I have 8 months till i can retire and take a pension. Id like to then spend some time living in spain (probably costa blanca) or the Canaries to see if id enjoy living there full time. My plan is to initially take a long let in both locations for 3 or 4 months each. Ive spent some time researching popular websites such as thinkspain and keyro but there seems so many options its all a little confusing. If possible id love to hear from folks who live in long term lets with any advice, pitfalls etc and recommendations regarding sound letting agents. Any advice appreciated.

rent and go to estate agents in the area get better deals and offers

Try the private listing sites too.. such as;
fotocasa, segundamano, habitaclia.com, idealista, milanuncios ... etc..

Many thanks for the advice

Long term is more like 12 months, upwards. Firstly you will get a better monthly rate, and probably more importantly you will get a real feel of the area, weather can be dramatically different in some areas between summer & winter. As well as the visiting population. Letting agents, pretty much pot luck. Half way through our first let the agent did a runner & since them we have been dealing directly with owners. Has it's good & bad points. Personally we always draw up a contract, I know a lot of people don't, but we prefer to be legal & do things like sign on the padron etc.
If your looking to rent in the campo ( country ) Check that the owner will leave you alone & not be popping in to use the pool / BBQ etc in the summer. We learnt the hard way that it is quite a common occurance. Also check wether the property is on mains power & water, again common to be off grid.
Urbanisations are another topic, depends on what life style your looking for.
Suzi

Appreciate the input Suzi, thanks