# Where to choose to move and why



## Sallywant (Feb 23, 2015)

Hello good morning. I have just joined this group as my husband and I are coming to spain in March with a view to purchasing a home. I currently live in uae but would like to move closer to our family for half the year, they live in the UK. 
We would like to come stay eventually up to 6 months. We are not retired and don't want a retirement type place, or tourist central either. We want to class this as our home. Not a holiday home. 
So far we have looked at oliva , pego/monte pego and coin, oh and mojacar. We would like Easy to get to the coast (don't want to live on the coast but want easy drive to it). Unless it's out of the touristy areas but still ease of shopping etc. 
Would like walkable or easy drive to shops restaurants etc. Not in a totally expat community , after all we are moving to Spain. . Good views. 
Where would you recommend and why. Your help would be much appreciated as we don't want to run from one end of spain to the other and would rather have a few choices rather than hundreds. 
Many thanks, have a good day. Oh ps is speaking Spanish essential, if so can we take classes there. Thanks so much. lane:


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

Sallywant said:


> Hello good morning. I have just joined this group as my husband and I are coming to spain in March with a view to purchasing a home. I currently live in uae but would like to move closer to our family for half the year, they live in the UK.
> We would like to come stay eventually up to 6 months. We are not retired and don't want a retirement type place, or tourist central either. We want to class this as our home. Not a holiday home.
> So far we have looked at oliva , pego/monte pego and coin, oh and mojacar. We would like Easy to get to the coast (don't want to live on the coast but want easy drive to it). Unless it's out of the touristy areas but still ease of shopping etc.
> Would like walkable or easy drive to shops restaurants etc. Not in a totally expat community , after all we are moving to Spain. . Good views.
> ...


Hi Sally 

Well , just inland of Alicante city is quite nice because

It is very close to the Airport , not overrun by expats , close the city for main shops 
central on the costa blanca , with fantastic beaches also close to the mountains with some great walks 

Spanish is helpful but I know people that have been living here years with very little Spanish , but they still get by !

Tony Agost Alicante


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Sallywant said:


> Hello good morning. I have just joined this group as my husband and I are coming to spain in March with a view to purchasing a home. I currently live in uae but would like to move closer to our family for half the year, they live in the UK.
> We would like to come stay eventually up to 6 months. We are not retired and don't want a retirement type place, or tourist central either. We want to class this as our home. Not a holiday home.
> So far we have looked at oliva , pego/monte pego and coin, oh and mojacar. We would like Easy to get to the coast (don't want to live on the coast but want easy drive to it). Unless it's out of the touristy areas but still ease of shopping etc.
> Would like walkable or easy drive to shops restaurants etc. Not in a totally expat community , after all we are moving to Spain. . Good views.
> ...


Check out the Xativa area.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

Lovely place but a little too far from airports? Sadly. I really like that area.



VFR said:


> Check out the Xativa area.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Horlics said:


> Lovely place but a little too far from airports? Sadly. I really like that area.


All depends how close you want to be. 

It takes me 30 minutes to Valencia airport from Xativa - sticking to the speed limits of course.


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## CristiandelaTorre (Feb 26, 2015)

I Will not choose a place as the airport as a key factor. 
As Horlics mentioned It depens what you like first, then the airport can be a bonus. 
Valencia, Barcelona, Mallorca, Alicante and Malaga have great airports, and depending how often you travel, it could determine how far can they be.


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

CristiandelaTorre said:


> I Will not choose a place as the airport as a key factor.
> As Horlics mentioned It depens what you like first, then the airport can be a bonus.
> Valencia, Barcelona, Mallorca, Alicante and Malaga have great airports, and depending how often you travel, it could determine how far can they be.


Hi Cristian

It is also good to have an Airport near if you get guests coming to visit !

Tony Agost Alicante


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

tonymar said:


> Hi Cristian
> 
> It is also good to have an Airport near if you get guests coming to visit !
> 
> Tony Agost Alicante


Or maybe not


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## Gareth54 (Nov 8, 2014)

Sallywant said:


> Oh ps is speaking Spanish essential, if so can we take classes there. Thanks so much. lane:


I think the closer to the coast you are the less Spanish you need. The hypermarkets on the coast you just grab what you need. The village shop you just point if you don't know the name of it, sign language is international and if you are not embarrassed about making mistakes in pronunciation, grammar or gender I find they try to understand you. I had Spanish at school 45 years ago and used it for the first time this year.
Depends a bit on your social life


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Gareth54 said:


> I think the closer to the coast you are the less Spanish you need. The hypermarkets on the coast you just grab what you need. The village shop you just point if you don't know the name of it, sign language is international and if you are not embarrassed about making mistakes in pronunciation, grammar or gender I find they try to understand you. I had Spanish at school 45 years ago and used it for the first time this year.
> Depends a bit on your social life


Here you would be a very lonely person if you did not speak Spanish.


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## liveadream (Feb 18, 2014)

tonymar said:


> Hi Sally
> 
> Well , just inland of Alicante city is quite nice because
> 
> ...


Hi Tony ...what areas would you suggest around Alicante, thinking of moving there in 2016, not retired , and mainly for me and Daughter, who will be finishing education, A-levels...in Spanish lol, and I am thinking of renting first . do not really want to live in a expat community
thanks in advance


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

liveadream said:


> Hi Tony ...what areas would you suggest around Alicante, thinking of moving there in 2016, not retired , and mainly for me and Daughter, who will be finishing education, A-levels...in Spanish lol, and I am thinking of renting first . do not really want to live in a expat community
> thanks in advance


Hi liveadream

Well I guess if you don't want to live in an expat community then best to avoid some of the urdinisations , although some are quite Spanish so may be suitable for you

do you like rural, village or city living ?

There are quite a lot of villages not too far from Alicante city ,we live in Agost, but other places near include Busot , Castella, Tidi, Onil, Novelder, Sax, Salinas, Aspe, and many others

Really the best thing would be to come over and see if any of the areas take your fancy 

PS see you are are in London, I grew up in E18

Cheers Tony Agost Alicante


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## liveadream (Feb 18, 2014)

Thanks for coming back to me, yeah I am in the East end


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

liveadream said:


> Hi Tony ...what areas would you suggest around Alicante, thinking of moving there in 2016, not retired , and mainly for me and Daughter, who will be finishing education, A-levels...in Spanish lol, and I am thinking of renting first . do not really want to live in a expat community
> thanks in advance


I'm not sure if you mean that your daughter's doing A level Spanish or if you come here she'll be doing her A levels in the Spanish language, but either way you'll be looking at putting her into private education for a number of reasons, two of which are
Obviously the language
The subject matter. Spanish children are examined at 17/ 18 on about 10 different subjects which they will have studied in a 2 year course. After that they do an entrance exam if they want to get into uni.
So, there are British and International schools. This one is supposed to be good

Kings College Alicante | British School of Alicante

If you Google British schools Alicante or international schools others come up


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## liveadream (Feb 18, 2014)

Thanks , will do,


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## Vicky P (Feb 5, 2015)

Hi Sally,
I live in Javea 10 mins from the beach. The only time I feel Javea is too touristy is in August.
There is a lovely village called Benitachell 5 minutes from me, not at all touristy.
It takes us about an hour to get to Alicante airport.
It definitely helps to speak a bit of spanish!


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

Vicky P said:


> Hi Sally,
> I live in Javea 10 mins from the beach. The only time I feel Javea is too touristy is in August.
> There is a lovely village called Benitachell 5 minutes from me, not at all touristy.
> It takes us about an hour to get to Alicante airport.
> It definitely helps to speak a bit of spanish!



Hi Sally
We had some friends that lived in Benitachell , I agree it is a nice place !
I seem to remember them saying there was a mountain that looked a bit like an elephant or something !

Tony Agost Alicante


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

30 mins is close enough, but it's Valencia, I don't find it to be very well served. I live about the same distance from Alicante and Valencia and would use either, but haven't used Valencia once.



snikpoh said:


> All depends how close you want to be.
> 
> It takes me 30 minutes to Valencia airport from Xativa - sticking to the speed limits of course.


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

tonymar said:


> Hi Sally
> We had some friends that lived in Benitachell , I agree it is a nice place !
> I seem to remember them saying there was a mountain that looked a bit like an elephant or something !
> 
> Tony Agost Alicante


Sorry meant To say Hi Vicky P


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

here you go - Montgó the Elephant

it's actually between Xábia & Denia & looks like an elephant from the Xábia side - with the trunk going all the way into the sea


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

tonymar said:


> Sorry meant To say Hi Vicky P


Thanks Chica 

I remember it now !

Tony


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