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-   -   Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria (https://britishexpats.com/forum/spain-75/thinking-moving-gran-canaria-919933/)

samtheman40 Dec 4th 2018 1:23 pm
Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
long story short. I am a half New Zealand kiwi and quarter English and quarter Scottish. I was born in NZ but brought up in the Hampshire area of the south of the UK. I am now in my early 40’s. I have mild learning difficulties. II never really felt like I fit into life in the UK. haye the unprecedented UK westhervabd short summers. I much prefer hot sunny summer weather. I always felt a bit of an outsider in the UK. As an adult I have tried living in Auckland and Sydney and london and Winchester and Cornwall. I have also spent lots of time in Phuket and Spain.
last year I got a Philippines girlfriend from Manila. I hate Manila. We have been on again off again but now we are trying to see if we can work out. She has a Filipino friend from college who lives in Gran Canaria and he is married to a Filipina girl. He said his wife should be able to get her a job. I have done a little bit of research and I think the climate and the lifestyle would suit me perfectly. Also the fact that it’s only about 4 hours flight back to the UK is nice so I could pop back every now and then and my girlfriend could pop back once a year to Manila.
Would it be a good thing to do what with her being far from home and what with the uncertainty of what will happen to Engkish people living in Europe after Brexit?
I rent out my house in the UK and I am just about to sell my 2 bedroom apartment in Marbella I part ownwiyh my dad. Cos we do not use it enough. So I am ok for money.
Is Gran Canaria cheaper or the same as UK to live? Also where are a few nice beach places to live?
one last thing is the weather really summer all year round or most of the year?
i hope you can help with any Info?

Moses2013 Dec 4th 2018 6:56 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Originally Posted by samtheman40 (Post 12604201)
long story short. I am a half New Zealand kiwi and quarter English and quarter Scottish. I was born in NZ but brought up in the Hampshire area of the south of the UK. I am now in my early 40’s. I have mild learning difficulties. II never really felt like I fit into life in the UK. haye the unprecedented UK westhervabd short summers. I much prefer hot sunny summer weather. I always felt a bit of an outsider in the UK. As an adult I have tried living in Auckland and Sydney and london and Winchester and Cornwall. I have also spent lots of time in Phuket and Spain.
last year I got a Philippines girlfriend from Manila. I hate Manila. We have been on again off again but now we are trying to see if we can work out. She has a Filipino friend from college who lives in Gran Canaria and he is married to a Filipina girl. He said his wife should be able to get her a job. I have done a little bit of research and I think the climate and the lifestyle would suit me perfectly. Also the fact that it’s only about 4 hours flight back to the UK is nice so I could pop back every now and then and my girlfriend could pop back once a year to Manila.
Would it be a good thing to do what with her being far from home and what with the uncertainty of what will happen to Engkish people living in Europe after Brexit?
I rent out my house in the UK and I am just about to sell my 2 bedroom apartment in Marbella I part ownwiyh my dad. Cos we do not use it enough. So I am ok for money.
Is Gran Canaria cheaper or the same as UK to live? Also where are a few nice beach places to live?
one last thing is the weather really summer all year round or most of the year?
i hope you can help with any Info?
Can't comment on living in Gran Canaria, but I would always be careful with comments like "wife should be able to get her a job". If you have an apartment in Marbella, why not test that out first (living together in Spain), before selling everything and moving to a small island.
Marbella weather wouldn't be considered bad for most people and sunshine hours would be even higher than many parts of Gran Canaria, so maybe an option too.

samtheman40 Dec 4th 2018 7:22 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Well I am not a big fan of busy big places as they stress me out and I always have had a dream of living on a small island in the sunshine. I no no where is perfect. I hate cold weather. I am currently living in Phuket but I can’t stay there for more than 6 months with out a job. I tried living down under but it’s to fair away from UK. The climet in Marbella is rubbish apart from May until October.

missile Dec 4th 2018 7:41 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Be very careful. I know several who have married girls from far East. None are still married ......… after the money runs out so does the wife.

Moses2013 Dec 4th 2018 8:05 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Originally Posted by samtheman40 (Post 12604282)
Well I am not a big fan of busy big places as they stress me out and I always have had a dream of living on a small island in the sunshine. I no no where is perfect. I hate cold weather. I am currently living in Phuket but I can’t stay there for more than 6 months with out a job. I tried living down under but it’s to fair away from UK. The climet in Marbella is rubbish apart from May until October.

I get your point with busy big places, but even on an island it will be all about location. Some parts are full of tourists and if your partner needs to work, you also can't be too far away from where work is (people). If the climate in Marbella is rubbish for you, it can be just as good or bad in Gran Canaria. With many micro climates, it's again all about location and even Gran Canaria can feel cold and sees storms/rain and wind. Look what happened earlier this year and right now it's windier than Marbella + anywhere will feel colder than Phuket:-). Also be careful, as you might sell up and then find out that she is not happy either.

samtheman40 Dec 4th 2018 9:12 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Funny how you never get any positive feedback when you say you are leaving the UK to live in another country. What’s so great about the UK? I was just asking what it is like to live in Gran Canaria. I know
a few people who have married forginors or moved to another country from the UK
and they are all much happier.
Again thanks for all the info.

Moses2013 Dec 4th 2018 9:52 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Originally Posted by samtheman40 (Post 12604306)
Funny how you never get any positive feedback when you say you are leaving the UK to live in another country. What’s so great about the UK? I was just asking what it is like to live in Gran Canaria. I know
a few people who have married forginors or moved to another country from the UK
and they are all much happier.
Again thanks for all the info.
Well that's not true either. All you can do is really go and see for yourself, but I would not sell the apartment in Marbella straight away. Sure, money might not be a problem at all in your case, but if you and your partner do need work to survive (pension later on), I wouldn't rush into things. What's so great about Gran Canaria? Just like the UK, every village, person, street and job is different, so nobody can really tell you how great your life will be. Things like "He said his wife should be able to get her a job" just worry me. Why doesn't she get a job?

Pollyana Dec 4th 2018 9:53 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Originally Posted by samtheman40 (Post 12604306)
Funny how you never get any positive feedback when you say you are leaving the UK to live in another country. What’s so great about the UK? I was just asking what it is like to live in Gran Canaria. I know
a few people who have married forginors or moved to another country from the UK
and they are all much happier.
Again thanks for all the info.
What you are getting is realistic feedback, Thats what you need when moving to a new country, especially one of which you are not a citizen.
Yes, many people do marry non-UK citizens and/or emigrate and are perfectly happy. However that is not true for all of us.

As for what is so great about the UK? After 15 years in exile my list is so long it'd take all night to type it.

missile Dec 4th 2018 9:59 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
It always surprises me those who complain about the FREE advice they have been given are those who appear to have done very little research. Perhaps expats feel we have a duty to those would be immigrants highlighting issues they may not have considered? It is a big step and there is more to consider than sunshine, sea and sangria.

I do hope you will be very happy living the dream with your girlfriend wherever you choose to live.

Boseley Dec 4th 2018 11:14 pm
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
I live in the Canary Islands and have done fr quite a number of years. We have an excellent life style, the cost of living is a lot cheaper than the U.K., we do not have any heating or air conditioning bills, VAT is 7%. We have a garden and find we can grow almost anything here.

The islands have been described as the Fortunate Islands, with a climate of eternal springtime, if we are lucky we receive seven good days of rain annually, lack of wet stuff falling from the sky is a problem.

I first arrived in Gran Canaria in the spring of 1962, from Trinidad. I liked the place then and I like the island still, being only 50 minutes flight from where I live now I visit frequently. Most tourists head for the resorts in the south of the island, I prefer Las Palmas a large bustling city with plenty of culture and splendid shops, also a large city beach called Las Canteras. There are many smaller towns and villages on or near the coast.

Perhaps you should rent and test the water, Gran Canaria was my first choice, then I discovered the Meridian Island of El Hierro.

Moses2013 Dec 5th 2018 12:18 am
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Originally Posted by Boseley (Post 12604352)
I live in the Canary Islands and have done fr quite a number of years. We have an excellent life style, the cost of living is a lot cheaper than the U.K., we do not have any heating or air conditioning bills, VAT is 7%. We have a garden and find we can grow almost anything here.

The islands have been described as the Fortunate Islands, with a climate of eternal springtime, if we are lucky we receive seven good days of rain annually, lack of wet stuff falling from the sky is a problem.

I first arrived in Gran Canaria in the spring of 1962, from Trinidad. I liked the place then and I like the island still, being only 50 minutes flight from where I live now I visit frequently. Most tourists head for the resorts in the south of the island, I prefer Las Palmas a large bustling city with plenty of culture and splendid shops, also a large city beach called Las Canteras. There are many smaller towns and villages on or near the coast.

Perhaps you should rent and test the water, Gran Canaria was my first choice, then I discovered the Meridian Island of El Hierro.
It's great that you can have that lifestyle, but I doubt there are many job opportunities for a non local 40 year old on the island? Even if it might be considered cheap, you still need an income, or enough money to get to pension age and actually receive a pension. Buying property and becoming self sufficient still requires money and then you have other costs too. Even in the UK it's possible to not have any heating bills, but you still need an income. What about health care, flights, electricity, property taxes, food costs, repairs etc.? The problem I see is that many young people these days only look at the pensioners life, but at the age of 40 you are far from pension age LOL. Don't forget that the OP also has a problem with the weather in Marbella (apparently rubbish), so even if it rains less where you are, it might not be enough sunshine for him + wind.

EuroTrash Dec 5th 2018 3:19 am
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
Originally Posted by samtheman40 (Post 12604306)
Funny how you never get any positive feedback when you say you are leaving the UK to live in another country.
I wouldn't say you never get positive feedback but I agree that there is a lot of negative feedback. And that's a thing I've often mused on, specially since I know I'm often guilty of giving mixed feedback at best. The conclusion I have come to is that people who know what they want to do, have done their research and are confident that they're well placed to make a go of it, don't tend to ask basic questions on a forum. They just do it. Seems to be the folk who have doubts who come along and ask. What they want is reassurance to make the doubts go away, but very often when folk have doubts there's a reason for it. How can anyone on a forum, in all honesty, tell you Yes someone will find a job for your girlfriend, No Brexit won't affect you, Yes your relationship will work out.
If it's what you want to do it and you think it has a reasonable chance of working out, just go ahead and do it.

scot47 Dec 5th 2018 3:48 am
Re: Thinking of moving to Gran Canaria
 
First thing to do is visit the place.


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