Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

As of this week my husband, myself and our 5 month old baby boy are planning on moving to Spain in January 2011. We have been talking about this for years but we have finally agreed to go for it after Christmas. He works offshore for a month at a time and I'm at the moment still off on maternity leave but am in the process of slowing down and closing my business that I have had for 5 years. Our house is also going up for sale shortly. I have so many questions there's too many to write and would appreciate any advice on suitable area to move to with a baby, groups etc that I could meet other people, pool or no pool? Villa or appartment? Do we bring our car or sell it ..... help!! My mind is in overdrive since we made our descision!!! I'm not even sure where to start looking for anything! :confused:xxx

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Gosh. Deep breath.
Firstly, welcome to the forum & congrats on baby. My advice, for what it's worth, is to listen to all the advice you are given and while allowing for everyone having their own agenda, don't allow your heart to rule your head. Spain's not ALL sun sea sand and sangria (though yes, x% of sunny days is pretty damned good) and definitely NOT as cheap as it used to be. If you have EXTREMELY good Spanish, significant (two years?) savings and either a web-based income, a guaranteed job offer or someone willing to ply to & fro, then there's half a chance. But what do I know? I'm none of those really. My OH has a bank account and an income and is willing to travel, I'm waiting for a few cents from the book; but it's not relationship-friendly, this two-country lark! Well not for us, anyway....
Let's hope one of the really positive lot come along. I've not tried to be overly negative but watching the forum for years during the crisis you notice a trend in replies to 'thinking about Spain' type threads!
Good luck :)

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

If her Husband is working offshore he should have a decent income, I know someone in Marbella who does the same and they are fairly affluent. My advice is to keep the house in the UK. rent it and rent in Spain for the short term. Don't burn all your boats until you have tried it. There won't be the same support network for someone with a young baby eg.friends and family. Mother and baby groups are thin on the ground. Once the novelty has worn off you could find yourself bored to tears if young.

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Good advice, take it step by step, because you may find that with no support around a hubby away a lot of the time, you might get very homesick.

Good luck anyway...:thumbup::fingerscrossed:

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Something to bear in mind is that the long expected property slump has started in the UK. No-one can say for sure how long or how deep the drop will be, but it must be very tempting to take the money if you can sell. Of course, it may become a matter of chasing the market down and being unable to sell. The following article from the Telegraph (Tory newspaper remember) makes for very sober reading.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/p...roperties.html

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Just for balance here's a report from a leftie newspaper:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...housing-ladder

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Thank you all.

I was planning on flying back and forward to visit home when my husband will be away working and was hoping on getting some visitors coming out to see me, but realise that the honeymoon period of Spain wont last forever!

I am a beauty therapist by trade so I'm used to being surrounded daily by lots people with lots of communication and yes living without a family support network does really scare me if I'm honest. But I wouldn't be working in Spain as I want a little while free to spend time with my baby boy, that's why I'm closing my business just now. So it's really all about a complete life change for the whole family!

Whether we settle long term in Spain or not we'll definitely be selling up but I'm leaving the financial matters to my husband but I'll keep him updated with all your useful comments and information.

I really would like some advice on a nice sociable area that we could possibly integrate ourselves into, where I won't go insane!

thanks again xx:wub:

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

You mean sociable with loads of expats? Or sociable Spanish village/area? And integrate? Into the local community or expat community?

.... oh, and don't presume you won't go insane either way - many of us consider that goes with the territory [rofl] ..especially when the darned smilies let us down!!!!!!!!!

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

you need a better internet connection;)

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

there a lot of us part time single mums in my area, with OH's who commute to various places including the rigs

it's about an hour from both Alicante & Valencia

there are expats from many countries here, so there is a 'support network' of Brits should you need it

unlike a few years ago though, the foreigners don't seem to be outnumbering the Spanish now, so you do actually feel as if you're in Spain!

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

have a wander round on streetview!

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Some hard facts to start with (but it gets better). If you buy in Spain at this time, you’re buying into a falling market. Renting is easy, much easier than in the UK.

As a young mother who doesn’t speak Spanish, you would be lost in a purely Spanish area.

There are many expat areas that would probably suit you, depending on what you’re looking for.

My area, and I moved here for commercial reasons initially, is to the south of Alicante, around Torrevieja (not in the town itself, that’s Spanish). The area is full of expats, perhaps working class people is an appropriate description, whereas the north of Alicante, around Javea and Denia is more upmarket with fewer expats, and far less social activities for them, you can’t even compare them.

There are quite a few mothers with young children here whose husbands work off-shore, Alicante airport has many flights to all parts of the UK. You’ll find a list of suitable social activities in the local newspapers, they’re all online, like the Costa Blanca News. They’ve also got local forums, but you may need a crash helmet on some of them.

Good luck.

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

damn my link doesn't work:blink: - put Javea Spain into the search:)

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Works for me, but then I have paid my dues. :D

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

Hi, I live in the Denia/Javea area...to be precise in the Jalon Valley (Val de Pop) which is pretty full of ex-pats actually. My village has a population of 1000 roughly, of which about 20% are ex-pats, and a lot of them are British. Our deputy Mayor is British!

It's true, that without Spanish, you may find yourself lost, but I managed to latch on to one British mum and a couple of French speakers and for a few months had them translate for me during our many coffee mornings until I got the hang of the language. Also, a friend of mine who came with no English took Spanish classes at the Town Hall and then gradually made friends with the Spanish in the village, so it is possible to "integrate" in a relatively short time. Spanish lessons are a must though.

I have recently befriended a British couple, who just moved here this year, with two small children, one of whom has just started infant school and the other is 2 years old. They don't speak very much Spanish at all and so have started by making friends with the Brit ex-pat community, but as they only live a few minutes away from the village and the mum is at the school everyday, they are gradually getting to know the Spanish people here too. Another British couple that moved here last year bought a house in the middle of the village near the school. Two boys of 8 and 11 with no Spanish. I put them in touch with a Spanish teacher friend and they are now both very much a part of the village and the community in a very short time. They chat to their Spanish neighbours and there are always kids in their house!

The south of Alicante is much more heavily populated with Brits...depends on what you are looking for. Personally I find that in the Marina Alta (Denia, Javea and inland) there are enough Brits for you to start settling but not so many that you feel over run and have lost the "real Spain" feel.

I disagree that there are no social activities. I became actively involved with our local charitable theatre group - Careline Theatre - you can also volunteer at the many Brit-run charity shops. Our village also set up a Tennis Club of which I am the vice president (and the only Brit on the committee!). There are many more, along with football, netball, volley ball, gymnasiums, swimming pools, etc. There are many socials and groups for music lovers, book clubs, dance classes (I joined a tap class for adults!), aerobics classes/keep fit, martial arts classes, wine tastings plus the many local fiestas...you only have to look in the Costa Blanca News to find them. But I think the most important thing for a young family would be to get involved in village life and one of THE most important things for me was to befriend the mums at the school and go to coffee with them. I had Spanish lessons twice a week and would use the coffee mornings as my practical lesson! There are loads of new(Spanish) mums every year...I still keep meeting more and I have been here 10 years! You get chatting at the school gates and hey presto, you are sitting in the local bar getting to know each other. You will be surprised how many actually speak English and are eager to try it out on you!

As for car buying, it's probably less hassle to buy one here but you have to be careful who you go to and second hand cars are much more expensive. You will need a lawyer! It's probably better to go to a local dealer too. You can bring your own car over with you as part of your goods and therefore don't have to pay the import fees as long as you change the plates (matricula) within two months of arriving. I think there is some very good info on that on this site worth looking at. Oh, and shop around for car insurance. If you end up having a Spanish car (or change to Spanish plates) the best insurance co. I know of are Linea Directa (spanish version of Direct Line). ASSA is a good company for insuring British Registered cars.

My husband used to work here but he now commutes to the UK and has been for 5 years. It's fine for now, although was tough in the beginning as I have 5 kids and the youngest (twins) were only 3 years old when he started. But it's a good, if not affluent, lifestyle and beats living in the UK on benefits!! It was tough when the exchange rate took a dive, but we have managed to keep our heads above water and would never think of going back to the UK unless in truly dire straits! If you can cope with that then it's probably the best thing you can do for your family. The kids grow up so nicely here.

As for apartment versus villa...that's totally down your preferences. I agree with the renting thing to start with, maybe 6 months to a year to get the feel of the place and then you are not tied down (whether or not you sell in the UK). The rents are so cheap now and you can really haggle. My friend brought her rent down on a 3 bed village property from 500€ a month to 350€ in her second year renting the place! You can rent anything from a village property, close to the school and amenities to a villa in the surrounding countryside with pool. As a mum with kids ageing from 8 to 16 I would suggest something near the village to be close to the clinic and pharmacy and also friends! I personally would rent a village house/villa just to have a garden or outdoor space.

My husband's job doesn't affect where we live, that is to say, we can live anywhere in Spain. If that is the same for you, then I suggest taking your time to find an area you think suits you...I don't know if you plan a visit to get the feel, but that would be a good idea. A few places I know that you may like to have a look at just to give you an idea are Oliva, Gandia, Denia and the inland villages like Pego, Orba, Parcent, Jalon, Castell de Castells and many others. Also Teulada and Moraira, which are beachy. Calpe too is on the coast and very lovely in the winter although it can get quite busy in summer as all costal towns do. Altea and Alfaz del Pi are very popular beach locations for the British and Dutch ex-pat community... not my cup of tea, as I prefer to live in my small, quiet inland village! But definitely suits people that like hustle and bustle! Obviously beach is more expensive and it's not a bad idea to rent just inland within a reasonable travelling distance...we live about 20 mins from our nearest coast.

Phew, I've just seen all that text! Hope it's not too much info and that it's at least a bit of a help. If you have any specific questions I will be happy to answer them to the best of my ability. This site also has good advice on what you need to get started, e.g. NIE numbers, Residencia and Empadronamiento from the town hall which you need when you finally start renting (for the contract) or buying house or car. Oh, and you will need baby's medical book with info on his vaccinations.

Good luck with everything!

Re: Moving to Alicante area with a baby!?!
 

P.S. It's a buyer's market!! You can haggle!