silus

Hi,
My inlaws have owned a holiday apartment on the costa brava for just over a year and have decided to sell up in England and move permenantly to the region. They have asked us to move with them as they are very close to our kids (6 + 6mths). It sounds great and i would just like a little advise from people who have made the move with small children.
Together we have sufficient funds to purchase property outright and the goal is to set up a small B&B in a semi rural area. I would like to start a cycling busines offering off road tours and cycle hire. My wife is a registered nurse and hopes to be able to find work in a local practice.
I have so many questions and am glad i found this forum, any advise will be greatly received.
Regards
Silus.

fsecker

Hi Silus

My advice,go for it.We are finally moving to Spain after talking about it for ten years!!We have an 8yr old son who we are positive will have a far better quality of life in Spain.We have sold our home in UK and will also be able to live mortgage free,even after buying a bigger and better home in Spain.We just wish we had done it sooner.Your kids are the right age for such a move and your 6 yr old should pick the language up in no time.Go for it,you only live once!!
Incidentally,my hubby is a mountain bike fanatic.We are moving to a small town near Antequerra and he cant wait to get to the top of those mountains!! Good luck in whatever you decide

silus

Many thanks for the encouragement.

Slimmy

I would say give it a go. We moved to the Costa Blanca 10 months ago with our 2 children aged 5 and 6. We live in a Spanish village and they attend Spanish school (along with a variety of other nationalities.) It was a little daunting at first because the teachers spoke no English but they very quickly settled in and now both speak excellent Spanish. As a family we now have friends from many countries and spend many evenings and weekends outdoors at the beach or barbeques. Our social scene has definitely seen a massive improvement.

countryboy

I have been on the Costa Blanca Inland for just over two uears and I love the move from the UK. We have two girls (a little older 14 16 yo) they have settled in just fine and go to the local Spanish school We live in Sax just north of Elda and Elch about 40 mins from the coast. Our social life has compleatly change for the better and the Spanish love kids.

Go for it GOOD LUCK

sibsie

Have you thought about renting your place out in England and doing a long term rental in Spain to test the water. As many people move back as move out there. My sis was there for 3 years with two kids. She's moving back next week. Most of my friends who are still out there are now moving on. I think it's something you need to be really sure about before you sell up.

coralsoft

Silus,
When we moved, we had 3, at ages 4, 2 and 10 months. We've had 2 since. :scared:

They have all the child-related facilities (around Madrid, anyway), though child-seats are a rarity in restaurants.

Northern European children seem to continue to go to bed a lot earlier than Spanish children, so a social life can be a bit more problematic.
Childcare and home help is a lot, lot cheaper here than in the UK, because of the South American and Eastern European immigrants (don't know about the Costas).
Childrens shoes tend to be a bit more fashion-oriented than practical, without the selection of width fittings in the UK.
Children have no problem with language, as long as they're given the exposure - ours loved playing with the village children when we went on holiday to Asturias.

fesuvious

Hi, if anyone needs any advice with regards to the actual physical process of moving out there then please feel free to drop me a line.
Id be happy to offer free advice;

[email protected]

paulroca

Hola, we moved nearly a year ago now to Costa Brava, and its fantastic. My children were 14 & 12 then and they have settled in to local life very well. This region is very Catalan, with schools teaching in catalan, but I am learning spanish as everyone does speak it as well. What region are you thinking of moving to. As for a B+B, be very careful, the Catalan government have very strict guidelines and will do their best to discourage you. We had a similar idea, but soon dropped it when we say what you have to do. That apart, if you want to contact me via e mail, I can give you loads of info and friendly advise about the move, schools, etc. Dont worry too much, just do it, even if you dont like it after a few years, no one can take away the experiences you have had. My e mail is [email protected]
Speak soon.