pony23

Hi, in a few years my wife and I are planning to move to Spain to live permanently, probably the coast of Catalunya north of Barcelona. I would appreciate some suggestions of some suitable towns to settle in, and also good districts of these towns. I have read about districts suffering from inconsiderate drivers/scooter riders, theft from houses including that you’ll even have the washing stolen from your garden, areas spoilt by too many tourists in the peak season and places being “ghost” communities because of property remaining unsold or being used as occasional holiday homes by absentee owners. My wife’s first language is Spanish and I can get by with every day Spanish.
Being more positive, we’d prefer to be in a real local Spanish community rather than with expats; whilst I don’t like big resorts we’d need a place with at least a handful of largish hotels that employ people as my wife wants seasonal unskilled work maybe 6 months of the year; we’d need at least 1 supermarket in town; and a beach 30-60 minutes walk away with at least basic facilities like a loo.
Bonuses would be natural landscapes with good walking paths like on the Costa brava, or good road links for weekend trips to the Pyrenees or for getting to either of the 2 airports (better road links from Costa Maresme?). I have looked at photos of most of the main resorts. Tossa and Lloret de Mar look nice as do other places, but I’m sure some of you residents have some good tips and secrets about your home area.
Thanks.

Moses2013

Hi, great that someone is interested buying in the region, as most people on this forum go further south. We have a holiday home near Lloret de mar and it's a great area. Lloret and other places can get pretty busy during summer and it's always been a party destination for young adults from Europe and plenty of families visiting between June-September. I don't really like the touristic areas too much, but if you look on the outskirts just 5-10 mins you'll find great urbanizaciones that are quite and are now more affordable than ever, away from the madness But Lloret area has a lot to offer and you have great walks along the coast, botanic gardens, are close to Girona, Barcelona and you can spend a weekend in the Pyreenes. Here a link of things to do:
Santa Clotilde Gardens \ Not to be missed \ What to see \ Lloret Turisme

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary