# moving to alicante?



## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

Hi my husband and I are retired and were thinking of moving to alicante for a better quality of life. I have a few concerns and would like anyone living in spain to give me their ideas. We do not have the language and although I would like to learn some spanish, at my age I know its harder to grasp, my husband has had health problems so I am concerned about getting help should I need to by phone.We play golf and would like to join a golf club that has all nationalities as members, anyone know of any, an 18 holer if possible. Does anyone have any good websites I can look at re: golf memberships or buying shares? Lastly it would be important for us to live in a residential urbanization, not holiday homes so we might have neighbours and friends and not be isolated. I would appreciate any information you might be able to supply to us. Thanking you
Denise Jamison:c


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

dgjamison said:


> Hi my husband and I are retired and were thinking of moving to alicante for a better quality of life. I have a few concerns and would like anyone living in spain to give me their ideas. We do not have the language and although I would like to learn some spanish, at my age I know its harder to grasp, my husband has had health problems so I am concerned about getting help should I need to by phone.We play golf and would like to join a golf club that has all nationalities as members, anyone know of any, an 18 holer if possible. Does anyone have any good websites I can look at re: golf memberships or buying shares? Lastly it would be important for us to live in a residential urbanization, not holiday homes so we might have neighbours and friends and not be isolated. I would appreciate any information you might be able to supply to us. Thanking you
> Denise Jamison:c


Hi Denise
Nice to see you here....
Some of the members of the forum, and Im thinking of Steve in particular have better knowledge of that area than I do. So Im sure they will post a reply soon.

I have no doubt that if you are financially secure then living in Spain offers a better quality of life when you retire - but you are right in thinking about health care issues and communication issues ... its important to fully understand what you are entitled to and how you can access the system. There are plenty of expat communities in most of areas but I understand particularly in Alicante - so I dont think you will have too many problems finding an urbanisation with like minded people ..

Best of luck in your research!

Sue


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

*djam*



Suenneil said:


> Hi Denise
> Nice to see you here....
> Some of the members of the forum, and Im thinking of Steve in particular have better knowledge of that area than I do. So Im sure they will post a reply soon.
> 
> ...


Hi Sue,
thank you for your quick response that is really appreciated, I hope Steve gets in touch, I see you live in Estepona, we had a time share at one time in puerto Banus and played golf at El Paraiso golf club, it was lovely. What is Estepona like to live in? I have only driven through it and the beach looked beautiful, do you find the people friendly and is there a large expat community there. Marbella seems to have gotten a little bit rough and to be honest that put me off Costa del Sol, how do you find it as you would have an honest perspective on it. Thanks again Sue
regards Denise:ranger:


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

I have lived in Alicante for 8 years ....but in all honesty prefer the Costa del Sol. 
Golf? The place is covered in courses. See: Expat portal, living in Spain, retiring in Spain. | thisisspain.info 

You should get yourself over and check out areas like Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa (YOU might like it!), Guardamar, Rojales to the south of Alicante and Moraira, Altea, Albir, Finestrat, Jávea, Calpe to the north. 

I would DEFINITELY rent first. 

Shout if you want anything more precise.


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> I have lived in Alicante for 8 years ....but in all honesty prefer the Costa del Sol.
> Golf? The place is covered in courses. See: Expat portal, living in Spain, retiring in Spain. | thisisspain.info
> 
> You should get yourself over and check out areas like Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa (YOU might like it!), Guardamar, Rojales to the south of Alicante and Moraira, Altea, Albir, Finestrat, Jávea, Calpe to the north.
> ...


Thanks Steve,
lovely to hear from you, I loved the costa del sol as well, we have until 2 years ago been going to puerto banus to a time share there (and no we are not one of the lovely people with an unlimited bank balance) and played golf at el paraiso golf course, really loved it, but found marbella became very expensive and the crime scene was getting a little iffy. I have been to Torrevieja but to be honest it was not my scene at all as it appeared to be mostly holiday homes and a building site. We want to live in a proper suburb with people that live there all year round. I have heard Denia, Calpe,Moriara are really nice, what do you think of those areas? It is very important to us to be able to meet people andmake friends and at this point it has to be english speaking, I will do my best to learn spanish but I am not a good linguist, please let me know what you think we will definatley rent first
Denise


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks Steve,
I have been to Torrevieja but to be honest it was not my scene at all as it appeared to be mostly holiday homes and a building site. 

**There are plenty of parts of Torrevieja where real people live. "Sadly" it is not a building site any longer. "El boom de Torrevieja" is over .... for the moment anyway.

We want to live in a proper suburb with people that live there all year round. 

**That will be a challenge in expatshire. By the very nature of wanting to live among the Brits/Irish you will find a huge percentage are here for anything from 2 weeks to 52 weeks every year. 

I have heard Denia, Calpe,Moriara are really nice, what do you think of those areas? It is very important to us to be able to meet people andmake friends and at this point it has to be english speaking, I will do my best to learn spanish but I am not a good linguist, please let me know what you think we will definatley rent first

**Different places but I like them all. Moraira is small, chic and expensie to buy/rent. Calpe is quite (=very) hilly and Dènia is more of a small "real" working town. Albir/Altea is my favourite area north of Alicante. I like Jávea and have many friends around the town but the language issue is an irritant to me there. 
There are also less golf courses north of Benidorm than there are south of Torrevieja/Murcia borders etc. 

You need to come over and find what works for YOU.


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

Hi again Steve,
yes I think you are right we are going to come over and have a look, your suggestions have been very helpfull,but are you saying there a very few year round ex pat residental areas? as that might be a problem for us. What about costa del sol iare there more permanent residents there? maybe I'm asking too much of you sorry , any knowledge from you is appreciated thanks again Denise


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Not sure there are "official" figures ...... and even if there were I would not believe them. 
Winston Churchill, "Lies, damned lies and expat rumours"

I am sure there are pockets of permanent expats but after 8 years here I am not sure if I could point you in the right direction. The very nature of expatshire indicates that they will not be here 24/7/365. If an agent tells you, "The golf course will be in front of you, the house has 4 south-facing aspects and it's sunbathing all day, every day in January please remember Winston Churchill, "Lies, damned lies and estate agent spiel."

Enjoy your visits.


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

Thanks again Steve, I prefer honesty against fantasy,what you have said is pretty much what I suspected but will need to prove to hubby, so will come over for a matter of months see how it goes I worry I will become insular away from the hustle and bustle of everyday british life, I want the best of both worlds i suppose, tranquility along with all the things that irritate me in my life does that make sense but most of all I don't want my life to become separated from whats real and important getting much too serious await your response
denise


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Hi there,
I know very little about the costas as I live in the Madrid area. I did live near Tarragona for a year and found it OK, but hot and humid and difficult to live in in the summer. 
As Steve says, there's a lot of golf and a lot of expats in these areas, but you need to come over and spend some time here ideally before you make a decision. Here's a golf link --- G O L F S P A I N ---- Todo sobre el mundo del golf
As far as Spanish goes you'll be much better off if you can speak some basic Spanish even if it's just "_Good morning. Can you speak English_?" It makes a much better impression than just bumbling through in English. You don't have to worry about being bilingual, just show willing.
The health service here is not perfect, but I think offers good coverage and in general I would say is better than the NHS at the moment. I mean, you may have to phone 10 times to get an appointment, but you'll probably get one for the same day and if not the next, that kind of thing.
Hope you find what you want!


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

dgjamison said:


> Hi Sue,
> thank you for your quick response that is really appreciated, I hope Steve gets in touch, I see you live in Estepona, we had a time share at one time in puerto Banus and played golf at El Paraiso golf club, it was lovely. What is Estepona like to live in? I have only driven through it and the beach looked beautiful, do you find the people friendly and is there a large expat community there. Marbella seems to have gotten a little bit rough and to be honest that put me off Costa del Sol, how do you find it as you would have an honest perspective on it. Thanks again Sue
> regards Denise:ranger:


Hi Denise

I you come across some of my previous comments in various posts you will see that I love living in Estepona! We moved to Spain 5 years ago and originally lived inland in Coin, then moved down to the coast and lived in San Pedro, then Elviria! and finally Estepona .... and for us it is the best place we have ever lived here in spain. Its suits us perfectly from a lifestyle point of view. Our apartment looks directly onto the beach and yes its a gorgeous beach ... even on a "busy" day there is still plenty of free sand! It is still predominantly a Spanish town, although some expats live there but not a large community of Brits - but again we like that .... the old Town is good for bars, restaurants and shops, supermarkets etc within walking distance, a large Carrefour if you need it. 30 mins from Gibraltar if you have a craving for anything from Morrisons (happens at Christmas generally!) ... and still only 30 mins from Marbella.
We have had no bad experiences to date living in Estepona ... we have got to know Spanish, Dutch, English people here .... and it definitely has a community feel, particlarly outside the main summer season and at fiesta times!

Sadly this may all come to an end for us - I work in Malaga City and currently spend 5 hours each day travelling to and from work ... and its hard work! so we are seriously considering a move .... but Im struggling to get my head around it to be honest because we love it in Estepona.

Once I finish work on Fridays we can go all weekend without using the car ... and eat, drink, shop, walk .... and just enjoy life by just walking outside the apartment and deciding which way to go ..... without the need for the car!

I shuold work for the Estepona tourist board!!

Sue x


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Perhaps I spoke to soon: 

Torrevieja’s new development schemes start in July. 


It’s all systems go in Torrevieja as ‘Plan Zapatero’ starts to kick in! The ‘Fondo Estatal de Inversión Local’ (FEIL) has been set up to allocated funds to towns and cities throughout Spain to help boost the downturn in the construction industry by creating new projects which shall provide long term employment and help enhance the economy. As the fifth largest city in the Valencian Community, Torrevieja is taking full advantage of their allocation by starting work on improvements to the city centre plus the development of the Sports City, new market area, concert stating area and the new Town Hall in La Mata. 


However, not everyone is happy with the timing of the start of the scheme. Already downtown streets have been closed and some shop owners are up in arms complaining about a loss in trade and traffic during their busiest time of the year. All this rejuvenation is taking place now regardless of the fact that August is generally a month of closure for the construction industry and so many business people are concerned that works shall not be completed in time for the influx of visitors from Madrid, due August 1st. 


The Madrid Government stated that each nominated project in the FEIL promotion must be started by the end of 2009 and now that funds have been allocated, projects that have been tendered and approved will be starting as soon as possible. The positive slant is that the scheme is designed to produce employment and so qualified or interested parties should make their way to the (Servef), Employment Office of Torrevieja on Calle Arquitecto Larramendi to see the job vacancies offered through these developments. 


Keith Nicol has just sent me this to distribute. As PeskyWesky says - the end result may be good but there will be some short-term inconvenience. 

Here's a question. Why are the PP building a rugby stadium in the town, when my friend can hardly fill a teamsheet never mind a stadium? Well, if it keeps unemployment down, I guess I'm for it!!


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Hi there,
> I know very little about the costas as I live in the Madrid area. I did live near Tarragona for a year and found it OK, but hot and humid and difficult to live in in the summer.
> As Steve says, there's a lot of golf and a lot of expats in these areas, but you need to come over and spend some time here ideally before you make a decision. Here's a golf link --- G O L F S P A I N ---- Todo sobre el mundo del golf
> As far as Spanish goes you'll be much better off if you can speak some basic Spanish even if it's just "_Good morning. Can you speak English_?" It makes a much better impression than just bumbling through in English. You don't have to worry about being bilingual, just show willing.
> ...


Thanks I think we will have to come over and see, are there clinics with english speaking staff? These are the areas that worry me not being able to communicate in an emergency ie trying to phone a doctor say,
anyway thanks again for your input
djam:fear:


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Yes, on the Costas there are clinics with English-speaking staff and doctors ..... although you will have to pay as they are not in health service and I have had my fill of medical translations! I am absolutely convinced that I do not have to be in the room when the doctor puts his fist up someone's xxxx or shoves a needle in someone's arm. Can he not see the pain, smell the fear? 

As far as medical cover is concerned, you will be absolutely fine I am sure. I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but praise for the Spanish state service. Enjoy! (If that's the word!)


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> Yes, on the Costas there are clinics with English-speaking staff and doctors ..... although you will have to pay as they are not in health service and I have had my fill of medical translations! I am absolutely convinced that I do not have to be in the room when the doctor puts his fist up someone's xxxx or shoves a needle in someone's arm. Can he not see the pain, smell the fear?
> 
> As far as medical cover is concerned, you will be absolutely fine I am sure. I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but praise for the Spanish state service. Enjoy! (If that's the word!)


thanks steve, has set my mind at rest somewhat, what about telephone exchange
do you get english speaking telephonists?


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

dgjamison said:


> thanks steve, has set my mind at rest somewhat, what about telephone exchange
> do you get english speaking telephonists?


Choose an English-owned company. 

Telefónica - a national disgrace


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> Choose an English-owned company.
> 
> Telefónica - a national disgrace


Thanks again Steve, you really have been a brilliant help, this is sounding better and better all my fears about the language barrier is getting a little easier although I would still try and learn the basics (Iknow how to order a bottle of wine) and a few other pleasantries, would love to be able to speak spanish properly. I did'nt know there was such a thing as a british owned telephone company will look into it
regards djam:clap2:


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

It's what floats your boat that counts, we have been visiting the area, on and off, for circa 30 years, and for what it's worth our feelings are.

Albir and Altea costas are very built up, a lot of high rise, deepest expatshire. Altea old town is nice, but we tend to visit towns and have never had any ambition to live in one.

Calpe, south of the Penon (not to be confused with the northern Levante, Florida look alike side) used to be very nice. The old village still is, albeit all the good restaurants have gone and the once grand Bodega at the top of the Avenida Gabriel De Miro now resembles a pound shop. The prom is still nice, we still eat at Alfredo's Capri, near the fountain. Unfortunately yet another corrupt mayor has allowed a massive amount of overbuilding with sky skrapers dominating the coastline.

A little further north and slightly inland is Gran Sol, once again deepest expatshire, it reminds me of Brookside. As you leave Gran Sol you stumple into the wonders of La Fustera off the Benissa coast road, IMHO the best area on the coast, no high rise, a lovely quiet and winding coast road with little bays.

Straight on to Moraira and El Portet, nice to sit and relax and watch the world go by, there are some lovely sea front retaurants and cafes there. Don't be tempted with the El Portet Valley, it's awful, Benitachell and Cumbre Del Sol are worse, being situated on the top of a mountain where access is gained by a windy cart track (well almost). 

The Jalon Valley, Javea and Denia are worth a look, our knowledge is limited though, as we tend to spend most of our time in the La Fustera/Moraira areas, with the occasional walk on Calpe prom. You will find plenty of golf courses, no idea what they charge, I consider golf to be a good walk ruined. 

So good luck to you, let us know how you get on.


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

dgjamison said:


> I would still try and learn the basics (Iknow how to order a bottle of wine)
> regards djam:clap2:


"¡Oiga, camarero! Por favor envíe una botella del vino al Sr.Hall. La botella más cara, desde luego."


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

crookesey said:


> It's what floats your boat that counts, we have been visiting the area, on and off, for circa 30 years, and for what it's worth our feelings are.
> 
> Albir and Altea costas are very built up, a lot of high rise, deepest expatshire. Altea old town is nice, but we tend to visit towns and have never had any ambition to live in one.
> 
> ...


thank you for taking the trouble to give me so much information, I am going to print if off and go through the areas we feel we want to visit, like you I hate high rises and blackpool atmospheres that is not spain, we love the spanish culture and if I had the language would live in a spanish fishing village but unfortunately we don't, to be honest I suppose I'm looking the best of both worlds which is not going to happen without the language, all we can do is travel and have alook thanks again for you very helpful input
denise


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Crookesey - I'd go along with most of that. 

Jalón Valley is reserved for "those who think they've "made it" but can't afford somewhere warm in winter". (quote from a Spanish estate agent who made a living off-loading ramshackle sheds to expats who wanted to tell their friends that they had bought a "villa") There is a rumour that some might even have correct paperwork but I ignore such rumours! 

Nice trip there to see the blossom in February but you would not get me living there. Too many mountains that the agents euphamistically call "hills".


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## SteveBarbosa (Mar 17, 2009)

One thing I would like to mention (based on my mum and dad's experiences) is that if you're health and fitness and agility are below par then think carefully about living in a hilly town or village. A couple of days on visit in an area with steepish streets may not have troubled you much, but having to use them everyday will wear you down far more quickly than you'd expect.

My folks moved to a hilly village in andalucia and didn't mind the steep pebbled streets for a week, but once living there they found their knees and joints started to ache for long periods. Just take it into consideration is all I'm saying. Thats all.


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

SteveBarbosa said:


> One thing I would like to mention (based on my mum and dad's experiences) is that if you're health and fitness and agility are below par then think carefully about living in a hilly town or village. A couple of days on visit in an area with steepish streets may not have troubled you much, but having to use them everyday will wear you down far more quickly than you'd expect.
> 
> My folks moved to a hilly village in andalucia and didn't mind the steep pebbled streets for a week, but once living there they found their knees and joints started to ache for long periods. Just take it into consideration is all I'm saying. Thats all.


Its a good point Steve ... and it "fits" with what we often say on here to people considering moving over .... look at all the areas from the point of view of actually living there, day in and day out .... not from a Holiday perspective! places that look and feel lovely for a fortnights holiday can be completely different when you are living there permanently. That means the geography, the facilities, the availability of shops and services, the people, the tourist levels (or not) ..... etc etc

Sue x


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

SteveHall said:


> Crookesey - I'd go along with most of that.
> 
> Jalón Valley is reserved for "those who think they've "made it" but can't afford somewhere warm in winter". (quote from a Spanish estate agent who made a living off-loading ramshackle sheds to expats who wanted to tell their friends that they had bought a "villa") There is a rumour that some might even have correct paperwork but I ignore such rumours!
> 
> Nice trip there to see the blossom in February but you would not get me living there. Too many mountains that the agents euphamistically call "hills".


I suppose it's to do with a reason for being there. If someone wants to run a working farm/small holding, donkey sanctuary etc; then that's where they will find what they want. I don't want to be on the front row of urban life, but my idea of rural is no more than a 10-15 minutes drive away from civilisation.

But on the other hand Steve, can you recall the villa built into the cliff side, beach side of the coast road between La Fustera and Moraira? What a fantastic position, I could cope with that.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

A bit of an insight into Golf.
It was all a bit of a shock to me when I came over. I was looking forward to playing every week, but unfortunately Golf is not a cheap game over here. Many of the ex pats I know around here dont play because they wont pay the green fees, and getting membership around here is nigh on impossible. To play in CB North you are looking up to about €69 a round.

Oliva Nova took members for a while, but now dont afaik. I have to travel to Valencia now for my golf at Escorpion. It costs me €30 a round because I play with a member. It cost him over €12,000 to join.

Theres a nice little club between Alicante and the Airport on the back road called El Plantio, and iirc that was around €40 a round when I took a society there a year ago. Bonalba is also near Alicante and is an excellent course but iirc about €60 a round


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> A bit of an insight into Golf.
> It was all a bit of a shock to me when I came over. I was looking forward to playing every week, but unfortunately Golf is not a cheap game over here. Many of the ex pats I know around here dont play because they wont pay the green fees, and getting membership around here is nigh on impossible. To play in CB North you are looking up to about €69 a round.
> 
> Oliva Nova took members for a while, but now dont afaik. I have to travel to Valencia now for my golf at Escorpion. It costs me €30 a round because I play with a member. It cost him over €12,000 to join.
> ...


Hi, your info has been really helpfull, I had hoped the golf would have gotten a little cheaper now. What about golf societies, are there many and are they cheaper? Golf would be a big part of us wanting to go to spain, this is a little worrying. Thanks again for your honesty
djam


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

dgjamison said:


> Hi, your info has been really helpfull, I had hoped the golf would have gotten a little cheaper now. What about golf societies, are there many and are they cheaper? Golf would be a big part of us wanting to go to spain, this is a little worrying. Thanks again for your honesty
> djam


Yes if you look in the costa blanca news you will find golf society meet reports, so thats a possibility. Im guessing they get better rates

The way I look at it, I paid about £750 membership a year in the UK at my GC. Currently here I can play twice a month for about the same as that.

Troubke is, finding someone who can afford to play regularly ....... thats why I have to travel to Valencia all the time. I'm not really inot societies tbh other than the one I bring over here every year


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Plenty of societies around Torrevieja - see my original reply and post re golf


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> Yes if you look in the costa blanca news you will find golf society meet reports, so thats a possibility. Im guessing they get better rates
> 
> The way I look at it, I paid about £750 membership a year in the UK at my GC. Currently here I can play twice a month for about the same as that.
> 
> Troubke is, finding someone who can afford to play regularly ....... thats why I have to travel to Valencia all the time. I'm not really inot societies tbh other than the one I bring over here every year


I have to agree the golf in spain is so much more expensive than Ireland, we had golf membership on a beautiful links course that cost us 450 euros for both of us,
but I hate playing in the rain, believe it or not we could play at ballyliffin championship golf course on a monday for 10 euros unbelieveable, but again it was a case of 4 seasons in one day and I hate that so I figure if I have to pay more to play in shorts overlooking the med well I am prepared to pay a little more and really enjoy it. I am at this very time looking at course and prices and comparing costa del sol with alicante, and believe it or not there are far better deals on the costa del soll than alicante, I honestly thought it would be other way round for some reason, but there are far more courses in costa del sol so maybe they are struggeling anyway thats to our advantage, on e course we played in which used to be very expensive (35,000 a share at its height is now advertised in Le Sur for 6,000) they also have an annual memership unlimited golf for 2450 euros, now thats not bad and thats all in, \i really think we may have to go to Costa del sol and try and find a nice quiet area to live


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