Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

Countryboy has mentioned Sax to us before. The finca sounds what we might be looking for, but it may be gone by the time we are in a position to buy. We are still in the process of selling an apartment in Menorca and have not got our house on the market yet.

It would be nice to see the link though

Graham

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

You sell it well :)

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

I'll pm it

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

My idea of a hidden gem is a place with loads of expats, going local wears very thin very quick if you don't speak the language and you don't fit in.

The ideal is to find locals that speak english then you don't have to worry about them moving back after 6 months when the thrill of going local wears off.

Having said that we're the ones moving away after making a lot of effort to find local (as vs expat) friends :D

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

I think you have spent too much time in Frankfurt.....I was there once for 5 months and nearly lost my sanity!!!!!

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

We need a certain degree of stress to stay alive.....the only stress free existence is when you go to bed for that final very long and deep siesta in the sky. Trying to escape just doesn't work.. one merely exchanges one set of problems for another....it's the choice of what kind of problems one wishes to deal with that influences our lives and where we live.......I think......

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

What I can do without is commuting back and forth along the M56 everyday to sit in an office all day, when I can be doing something more positive with my life. Not everyone has the chance to move to another country to hopefully have a better lifestyle and if you are in a position to give it a go, I say try it. That is what we intend to do.

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

I gave up work in March, and I can't tell you how pleasant it is to get up in the morning and do what YOU want to do every day. And very shortly I'll be doing it in a much warmer place :)

T minus one month now!! :D

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

I agree, In March, I got married, gave up work (at 46) and moved out to a beautiful home with swimming pool.

The best part of the day is getting up and sitting outside with a coffee ;)

Gadget :beer:

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

I couldn't agree with you more !! I suppose I have a very flexible working life, unfortunatley the flexible earnings accompany it...my choice however so I am not complaining. My only worry would be that after six months of it I would be tearing my hair out in boredom....the novelty must wear off eventually.

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

Hear, hear.

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

If you were retired at home in the UK, wouldn't it be the same? Most retirees find new hobbies and things to do to keep them from being bored and then often say "How did I find the time to go to work?" :)

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

You are quite right.....it is something I intend to explore over the next couple of years....I suppose living on the outskirts of London there are lots of ops, but it would be no worse than moving to a small town in Devon or Wales. At least in Chiclana one has Cadiz, Jerez and Seville all within a driving time of an hour or less. And I always forget that as one gets older one's urge to acquire demanding new interests is somewhat curbed.

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

I too am sick of the commuting rat race (try 1.5 hours each way by public transport) and will be moving to Spain just as soon as I can sell my house in England - is proving difficult as it's been on the market for nearly 6 months now, the wait is killing me.

We bought 3 years ago in Spain and have been having the house restored gradually since then - nothing structural, just new kitchen and bathrooms, retiling patio and outside stairs, new utility area in patio, next job is to convert a former pigeon loft into a sitting room/occasional extra guest bedroom.

Where we bought might not be everyone's idea of a hidden gem, it's a big town which is capital of the Axarquia region of Malaga province in Andalucia, called Velez-Malaga. It's 5km inland from the coast, a 10 minute journey by car, the nearest resort is Torre del Mar with very few British tourists, mainly Spanish visitors many of whom have second homes there. I didn't want to be somewhere remote as I don't drive so want easy access to shops, activities etc without living in an expat community. My house is in the historic area of town inside the original city walls, no access by car at all. It's like stepping back in time, but with all the mod cons - apart from the fact that you have to carry your shopping uphill. The way I look at it is it will help to keep us fit and active in our old age! There is an excellent public transport system, including a new tram service just about to start operating between us and the coast, and half hourly bus service to Malaga until late at night, the big regional hospital just up the road, great range of shops, theatre with regular music and dance performances, good public sports and leisure facilities and private gyms. Having lived in a small Lancashire town for the past 25 years with zero leisure activities I don't want to be bored to death in my (early) retirement. There has been a lot of new building (mainly apartment blocks) on the edge of Velez but we can't see any of it from our roof terrace and it doesn't impinge on us at all. There are a number of British couples and families living there but it is still very much a working Spanish town and very few people in shops or restaurants speak English. Long may it remain so.


We don't plan to work when we get there but will use the proceeds from the sale of our English house plus an inheritance my partner received last year to live on until we receive our pensions (10 years in my case, 8 in my partner's). We will be time rich and cash poor instead of the other way round, but I don't think I will mind that.

Hope you find what you are looking for and can realise your dream.

Re: Tell me, the hidden gem is?
 

Where you are going to live sounds very nice and Spanish. It sounds very similar to what we want to do, although we would prefer a house on the edge of a town with enough land for a pool and to lounge around and read and just generally chill out a bit

Good luck with your move

All the best

Graham & Pauline :)