local English run bars bring about the quality of your life and you cannot do without the Daily Mirror or Sun, then you need to head for the resort areas.

On the other hand, if your cultural ambitions extend to living in the real Spain and finding a quality to life which is untainted, by lager louts, ludicrous prices and serious crime then there can be no finer place to live than Pinoso . Situated in the far corner of the Vinalopó Mitja, on the border with Murcia , Pinoso is a small, quiet but wealthy town, surrounded by the pine groves of the Sierra del Coto.

Wine buffs may be interested to know that the vineyards around Pinoso produce high quality grapes and the town is an important producer of wine.

The Bodega Co-operative Wine Cellar is able to store 14,000,000 litres of fine wines. An excellent vino tinto costing pounds in U.K. shops, can be purchased for around € 2.70. The same wine can be purchased by the barrel for those who may fear running out. . . and is even cheaper!

Pinoso is a very clean town and as mentioned it is also very wealthy (claimed to be the fifth wealthiest in Spain ) for a variety of reasons.

Notwithstanding, the cost of living is lower by far than the resort areas simply because the authorities use the towns wealth wisely for the benefit of its residents and although Pinoso only has 6,500 inhabi­tants, it has a solid infrastructure. Modern amenities include a medical centre, schools, and believe it or not, it even has a modern theatre. There is of course the usual selection of Spanish restaurants, which are truly excellent, as well as bars, supermarkets, banks etc. Lawyers are in abundance and of course, there are all other types of professionals including dentists. In fact, everything needed is to hand as is much, which will never be needed by most. A small, exclusive, U.K. expatriate population is dotted around the area ensuring that you don't lose contact with your fellow countrymen, unless that is, you want to . . ! And yes, you can receive U.K. television in Pinoso , including Sky, providing you have the appropriate equipment, although many would argue that there are better things to do in the area than watch TV.

An indoor market for fresh produce is available every day and when we say fresh, we mean fresh. Food just could not be in better condition. Saturday is the day for the street market, which is such as to attract shoppers to Pinoso . Here you can browse ‘til your heart's content, picking up genuine bargains and enjoying good humoured haggling for them.

Remarkably, this little town has an absolutely excellent sports centre with outdoor and indoor swimming pool plus tennis courts, football pitches and gymnasium. A little way out of town and up into the hills and the authorities have provided a beautiful picnic area among the pines, complete with barbecues, tables, benches and fresh running water.

Pinoso is only a short drive from Alicante , which is the region's capital, and where you can virtually obtain anything, which you can in your own country, plus a few other things as well.

There can be few people who have not heard of the famous El Corte Inglés department stores in Spain and Alicante boasts two of them. Here you can buy anything from a pin to a battleship. Alicante even has a PC World, although it goes under the name of PC City in the town, ensuring that you can obtain computers with English operating systems and a full range of support in English as well as programmes written in English. Some of the best beaches in Spain are to be found in Alicante , including the very large playa San Juan where a family could easily spend the day surrounded by beach bars and restaurants. As mentioned, Alicante is only a short drive away from Pinoso and makes a wonderful day trip for visitors being an extremely attractive Mediterranean tree lined city with everything going for it.