06 Feb 2012 6:44 PM:

Most bankers do > especially if they have received their bonuses for doing such a good job.........

 

Thread: Best banks in Spain

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04 Feb 2012 10:21 PM:

I have had a few accounts in Spain (Banesto & solbank not recommended) and have mostly been dissappointed with them except CAJA RURAL.

The main difference seems to be the horrendous charges made for any service they do and they also charge annually for actually having an acount with them. Also, unless you are resident in Spain, you will also have to pay an extra yearly charge to verify your status(also very annoying).

Caja Rural however have never charged me anything (apart from the annual charge of around €20) and any transferres between UK & Spain or within Spain have also been totally free.

Probably your best option is to stick with one of the Caja banks though (a sort of spanish building society), but if your Spanish is less than fluent you are also advised to find a branch that can speak to you in English and also offer internet access in English (my bank does both > Caja Rural, Fuengirola branch > behing the main church in the town square).

The only drawback of using this branch though is that parking is not good & in the summer period it is even worse. But, overall, I am very happy with my current bank & will stay with them for the forseeable future.

Hope the above is of help to you.

Thread: Best banks in Spain

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27 Nov 2011 2:15 PM:

Hi,

Many of the coastal areas are a bit rundown, but they do get renovated periodically, so you neednt be to concerned about any of them really. Also, many of the smaller coastal areas do shut up over the winter months (October to April) and their will be very little to do. The bigger cities do stay open all year round (like Malaga & Fuengirola),  and their are some very nice communities in these areas aswell.

Also, have a look at a place inland called IZNAJAR. It is a really fantastic place but is also very old fashioned as if caught in a time warp. The town is based around a renovated 8th century hill-fort and is also virtually surrounded by a huge lake (37km long). Tourism hasnt really found this area yet, but it is fairly easy to get to from Malaga, Granada or Cordoba. Surrounded on all sides by mountains and glorious un-spoilt views to all directions. If your after a very pleasant, slow and comfortable way of life, this place is hard to beat.

Thread: not too cold, not too hot... any advice

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26 Nov 2011 1:26 PM:

Hi,

I am lucky enough to have 2 properties that I live in > one is on the coast (Mijas, near Marbella), the other being about 70kms inland at Lake Iznajar.

Both are totally different, so you have to decide what you want in you life;

Coastal has a more moderate climate and although you should learn Spanish, most locals do have an understanding of english, which does make life much easier for new ex-pats. Also, the shops stock many more items that you will recognise and we even have english supermarkets if that is your choice. Life is much busier on the coastal strip, but that again depends on what & where you live. I have a villa in a very Spanish area, away from the tourist areas and I find life very good. I do have a log-burner in the lounge, but only use this for 2 or 3 months of the year (or less) and have no need of any other heating, so heating bills are very low for me.

Inland is much more what people think of as traditional Spanish. Not many locals speak much (if any) english, but if your willing to learn spanish, they will appreciate your effort. I find the locals inland to be much friendlier and are mostly willing to help if they see you have a problem. It is much colder in winter & much warmer in summer (compared to the coast), so you will need heating inland. Gas is not really an option (some areas do have gas-pipes, but very rare) and most heating is via woodburners, electric heaters or gas-bottle heaters. They all work sufficiently to make life comfortable, but myself, I do prefer the woodburner as the flame also adds to the comfort of your surroundings.

If I had to sell one of the homes, then I would have a problem as I enjoy them both, but for very different reasons. One thing I would not do though is return to the UK, where life is so much less inviting, living costs are so much more expensive and the weather is generally abismal all year round (& I lived on the south coast so had the best of the weather). Life is very friendly over here and the underlying bad attitude that is so normal in UK lifestyle does not exist here in Spain.

Hope I have been of some help, but if not, im sure someone will reply to you with an alternative reply.

Thread: not too cold, not too hot... any advice

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19 Nov 2011 1:37 PM:

Hi, I have 2 houses, one being in Mijas & the other inland at Iznajar & I can confirm the logs cost much more inland, which must be down to the density of people living in these areas.

In Mijas, I mostly burn olive, which is delivered & stacked at my home for about €115 for a very large trailer full (which will maybe last me for about 3 months if im lucky)

I did make one mistake a number of years back though: a Spanish neighbour of mine spoke to me about some firewood he wanted to sell. Well, my Spanish is not good, but I normally get by OK, but on this occasion - I thought he said €35, but what he actually said was €350 (I thought he meant a few sackfuls).

Anyhow, I had agreed to buy all of the wood that was subsequently delivered to my house. Now, luckily, I do have a fairly large driveway as there was rather alot more wood than I had planned for > it took us over 4 years to burn it all. I have no idea of the weight, but the picture of the wood being delivered at the top of this posting is roughly half of the size we received !

It was a good mistake to have made (financially that is), but I do remember having to stack it all to start with and yes > muscles ached for days. He mentioned again recently that he will have another load soon > but this time I will be more prepared.

Thread: Silly old fools

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