Those living in Spain who miss their favourite UK stores will be delighted to know that many major international names such as Marks & Spencer and Amazon ship products directly to your home address in Spain - you can browse and order online in minutes.

Whether you are visiting or living in Andalucia, the Andalucia Directory should make life a little easier to find the information and services you may need.

Some 10 minutes drive from Estepona, Puerto Deportivo La Duquesa offers good restaurants, bars and boutiques. Duquesa Marina is charming; part of the attraction is that it is more peaceful than other Marinas on the coast. In the summer the port comes alive in the evenings with plenty of bars and restaurant offering live music and entertainment.

Andalucia is a top destination for many nationalities seeking a relaxed pace of life in the sun. Foreign settlers are arriving in their droves to Andalucia, not only drawn by the fantastic climate, but also by the rich variety of natural beauty to be found in the mountains and on the coast, as well as the plethora of golf courses and other recreational activities to choose from.

Every year Andalucía welcomes thousands of tourists, business people and new residents from other countries. Although many have a good understanding of the Spanish language, at one time or another they will usually all need the services of either a translator, who converts written texts from one language into another, or an interpreter who does the same with the spoken word.

Living in a foreign country is a wonderful and enriching experience, which requires that you understand the local customs and ways of doing things - these may be considerably different from what you've experienced in your home country.

"There is no cure for birth and death, save to enjoy the interval," wrote the Spanish-born philosopher, George Santayana. Death is one of the few constants of life that can strike at anytime and anywhere, and Andalucia is not exempt.

Many people have found southern Spain to be an excellent place to start a family and raise children. Children are highly esteemed in Spanish culture and generally welcomed in restaurants and all kinds of events. As they say in Spain, "Cada niño nace con un bar de pan debajo del brazo" - or "Every child is born with a bar of bread under its arm".

If you are living, working or running a business, club, association, community or any other organisation in Andalucia, you are advised to understand data protection law as it applies to you. “Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence” according to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.

To begin with, prices in general are quite reasonable in Andalucia - at least as compared to northern Europe. However, if real savings are your objective, it helps to have some local know-how in order to really cut costs on every corner.

As a consumer in Andalucia you will find at your disposal dedicated government offices designed to advise you regarding your rights and responsibilities. There are also numerous private consumer organisations that operate at both national and regional level. In the following articles you will find more specific information to help you find your way.

Christmas is not Andalucia´s biggest religious celebration - Semana Santa has that distinction. But it is nonetheless a big deal, with all the seasonal ambience, lights, markets, special food and other trappings. Every school, shop, office and home has a Nativity Scene.

In Andalucia and especially along the Costa del Sol, many worthwhile charities do excellent work to help different groups of society through times of need. From helping sick children and orphans, sufferers of diseases such as diabetes to giving quality of life to the terminally ill, there is help at hand.

The issues faced by owning a car and driving in Andalucia are similar to those faced in the rest of Spain. Some of these issues outlined below are different depending on whether you hold a license from Spain, or another EU country, or if you hold a non-EU license. Listed below is information on a variety of car and driver-related topics.

Spain is a fairly bureaucratic country, with a red tape tradition going back centuries. It is inevitable that you will encounter numerous paperwork projects while you are living here. The following articles will provide insights into some specific projects as well general information and advice that should help you regardless of the task you face.

The foreign residents to Andalucia and the concept of working form home has helped create a large demand for a variety of high tech services. The technology now makes it possible to keep in touch with friends and family and run a small business in any location from the comfort of sunny, southern Spain. Computers and networks with the help of Broadband connections make this possible today.

WiFi and Hot Spots are easy to find in Andalucia. Described on a discussion about the then latest technology on Radio 4, the advent of WiFi was described as lying somewhere between 'Armageddon and Utopia'.

In Andalucia the Internet plays a big part in helping business generate customers and sales leads both locally and from overseas. Most business's either have or require a good Internet presence either as a shop window or as an active lead generating source worked in to the companies overall marketing mix.

Today you can advertise a business to a worldwide audience for just one euro per day or less. An advert on the Internet works for you around the clock for a fraction of the price of traditional advertising. The key, however, remains the same: ensuring your message reaches potential clients and following through on the promises you make.

If you are travelling to Spain in the near future the chances are that you will want to keep in touch by making sure you have access to the Internet. Ease of communication is also part of the reason why so many British and Northern Europeans are moving to Spain. You can continue working just as if you were still in the UK. There has been a huge reduction in the cost of international phone calls.