# where should we live



## richard harris (Apr 11, 2011)

hi, 

i have had a good read through many posts on the best place to live but it hasnt made it any clearer for me so im hoping someone can help.

Myself and my wife are 41, we are self employed, our business just needs a good internet connection. 

Our children are due to go to university in the UK soon and we thought we'd take the opportunity to try living in spain.

we don't want to be isolated in a totally spanish community as our spanish is very basic and think it would be a good idea to be amongst other ex pats, but we do like the idea of getting involved with the Spanish community.

ideally we would be near to the coast, but not so important, somewhere big enough for our 2 children to visit when they have University breaks, but i think the key thing has to be somewhere with a strong internet connection as we plan to run VOIP phones. we are looking to rent not buy.

i have read a few posts stating that it can get pretty cold during the winter, is this the same accross all the costas? the cold UK winters is one of the reasons we would like to try Spain.

hope i have given enough information for you to help, but if not let me know what else i could provide to help.

thanks


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

richard harris said:


> hi,
> 
> i have had a good read through many posts on the best place to live but it hasnt made it any clearer for me so im hoping someone can help.
> 
> ...


:welcome:

well yes, it is pretty true of pretty much all of Spain that it gets cold in the winter - even on the coast, alhough snow is rare actually ON the coast ..... you don't have to go far inland to find it

today it's colder in my house than outside in the sun - & we have a yellow advisory for rain & storms about to start at 1pm - so that sun probably won't last long... & it's been that way for more or less the last 2 weeks

that said - it has so far been a pretty dry, mild winter in my area - we've had a few very warm days but mostly temps have hovererd around 15º during the day, but dropped below 0º a fair few nights 

if you want guaranteed warmth you need the Canaries tbh

as for internet - just how reliable/fast do you need?

for really good internet you'll need a big city - elsewhere you might get 10mb ADSL if you're very lucky


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## richard harris (Apr 11, 2011)

thanks for the info, 

so where is the 300 days of sunshine we read about? the UKs awful spring and icy cold winter has really motivated us to want to do this.

internet reliabilty is imperative, speed needs to be able to cope with voip so about 6mb would be ok. i see movistar can offer - unlimited 10mb broadband connection.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

richard harris said:


> thanks for the info,
> 
> so where is the 300 days of sunshine we read about? the UKs awful spring and icy cold winter has really motivated us to want to do this.
> 
> internet reliabilty is imperative, speed needs to be able to cope with voip so about 6mb would be ok. i see movistar can offer - unlimited 10mb broadband connection.


I dare say we do get sun at least 300 days a year - but that's not for entire days - for instance, we've had about 2 hours of sun today, but it's clouding over as I write - nor does sunny necessarily mean warm ... let alone hot....

the old saying is that Spain is a cold country with lots of sun - & it's true..... it's only actually hot for maybe 3 months a year

as for internet, I get up to 10mb ADSL with movistar - usually about 8mb..... but in other areas of my town there's no ADSL at all - so you have to be VERY careful where you rent/buy


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Why don't you the a break on one of the larger Canary isles. Apart from where I live now, I am particularly fond of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a large city with a splendid beach, excellent shopping centre, airport not far away and a very cosmopolitan population.

We visit twice a year to stock up on things we cannot source here, tea bags and socks and I thoroughly enjoy the city.

The climate on the Canaries has been described as that of an eternal springtime. Our coastal apartment rarely drops below 17ºc and never rises much above 30ºc.

If Gran Canaria doesn't suit try another island, for we are seven and all different.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

It was snowing quite a bit this morning - the last day of April as we drove into Alcalá la Real. We passed two landslides and one place where there is an upheaval in the road about 50cm high as for sun- What sun?


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## samthemainman (Aug 15, 2012)

I'm in Valencia city and work online from home. Depending on where you are you can either get ONO cable - which is very very nippy, or in my case the VDSL option from Movistar which gives me around 20-22Mb - really good. Xabiachica lives further down the coast in Javea and I'm in the city - but I think the climate in Valencia is fantastic. For me - and Xabiachica please correct me - the last week or so in April has been the worst month. December and January were lovely, Feb-March were cold, and the weather for the first half of April was pretty glorious. What I would say about Valencia (and maybe Murcia/Almeria) is that they are the warmest parts of the mainline in winter - warmer than Andalucia/Seville/Malaga etc. - not quite Canaries warmth though. Early mornings and evenings get chilly - but when the sun is out - its warm. It gets windy too - but with the exception of the last week or so - weather has been spot on. Warm weather right up until mid-October was just brilliant. July and August can be pretty unbearable without air con, as well as humid.

For me Valencia gives you the benefits of city living without the Madrid/Barcelona ridiculous prices. 

Good luck!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

samthemainman said:


> I'm in Valencia city and work online from home. Depending on where you are you can either get ONO cable - which is very very nippy, or in my case the VDSL option from Movistar which gives me around 20-22Mb - really good. Xabiachica lives further down the coast in Javea and I'm in the city - but I think the climate in Valencia is fantastic. For me - and Xabiachica please correct me - the last week or so in April has been the worst month. December and January were lovely, Feb-March were cold, and the weather for the first half of April was pretty glorious. What I would say about Valencia (and maybe Murcia/Almeria) is that they are the warmest parts of the mainline in winter - warmer than Andalucia/Seville/Malaga etc. - not quite Canaries warmth though. Early mornings and evenings get chilly - but when the sun is out - its warm. It gets windy too - but with the exception of the last week or so - weather has been spot on. Warm weather right up until mid-October was just brilliant. July and August can be pretty unbearable without air con, as well as humid.
> 
> For me Valencia gives you the benefits of city living without the Madrid/Barcelona ridiculous prices.
> 
> Good luck!


yes, as I said - for really good internet you need to live in a city - & imo you wouldn't get better than Valencia

& you're correct that when the sun is shining in the winter it can be glorious (for instance EVERY Xmas day for the past 11 we've been to the beach - admittedly not swimming or sunbathing....but....) - I just don't think it would be right to let the OP think it's hot & sunny all the time - because it just isn't.........


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

I'm on the outskirts of a tourist town and we only get 3 mbps on a good day. 
Don't believe what they advertise.


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## rangitoto (Apr 25, 2011)

we live down nr mojacar and our sun terrace today in the temp got upto 43c


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

If you move down to the Nerja region there is a company that offers (and gives) 8 - 10 mbps with VOIP and a UK number and free calls to landline numbers anywhere in the world. We use them and are very happy with them


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## richard harris (Apr 11, 2011)

thanks everyone, what about where ex pat communities are based?


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## sim4maz (Jan 15, 2013)

thrax said:


> If you move down to the Nerja region there is a company that offers (and gives) 8 - 10 mbps with VOIP and a UK number and free calls to landline numbers anywhere in the world. We use them and are very happy with them


Is that broadband4spain? Just looking at options for place we renting in la herradura.


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

Hi Richard, Learn to walk before you can run (no offence meant). You are in your early 40's, just a step up from your roarin' twenties. May I suggest you go to Spain in September/October 2013 and try out one or more areas for no more than three months. You will soon discover whether Spain is for you and a longer stay.

As a rule of thumb, the further south you go the warmer climate you enjoy. You can expect to pay around €500 per month + electricity for a good two bedroom apartment/duplex/house on the coast.

You're probably thinking what a cocky guy Leper is and you are probably right, but don't dive in where a little wade will do. Oh! and go for it . . .
and remember the real Richard Harris and I shared the same territory.


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## richard harris (Apr 11, 2011)

hi guys, thanks for all the feedback. appreciate it.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

The more time and (not very much) money you spend researching all the options, the more likely you will be to make a successful move.


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