m2m2012

For those who have moved to Spain, did you consider other warm weather countries such as Greece, Cyprus or Portugal? If so, why did you decide on Spain?

Leper

Spain:-
1. Accessibility. Airports, road infrastructure. Easiness of coming and going.
2. Sun.
3. Quality of life.
4. Cheaper and better lifestyle.
5. English is spoken throughout the Costas and Spanish is easy to learn.
6. Less rain.
7. Much more freedom to do anything. Less traffic. Shorts and teeshirts trump everyday suits.
8. Much slower pace of life. Mojacar Playa makes me relax even if I don't want to.
9. We could have chose Greece or its islands, Turkey, Malta, France, Italy - Spain wins hands down. Good working police force. Excellent supermarkets. Pints retail @€2.00 in some Spanish pubs.
10. Price of property.
11. Walking exercise is easier and the views are stunning and that's every day not just for a fortnight.
12. Take this any way you wish but English speaking people in Spain treat other English speakers with more respect that they would do in the home country.
11. Just sitting sipping tea or wine on the terrace watching the fishing boats come and go or the sun rising or setting or watching the complexity of shooting stars at night.
12. Far less messers per capita.

Moses2013

Haven't moved and always fancied Greece when I was younger, but wouldn't be on my list these days. The logical choice was always Spain or Portugal because it's very easy to get there from Ireland and you don't have to fly. Urban plots of land near the warmer waters were too expensive in Portugal and in general most places didn't offer what we'd want. The part of Spain we opted for has everything we want and in general the Catalans seem very reliable. It's well organised, the standards are pretty high and we never had problems that somebody didn't turn up. We have the Atlantic Ocean at home, so I suppose the short drive to reach the Med is a bonus too.

Jon-Bxl

We wanted a place on mainland Europe, with a mixed community of locals and expats... not too much 'English brekkie sold here'.

We didnt want to have to have an additional boat journey when driving down from Brussels, where we also live. Just for the ease of traveling there by car.

So for us personally, Albuferia and Fuengirola are too much.

We ended up in the Ayamonte region. In our golf development Costa Esuri, we have about a 50:50 mix Brits + EU : Spanish. The nearby town of Ayamonte is predominantly Spanish.

We bought pre-crisis so the value of our place has dropped significantly. The 'silver lining' is that IMO the downside-risk of further price drops is low - so for new purchasers this is positive. In fact prices are slowly rising and exchange rates improved last week. Better for UK pensioners and UK purchasers.

We are a thriving community - if you look at Spain in BE, you will see that we have our own sub forum called the 'Ayamonte Club'. Lots of helpful people if you have a request for help. The mods gave us this special sub-forum a few years ago, as we were so active on the forum. Thanks we have made many new friends as a result!

We have had loads of frustration and problems over the years, but overall have no regrets at our purchase. We spend several months a year there having free time as we are retirees.

A MAJOR selling point for us is the proximity of Portugal. In fact outside our Spain Golf development, the nearest Resto is in Portugal! The nearest lo-cost airport is Faro, Portugal 40 mins drive.

Though a non-golfer, within 30 mins drive in both countries there are a plethora of golf choices.

As 'foodies' there are so many choices each side within a few mins drive. Or in 20 mins you can find so many choices of local and international food.

We have no pollution, as we are bordered on one side by the Atlantic and all around by the natural parks and golf. The nearest industrial chimney is about 50km away.

This corner of Spain is very 'local' as is the 'Eastern Algarve' east of Faro. Where there is great scenery and just a few buildings of over 3/4 stories. Google the Rio Formosa. Or check out the miles of idyllic beaches, each side. Stuff you will see in expensive Kuoni posh+holiday catalogues

Its Interesting that there is a noticeable difference in the 2 cultures ES & PT, let alone an hours time difference! All within a few minutes by car, or a relatively cheap taxi, if having a drink or three!.

The area is more sedate than the costas but the dual-country experience opens up many options.

We remain glad that we bought and can enjoy a totally different lifestyle experience of life in the big city Brussels at Europe's centre (we live in the EU district and its easy to find, at times, over 10 nationalities having a drink + chat at one of the many local bars) ..... and this charming corner at the end of Andalusia/Spain/Portugal

Long may it last!

Jon

Lagoo

I'd travelled in South America a lot so had already been learning some Spanish. I'm not good at languages, so although I may have fancied Italy or France I knew I wouldn't find it easy to switch to a new one. Plus with Spain if as I get older I find it too cold here I can move to the south coast (in winter it's the warmest place in mainland Europe) or even the Canaries.

spainrico

Modern infrastructure - roads, high-speed rail, airports. Modern communication systems - fiber widely available. Lots to see and do - very diverse countryside and culture plus of course fantastic cities. Modern health system properly resourced and managed. Financially stable (compared to many others) Safe with local police, Guardia Civil and National Police. For me the best choice by far and with a low cost of living plus all the other things above in other posts.

m2m2012

Nowadays, the difference between Greece and Spain is the same difference between Spain and Denmark; except Greece has higher taxes than both Spain and Denmark. I hope Spain (and Italy and Portugal) gets it's debt under control to avoid being the next Greece.

bxpuser24710519

It was a no brainer lol I met a tall dark handsome hunk who invited me to join him for a holiday at his place, the rest is history as they say. Sadly he died some 10 years ago, I am still here, less than before but I enjoy it still.