Hi guys,

Me and my hubby and our two beautiful kids are selling up here in Bristol, England and want to move to Spain ASAP...hoping to buy a property straight away....unless otherwise advised.

We can go anywhere as my hubby will work from home...but would like to be in an area popular with British ex-pats and near an airport for visitors etc.

Our main concerns are schools for obvious reasons.....soooooooooooo if anyone could help us or share their experiences that would be great

The areas we have been drawn to in and around Valencia.

Thanks for reading and look forward with anticipation some replies.

A very excited but nervous Mummy in need of warm sunshine

Mich xxxxx

Hello excited nervous mummy

Firstly the school system in Spain appears perfectly adequate from what I've seen written on many forums. Putting your kids into a Spanish school has two excellent effects. Firstly they learn to speak Spanish at an alarmingly fast rate and will be bi lingual before you know it, and secondly you will make many Spanish friends and probably pick up the language yourself.

If you are looking in Valencia prov then I would suggest the Denia / Oliva / Javea area. Its beautifully green, full of Orange groves, fantastic beaches, and the property is cheaper than the more southern areas. There are ex pat conclaves, especially I believe in Javea, but not so big that you can't get away from them if you want to. Let me know if you want any details of the area, we've had a place there for 18 months and will be going there permanently in September.

http://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/

Personally I wouldn't think twice about it if the kids are young. The second language will be invaluable to them when they have grown up. Get a better life ... go for it !

Hi Mitzboy

thats great, thanks for replying and the advice.

We are going over to view a house in Ontinyent, near Xativa, do you know anything about this area?

The area Javea sounds wonderful, if you could, we would love more details. Not came across any properties for sale there though ?!

We are sooooo excited that the kids would be bi-lingual, as, like you said, this is invaluable to them. Just concerned about the quality of eduation....but put at ease by your comments !

People think we are mad leaving behind family and friends but we just know that ther is a better lifestyle out in Spain for us !!!!

Thanks again for taking the time to reply...

Mich and Ed

No I don't know that area so well but I sent you a pm with an agents web site that has properties all over that area

Javea has the old town and there is also a large beach area, the name of which escapes me, which is full of coffee bars and restaurants along the beach front. Not really my taste. The old town is quite pretty in places.

From what you described, I'd be looking in Denia, although you have to bear in mind its quite busy in the summer. I really like Denia, but I've never been there in the main season so I don't know how it changes.

Gandia is a much bigger place, very busy

Oliva is an agricultural town originally, has a huge market every week and is a little more Spanish I think.

We have lived in Javea for nearly 2.5 years and love it. Property here is extremely pricey though. Our bank manager has advised us to wait a while before buying though, as they believe prices will come down.

We looked at Ontinyent to buy, much cheaper, some beautiful property going really cheap. A Valencian friend of ours, whose daughter is a doctor in Ontinyent, described the place as a dying town, and I have to admit he's right, and that put us off buying there to live there, though it would be great for holidays.

There are three private International schools in Javea, should you want an 'English' education for your kids. Mine had a year in one of them, but as soon as we had decided to make this a long term/permanent move, we put them into Spanish school. They've never looked back, and I truly believe that they are getting a better education now than they were getting in the private school, with the added bonus that they are now bi-lingual and it's free!


If you want to know anything else just ask



oh, and you could look here http://britishexpats.com/articles/sp...w-with-lynnxa/

Hi

thanks for the response.

What is ment by the down dying?
Not too bothered if its quite, kinda suites us but at the same time we would like a social life.

We only have about £100,000 to spend and would need a 3/4 bedroom house/villa, would the houses in Javea be out of our budget?

Mitzyboy kindly suggested Denia which we are going to look in to as it sounds great, have you heard any thing about this area?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Michelle

The area around Ontiyent is dying as the industry there has closed down.

with 100,000 to spend in Javea you might just about get a 1 bed apartment!

the 4 bed town house I rent with shared pool & gardens, admittedly in a great area, and a quite up-market urbanisation, would sell at aroung 420,000euros!

Denia I believe is just as pricey, if not more so, great place for shopping though, and just over the other side of Montgo from Javea

I'll have a look for links for property for you

http://www.lanaogroup.com:85/venta/r...osBusqueda.php

a well established agency, though I haven't dealt with them

No you won't find what you want in Denia for £100,000 I'm afraid. Found this in Palma De Gandia though:
http://www.spanishselection.com/listings/l0127.html

You should always add around 10% to your budget for charges in Spain

and another one

http://www.javeavillasdirect.com/searchresults.asp

An area with an increasing number of British expats is the north of Granada province in Andalucia, where the usual kind of homes are cave houses. To know the area, visit www.andalucianlakedistrict.com. This area is at the same distance from the airports of Granada, Almerêa or Murcia. Schools are compulsory for all the residents, but avoid urban areas as students could be violent: the more rural it is, the better.
To learn about cave living, visit the Cave Renovator's blog, www.caves-inland-andalucia.blogspot.com

Hi

I'd just like to throw my opinion into the mix to give you an idea of what to expect out here in Spain. We are a young couple living in Ontinyent and find it to be a much better town to live in than the likes of Javea and Denia, which is fine if you're looking for Benidorm II: the sequel, which is inevitable over the next few years, hence the house prices and the rip off restaurant prices.

If you find that you may need to expand yourself and learn Spanish (God forbid) then this is a must in a town like Ontinyent. The upside is friendly people who are very patient with our often poor attempts at their language but if you try you will have friends on your side.

The cost of living in Ontinyent is a far cry from Denia on Sea and smog filled Gandia (how much dust can you produce in a town?). You can buy a 5 bedroom townhouse here for roughly €120,000 (approx £80,000) which certainly puts the coastal prices in perspective.

The views out to the mountains from the town are beautiful and the welcome
that we have had here has been amazing. There are bars, restaurants, one of every type of shop, three surgeries and a hospital and over half a dozen major supermarkets such as Mercadona, Caprabo and Masymas. And if you get the urge, yes there's a McDonalds!

We love it here and although we appreciate the lure of the sea for ex pats who move here, the ignorance and arrogance of some of our fellow Brits abroad will also see that we remain inland. If you want to know what we mean ask a Spaniard what he thinks of Benidorm!

We hope you find what you are looking for and should you venture this way to Ontinyent, Xativa or Albaida we can recommend an excellent estate agent who speak English and will help you with all of the legalities over here too such as NIE numbers, Residencia, doctors, dentists, etc. etc.

www.spanishfullmonty.com

Good luck in your search, just wanted to set the record straight

David.

Javea is absolutely nothing like Benidorm, not a high rise in sight! Yes there is a huge expat community (from many countries), yet you can still get a good menu del dia for 6 Euros, but also fish & chips if you want it! I am close to fluent in spanish (just need to sort out all the tenses!), and my 2 girls definitely are.

I think the attraction of the area for many is the international feel (not little england), and yes property is way overpriced.

Personally I loved Ontinyent, but couldn't see myself living there........great to 'get away from it all' but not to live there..for me, and for us as a family. But then I would never have wanted to live in a tiny town in the UK either...it's just horses for courses

Hi Lynnxa

My main gripe was with the likes of Denia. Javea is certainly a better place to visit and not as popular with the pie and mash brigade although it is usually with the advent of the British coming over that the house prices go through the roof. I certainly wouldn't pay the asking price on the coastal properties unless you're talking about North of Gandia, but as you said all horses for courses.

I assume your girls go to school here and would hope that they are fluent in spanish!

As for the small town thing, there's 35,000 people in Ontinyent, equivalent to say Banbury in the UK, smallish maybe, but not small.

On the fish and chips front we've got a shop here on the main street so we're not craving that particular English delicacy

Thankfully Spain has the diversity to keep us all happy and with the quality of life here you certainly can't go wrong.

David.

Just wanted to add my bit to thread.
Everyone wants a different thing when they move out here. If you truly see yourself learning the spanish language and fitting into the lifestyle then you would be best suited to inland. The coastal regions are getting less spanish everyday. That may suit some people who want the climate but not necessarily the language change. You do not need to be far inland. I live in the mentioned Ontinyent. It is a lovely town and hardly small ( pop 35,000). We are about 40 mins from the nearest beach Gandia. Which is nothing when you are driving through orange and olive filled countryside. Fiestas are still a very strong part of life here and all are welcome to take part. My eldest son is in a Valenciano/spanish school here and the other is only 2 but will go when he is 3 if he is ready. You don't have to start school until 6. As a family we have been submerged in the spanish language and culture and found it the best way for us to learn. We have English friends here and can all help each other out so have the best of both worlds.
for local info www.inlandtrader.net local English paper
There are a selection of properties here and some info on the town too.
www.loshildickos.com