New and seeking guidance

My wife and I want to spend about 6 weeks in Valencia (as a base) to explore areas of Spain where we might choose to live long term.  Is 6 weeks long enough to be considered a long term let/lease in Spain?  Is there a better area to base to explore southeastern coastal areas? Thanks in advance for your thoughtful guidance.  

 

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Hello, Mik3, and welcome to the forum. I'd say 6 weeks would be considered a long term let, especially with the current situation over here. People will be glad of any income, so whereas at one time they may have wanted either short term holiday lets or long term residential lets, there will be somebody who will be happy to lease out their place to you.

I would think around the Alicante area would be a better place to base yourselves, as it's pretty much in the middle of the south-eastern coast line, so you can go north or south. Valencia is a bit far up for that, and it's probably more heavily populated. That can be a bit intimidating when you first arrive here.

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 Hi Sandra in Algorfa,

Thanks for your thoughtful guidance.  We deeply appreciate the help.

Mike 

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 Hi mik3

Welcome to Eye on Spain! Hope you find all the help you are looking for. I would be inclined to agree with Sandra, if you want to explore all the Southeastern coast the Alicante region would be a good base as it is pretty central. However it depends what you are looking for and how far north you are prepared to go, there are some fantastic coastal towns and villages north of Valencia going all the way up past Castellon and Benicassim so it depends if you are looking for "expat areas" or not. If you are, better going further South, if you are not worried it might be worth taking a look. However the further north you go the less British there are and if you don't speak good Spanish you might find it overwhelming to start with. Temperature in the winter is obviously a major factor as well, once you go North of Valencia the winters are considerably colder than the south eastern coast, so it's something to have in mind when you plan where to visit. All in all there is probably more to visit south of Valencia so setting your base up in Alicante is probably the best idea. Plan a trip north one of the days and check it out.

I would say  6 weeks is fine for finding a long let, however it will probably be easier to find on the coast, rather than in Valencia itself.

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Welcome mik3, sounds like good advice so far. You may find people a bit sceptical about a 6 week rent so may find you have to pay a little more as we are coming up to the start of the season. It may be a good idea to do the 6 weeks now and then again in the winter months before you decide on where you want to be. There is always lots of advice to be had from different people on the forum who will all give you good and bad points about where they live. Put in a bit of time and do some digging to make sure that when you find gold it is not fools gold. Ask around, listen to advice and then ask other people about the advice you have been given. Our familly have lived here permanently for over 30 years and would not live anywhere else

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 Thanks Ian.  

My wife and I have spent the last 8 months in Cuenca, Ecaudor and I've spent a fair bit of that time attempting to learn Spanish.  While I'm hardlly fluent, and my accent is latin american, I can make a bit of a go of it in Spanish, and when I run up against a wall my wife (much more competent in Spanish than I) can usually bail me out.  Consequently while we enjoy expats and find that we can learn much from those that ventured to new areas before us, we don't feel like we must be confined to English only areas.  So your suggestions on the areas north of Valencia are appreciated as well as your thoughts on the South.

All websites should be as helpful as this one.  As it appears that you are involved with the site, you have my sincere congratulations as well as thanks.

Mike

 

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 Thanks Chris in Spain,

Good thoughts and we'll try to explore in a couple of different seasons.  With 30 years in country has it all been in a particular area, and if so where is it that you love so much, if you don't mind my asking?  While I'm sure there are many different perspectives on what makes one or another area wonderful, we would love to here why folks love (or not) the areas where they have lived or currently reside.  

Mike

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Thanks for the comment Mike :)
I live in Valencia, a few kms from the city centre and absolutely love it. I've been ling in Spain for 16 years if I remember rightly... time flies! I have also lived in Madrid and spent some time in Alicante and Barcelona. I haves travelled a fair bit around the country and the two cities I love the most are Valencia and Sevilla. I personally like to be close to a main City and jot too far from the coast and Valencia offers everything I need. Lovely City with plenty going on, not too big and the people have a small town mentality so its not like living in a city such as Madrid. Seville is similar but life took me to Valencia! The only draw back for me is the heat in August and the humidity but thats all over the south east of Spain! For me Valencia offers the best of all worlds, City, country, coast and easy connections to all parts of Spain by road or rail and plane without having t get tied up into the madness of a large city.
Chris's advice is excellent, you must explore the areas foe youselves in different season's if possile and when you think
you've found the place then rent for a few months to make sure it is what you thought it was. That way you'll get a rea feel for the place. Take your time and enjoy yourselves!

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 Thanks Ian,

That additional information is really helpful.  While people's likes are as different as we are many, it is really beneficial to hear what and why folks appreciate the place they call home.  We find that sort of intelligence invaluable.  We will explore and experience areas for ourselves, but your feedback truely helps us in our initial data gathering and venture planning.

Best, Mike 

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Hi mik3, we live in Murcia, in a place called Los Alcazares which is near the Mar Menor. We wanted to be near to the sea but also near some bigger towns. The place we live is outside of the main town in a predominantly Spanish village. We actually bought a piece of land and built 5 houses on it. We sold 4 and kept the one we live in now. It was an interesting experiance to say the least. We have been to lots of different places in Spain, and there are so many nice areas that you will find one that you really like. The good thing about renting first is that you will find out about the area you are in without the commitment.

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 Very helpful Chris, thanks for the additional information.  We are indebted to you all for your thoughtful guidance.  I can only the challenges of building several houses in a new location with a new language and rules and regulations that might have been just a touch different than those to which you might have been accustomed.  Not sure I'm nearly that adventurous, but I'm happy to know that you could do it.

Best, Mike

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