I have got a little place in Spain!

[kitten_with_claws]

I bought a little place there myself years ago but it doesn't have its own pool , it's a communal one we have to share with the other owners ! I bought it for the family, especially my mum who has arthritis and osteoporosis but when she;s there she has very few symptoms. We are between Alicante and Murcia, nearer to Murcia and there is a very healthy climate there.

I meant no offence with my comments really Olivia, I obviously don't think that everybody who has a house is in Spain is an 'expat chav'.......just the ones featured on the tele, as they make for the most interesting viewing......supposedly! :mysmilie_61:
(Would still be too hot for me though! lol)

 

[Olivia]

I meant no offence with my comments really Olivia, I obviously don't think that everybody who has a house is in Spain is an 'expat chav'.......just the ones featured on the tele, as they make for the most interesting viewing......supposedly! :mysmilie_61:
(Would still be too hot for me though! lol)

Aw I didn't think that, I just wanted to say that there are some 'ordinary' folk too who have places! I'll be quite honest too and say that I have a small mortgage on it whihc doesn't look so good now the excahnge rate is crap and Spain is no longer cheap ! The utility bills there are horrendous, food is cheaper here but I don't regret it as my mum spends more time there and is like a spring chicken and I do enjoy little breaks there too. We don't go in July or August as it IS too hot ! I'm no JR fan but if she's just bought it I do understand her excitement.

 

[kitten_with_claws]

Aw I didn't think that, I just wanted to say that there are some 'ordinary' folk too who have places! I'll be quite honest too and say that I have a small mortgage on it whihc doesn't look so good now the excahnge rate is crap and Spain is no longer cheap ! The utility bills there are horrendous, food is cheaper here but I don't regret it as my mum spends more time there and is like a spring chicken and I do enjoy little breaks there too. We don't go in July or August as it IS too hot ! I'm no JR fan but if she's just bought it I do understand her excitement.

I love watching these TV programmes about people who have moved to Spain, or France, or wherever & some of the places look lovely!
As I say, too hot for me but I wouldn't mind a little place up in the mountains or something, my idea of hell on earth though would definitely be a large complex with an expat community, English bars, fish & chips & so on, I have to say.....!
(Mind you, I don't like the majority of the 'great British public' over here either! lol)
Glad your mum is benefiting from the climate over there, the damp UK one isn't much good for anybody really!

 

[Olivia]

I love watching these TV programmes about people who have moved to Spain, or France, or wherever & some of the places look lovely!
As I say, too hot for me but I wouldn't mind a little place up in the mountains or something, my idea of hell on earth though would definitely be a large complex with an expat community, English bars, fish & chips & so on, I have to say.....!
(Mind you, I don't like the majority of the 'great British public' over here either! lol)
Glad your mum is benefiting from the climate over there, the damp UK one isn't much good for anybody really!

Yeah there are areas like that but you can find 'real' Spain if you want to quite easily. It suits some people - my mum has English neighbours that we've gotten very friendly with , we meet up when they come here etc and it gives me peace of mind when she's there I know they're keeping an eye on her and we can Skype etc.

 

[watersiren]

Kitten and Olivia, your posts are fab; can't stop smiling.

What you would really appreciate, kitten, is a 'craft week' in Benidorm. :mysmilie_697:

 

[kitten_with_claws]

What you would really appreciate, kitten, is a 'craft week' in Benidorm. :mysmilie_697:

Benidorm? Yeah sure, on one condition......you're coming with me! lol
Gone off the idea.....suddenly? Yep, thought so, we shall never speak of this again.........Benidorm..........wild bl**dy horses couldn't drag me there kicking & screaming.......! :mysmilie_61:

 

[sued]

Yeah there are areas like that but you can find 'real' Spain if you want to quite easily. It suits some people - my mum has English neighbours that we've gotten very friendly with , we meet up when they come here etc and it gives me peace of mind when she's there I know they're keeping an eye on her and we can Skype etc.

Whereabouts are you Olivia - we too have a small place about 15mins from San Javiar airport. We don't get to go as much as we'd like as kids are still at school. We don't tell many people -
We bought when we inherited money when FIL died - so it's not all about income!

 

[watersiren]

Benidorm? Yeah sure, on one condition......you're coming with me! lol
Gone off the idea.....suddenly? Yep, thought so, we shall never speak of this again.........Benidorm..........wild bl**dy horses couldn't drag me there kicking & screaming.......! :mysmilie_61:

:mysmilie_1562:

I think you ought to go to Andalusia, especially Jerez. You would be mesmerised.

 

[miss molly]

Aw I didn't think that, I just wanted to say that there are some 'ordinary' folk too who have places! I'll be quite honest too and say that I have a small mortgage on it whihc doesn't look so good now the excahnge rate is crap and Spain is no longer cheap ! The utility bills there are horrendous, food is cheaper here but I don't regret it as my mum spends more time there and is like a spring chicken and I do enjoy little breaks there too. We don't go in July or August as it IS too hot ! I'm no JR fan but if she's just bought it I do understand her excitement.

Thanks Olivia you have said what i wanted to say last night but i was too tired.

 

[kitten_with_claws]

I think you ought to go to Andalusia, especially Jerez. You would be mesmerised.

Yes, I'd like to go there to find out more about the lovely horses that come from there & maybe see an Iberian wolf or two if I was really lucky? Maybe one day.......!
(I like a drop of sherry too.....! lol)

 

[Almerinda]

I sell property in Italy so second home owners are my bread and butter. Not that there are many of them around at the moment what with the euro being so strong and the economic crisis so bad.
Maybe I should try to sell property on QVC...........

 

[Olivia]

Whereabouts are you Olivia - we too have a small place about 15mins from San Javiar airport. We don't get to go as much as we'd like as kids are still at school. We don't tell many people -
We bought when we inherited money when FIL died - so it's not all about income!

Hi Sued, our little place is in Playa Flamenca - it was scrubland when we bought but it has been developed and there are plenty of English there as well as other nationalities. As I said, it actually suits, as my mum has access to shops, people etc which she would not had I bought further out. How about you ?

 

[sued]

We know Playa Flamenca well 'cos that's where we stayed when we went out looking to buy.You've got some good restaurants up your way. Our bank is there so we still go up now and again and if it's a bank holiday in Murcia (our region) we can often find shops open up your way because it's Valencian and they have different days.
We are in El Algar which is a small town about 5 mins from La Manga golf .
Probably about 30mins from you.If we fly into Alicante we often come off the motorway and drive down the coast road from just above Punta Prima.
Our solicitor is in Torrevieja too.
We look out across to the Mar Menor , which is 5mins by car.
Our nearest town is Cartagena which is about 10 mins by car.
We are in a small friendly community with a shared pool - oh I wish I was there now at least it would be warmer than here!
Off next at Easter for a week. Can't wait.

 

[watersiren]

It seems that a few FMs are quite familiar with Spain. Could I ask a question please? Are expats mainly concentrated in south-eastern Spain? If yes, is there a particular reason for such preference? MTIA

 

[miss molly]

We know Playa Flamenca well 'cos that's where we stayed when we went out looking to buy.You've got some good restaurants up your way. Our bank is there so we still go up now and again and if it's a bank holiday in Murcia (our region) we can often find shops open up your way because it's Valencian and they have different days.
We are in El Algar which is a small town about 5 mins from La Manga golf .
Probably about 30mins from you.If we fly into Alicante we often come off the motorway and drive down the coast road from just above Punta Prima.
Our solicitor is in Torrevieja too.
We look out across to the Mar Menor , which is 5mins by car.
Our nearest town is Cartagena which is about 10 mins by car.
We are in a small friendly community with a shared pool - oh I wish I was there now at least it would be warmer than here!
Off next at Easter for a week. Can't wait.

Do you know Los Nietos Sued?

 

[borednow]

the expats are all along the coast but the further south the warmer in the winter and/or longer rental period in the summer. Friends of my inlaws have a flat in the south of spain. they rent it out all summer and most of the winter too

 

[sued]

Do you know Los Nietos Sued?

yes we do we quite often go and have a drink at the bar on the beach.

 

[watersiren]

the expats are all along the coast but the further south the warmer in the winter and/or longer rental period in the summer. Friends of my inlaws have a flat in the south of spain. they rent it out all summer and most of the winter too

:mysmilie_687:

 

[addy]

Hi Sued and Olivia, my parents have had a little house in San Javier for 30 years, they paid £13,000 for it - unbelievable ! It's 5 minutes by car from Santiago de la Ribera. I've been going there every year since I was at secondary school and I sooooooo love it. When we first went there, absolutely nobody spoke English, there were no supermarkets, everything my parents needed was difficult to acquire because of the language barrier. Over the years the area has mushroomed with houses being built everywhere and a multitude of nationalities moving in - in fact periodically my Dad threatens to sell up (he nearly had a coronary when the first McDonald's sign towards Torrevieja appeared !!) Luckily we manage to talk him out of it, as my little boy loves it just as much as I do. (Having said all that I'm a sun worshipper and so am going to Egypt next week as Spain not hot enough for me until at least May). Sorry if I've totally gone off the point, but I do have one eye on the outrageously priced Charlie Lapson bags - they want £170 for faux bags !!

 

[borednow]

hiya addy, do your parents have some funny stories about how they got the money to spain? my dad bought a small villa in Majorca in the early 70's (sadly sold not long after lol) for 3000 pounds. i seem to remember my mother telling us stories of how she had to smuggle money into spain every time she went there because you could only take 5 pounds (i think) in at the time lol apparently one time my father went so far as to have the lining of her coat replaced so he could stash some cash in it.