# Help needed!



## mamajud (Mar 16, 2014)

I am a 65-year-old expat living in Denmark and due to retire next year. I have a son, Filipina daughter-in-law and two grandsons, aged 8 and 5, also living here. We very much want to move to Spain within the next few years but are not at all sure to which area. We spent a glorious couple of weeks in Guardamar last year but my family would prefer somewhere not quite as hot in the summer. We do not necessarily want to live near the coast, but I would prefer not to live in a mountainous area as I don´t think my arthritis could cope. I intend to spend some considerable time in the country to gain as much information as possible, but if anyone has any suggestions as to a suitable area with a good local school thus saving me a great deal of driving around, I would be uncommonly grateful to hear from them! My son receives a disability pension so possibilities for employment would not be a consideration...we were considering the area around Barcelona but the summer temperatures there seem to be about the same as further south.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

mamajud said:


> I am a 65-year-old expat living in Denmark and due to retire next year. I have a son, Filipina daughter-in-law and two grandsons, aged 8 and 5, also living here. We very much want to move to Spain within the next few years but are not at all sure to which area. We spent a glorious couple of weeks in Guardamar last year but my family would prefer somewhere not quite as hot in the summer. We do not necessarily want to live near the coast, but I would prefer not to live in a mountainous area as I don´t think my arthritis could cope. I intend to spend some considerable time in the country to gain as much information as possible, but if anyone has any suggestions as to a suitable area with a good local school thus saving me a great deal of driving around, I would be uncommonly grateful to hear from them! My son receives a disability pension so possibilities for employment would not be a consideration...we were considering the area around Barcelona but the summer temperatures there seem to be about the same as further south.


Mrypg9 's post springs to mind- can a link be given to this?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Our Canary Islands climate seems to tick your box Mid 20's to Low 30's summer, rarely below 16 minimum in winter.


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## mamajud (Mar 16, 2014)

Funny you should say that as I had a look at a couple of Canary Islands websites yesterday and decided that the temperature range was exactly right! It is certainly something we should be considering, though which island to consider is the question - they seem to be so very different. I´ll definitely be looking into the possibility and introducing the family to the idea - thankyou


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

The Atlantic coast, known as the Costa de la Luz, also ticks your boxes. The southern end can get a bit windy but the section in the province of Huelva, that borders Portugal, has a very pleasant climate.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

mamajud said:


> Funny you should say that as I had a look at a couple of Canary Islands websites yesterday and decided that the temperature range was exactly right! It is certainly something we should be considering, though which island to consider is the question - they seem to be so very different. I´ll definitely be looking into the possibility and introducing the family to the idea - thankyou


Each island differs from the others, where we live, It is very quiet and unspoilt by the tourist boom, with little English spoken and very few tourists.

Tell me what your requirements are and I will point you in the right direction.


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## mamajud (Mar 16, 2014)

Very many thanks for your reply. Windy is definitely out for me as I´ve lived near the west coast of Denmark for 22 years and wind is the one thing I can´t stand! I will have a look at the area this afternoon, though I don´t think it would appeal to my son...a long chat over last weekend seems to point towards the eastern side of the country. It´s not the high day temperatures which affect him so much as the night ones - he has difficulty sleeping.


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## mamajud (Mar 16, 2014)

We would want somewhere away from the tourist areas, but within easy travelling distance of decent shopping facilities. Though my son and I prefer a rural setting, my daughter-in-law is very social and would need contact with other Filipinas. Unfortunately I don´t think the Canary Islands would provide what she needs. A good local school would be vital. The boys attend an International School here, but we would be totally unable to afford school fees anywhere in Spain. Any and all information would be most gratefully received!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

mamajud said:


> We would want somewhere away from the tourist areas, but within easy travelling distance of decent shopping facilities. Though my son and I prefer a rural setting, my daughter-in-law is very social and would need contact with other Filipinas. Unfortunately I don´t think the Canary Islands would provide what she needs. A good local school would be vital. The boys attend an International School here, but we would be totally unable to afford school fees anywhere in Spain. Any and all information would be most gratefully received!


This is so easy!! Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the north of the island of Gran Canaria, has every thing that you wish for, most of the tourists head for the southern resorts, so not many there. Cosmopolitan city, good for shopping, good for night life. The city has several very pleasant small towns just a bus ride away, in very pleasant rural locations. Teror is a must to see.

Oh yes I almost forgot, Filipino community in the city https://www.facebook.com/pages/Filipino-Community-Las-Palmas-de-Gran-Canaria/194258770625032

Perhaps you should visit Gran CanariaI?

Also check the link below for views of where I live, we need tourist


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## mamajud (Mar 16, 2014)

Absolutely beautiful pictures (the lanes look almost English!), but definitely too rural for my DiL! I think our next holiday just may be Gran Canaria, though my son is not at all keen on the idea of island living. With the world´s weather going haywire, I think he´s worried about the possibility of sea-surges etc., and being trapped. His idea is, that with any kind of weather or political problems, from mainland Spain at least there´s an escape route!

Will certainly give my DiL the Facebook link - she´ll love that...


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

mamajud said:


> Absolutely beautiful pictures (the lanes look almost English!), but definitely too rural for my DiL! I think our next holiday just may be Gran Canaria, though my son is not at all keen on the idea of island living. With the world´s weather going haywire, I think he´s worried about the possibility of sea-surges etc., and being trapped. His idea is, that with any kind of weather or political problems, from mainland Spain at least there´s an escape route!
> 
> Will certainly give my DiL the Facebook link - she´ll love that...


For me Gran Canaria is special, I first went there in 1962, and I am always glad to return. I would have lived there, but in 1995 I found this island. Tell your son I am so confident living in the Canary Isles, that I have applied for Spanish nationality, another plus is that our cost of living is far cheaper, purchase tax is only 7%.

Wherever you choose, good luck.


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