Hello,

I am coming to Spain this Thursday 20th and hoping to rent a property for the long term. I will probably head down to Malaga region as after many hours of trawling the net I have managed to find 1 property which may be suitable in Nerja and 1 in Torrox.

Can anyone please give me advice if the above 2 locations would be suitable for a young single person please? The properties look good but I have no idea about the locations. Also if anybody knows of any other suitable properties for long term rent please let me know.

My only criteria are:
1) I am only 30 and coming alone. I need somewhere in town and with a good vibrant atmosphere and not quiet in any way. I want to be able to mix and meet new people and not feel lonely. I visited Granada city before and that had a good atmosphere.
2) Must be furnished and for long term.
3) Must have garage or other safe lockup for my motorcycle.

I was in Spain around two weeks ago and managed to drive around the Alicante area for a couple of days but my trip got cut short due to work. I do not require work in Spain, only living.

Thanks in advance for any replies and advice, Mark.

There are a few people here that live in or know the area, maybe they can help. I wouldn't say Torrox has got a lot going for it, especially in the winter, Nerja certainly has some clubs, the youngsters often hang around the bars in "Tutti Frutti Square". Difficult to say really if it would be enough to satisfy you, certainly neither will be as lively as Granada, big student population there. You don't say if you speak Spanish, a lot would depend on that, if you can only hang out with Brits, I'd imagine there would be a lot more of them in Nerja than say Granada. If you're limited to Brits, the other side of Málaga would probably be a better bet.

have to agree with the above regarding Granada, being a vibrant university city you will find many of your age and younger who are out on the town.
more importantly they are set up with loads of furnished accommodation aimed at the students for sharing or living alone.

just not so sure about lockup for the m/c

let me know if you want some guidance as to the accommodation and agents.

Hey thanks for the reply guys,

I spotted a fantastic place in granada which would be perfect but the one thing that puts me off is that my spanish is still limited and needs more practice before moving to a predominantly spanish speaking city. Would you agree with that or do you think I would get on Okay?


Thanks again

Take the apartment, Spanish in not important in your situation, you will soon learns the necessary words to 'ligar'

Good luck with the accent in Granada. Most educated people will speak perfectly good Spanish, but if you chat to a local with a strong Andaluz accent, well, as I say, good luck!

Yes, he's a young man, doesn't need to work, has a motor bike, can't fail! Throw yourself in the deep end, sign up for a language school, enjoy! There was an English run bar there (not like those on the coast) where they used to hold a lot of language exchanges, that would have been good but the owner sold up last year. I don't know if the new owners do the same thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbVkNjYUgW0
This lady has been there a few years, any problems I'm sure she'd help, she's very knowledgeable on Granada.
http://www.piccavey.com/blog/granada-andalucia/

but then those in Madrid - the keepers of the Kings Spanish - would say that wouldn't they.
funny how only Granada has a "local" accent whilst no one else in Spain does, probably the same as those from Essex don't have an accent whilst Geordies, Brummies et al do - or is it the other way round

and as a local ambassador for Granada on the InterNations forum is an exceedingly useful contact to have

Go for it young man, do what all us old fogies can't do any more, and if you make a mistake - don't worry about it, that is part of life and learning.

Gallegos have an accent, and it is more of a sing song speech.

You can't be SERIOUS

I certainly am.
and they are known for answering a question with another question.

we are all entitled to our own little McEnroe moment

Granada has been my base for almost 10 years now. I love it. You can survive on English, but obviously a little engagement with the locals in local lingo will open more doors socially. My Spanish is not brilliant even now - I socialise just about in Spanish only speaking circles. Thankfully, people here are extremely tolerant if they see you are making the effort, but you do need to make the effort. It is a fantastic little city for many reasons. Try it for Six months and see how you get on.

Hey I went to look at an apartment to rent in Granada today. If anyone knows of any expat groups let me know.