lovethesun

Having recently moved here I intend to get in my car and go exploring different areas. It's too early to tell yet but I may possibly want to move after the summer. However as we all know Andalucia is a BIG place. It would be very interesting, for me anyway LOL, if you could tell me the reason you chose to live (or move from, for that matter) from a certain area. Are there a mixture of different nationalties or is it highly populated by Brits? is it a friendly place or do people tend to keep themselves to themselves? what are the activities local to you? is it a typical Spanish town/village or more of a touristy area? and anything else that you think is worth sharing. Thanks in advance.

bil

Hasn't this been done before, or am I suffering from Odtimer's already?

We are on the Costa de la Luz, the South Atlantic coast near Vejer de la Fra. in a small hamlet in the campo. It's a typical, very Spanish area.

Bit far for you to come visit the area, but the beaches are to die for. They are sandy, clean and good quality almost the whole way from Gib to Portugal.

Fredbargate

Where in Andalucia do you live lovethesun ?

lovethesun

Very recently moved near Ronda, Malaga

lovethesun

Ooops maybe I should have looked for a similar thread before posting, slap hand. You can tell me again though

angiescarr

It's always worth a reprise. There are new people joining all the time.

I chose the Sierra de Aracena. I was looking to get away from the 'brits abroad' culture as possible. No insult intended to anyone who made a different choice, it's just who I am. Actually though, I found Aracena does have a mix of cultures We satellite around a very strong Spanish culture. I don't have any English friends (but I'm a bit of a hermit anyway) And there are no other expats in our village. I do love the sea and that's the only thing I feel I'm missing out on. But, on balance, I'd make the same choice again. I love my drive through the hills to the shops. I love the people here and the air and food is healthy and delicious as is the spring water.

Lynn R

I live in Velez-Malaga, the largest town in the Axarquia region of Malaga province. We are 4km inland, the nearest coastal resort being Torre del Mar.

The reason we chose it were:-
1) We had visited the Axarquia many times for holidays and liked it.
2) I don't drive so wanted to be somewhere with a wide range of shops and other facilities within walking distance, and good public transport connections to other areas.
3) We wanted to live in a working town which is still predominantly Spanish, rather than a holiday resort or an urbanisation with a large proportion of foreign nationals.
4) We wanted to be close to an airport with a wide range of flight options both back to the UK and other destinations - we are 5 minutes' drive from the autovia and 40 minutes from Malaga airport.

We bought our house in 2003 and moved here permanently in Nov 2006 and are still happy with our choice. Since then a lot of new building has gone on on the edges of the town (many apartment blocks still largely uninhabited due to the crisis)! but we live in the oldest part of town within the original medieval walls, on a hill overlooking the whole of the town with views to the countryside and hills beyond. It wouldn't suit everyone as there is no access for cars to this area, but that it is not a negative but a positive for us, and getting deliveries is never a problem. There are some British people living here, but not so many as there were up to 3 years ago, and also other nationalities including German, Danish, Norwegian, French-Canadian.

It helps to be able to speak Spanish as not many people working in the shops, bars, banks etc. speak English although more of the younger people seem to be learning. I wanted to learn Spanish anyway, so I did! Still find the local Andaluz dialect hard to understand, though.

Despite the size of the town there isn't a single British bar, restaurant or food shop here, the closest Brit bar being in Torre del Mar and food shop in either Torrox Costa or Puente de Don Manuel. Doesn't bother me as I don't use any of them.

adra04778

Hi Lovethesun

We have a house on the coast on the outskirts of Adra Almeria, it is a Spanish town with 25k residents but our village has just short of 70 people on the padron and is spread out, its quite as the motorway runs behind us, we are not residents but we do spend a lot of time in Adra, well I do, my hubby tends to get fed up and go back home for a few months.

Our neigbours are Spanish and we don't have any bars etc that are British in Adra, Adra has a lot of the plastic greenhouses which tends to keep Brits away, we did have a few on the beach front in our village when we bought, but they have gone now, but I think I prefer the greenhouses to the concrete buildings that are in a lot of places, having said that, when I first drove down from Malaga and we got to Motril and I saw them for the first time I was shocked, but now I don't notice them, and the neigbours alway seem to have plenty of fruit and veg to give us everybody is friendly and are always happy to pass the time of day with me etc.

Hope your settling in

angiescarr

I love the back roads between Malaga and Ronda at this time of year. Green grass, silver grey rocks and a liberal splash of Almond blossom.

Hillybilly

The drive to Gaucin from Ronda is lovely and Gaucin's worth an explore!

jimenato

Fantastic road - and carries on to Jimena de la Frontera where I live and then on to the coast near La Linea.

Dxf

Hi Lovethesun,

The area around you is worth exploring if you like mountain scenery etc. I have walked several of the trails around there. But living there year round is something different.

It is the same as anywhere in Spain, summer and winter are poles apart, and whilst some hate the winter, others love the summer and vica versa. Which is why a lot of people advise renting for a full year before buying.

I live in Chiclana, about two hours drive away; I go to Ronda four or five times a year for a friend to visit the Chiropractor in the high street. You have not said what you are really looking for; probably you don't know until you find it. But some choose to live by the seaside, whilst others prefer inland and others prefer city living.

Davexf

Fredbargate

Past my place on the way

lovethesun

My friend has looked at a map, (coz I am hopeless) do you mean this way. Leave Ronda on mountain road down towards San Pedro then turn right off at Elsucio towards Atagate then Algatocin to Gaucin, is that the nice drive that you mean.

lovethesun

Yes, I think this is true, I won't know till I find it. One minute I feel too far out here but I like the silence (apart from the local dogs barking when someone passes their house) Next minute I want more people around me and more going on, hearing English speaking people and not wanting to have to drive 10 minutes for a bar of chocolate, which I presume means living nearer the coast. I think I am just in shock after moving from a bright sunlit modern apartment with massive picture window in Tenerife to a very cold dark house with bars on the windows, having to light a fire. I rented on the spare of the moment so did not notice how dark it was. As I wrote that it seemed to be that bit about the bright apartment that got to me the most. I hate dark houses at the same time I need quietness something I fortunately had in Tenerife. Oooo it's like therapy this, thanks so obviously some are going to say, why did you move here then? for a complete change, is my answer, Islands become very small after a few years and I'm sure I will not regret that decision. So it seems I may want a really bright apartment with big windows and a lovely view,not just looking at other apartments, very quiet, yet at the same time people around and about, oh, and chocolate within walking distance. Who do you know that lives in a place like this? let me know coz I am moving in next door