visage

Hi,we are a family of 4 ( 2 teenagers,1 at uni in UK ) and are in early days of looking to relocate in Spain .. I work for Spanish company internationally and we now want to live in a warmer climate. The only proviso that we have is that we want to be near a large town, want authentic Spanish surroundings and want to be near coast / beaches with possibly sea views. Airport with flights to southern UK also would be good. We have no fixed location in mind, but maybe a good international school in local town would also be good. Only been to Spain a couple of times and so looking for any advice whatsoever primarily about location .. we are not clubbers or nightlife fanatics .. many thanks.

amideislas

Presuming the "kids" are not necessarily going with you (or otherwise will not require schooling in Spain), your tickboxes sound suspiciously like "the other" Mallorca - the one you never hear about, which is pretty similar to what you describe.

The kids, well, unless they are already fluent in Spanish, you can rule out public schools, so that leaves you with expensive international schools, the vast majority of which are located in/near expat communities, which are by definition, not "authentic". But you'll be faced with that anywhere abroad really. Mallorca would be no different in that respect.

Hope it all works out for you. Spain can be a lovely place to settle, if you're open-minded, and it sounds like you are...

visage

Hi .. thanks for reply .. yes my son will stay in UK, my daughter comes with us and is 15 and speaks Spanish well .. we had looked at Mallorca as my brother is moving to a villa in Soller soon, a good international school is what we need for my daughter .. regards

amideislas

OK, well, the only "international schools" are located in the suburban southwest, otherwise known as "expat central". Aside from the dense population, high cost of living and higher crime rate, the surroundings are quite nice. But then again, so is Soller, but it lacks an international school.

As soon as you leave the southwest, of course cost of living, crime rate and population drops significantly. So, for what you pay for a 2-3 bedroom apartment in the southwest, you can own a 200 m2 Finca with 7000-15000 m2 of land, a pool, etc. If you spend some time looking and don't jump on the first thing that you find, you can find some bargains.

As far as " being close to beaches", there's an old saying around here, "wherever you are, the distance to the beach is measured in minutes". Some believe it's necessary to live within 1 minute of a beach, but there is a premium to be paid for that, and honestly, you will likely avoid the beaches during high season, so it generally is more practical to have your own private pool, because you never take advantage of proximity to a beach anywhere near as often as you anticipate, so why pay the premium? And you need not fight for a place near your pool.

For the international school, it seems you may be limited to the southwest, or somewhere nearby. In that case, I'd recommend renting for a few years over there whilst investigating your property options elsewhere.

...or... find a lovely Finca with land and a pool, and send your daughter to a local public school. The schools in the campo tend to be fairly highly rated, and dominated by locals who mostly subscribe to traditional family values, so there are fewer "bad influences".

Anyway, good luck with it all. I am no expert in schooling in Mallorca, but if you need any other help, feel free to pm me.

Ami

Moses2013

You will find authentic Spain everywhere, but coastal towns often rely on tourism, so might not always be authentic. The North of Spain has a lot to offer and cities like San Sebastian would have everything you're looking for, but not cheap and probably not the climate you're looking for. Cities like Valencia, Málaga might be an option for you and there are plenty of smaller towns around. Anywhere along the Mediterranean coast will have a warmer climate, but most Brits tend to go further South. We have a 2nd home on the Costa Brava (a few mins inland) and there you will find plenty of towns with all amenities and Girona airport is close by. Barcelona is always a great option and you can still find affordable towns that offer sea views. Barcelona is only around 2-3 degrees cooler than Malaga and you still have over 2,500 sunshine hours.

Leper

I wonder what is meant by "authentic Spain." If you are expecting to see teenage Spanish girls wearing mantillas and ankle length dresses and being protected by their fathers against advances of lustful males you are in the wrong country. Neither should you expect to see goat minders trekking through mountain passes on donkeys in search of lost goats.

Spain is linked by serious road networks. The country probably has more airports per capita than any other country. Its cities are modern just like the rest of europe. The Spaniards are pining for the return of Franco like we want the return of the Bubonic Plague. The Costas have been invaded by expats from all over the world and especially Europe.

At this moment the "authentic" Spain has serious unemployment especially amongst the under 25's. Spanish governments are as crooked as rural boreens in Ireland. We the expats have driven the price of houses (especially on the Costas) so high that most locals will never afford to own one.

Welcome to "authentic" Spain.

Rosemary

There are plenty of places in Spain that do not have huge numbers of ex-pats so the people live their normal lives without incomers affecting them in any way so those areas are probably what could be called "authentic" Spain.

Rosemary

amideislas

I know exactly what she means. I live in a very "authentic" village only minutes from beaches and "tourism central". It's much too traditional for most tourists, and they don't serve fish and chips or boddingtons at the local bar, so it's not the least bit interesting - to tourists - or most expats.

Yet, my house, like most others, is 250+ years old, loaded with old-world charm, with all modern amenities, at about the same cost as a small apartment in expat-land, and I can leave the doors unlocked without any fear at all. And the locals... Delightful bunch. Lovely.

It takes a while to find such places, and you have to overcome the phobia of being "isolated" (you eventually find that despite what they tell you, it isn't isolated at all), but it is possible.

Government? Yes, still a pretty silly bureaucracy at times, but around here, the "crookedness" is a mere fraction of a fraction of what it was just a decade ago. It's an "adjustment", but once you "get it", it isn't so ominous.

Employment? Not likely. The locals built their well being over decades and generations. They are doing fine. Newbies won't be happy here unless you bring your money with you. Nobody will hand you a living. It's not an entitlement.

Leper

. . . and such places soon become sought by expats . . . and eventually get turned into a Little Britain . . . but somehow retain the words "authentic" and "real" . . . if this hasn't happened already. What the Spaniards consider to be "authentic" and what expats consider to be "authentic" are poles apart. Many of the expats living in such areas don't bother to learn even a few words of Spanish but continue to inform anybody who will listen that they are living in the "real" Spain. If you don't believe me, ask any Spaniard living there.

Rosemary

I live with Spanish people in an ordinary small working town. If a Spanish person moved into a similar town in the UK would that mean that the UK town suddenly became different? No, the town would still be "normal". It is the same here in Spain one English person in the town has no effect at all. The Spanish either accept you for who you are, welcome you or ignore you depending on your attitude towards them.

Rosemary

amideislas

The vast majority of (British) expats have little interest in traditional Spanish lifestyles, and even fear it. Most are seeking a Benidorm lifestyle. And that's OK too. Benidorm is there for you. Have it, enjoy it.

I sense the op has an alternative interest. It's worth pointing out potential pitfalls, but what she seeks is actually more possible than most would even consider - for that very reason.

Leper

Rosemary, the original poster asked for views and that is all that is being supplied. Of course there would be no difference to a small town in the UK in the offchance that somebody from Spain would live there. But, the same cannot be said in Spain. Brits follow Brits (and there is nothing wrong with this) and just look at some of the resorts with huge populations of people from other countries in europe, especially the UK.

Rosemary

My life proves that it can be said in Spain too. I know no Brits so I guess Brits following Brits does not apply. Living in Spain does not mean living in little Britain it is definitely possible to live a Spanish life.

Rosemary

amideislas

There are no other Brits in our village (that I am aware of). A couple of Germans, but that's not surprising, as Germans tend to seek things "not German" anyway.

Besides, no surprise, the British population in Mallorca comprises only a fraction of the overall expat population. In general, it's not exactly a very "British" place to be (e.g., the Costas, benidorm, etc) which might help explain that. Except for hols, of course, but even then, aside from the 2, maybe 3 popular, exclusively British seasonal resorts, not that much else of great interest to most. The other resorts just aren't very British.

Yes, it's a secret. You can live quite comfortably "non-britishly" here. Not to mention it's generally a lot better value (and arguably, more pleasing in many ways). For most, the "isolation" alone is a major put-off, which makes it even more possible. But I'm OK with that. There's always Benidorm.

Rosemary

I find that the Spanish cannot cope with the idea of isolation and spending time alone and find it difficult to understand that some of us are very comfortable with it and indeed value it. I am a people person but I am very comfortable spending time on my own, in fact it keeps me sane (I know that fact is a matter of opinion).

Rosemary