Wise Man

As your experience is in Hotel, recreation business you should look for more turistick regions/places in Spain. Like Barcelona (but I would not recomend such big cities for a family with a child). You may consider Alicante. It is a popular resort, not big and not small. I saw lots of announcements of hotels looking for employes. You should look for the job on milanuncios.com. It is a platform for a direct communication between employers and employees. No employement agencies in-between! Good luck!

cricketman

Why would you not recommend big cities for children?

They are the best places for children to grow up in my opinion. Great parks, lots of things to do, good schools, loads of opportunities

I would not recommend to live in a big city with children if you are struggling for money, but if you are comfortable then they are great

Wise Man

Well I am referring to my own experience. We live in Alicante and we have a 5 year boy. Life here is very easy, no traffic jams, lots of parks and playgrounds for children. Life without stress. You don't spend hours for bringing your children to/from school or his activities, going to your work etc. At the same time you have good amenities, services, restaurants/bars and theatres. The weather is perfect and clean. In the end - life is cheeper, rent is cheeper, transportation is cheaper, entertainment is cheaper.... I wouldn't go to live to Madrid or Barcelona or even to Valencia.
Of course I'm not talking about these small towns that people chose as their retirement heaven. For you it would'nt be a suitable place, but towns/cities like Alicante, I think, is the best option (of course if you find work). Some people are forced to chose big cities due to their profession specialities (or no profession). In big cities the job market is bigger, but in your case it is not so important.....

cricketman

Most people who live in big cities in Spain live close to their work and the school etc

My sister in-law lives in Barcelona with 3 kids. It is a 100 metre work to school, a 200 meter one to work and a 300 meter one to the beach. They are surrounded by shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants.

They dont even own a car because they dont need one

If you dont earn much money then of course you would be better off in Alicante, but of course salaries are much better in the big cities and some jobs wont even exist in Alicante

Moses2013

But then again where you have bigger salaries, you'll also pay more for real estate. Plenty of people would like to have a car in the city, but they either can't afford it, or just don't have parking. For some the city works, for others it doesn't.

cricketman

Yes of course, but it is false to say that you can't have a great life in a big city with children

My sister-in-law's 3 bed flat cost 600k euros and a further 100k to refurbish it. Crazy prices but this was 2007

But at the time she and her husband were earning 200k per year, probably more like 100k now, but even on 40-50k you can still live pretty well

Wise Man

In our case it is not a question of money. We are well, but for you, as you will be looking for work, and it is not clear if and when you will get it, what kind of work and for what salary this may be important....
Anyway I do not know your exact situation and your preferences it is, of course, for you to decide. I come from big city, and when a tired living here I do not think about big cities anymore. Thats why I give such recomendations. But I understand that each person has his own perspective and interests, so probably things that suit me, do not suit you.

Good luck anyway

PetenKim

Hi Rusty2k14

As you can see, there are a variety of opinion on these sites (I also look at the forum on Andalucia.com). Think of it as part of your research, which you will have to do lots of.
I have been dreaming of moving to Spain to retire for a number of years and will finally arrive next Feb. We lost a house sale so will now rent for a few months while we look in the area we have decided on (inland Malaga, hopefully with a nice mountain view). It's not for everyone and the same as the UK, different people have different tastes.
The folks on here have made their decision based on a massive variety of elements, not least their age, the money they have and the type of home and lifestyle they want. Without knowing all of these it is very difficult to give you advice about what you should do.
I have asked lots of questions on Andalucia.com and one of the things that people don't give is much information on themselves and where they actually live (I mean town or village not address). This would help you in determining how closely their advice fits with your own aims.
I have worked for charities and in communities for most of my life and want to come to Spain for the basic quality of life, rather than have aspirations for a big house and lavish lifestyle. This background will shape my own priorities but cannot influence other people's.
I note you said you would be closer to family in Spain, so if these family members are supportive, the area they live will impact.

Good luck and tell us how you are getting on with your thinking and progress.

Pete