forry

Hi Cazzy1, ye any info would be great.
Are rentals cheaper there as it is futher inland.

How long does it take to get to the coast and airport.
Any other information you have on estepa would be useful

thanks

Trench

You can use www.viamichelin.es to know the distance in KM, and how long takes going between two places, if you have to pay tolls...

Cazzy1

Rentals are a lot cheaper further inland, (SNIP)

It takes us just over an hour to Malaga airport and just under an hour to Sevilla airport (which tends to have cheaper flights to the UK)

Estepa is a white hillside town, very pretty with a monestry at the summit, there are several British families there. It has everthing you would need.

forry

excellent thanks for this.
I have looked at images of estepa ans it looks lovely.

The most important thing for us is to make friends and settle in.
We are both in our late 20's so people around our age group would be nice.

Do you know anything about La cala Mijas area.

I am trying to narrow down our search for rental.

Did you move straight to estepa or did you eventually settle there after a lot of searching

thanks

Domino

Understood that rather than letting you take out your own utility contracts (as in UK) most landlords will pay the bills and charge on to the renter - is that the case ??

teuchterpete

Re Estepa
It is right beside the A92 autovia. It takes less than an hour by car to Malaga depending on the time of day and the speed that you drive. There are small towns some with expat communities, along the autovia . Have you seen Antequerra? It is a much larger more bustling town which is nearer to Granada/Cordoba/Malaga, and it also has a railway station, which Estepa does NOT! I would suggest that you should work on your priorities. If access to populated areas is a necessity then you should think about the coastal area, also the expat communities tend to be smaller and more spread out inland, also there is a (relatively) large distance between the inland cities. The cost of living in all respects is higher on the coastal area. So it is always swings and roundabouts. We ( my wife and I ) wish that we had known of this site when we were looking, as we did it all ourselves, and it was hard work. However sitting in the Scottish gloom and cold ( it is currently raining with a temperature of about 13oC) and looking at the flights for the end of the month to Seville for the whole of the school holidays, will make it all worthwhile.
Always willing to help: Pete.

forry

Ye i think we will look more to the coast, at least for the year we come over to see how it is.

With more expat communities i think it will make it easier to settle.

i like the look of la cala de mijas. i think we will pin point 2 areas then go out for 2 weeks and contact agent to help us view these areas and properties.

Yes im also in scotland. the weather represents a febuary day.
Sick of being stuck in the house.

thanks

Cazzy1

Although Estepa does not have a station there is an AVE high speed station at Herrera.
Knowing now that you are both in your late twenties I think coastal would be better. La Cala is lovely and if I lived on the coast that is where I would be!! In fact we have just taken on a lovely country property for sale 3km inland from La Cala which has separate guest accomodation for holiday lettings. (it is a shame you are not buying!!)as it is a fantastic property. Sorry if this is considered advertising.
Caz

forry

thanks Caz, we will buy one day.And when i do i will come to you.haha

Do you run an estate agency for the mijas and surrounding area. we will be looking for agents to show us the area early next year.

I dont know if the rules allow you to give me your website address

like i said we would only be looking to rent initially so i dont know if this is somethign you do

thanks

Mitzyboy

No, no one is allowed to promote their business on the forums or via pm, mainly to stop spamming

Alan1

I have many years experience in Andalucia. You will certainly have a better quality of life, especially if you integrate with the spanish community. If you move to the Malaga region or further down the coast towards Gibraltar you will be competing with the tourists and prices will be high. Also, you will not be able to properly integrate with the spanish as it is mainly expat uk and German. Move inland a little further and you will have a much better life. Personally, I would suggest moving south of Seville rather than Malaga and commuting to Seville. It is cheaper, with far fewer tourists and ex pats (although Seville itself is very expensive).

You must speak some Spanish. Do not go until you can communicate at a basic level. You will find it almost impossible to get a job within the Spanish community. There is a very strong trend towards employing Spanish nationals for professional jobs - and who can blame them. In any case you would need to speak fluent Andalucian (which is a regional dialect of Castillian). You will need to consider alternate forms of employment, but wages are low and there are plenty of Moroccans and locals willing to take almost any form of work for almost any money. Some form of self employment or offering a service is your best bet. Everybody in Italy can cook and you will find that most Andalucian women can dance the Sevillinas, so dance classes will have to offer something special.

The main reason expats fail to survive in Spain is income. My final advice is certainly move to Andalucia for a better quality of life, but consider returning to the Uk for prolonged periods to work as an alternative option until you can integrate fully. I would also mention that although other parts of Spain have better beaches and some nicer views, you will not beat the Andalucian way of life.

Ray51

Now , that was a nice and friendly post , Alan 1 ;
after some dozen visits or more to there , I agree 99% with most that's been explained ( not all that sure about "better quality of life" though , or about the cost of living nowadays - but : there's horses for courses , if the cap fits ...and other such sayings ) .
After all my efforts , and I do speak and read some Spanish , it is just too hot in the summers for me there , I don't so much enjoy the tattooed expats lifting pints at 09.00 a.m , the taxes are getting worse and there are serious concerns about health care and other "austerity" cuts , coming or probable .
And , yes : one of the pin-striped guys who would take to me lunch in a Porsche in Marbella/Puerto Banus is now serving a 14 years' sentence in the U.K. , for some investment funds "problem" ; the kind of ( some ) expats you can encounter there ! No offense meant to anyone , thanks and Good Luck !

Domino

It is also too hot for the Spaniards, this week it is believed some of them had to take off their suit jackets. But refused to loosen their collar and tie.

The roads get busier at this time of year, unlike the UK where during school holidays it gets less. The improvements to motorways were to allow them to get in to the city in the morning and home at night from the country residence. So many flats etc are shut up in the city for the next 2 months, even local shops close for 6-8 weeks, even in the current economical climate when you would think they would be open all hours.

its only the poor and the crazy Brits who look out from their verandah and see all the shutters down and the dust gathering.

Alan1

I am afraid if you do not like the heat then Andalucia is not for you, perhaps the Costa Brave or around Tarragona. It is not so much about living in the heat but adapting your life style. It is usual to not work in the very hot weather and you will find most spanish down the beach or else where in July and August. The normal working hours in the morning and evening but not afternoon are to avoid working in the heat of the day - life style has accordingly been adapted. Most shops do not open until 10 am. You will find families walking around at 12 pm and later to enjoy the night breeze (no word for evening in spanish!). This is the value of learning to live like the spanish, not necessarily losing your own cultural style. I found it took several years to adapt and it would not have been possible without Spanish friends who introduced me to customs and places I would not have otherwise found. Kind regards.

Ray51

Thanks , Alan1 ;
I think I agree with every explanation you offer and the adjustment proccess is something I did not get at the time of my visits .
Thinking back , I remember some clearly nice days in Marbella when the wife and I would walk out into another magnicent sunny morning , around 08.00 or thereabouts , before the main heat ; and then we would go here and there and drove elsewhere - but , not comprehending the strategy : the day is long , and even after 9 p.m. , we would be probably the first diners in most places .
So , yes , the Costa Brava I liked better and not only because of somewhat different climate ; the proximity to France by car and the mix of nations in relatively a small stretch was more attractive , also it was less trafficky , simpler , less glitzy and less pretentious ( not too many pin-striped suits/sharks around there , then ) .
One way or another , it has not worked out for me , so : in more northern parts I remain .
Wishing everyone the Best of Luck ,
R.