Look at Albir.

I don't speak the language either, but there is a small UK expat community in Albir. I am making the move in the next couple of months. A wonderful place that i fell in love with after my first visit.

1.50 euro on the bus or 17 euro in a taxi from Benidorm.



I cant wait. Life begins at 40 i'm told. What a way to start.

Thanks Billy

That's what we am looking for names of places for us to look at as We really do not know where to start.

Cliff,

Fly into Barcelona or Reus. Hire a car and drive down the coast from there to Almeria.

I often used to pop to Albir when I lived in La Nucia, lovely little clean town with quite a few expats living there and excellent beach.

My plan is something like that but in a motor home so I dont need to bother with hotels.
I want to make a list of recommended areas rather than going blind and not having a clue where to head for.

Again,,,,,,, thanks for the replies everyone

In the North Costa Blanca you could start at Gandia and then stop in Denia, Javea, Moraira, Calpe, Altea, Albir and - why not - Benidorm.

Come to Javea! Steeped in history, loads of great restaurants, plenty of Ex-pats and English speakers and plenty of lovely native Spaniards. It's a very chilled out area but has enough life and hustle and bustle should you wish to find it at the old town markets and beach front.

Enjoy your road trip...

OK, places I like along that route:

The Ebro delta. Places like L'Ampolla and Sant Carles. Beautiful coastline and small towns, probably a bit too quiet and non-expat for many though.

Peniscola. Lovely long beach and an old town made fascinating by its position jutting out into the sea. Very Spanish out of main seasons.

Gandia, Denia, Javea. All very liveable places (I would say that, one of them is where I am) in close proximity to a city, Valencia, with good transport connections, including ferries out to the islands.

Santa Pola just south of Alicante. It's a nice stretch of coast between the two.

Nice pockets of coast around Cartagena.

Have fun.

Well,,,,,

We have made a few decisions since I last posted, we are out to Nerja for 10 days in mid October.
The camper van idea got scrapped. We are getting a car and having a root around the Costa Tropical area.

I have met a nice guy from Motril on the net and he is taking me fishing when I am there, my first internet date!!!! LOL Really looking forward to it.

Looking from around Nerja to Motrin as a starting point, dont know why????? we just thought why not!! Read a few thing about the weather and that kind of did it for us.

My wife and I will probably be looking at rental costs and trying to collect as much information as we can while we are there, maybe get some contacts with estate agents etc.

Any comments , help or information no matter how trivial you think they may be will be gratefully received.

Thank you in anticipation.

Cliff

Hi Cliff,

Javea has a large expat population but it´s probably one of the most expensive areas on the Costa Blanca.

Of course, you could go inland a little to Xalo.

Note in this area, you usually have the names in both Castellano y Valenciano.

If I was you, I would take the camper-van around the Marina Alta area, from Calpe and up to Oliva.

Good luck,
Mark

Are you sure about coping in the heat? You'd need air conditioning at least. We live in the Basque country & have just spent 2 weeks (end July-12th August) in a friend's chalet in Mijas, near Fuengirola. I like the sun, but it wears thin after a while. All you can do is find the shade & drink beer, for which many people wouldn't object! But even in the shade you're still hot & sticky.
I daresay most people on this forum might disagree with me, but I'd suggest you try living there in the hottest months of the year first.
Good luck.

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

we have been in torreveija for 10 years going back every few months for hols ,we now have bought a villa in san miguel over looking the lakes ,rent spend time in different places first before you buy

Retiring to Spain is not a bad idea, but you have quite a bit of research to do and the only way to do it (unless you were born very lucky) is to move to some place you think you will like and live there for at least six weeks off season. Rental off season works out @ €550 per month + electricity costs for a 2 bedroom apartment in a central area in a decent resort.

You can turn the tables in your favour by renting out places at your convenience whenever you can. It can be quite an adventure.

We bought in Mojacar Playa Costa Almeria and have not regretted our decision.

Write down your needs e.g. near airports, on the coast, good public transport, medical centre, supermarket, is a car needed? etc.

Believe me you will have little difficulty in acquiring a place. I suggest you rent for many months before even thinking of buying property.

If its expats your'e looking to meet and are not so bothered about being on the coast, Mijas Pueblo is a good option. Slightly inland from Fuengirola, it is a traditional Andalusian village but with lots of expats. Worth a day trip first as it is also a bit of a tourist trap...lovely place but you may not get the feel you want to live here.

Some of the other towns inland from Malaga include Alhaurin el Grande and Alhaurin de la Torre, you get A LOT more for your money here too than on the coast where property is concerned.

Good luck