Originally Posted by ElaLdn (Post 12275647)

Hi everyone!
Thanks for having me and I am crossing my finger for some practical advice.

So, me and hubby looking for a right place to buy in Spain. FIRST, AS HOLIDAY HOME THAN PERMANENT MOVE.

We have visited Spain and we will be coming back regularly to explore the regions, however I would like to narrow our search down as much as possible.

So our criteria would be.

1. Travel.
No further than max 1.5 hour drive from international airport either Valencia or Barcelona.

2. Climate.
We hate grey, UK winter days. Love sunny climate. We don't mind colder winter but sunnier. We would like to avoid this super hot summers if possible.

3. Healthcare
Good access to hospitals/ doctors. Although we will be buying a private cover, we want to make sure that we near by a good hospital.

4. Education
We probably will have child by than ( when we relocate permanently ) so good state and public sector schools.

5. Location
Rual but aces to hospitals and education. We are looking for a place with min. 5 acre of land with it. Not suburbia. We have a horse which will travel with us plus we will get at least 1 more. I love hacking and trail riding and my husband loves his bike so we love outdoor stuff. We would like to be surrounded by nature. National park, lake or river and lots forest is a big
part of wanting to move. Will be nice to be around an hour drive from lake or sea where we can swim and unwind.

So I looked true forums and google search. I realised that lots in land places might have there own micro climate so average stats of the web might not apply.

Where I should start my search and where to go for holidays and explore further. Any ideas?

Local knowledge needed.

Many thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Moses2013 (Post 12276109)

As always it will really depend on your budget and personal preference but I can highly recommend Girona region. Don't live there permanently but have a place in the area. As long as you don't go too far inland and stay closer to the coast, expect a mediterranean climate. You have hot summers but not as extreme as further south and luckily you get enough rain to see some green too. Of course that can vary and really depends how far up or down you go. Property can also be more expensive in parts but you can also understand why. Luckily there are still some parts where land is affordable and you're not too far from coast. For example outskirts of Blanes, Lloret offer good value for money and you are only 1 hour from Barcelona. As long as you stay a bit out, you probably wouldn't even notice the madness during summer but once you are in the resorts, it's hard to avoid.

Originally Posted by ElaLdn (Post 12276279)

Thanks so much for the answer. I didn't mentioned the budget because if I say 400000 euro people will send me to different areas than to a budget of 200000. I don't want to cross any place just cos it might be slightly cheaper/ poorer area or slightly more as we are flexible. Again we don't mind to do our property up. If we like the area , we will stretch money wise or project wise. The longer will take to find the right place the more we can spend too. But for the sake of this conversation, can we say up to 400000. The onle limit is a time to get to the airport and that is max. of 1.5h. We won't have to work ( well we will run small farm but no income will be required ). My hubby speaks Spanish quite well, I am starting to learn so mainly Spanish area wouldn't be a problem either. I will look at Blanes ans Lloret. Thank you for that suggestions. Any particular places in Girona? .....sorry for being so cheeky.

Originally Posted by ElaLdn (Post 12276768)

Thanks for the links.
For now I was looking true the web just to see what money can get you in different part of East of Spain.
Yes, land is very important. There is actually few properties with lots land but....they usually have small fincas on it less than 100m2 of living space. Not good if you have lots friends and family coming regularly. So that's is a no no. House needs to be big ish. I don't mind if it needs to be done up but it has to have a structure and all relevant habitation permits in place. So now we really want a big farmhouse or modern hose with land. This are like a gold dust. We might have to up the budget to get what we need. I don't mind going in land a bit and getting away from tourist. I know that it goes hotter the more in land you go. But there will be a compromised reached somewhere. Lands, school and healthcare comes as a priority. Cooler summer ......oh well...we will invest in good ventilation system and big pool ;)