Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Hi,
We are seriously thinking of selling up and moving to Benidorm. We would like to buy a cafe/bar that we can run as a family. Theres me, hubby and 3 children who are all of working age.

We are over in Benidorm in September for a holiday and are going to be doing some research whilst over there. Hopefully going to have a look at some bars that are for sale etc..

It's not something we have any knowledge of and theres so many questions we need help with.

What do we need to do to be able to live and work there legally?

How do we pay for health insurance?

How do we obtain health & safety certificates so we can serve food?

Any information on how we go about things really as we're only just starting to seriously think about doing this. We would be selling our family home over here which would give us enough money to buy a business and also give us enough money to last a couple of years until we could build a business up.

Thanks in advance

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Well you will certainly find plenty for sale......hundreds have closed over the past year most with the owners handing back the keys and walking away because they can't make a living. Good luck to you but please do plenty of research and don't jump in with both feet until you have checked EVERYTHING. When you come over go into Neptunes bar in the Rincon de Loix area and speak to the owners Karen and Demis, they are from my home town and are really nice and will answer your questions.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Have a read HERE, there are about another 4 threads from them, including the one where they were trying to sell the bar after blowing about 60,000 €`s or more.
Beware they were told and didn`t listen, the only people that make money out of bars is the people that sell the same leases every couple of months.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Please really think seriously about this - there are loads closing and most bars are struggling. The only people making any money are the commercial agents that sell the same bars every six months. Furthermore having been looking to purchase ourselves there is only one commercial agent in Benidorm that I would even consider going to. You just wouldn´t believe the lies that we were told. I now work for an English speaking lawyers nearby and come across the commercial agents and the lies that are told to clients are unbelievable and once they find out they have gone to a lawyer to have the contract etc checked out they are vicious - they will and do look you straight in the face and tell you that "black is white" and that your lawyer is wrong. Why, it really doesn't matter to us - we get paid either way but God help you if you want to check that it has an opening licence and all the necessary bits of paper are in order:thumbdown:

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

echo what has already been said............this is really not the greatest time to be going to Spain and opening a bar

a Spanish friend of ours is really struggling with his bar and has been for months

think long and hard, and read through previous posts on here, there is plenty of advice from those who have "been there and done that" and not always with success

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

It's all been said, especially on the previous threads.

I know the commercial scene in Benidorm rather well, and I'm sorry to have to tell the OP that it is virtually impossible for ordinary people to run a successful bar in Benidorm. Read the other threads, here and elsewhere, there are plenty of them.

Don't throw your money away. If your dream doesn't go away, and I suspect it won't, come over for six months, rent somewhere, there are thousands of cheap apartments available, and see for yourself. Offer to work in several bars, for nothing, to find out all you need to know.

Sorry to be negative, but these things need to be said.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

"It's not something we have any knowledge of "
OK...that can be rectified by reading through all the relevant posts here.
But....
"Hopefully going to have a look at some bars that are for sale"
That just sounds like the beginning of the end. I would kindly suggest that you don't go within earshot of any bar for sale (you'll be easy pickings!), but do the research first.
PS How's your Spanish?

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Don't do it now. Everyone is struggling, the only bars up for sale are the ones that aren't making enough money to survive, otherwise the owners would be keeping them. If you buy a bar at the present time you will be throwing your money away, if you have a few grand to spend and are determined to come over here then move here and rent for a few months, get to know the area, have a look for work, and see how you feel 6 months down the line.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

there are lots of things to look out for if you´re considering moving to benidorm to run a business. definitely one of the main things are the agents that sell businesses. They just want to make a quick buck on the sale and will tell you anything.
Everyone is saying not to buy here because its a bad time, but i have been here running my own business for 5 and a half years and am still doing well despite the recession.As long as you do your homework you´ll be ok! i´m never going to be a millionaire but i´m comfortable!
One of the main thing to look out for when buying a bar is that it has a proper license. Mine didn´t when i bought it and we were fed a story from the selling agent that "no one has one" and "not to worry"! We did eventually get our license but it took 4 years and a lot of money and effort, and i´ve hea that this year the councils are being even more strict about handing them out.
i do know a cafe/bar for sale that would be perfect for a family to run, its called "Roosters" and is on calle ibiza. Its very busy, well established and fully licensed. When you are here take a walk past and see if its what you are looking for. You never know!
One last piece of advice, dont rush into anything and bars for sale at a really cheap price are at that price for a reason-no trade.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing!

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

You must be one of the few then:thumbsup: Yes Benidorm Council is clamping down on just about everything and changing the rules to suit to get more income. Licences, music licences, food licences are all being checked at the moment according to clients and believe me if you end up having to have projects etc done it gets expensive. Please please be very careful.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

After many hours spent discussing things and doing research we have decided to hang fire for now. We really dont want to sell our home which we own outright and step into the unknown and risk losing everything.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and for helping us to see sense :D

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

And just as a tip ...... "many hours", you say :);)
I spent over a year researching things :D

Research is everything

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Thanks Mitzyboy.............

I came here to ask for advice on a life changing move. Not something we took to lightly and wasnt just a spur of the moment decision.

Your reply above comes across as being very patronising........ I'm not a foolish child who hasnt thought things through and done research so really dont like being spoken to as if I am. :unsure:

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

I'm sure it wasn't meant that way Trace.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Errr ... you came on here to get advice .... and thats the best piece of advice I can give you. You dont know me, but I've been on here a long time and being patronising isnt something I am known for

Take the advice in the spirit it was given ........ or dont :)
Your choice

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

I thought this forum was all about helping people and advising them if they asked for help........maybe I got that wrong

You really dont know how long or how much research we have done since thinking about making the move but your reply came across as if it was a light decision we had made over a bowl of strawberries and that was seriously not the case !!!!

You dont know me either and the way I saw your reply was patronising and not very friendly or helpful AFTER I had already posted to say we had thought long and hard about things and changed our minds about making the move. Maybe if you had posted when I actually asked for advice it would have been more helpful.

Just saying it how I see it........... ;)

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

No you didnt get it wrong.
Thats what I have been doing here for, well, maybe 5 years now.
First time in 5 years I have been accused of being patronising. Ah well, always a first.

As I say, take it in the spirit it was meant.

Now lets return to topic please ;):)

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Well Tracy your questions indicated that you had not done a lot of research (if any)
The reply was not patronising IMO, and no need to take it out on someone for giving you sound advice because you have not had the answers I suspect you were looking for ?

Brian

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

You have made the right decision IMO, I was on a day trip to Benidorm yesterday because my son and a couple of friends wanted to go there for the day. Last time I was there was a couple of years ago in May when it was bustling, lively, beach and bars busy. Such a contrast yesterday, to me along the front it looks run down, lots of bars either up for rent or looks like they have just locked up and walked away, numerous units empty and up for rent and any bars that were open very few people in them. The majority of people were on the beach and they were mainly Spanish.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

We did all the research we needed to do to decide against making the move as already indicated BEFORE you decided to post.

It has nothing to do with not getting the answers I was looking for, I'm a little too old and mature to play silly games like that especially when it involved my families future.

If you took the time to read the entire thread you will have noticed that I had already posted saying we had changed our minds so your post wasnt really required or needed ..... ;)


Hondon Rock N Roll, we are going over ourselves in another 10 weeks so will get a better picture of how things are over there at the moment. The last time we were there was last September and things didnt seem too bad then but I suppose a lot can change in 12 months. Thank you for your comments though :)

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Required or needed ?
Well if you post on a public forum you are likely to get a response if needed or not. (and yes I did read it all)

Still you have just the right attitude to run a bar in Benidorm, so good luck !

Brian

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Still you have just the right attitude to run a bar in Benidorm, so good luck !

Brian[/QUOTE]

YUP !!!:thumbdown::thumbdown:

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Which bit of 'We have changed our minds' didnt you seem to understand playamonte ? ?:rofl::rofl:

I myself work on a very well established forum with over 36,000 members and I can honestly say I have never come across anywhere were some members are so negative towards new members asking for advice.

If I had stated that we were going ahead with the move despite your members advice on here then i could understand the last couple of negative comments but I havent, in fact, Ive done the complete opposite and actually listened to what your members had to say and taken their advice :blink:

Oh well..............thanks to those who gave constructive and helpful answers ;)

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

:eek:

woah hold on a second!

The advice you got wasnt what you hoped for, but believe me its the best advice you could have got and its free! I myself was in benidorm 2 months ago, it was quiet (for benidorm) and i lost count of the amount of british bars (and hairdressers AND supermarkets) that were shut.

DONT DO IT!!!!!

The people on this forum (and yes i dont know them either) but they have given you VERY valuable advice, hopefully you will find what you are looking for, but d o n t o p e n a b a r , it will fail, sorry!

imagine working up to 18 hours a day in hot kitchen?

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Changed your mind have you ? (time will tell)

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Mitzyboy offered you very good sound advice in a short post.....nothing he said looked "patronizing" to me....you on the other hand come across as confrontational and aggressive neither of which is very endearing.
I suspect that if/when you ask a question in future the people that were so keen to offer sound advice ( from experience over here and not speculation ) will remember you and your ungrateful reaction to mitzyboy and not bother replying to your questions.

I sincerely hope that if you move to Spain you have a different attitude when trying to intergrate with the Spanish than you have shown trying to intergrate with the long time users of this board.

ps. the users weren't negative to you because your a new member asking a question.....they were negative towards you because your attitude sucks.:thumbdown:
I fully expect this post to also go flying merrily over your head like most of the previous posts.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Because I didnt agree with ONE post I am confrontational and agressive? ? ?

playamonte - go away you fool.

Whoever is Admin on here please remove my membership as i dont wish to be a member of a forum where everyone jumps in on you as soon as you disagree with someone...........

Bye................. :D

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

:thumbsup: lol thats a classic......
"Because I didnt agree with one post I am confrontational and agressive? ? ?"
and in the very next sentence
"playamonte - go away you fool."
You couldnt make it up if you tried :thumbsup:
Congratulations on confirming my earlier appraisal of you

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

:thumbdown:

yeah bye!

see you later!

dont be a stranger!!!!!!

mi casa es tu casa!!!!!!!!!!!

.....what a lovely lady....................:angry_smile:

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Your wish is my command.

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

Hi Tracy (yes I know you nipped back to look as a guest)

By asking your questions here & receiving good sound advice, you have been saved from losing you hard earned money from many years graft.
Yes you had a little dream on holiday (don't we all) but the reality girl is that its "odds on" that the reality would turn to dust !

Fool I may be, but your attitude was confrontational when given a "tip" & your further posts have confirmed this. (I am a new member also BTW)


Brian

Re: Help with moving to Benidorm
 

As OP can no longer respond I feel it is appropriate to close this thread.

Sorry it went pear shaped, but thanks to everyone who offered constructive advice to the OP.