mthecorpion2001

Good evening and first i will apologise for the length although i hope you read it and remember the days when you were in our shoes!

My wife and I are looking to move to Spain sometime in the future (2-4 yrs) and were looking at staying in Spain come October this year. We were thinking about Almeria to stay in for a week or so, hire a car out and do a bit of travelling round.

The sort of areas we are thinking about at the moment is Costa Tropical/Calide/de la Luz/Almeria or in between Malaga & costa Del Sol. We would like somewhere nice, away from touristy areas, about an hour to the beach and a population of ex pats although not too excessive.

We are pretty much going to spend the entire holiday driving around trying to get to know places a bit and also to cancel out areas that we wouldn't want to stay in.

We will be approaching mid 40's when we move and are looking to retire rather than work as we are lucky to have been left some money that will enable us to. We are looking at up to 170,000 euros for a villa/finca with at least 2 beds and want to stay away from the apartments.

Now you have (hopefully) read our background, on to the questions:

1. Would Almeria be a good place to stay to cover those areas and our tastes (if you can gather them)or can you suggest any others? (including any areas that you personally like?

2. At this present time, is the budget suitable for what we are looking for?

3. Is a holiday travelling round areas a good way to go about it? (I am looking for your personal experiences here and what worked for you)

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Rosemary

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

Moses2013

Nothing wrong with your idea and there are plenty of areas to explore in Spain. If I were you, I would look at property prices online, before you fall in love with a place you can't afford. You can drive to a great area you like, but if all villas cost 300K+, it might be a waste of time.

Fredbargate

Personally I would not book a hotel in Almeria with such a large area to cover.
Instead I would book on a day to day basis to save having to drive back to Almeria each night.

In October there will be plenty of available hotel accommodation.

MikeJ

Agree with Fred
Has the added advantage that you can stay longer and see what a place is like overnight and in the mornings rather than dash in and out like a frantic tourist.

Horlics

I'd suggest you start at Malaga and head toward Almeria staying where you happen to be on any given day. You don't have to make sure you are in a big place, there are plenty of small hotels/hostels and with Airbnb you can stay just about anywhere.

Your budget will get you what you need if you are looking as far inland as an hour's drive.

Yes, a holiday driving around is a great way to do it.