We didn´t bring any winter clothes - how stupid were we. You do still need them. Yes it is warm in the day but night and early morning can be frosty. We also got rid of our dining room table and chairs because we mistakenly thought we would be eating outside all the time. Gave a beautiful chair away as we thought we wouldn´t have room and we would have. If you have a tumble drier bring it. Horrendously expensive here and yes you will need it when you have a week of solid rain. Also bring settees if they are decent quality as they are expensive too and very old fashioned.

Agree with everything. This year has been pretty dry but the last 2 years it rained for months in winter. I used the drier in summer too for some things eg. towels as the hot sun made them very stiff.

One thing I did bring was a lovely cozy dressing gown. Not that I thought I would be using it but my Mum had just died and it was still unopened in packaging so I brought it for sentimental reasons....used it the very first winter. I then bought some fleecy pyjamas from Dunnes stores.

Dont forget some nice cosy slippers with a thick sole, as tiled floors get very cold in winter.

OMG yes, the cold just leaks upwards even wearing trainers. Oh and bring central heating with you.

I have to say that my first winter in Spain was a shock. We had ice on the car windscreen regularly, it was cold enough to need boots, hats, scarves, gloves, winter coats and the houses in spain are not easy to heat - few have central heating, they nearly all have tiles everywhere and damp courses arent common. the houses are built for the summers. So in the winter its very much like the olden days in the UK. You heat up one room and stay in it!!

However, the sun shines more than the UK and as I posted earlier, its often warmer outside than in. Then theres the summer and everyone moans about being too hot lol!!!!

Jo xxx

The thing I regretted not bringing the most was our two very comfortable leather settees, we have replaced them here but they were expensive and the quality and comfort are nowhere near as good.

The other regret is leaving all my husbands quality tools behind.
The ones you can buy here are very inferior to the UK ones, quality tools are also much harder to locate as DIY is not as popular here!

Do bring your tumble drier if you have one, you will need it when it rains without stopping for a week!
It's also the only way to get soft towels...they end up very rough with the water here and the sun!

Thanks for the advice. Will definitely take dryer. I can always live in my uggs all winter even inside. We have already decided to take our leather sofas as they are only a year old and very comfy. We are also bringing our light oak and beech furniture as it is much nicer than the dark spanish style.
having seen the price of outdoor furniture, I am sorry I gave all mine to daughter when she bought her house, as we have never used it here. But such is life.
Youve all been a great help

If you take the dryer, you can always pack the drum full of warm clothes to save on space!

I've got 3 winter coats of varying degrees of smartness, I reckon they will "see me out" as my Mum used to say, if I don't get sick of them first. I do wear them sometimes, though. Yes, it has been pretty warm here from about noon to 5 pm each day, good enough to sit in the sun in a T shirt and shorts, but at this time of year I am changing clothes 3 times a day. Warm stuff when I get up, change to cooler things for the afternoon and back into the warm ones when the sun starts going down.

layers

that's the secret


layers

So to be nosy, and suss out which of the 'Bring winter woollies' 'Don't bring winter woollies' responses is appropriate, whereabouts are you moving? Andalucia has rather a lot of variety in its weather

We are hoping to buy a place in Tolox

Buy ski suits.

Hi Suejee,

We moved from Yorkshire to Costa Blanca a little over 5 years ago, I didn't bring the tumble drier and haven't really missed it, but did bring the leather sofas and I personally hate them. Warm and sticky when its hot in the summer and very cold until they suck out your (tiny bit) of body heat during the winter evenings!! Best thing I brought (stuffed with bedding) was the fridge freezer as they were so very expensive here. It "died" last new years eve and cost me more than double to replace here and not as good as the original in value and space!
The floors are freezing in the winter so you will need bedside rugs and some for the lounge under your feet. Sheepskin slippers (or Ugg boots) are a must at this time of year.
Having said all that, as I sit here in 3 layers with a thick dressing gown and sheepskin boots, I ponder the fact that as a smoker with at least 2-3 winter chest infections in UK, I have had none since moving here so I conclude that the lack of central heating and thick pile carpets has actually improved my health!!
Hope you get here soon and enjoy your retirement here, we live 7 km inland, tiny village, quiet, pretty scenery, good neighbours and almost no traffic. Would have been bored stiff when I was younger but all things considered, it suits just fine now.

Oh, forgot to mention, we used Atlantis Forwarding based in Leeds for our removal to Spain. They were very competitive on price at the time and we had really outstanding service. Our property was a new build and the notary date kept changing and I had (stupidly) ordered lots of large items in the sales to take with us. They suggested we had them delivered directly to their warehouse, and ended up storing it all for around 9 months!! Charged us very little for it and delivered (finally) to Spain without even a teacup damaged, unpacked large items and took all packing materials with them so didn't even have to go to the bins.
I am not advertising for them, just passing on my experience.

Books. Books and magazines are heavy, take up room and you can get them here. Books that you will never use and paperwork you will never need. I.e. wage slips from 16 years ago that will never come in handy but you keep for years anyway for some reason. English plugs too. Don't bring them. I would bring cushions as they are (or seem) expensive here. I have never purchased a cushion in England.