# Calahonda to live??



## Chap (Nov 21, 2010)

Hi all, having now decided to relocate to the Costa del Sol I am still a little undecided on location. Having searched and searched property websites there seems to be some excellent value villas in the Calahonda area. I know a lot of you will say it is full of Expats and I have heard that it is not the 'real' Spain, however that is not necessarily a problem to us, I am looking for an area where there are lots of resident ex pats, especially families as my 12 yr old boy will be with us.
Any views please?


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

I like Calahonda and if I lived on the coast that is where I would live. I live further Inland as I prefer the 'real spain'. Most places in southern spain have their fair share of ex-pats and ex-pat kids including further inland


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

This is Spain and its real the last time I looked. We all go for the areas that suit us and where we feel we'll be the happiest! As for your son, you first need to think about schooling. He may struggle in a state school, but international schools can be costly. That said, he probably wont be the only british kid in the school so should find some friends - altho that may not help his education. There are lots of expat areas but there are many other nationalities interspersed with British. I live in what would be called an expat area and actually, in my street there is only one other british family. The rest are french, dutch and german!

I'm not sure that buying a property to start with would be the most sensible, the exchange rate may pick up (evenmore than it has already ?????) and prices in Spain may still fall. In the meantime cpome over and do some fact finding and look at the rental market. 

Jo xxx


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2011)

I lived in Calahonda for a year or so (free apartment). You would be hard pressed to notice anything other than an English way of life which seems to suit some and does of course mean it is an easy move as there is absolutely nothing Spanish about the place.

Personally, and apologies for my frankness, I feel Calahonda represents everything that is bad about the CDS. Bars full of bright pink, football shirted/topless fat blokes and their gobby fat girlfriends intent on getting drunk by 11am whilst eating an English Breakfast. Couple that with bars that dramatically over charge for drinks and staff that can't speak Spanish, a very average beach and some real undesirable kids hanging around and I´m sure you get the picture.

Now don't get me wrong there are some fab restaurants there, serving some great Spanish food (and even great fryups), but it's the people you have to share the place with that makes it a no go for me.

Virtually everywhere you decide to live in Spain is going to have expat communities now (even the deepest darkest campo) and in fact a lot of the traditional coastal British expat areas are becoming more Spanish/Rest of EU centred as the Brits go back to the UK or trample off into the campo looking for the "Real Spain" - only to return a few months later when they realise they can't get 10MB broadband, Heinz baked beans and the shops are always shut


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

ShinyAndy said:


> *Virtually everywhere you decide to live in Spain is going to have expat communities now (even the deepest darkest campo*) and in fact a lot of the traditional coastal British expat areas are becoming more Spanish/Rest of EU centred as the Brits go back to the UK or trample off into the campo looking for the "Real Spain" - only to return a few months later when they realise they can't get 10MB broadband, Heinz baked beans and the shops are always shut


I can't agree with you on that ShinyAndy. Vitually every where you go will have a token Brit, black, village idiot, in the area, (sometimes all three rolled into one!), but an expat community is a different thing.

Nice to see you again BTW


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2011)

Maybe I should've added: "with a 12 year old boy"


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

We do not have a Expat community, because there are only three of us resident English

Hepa


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2011)

> com·mu·ni·ty
> [kuh-myoo-ni-tee]
> –noun, plural -ties.
> 
> ...


Sorry!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Quote:
com·mu·ni·ty   
[kuh-myoo-ni-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.

1.
a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. 
Sorry!  
________________

You obviously know your dictionary better than I do!
I thought you were implying that there are groups of British expat communities the lenghth and breadth of Spain and that's what I think is not a true picture. I think you will find British people all over Spain, but not necessarily living near or with other British people


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

ShinyAndy said:


> Virtually everywhere you decide to live in Spain is going to have expat communities now (even the deepest darkest campo) and in fact a lot of the traditional coastal British expat areas are becoming more Spanish/Rest of EU centred as the Brits go back to the UK or trample off into the campo looking for the "Real Spain" - only to return a few months later when they realise they can't get 10MB broadband, Heinz baked beans and the shops are always shut



I've heard and seen that the campos and "real Spain" are nowadays inhabited more by expats than Spanish. The Spanish, in general want to be in the towns with all the mod cons and civilization. Hence what seems to be happening is that the costas and traditional expat/tourist towns are now getting more spanish living there and the pretty, rural villages are getting the expats, who want to retreat from the "rat race" !!!

....... and nice to see you chatting again Andy!

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

All this talk about the 'real' Spain is silly. People never talk about the 'real France', the 'real Germany' or the 'real Czech Republic'. Perhaps some inexperienced travellers who know little of a country as a whole might talk about the 'real' wherever but not many others would, methinks..
If it's in Spain, it's 'real', just as Dover or Hastings or any place in the UK with a large number of foreign residents is still the 'real' UK - very much so, in fact.
If there is a 'real' Spain it will surely be where most Spaniards live, i.e. in big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia etc.
Consider: is a village in rural Dorset or the picture postcard village of Lavenham in Suffolk the 'real' UK? Of course not.
A few donkeys or whitewashed fincas does not constitute the 'real' Spain, only in the imagination of the more romantically inclined. We have around us both donkeys and fincas in abundance but also architect designed villas, apartment blocks and two good supermarkets....and 99 per cent Spanish residents.. 
But I must agree with Andy about Calahonda, not that I've lingered there....


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