Where in Spain?

Where in Spain is the best place to live... I have two children ages 15 months and 2-1/2 years. I work from home and must have a good broadband connection... (which doesn't cut out every other hour) good schools for the kids and we as parents will go where the kids will be happy... any thoughts... it doesn't have to be 'ex-pat land' ~ Thanks ~ Paul ~ ps ~ my first thread so hello!

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Hi there Paul, welcome to EOS.

Every other new member asks much the same so trawl through the threads & you'll find endless discussions. Unfortunately people tend to post all over the forum so they will often be hidden.  

At the end of the day you should consider venturing over for a couple of holidays in say the CDS (Costa del Sol) & the CB (Costa Blanca) & touring around though those who've bought in the CA (Costa Almeria) will feel left out if I omit to mention that area. What suits one won't suit another.  If you don't live in "ex-pat" land you will need some Spanish too.

Good luck in your search.

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Hi Paul

Welcome to Eye on Spain.

I think your question is "too big".  Everyone has their own area of Spain which is of interest to them for different reasons.

We live in Manilva and have two young kids and are very happy here.  We have broadband....although we didn't for two years!

Have you been to any areas of Spain?  If you can narrow your search then you'll get more advice from people that know those individual areas well.

Best of luck with your plans.

Justin

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Thanks peeps... I thought it was a 'how long is a piece of string' kind-a question but worth the shot anyway.... I shall have to do the leg work... in all that sunshine... doh!

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Hi, welcome to EOS, I'm sure you will find it so useful (and fairly addictive). I think one way to start would be to list some major criteria that you would need, as this may discount some areas and narrow the search. In our initial stages of looking we started off by discovering where we didn't want to be rather than where we did. Then we visited to get a feel for some of the areas until we found where we felt we could move to and feel 'at home'

And thank you More for remembering us 'Almeria bods'

And yes, having some knowledge of the language is useful, I have just spent 15 minutes on the phone to our new golf club in Spain trying to sort out some basic info, and between my very little spanish and their very little english we eventually got there. I am reasonably confident in speaking face to face but over the phone my brain went to mush and I felt quite stupid.

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I also hate speaking Spanish on the 'phone - you can't wave your hands around frantically as effectively.

Justin is right about the question being too "big". You have to narrow down your search somehow. When we first came to Spain, we went to Mallorca, for precisely the reason that being an island it naturally limits your search area. However, after 4 years or so, I got stir crazy and had to get off. Island life sounds ideal, but a 1 hour drive coast to coast tends to limit your horizons - literally.

Certainly, figuring out where you don't want to be, is a good start.

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this may help,you need to ask yourself a few questions first and then go and visit to see if it matches your expectations.

1. What is your budget and what do you expect and require from that?

i.e. Some areas are more expensive than others,ask yourself what is more important, a detached villa in a cheaper area or an apartment in a more exclusive location.

Spain is no different than the UK in some respects as in you will pay more for a 1 bed Kensington apartment than a 3 bed detached in Oxford.

When you know the answer to your first question search through some websites and see what you can get for your money.

When you have narrowed down which Costa,you can move on.

2.Is it for permanent residence or holiday use?

Here on the Costa Blanca there are very definite divides between the two,if you want people around you (not just for the summer months) schools,shops,amenities,Internet access etc...

This will help you narrow down your area search.

3.Do you speak the language?

Beleive it or not this will determine the area you will feel comfortable with espcially if you have children,you may want a predominant ex pat area,a mix or if you are feeling really adventurous you can be one of the only Foreigners in the Village.

Remember neccesity is the mother of all invention so you should be driven more by your needs.

4.How close do you really want to be to the sea?

A lot of people come to Spain with a vision of waking every morning to the sound of crashing waves and a beatiful blue vista.

The reality is it can be very busy in the summer and dead in the winter,more permanent residence choose to live about 15-30 mins inland,the prices are better,you get a higher yearly occupancy level(neighbours) and you tend to get a better mix of nationalities,e.g i live 15 mins inland and my youngest daughter is only one of three brits in a class of 16.

And of course if you are working you dont get time for dreamy walks along the beach every morning as you are busy getting the kids ready for school and off to work,( normal life).

I could go on and on and some will tell you i generally do but this is a small guide to start your search.

Hope this helps anyone who is starting out...

Regards

Georgia

 

 

 

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Money spent on a few visits at different times of the year will give you a better idea and it really is worth spending on coming over by your own steam and investigating areas to see how they feel try to do this a few times it really is personal and no one can tell you where to live, I think its a feeling and we sometimes dont get it right so narrow down the chances of this happening to you by doing just that!

Good luck
Sharon

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...just thought I'd stick my oar in on this one.  Lots of people seem to think Spain is just about Andalucia and Comunidad Valenciana.  I've lived in Seville, Granada and near the coast in Andalucia and what I really missed more than anything else? Trees!  I now live in Catalunya - there's pine forests everywhere and they go right down to the coast - there's nothing like sitting on a beach under a pine tree.  For me it's easily the most beautiful community on Spain's Mediterranean coast and can only be rivalled by Pais Vasco, Galicia and Cantabria on the Atlantic coast (but those were too wet for us).  It has a very unique identity and culture (Catalan not Spanish) and also has the best city in Spain, if not Europe, as its capital - Barcelona.  You've also got Girona and Tarragona which are beautiful, the Pyrenees and the Balearic Islands a few hours away.  What more could you want?

Greg
GoCatalunya

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