Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Dear Rosemary, dear members of Britishexpats.com,

well, I'm new here so please forgive me if there where already answers to similar questions in the past.

I want to relocate to Spain. (I'm German born but lived in UK, now unfortunately in Munich, Germany)
I'm looking into the regions starting north of Valencia down to south of Alicante. Ideally, I would like to be near other expats, English or German, but also in an area which doesn't become deserted in the winter months. Some liveley action doesn't put me off but 24 hour party is not on my radar (being 58). A quiet village with miles and miles to the next town would be the other extreme.
So where to move to? Is there somewhere which has (some) relativeley quiet streets but also doctors, caffees, shopping, beaches, etc. nearby.
I'm planning to come to the Costas in autumn when it is not so busy, to see how the towns and villages compare and also hopefully to view some properties.

Ah, yes - proberties: looking for a little house/terraced, or a 3 bedroomed flat. Any experiences what to look out for, what mistakes not to make?

I would be really grateful for your opinions.
Ruth

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

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

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Try looking in the Albir, Altea area, just a few kilometers north of Benidorm, but a totally different ambiance. Has everything you would need, beaches, countryside nearby, good health centre. Plenty of expats, English, Dutch, German etc.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

I would recommend Moraira , Benitachell village, or Jalon in the Marina Alta to cater for your declared wishes. A neighbour is trying to sell a 3 bed modern built village house in a street of cosmopolitan residents in a quiet street within easy reach of several of your wishes. Please give me a PM if further interest is gleaned.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Your tickboxes sound very much like Mallorca (although you may be surprised to hear that - or due to common misconceptions, even remotely believe it).

Why >unfortunately< Munich? Seems to be a lovely place to live - for some.. The only thing I couldn't stand was schicky-micky and over-rigidity. Otherwise, lovely city.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

I would not purchase immediately, but rent for at least 6 months to a year so that you can experience the area and what it has to offer before tieing yourself down to somewhere that, 6 months down the line, you realise was a mistake.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Unfortunately Munich? I wouldn't mind being there if I could afford it;) What you are looking for can be found everywhere along the coast and the area is flooded with Brits, so I wouldn't worry there. At the end of the day it's always down to personal choice and budget, but Altea would certainly be an option.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Múnich, One of the top 3 cities in Europe by my book..... A change is as good as a rest I suppose .

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Ruth, there is only one place to buy in Spain & that's Cabo Roig Costa Blanca.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

So obviously you must have been everywhere else to assess the differing advantages.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Yep, well travelled me.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

And of course I believe you!!

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Marc be careful if you are angling for an argument… Rosemary won't be pleased with you😜

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Dear All!,
Great to get so many responses, thanks so much for all your suggestions! I will certainly put those places on my list when I come down there!

Mallorca: not a good choice in my case. I want to be able to drive if necessary - for example with all furniture, ect. (from southern Germany it takes long but with an overnight stay should be an option).

Renting for a while: yes, of course you're so right! But I will need the rental income of my flat in Munich to live on in Spain. And I will get an extremely good mortgage deal which will be sucured by family. And I have a blind old cat and don't want him to suffer with lots of moving. So....

Munich: ... is a place for the rich and perhaps for students (if they have richt parents). If you're not recognised easily as an "interesting" foreigner, you have almost no chance in talking to somebody (like it is usual in English pubs for example). Everybody is busy in being cool (Germans are only outgoing on holiday). You keep talking only to the friends you came to the location with, therefore just as good to stay home. Do I need a very expensive city to do that? And also - it is very cold in winter - 10 degrees C daytime temperature not unusual - I hate the cold! By the way, I am allowed to make these statements, I was born and grew up 20 miles from Munich!

Over all I have come to the conclusion that I cannot afford to keep living in Munich, especially if I want to decrease my working. So why not move to sunny Spain!

Is there anything else, I' have to be warned about? Lots of burglaries when living in a groundfloor flat or house? Getting ripped of by estate agents (know a good website?). When is IKEA coming to the area? How good is the Spanish health care system?

Ok, I could go on forever, but better not now.
Looking forward to your opinions - Thanks!

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Ikea is 5 minutes from my house, I think Ikea is almost everywhere.......
Good luck

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Hi Ruth
Why "unfortunately in Munich"? I'm on a project there, 3 days/week, and I find the city very interesting. I did so also 11 years ago when I had another one year project there. To me it looks ideal from location point of view, from standard of life (that I can see), from things to see and to do. So, why "unfortunately"??
With regard to your question: I'm in Cabo Roig, or I've been for soon to be 2 years, but at this point is a holiday home only. I find the area really nice: walking distance to a few beaches, Zenia Boulevard also within walking distance, supermarkets to chose from, many restaurants on The Strip, neighbours from all over, both living there permanently or just max. 6 months/year like me.
Good luck with your search!

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Hi, are you anywhere near Lomas De Cabo Roig?

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

We are in Andalusia, we were working a few years ago but haven't done anything for several years. We are resident and recently we found that we were fully covered by the Andalusian health service. We pay about 40% of medicine costs and I have an appointment for a hernia Op at the end of this month, after only waiting 5 wks. A couple of years ago while working here I had some stents inserted at Malaga University clinic. Excellent, as good as anything I have seen in Europe. If you are covered in one way or another the service is good, usually an appointment to see your doctor the next day, or emergency treatment after a short wait 10 mins.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

You can find good and bad in Spain, just like you'd find in Germany. Munich is expensive, but there are also plenty of other areas in Germany that aren't as expensive and probably cheaper than Spain. It really depends what you want in life, but not every area in Spain will work out for you, just because it works out for somebody else. Sun is one thing, but after a few weeks areas that seemed nice can get boring too and unfortunately many places are overcrowded during summer + when it rains you can see the true ugliness of some places. It's always easy to complain about Germany, but many people realise what they actually had when they leave.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

No, I'm on the other side of N332.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

the poor side.... just kidding. I am due out end of August cant wait. Dreading the state that my daughter and her friends have left the place in. Does anyone know if Ruth relocated or not?

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

That's fine. But just for the record, many, if not most expats living here drive here with their furnishings. It's a pretty common thing to do. We did.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Hi Wilsman,
No, I haven't relocated as yet! I'm going to see the areas some of you have suggested the end of August/September, and then again in October. First I have to find a location I like and offers what I need, taking into consideration that it may look different when the season is over. Then I can go and see a few properties and calculate what I can really afford. (Renting out my flat in Munich would hopefully be almost enough for the living costs.) I would hope to be able to meet some of you spain-experienced people. Also I hope to bring a friend along - 4 eyes see more that 2!
So to sum it up:
It's mostly sunny (with perhaps the need for air conditioning at night)
sometimes in winter chilly (but that's ok if its not minus 10 Celsius for weeks)
living costs are considerably lower than Munich
health care seems to be really good
lots of supermarkets and shops around

Really - I can hardly wait, but of course being German borne I have to make a thourough assessment of the different locations possible.
I will post here when I will be actually over to visit.

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Dear All,

I am coming to scout out the area as from the 30th August. Unfortunately only for one week. Is anybody out there at that time and would like to meet up? Can you recommend anybody I should meet? (like an estate agent, ect.?)

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Ruth I am not in Cabo until end of September & again middle of October I had to cancel end of August due to work commitments (so boring)

Re: Where to move to on the Costas?
 

Ruth, good luck with the house hunt. Dont foget Cabo is the place to be.......