mjkazmierski

Hi, I'm of Polish origin but living in London. Next year I'm going to buy a Catalonyan farm up for renovation and convert it into a little eco-tourist/adventure sports retreat. I've got all the money, done some legal homework(all looks fine), and plan to come out to look at properties/speak to local lawyers in the spring. Now I'm wondering if there's anyone out there with any words of wisdom or useful contacts for a fella at this stage of the game?

bfg69bug

You need to think to yourself, "is this the right thing for me?" do you speak enough spanish to get past all the legalities and builders? do you have plenty of money in your pocket for when it all goes wrong? do you really want to start your life again, in a new country with new laws ?

mjkazmierski

Good set of questions.

Is it the right thing for me? I've run a restaurant, a coffee shop (with hotel), done all kinds of other things (including buiulding work and management), have people in with me who know their stuff, so I hope I'm definitely doing the right thing.
I'm crash-coursing myself through Spanish (I'm currently teaching English to foreign prisoners in west London, so if i can teach them, I hope I can teach myself ) and hope to be good enough to get by in business by spring.
Money? Yes, we have enough, even for the worst-case scenarios in our business plan projections. Subsidies and other potential sources of "cost-relief" should make the business we're looking at relatively cheap to set up anyway.
As for new starts, certainly. I've lived in various places (I'm 30, but I've travelled a bit) and need this challenege to keep me keen. The people I have with me in this are young, keen, skilled and have the financial resources to make this seem like a solid bet.

Hope that's answered some of your questions. How about telling me something about yourself and your experiences? Take care,

Kaz

bfg69bug

damn and theres me thinking u were going at it alone it sounds like u´ve got everything covered so far

sorry if my questions seemed rude, ( it was worse b4 i edited), but i get fed up of people going to a place for a week in the summer and thinking "we can do that", they come over and buy a bar or something thinking that they can do it better...there are a few on this very forum thinking that way..no names need mentioning, and i know of a few here, even in my town which is away from the coast...

its not so much "my experiences" that bug me, more everyday life

mjkazmierski

Hell, Bug, I'm not expecting heaven (much... there's a hopeful, idealistic fool in all of us sometimes...) and I know there's only so much a man can learn about a new place from hols/books/websites. I'm certain Spain will throw up many surprises, many of them unpleasant, but i guess that's part and parcel of any enterprise. I'm certainly not burning any bridges, not counting any unhatched chickens and appreciate your forthright questions. You're so right - this is a big deal, and if there were any I couldn't answer, or hadn't even thought about yet, there'd be cause to worry. On the theory part of this 'test', we seem to be doing fine so far (legal side covered, cash ready, client base all researched) we just have to find out if
a) we're men enough for the job
and
b)whether this is really something we want to be doing for a while

If you have the time and inclination, would love to hear more about your apparently harsh experiences of Spain so far. I'd rather have low expectations and be pleasantly surprised when I get there than the other way around. So complain away!

Kaz

sibsie

I've seen quite a few bars open and close in the 18 months I've been in Spain. The reality of life is very different to a lot of people's dreams. Of course it depends where in Spain you go. Some places seem more English than England.

I find the frustrations in the little things. Electricity power cuts. Water that goes off without warning. Guardia Civil Office being closed for Siesta (I've never got over that one) Bureauracy nightmares and in some places a very anti foreigner feeling.

Some people love it here, others hate it. I've travelled a lot and moved around a lot. I will always categorise Spain as a place I could have done without. But that's just my experience of it.

sibsie

I forgot to mention a very important point for you. If you're going to Catalan DO NOT LEARN SPANISH as in Castilian. You need to learn Catalan and ideally be bi-lingual in both. The Catalan people are very proud of their culture and use their own language.

mjkazmierski

Sure

I wonder how Spain compares to ex-Communistt Block countries in terms of bureaucracy and general crap running of things. It can't be any worse than Poland, which is awful and lacks the consolations of weather and steady business to make the struggle worth while. But we'll see.

Any idea what the crime rate is like in Catalonya compared with the the rest of Spain? Do they need English teachers in Barcelona or are they overrun? And is Spain good motorcycling country?

Kaz

ps. Who are the little geezers wih flags at the bottom of your last message?

sibsie

If you're used to Eastern Block places then the red tape here shouldn't pose too much of a problem. I've no experience of it and how it relates to starting a business though.

Crime is a problem across Spain. Barcelona downtown you have to be really careful of pickpockets and robbers. Same with Madrid.

I have a US friend who did TEFL but never managed to get any work over here, but then she had visa requirments as well.

Great motorbike country all over Spain. It's a huge diverse country.

My flags are Ireland, England, Canada (of which I'm citizens) and Spain. The US flag is for my fiance and my upcoming move to the US. The other blurb relates to my visa timeline (I post mainly in the US visa sections on here)

torie

Just thought I put in a reply here... hope you don't mind.

Catalunya is a wonderful place to live and do business. But I can suggest, as someone did before, learn Catalan. That said, you can get by in Spanish, but things will be much easier with Catalan.

Yes, the electricity sometimes goes out; yes, there's a lot of paperwork involved in things; yes, it can be frustrating. But the rewards are wonderful. It's a great place to live. The people are friendly. It's safe. There are a lot of English teachers, but then again, so what - there's obviously a demand!

Motorbiking? Fabulous. We have 4 bikes between us and the area we live is a great place to go and explore. And sometimes, when you are cruising around a tiny little village, you'll be thankful you chose to explore it on a motorbike and not the car - the streets can get quite narrow!

Good luck with your ventures - I wish you every success. Where abouts in Catalunya are you looking at, or haven't you narrowed that down yet?

victoria
www.whangdoodleland.com

mjkazmierski

Hi torie,

Lovely to hear from you - the very reason I logged onto this website was to chat... life of late has been too hectic to make any real progress with the venture, but I'm trying not to give up too easily. Got my hands full teaching English at Feltham prison, and Xmas/New Year was hectic as usual. My original plan was to visit Catalonya in February/March, but other personal things are adding to the delays. Still, hope to be back on track soon enough.
The dream of Spanish climes compared with winter / prison vibes is all too tempting.

Thank you for the information / advice, by the way. All very useful. I'm not expecting an easy ride when we finally get out there, but knowledge is definitely power. Hope we keep in touch, all the very best

Kaz

mjkazmierski

Hi Victoria

From reading your brilliant websites, I know you're a busy couple, but I was wondering if you had any contacts (ie. estate agents, websites, etc) that might help somone planning to buy and convert some very cheap rural property in Catlonya into a little eco-tourist/adventure sports B&B. Any pointers would be very helpful, or any titles of books, etc, etc.

PS, I'm about to take delivery of a Triumph Speed Triple - maybe we'll meet up for a wee ride soon.

Kaz