Nights In. .Entertaining yourself indoors.

Get your friends round.
The working population of the Orihuela Costa, those who don' t like going out all the time (or don't have the money)  often find that night in can be just as entertaining as a night out. After all, if you live here, you are more than likely working twice as hard as you did back in your own country, or, with the current financial climate. those on pensions have found that their money doesn't go quite as far as it used to.

Inviting some friends or family round for drinks, a tapas night or a barbeque can be a cost effective and entertaining way to spend the evenings, especially in summer, when those of us fortunate to live here, live practically otside most of the time. We all either have communal gardens, balconies, vast amounts of outdoor space or rooftops to gather our loved ones and have a good old get together.
The balmy nights of sumertime, means that a night in can be spent outside, you get to keep your costs down and spend quality time with the ones you love and also means that you do not have to shout above the music, stagger or find a Taxi to go home in and if you want to play music, get to listen to what you actually want to hear, in the comfort of your home, roof or outside area.

On the Box. The Great Ex-Pat Telly Debate.
Many of the ex-pats living on the Orihuela Costa and most of the Costa Blanca and other regions in Spain, reall love their home comforts, and the Brits in particular cannot do without their Great British soaps. (in English of course) .Where would they be without Corrie, Eastenders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Casualty and a whole host of 'timeless' classic.
The great debate, however, is WHO DO YOU CHOOSE to install the dammned thing?

Satellite -v- Micromesh.
With recent closure of channels, the legallities of 're-broadcasting' (a roughly translated -  system where the programing is actually sent to Spain via the internet and 're-broadcast' through the local communications companies).
The legality of this has caused much controvesy, with hundreds of thouands of ex-pats losing their beloved telly, so people are turning to satellite instead.

If you are looking into getting a T.V. system installed, talk to a professional, well respected company, get quotes form a few different places and remember:- cheapest can often turn out to be the most expensive in the long run. Check what fees there are, as some companies take a one-off installation fee  only (normally satellite) and others have an install fee and a monthly subscription.
The final choice has to be yours. Ask your friends who they have their broadcasting with, if they are happy and find out about aftercare services.
Most of the better known companies will be more than happy to assist you with any questions that you may have.

The local press are great resources for what's on the box and most of them will put the timings at Spanish time (e.g. Coronation St. is on a 8.30p.m. not 7.30). Most of the local papers have telly pages and there are one or two T.V. magazines on sale at selected outlets available to buy (a bit like TV guides back in your own country).

Whether you go for the micromesh or satellite options, some channels are sometimes difficult to get (e.g. some systems will only pick up Channel 4 +1, or sometimes BBC 2 can be difficult). Ask your chosen provider about some of the 'foibles' of their particular system so that you can be prepared and have no unwanted surprises.

Local Telly.
There are 2 main forms of local programming:-
LOCAL TELEVISION - i.e. Spanish Television. A great way to learn Spanish, an insight into how your favourite programmes sound in another language (Simpsons are a prime example), and up to date Spanish News (we live here after all).
LOCAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TELEVISION - There are a few English language television channels that serve the Orihuela Costa and the Costa Blanca & Calida.

The 2 best known are SOL Productions & VIVA Television, broadcasting local news, views, events and magazine style shows, along with shopping channels and information shows.

SOL Productions are broadcast via the Simul-Sat Platform (Channel 6, 3 times per day mon - fri, check local press for details).

VIVA T.V. is broadcast via the Torresat & Euro Telly  Platforms (Check EPG on you digibox and it will find you the best signal) .Check local press for programming schedules.

Fancy a DVD ?
If you are staying in and want to watch a movie, without going out, you can join a local DVD club, or have them delivered to you via the DVD delivery services that operate (check local press for adverts).
If you are buying form the local 'vendors' (3 for 10 euro), then be prepared to not see very much.

On the whole, staying in can be as much fun as going out, depending on what you like to do. Not everyone is on holiday and even those who are holidaying here on the Orihuela Costa may not want to, or be able to afford to go out every night. Most rental properties are well equipped, many have excellent facilities like pools, barbeques, television and the like.