# Moving to Del Sol In December



## natalieml

Hi there,

We are moving over to the Costa Del Sol in December. Does anyone have a checklist of things we need to do/recommendations for a smooth move?

So far we have secured a school place for our children from Jan 2010, we still need to find somewhere to rent from 1st December, look at movers, decide whether we will bring cars over (think we will), sort out heath care, etc ....

Anyone have any advice?

Thanks Natalie


----------



## jojo

Welcome to the forum, I hope we can help you. Feel free to ask anything. First of all where abouts in the CdS are you looking at?? What school are you using?

Jo xxx


----------



## natalieml

jojo said:


> Welcome to the forum, I hope we can help you. Feel free to ask anything. First of all where abouts in the CdS are you looking at?? What school are you using?
> 
> Jo xxx


Hi Jo,

We have an apartment in El Faro but we own it with friends and it's not big enough for all of us, so we will be looking for a 4 bed villa on a long term rental. 

We looked at schools last weekend and were blown away by The British College in Torremuelle (Benalmadena). Our boys have been accepted and will start in January 2011. St Antony's was such a disappointment which was a big surprise for us.

We were thinking that we would look somewhere between Cabopino (I feel what I want will be out of my budget) along to Fuengirola, however now we will probably look between Cabopino to Benalmadena.

I have so so many questions right down to really really stupid little things like in 5 years of coming over I have never found anyone who can thread my eyebrows! LOL I've only found people who will pluck them! 

On a more practical level I will need things like dentists that will speak English as our Spanish at the moment is quite limited, how to find a local doctor etc...

To summarise for me if feels as if I need to find out so much.

Thanks for your reply.

Natalie


----------



## jojo

Have a look thru the forum and see what esle has been written for starters, it'll give you an idea of how things are. I'm sure they'll be a few of us a long with bits and pieces of info to help you. For properties, I think google your requirements and see what comes up, I dont know any agents down that way, but there will be some thats for sure. 

I have to be honest I dont know how the health system works here. I'm lucky cos my husband commutes to work and therefore pays NI in the UK and they have a reciprocal agreement, so we dont have to pay!

As for schools, well we looked at The British college for my son last week - What an ugly school from the front but seems great inside lol. He was at a different international school here but we've decided to move him

As for eye brows????? I havent a clue - I have a fringe so that I dont even have to pluck mine!!!!



jo xxxx


----------



## lynn

Hi Natalie,
It is an exciting time planning the move over, but can at times seem overwhelming with the millions of things buzzing round your head at the same time! Still, it sounds like you have a handle on the area as you have been visiting here for some years, and you have sorted out the school, so from there the pieces of the jigsaw start to fit together. I moved over with the family last September, and the advice I would give is keep writing lists, then re-writing the list as things develop. And try and get over here on short visits to sort things on the list as you go along. There are plenty of rentals in the area, but you'll find that as your knowledge of the different areas develops and you start to narrow the search, you might find your choice narrow somewhat. However, you are lucky that you won't be looking to start the long term rental during the peak holiday season which will help. Bear in mind the drive to school and back. Whilst Cabopino might be an extremely attractive area, it is a good drive each way, and on the worst part of the N340. Plus, I wouldn't expect many of the other children at the school will live that far and you'll have a lot of ferrying to friends houses to contend with! 
As for English speaking dentists - no problem, they are falling over themselves to take a look at your molars (business is tough at the moment) but remember it will cost. Doctors? Well, are you going to get private medical insurance or use the spanish state system? If you are not contributing to it, the spanish system can still be accessed temporarily for up to 2 years if your NI contributions are up to date. You need to apply for the E106 about 6 weeks before you move over. Details from the dept of work and pensions I believe. 
Feel free to ask questions as they crop up and good luck with the move!
Lynn
x


----------



## natalieml

Hi Jo,

Thanks I'll do that. We have registered with a few agents in La Cala for property rentals. We are coming out at the end of October for a week on a house hunting mission. I also get the Sur in English as there seems to be some really good deals on rentals compared to what you pay with an agent. 

What's the situation wit paying I in the UK and gettig free health care hun? We have our own business in the UK which we will be working on from Spain, with people still employed in the UK so we will be paying NI in the UK. Our plan is to take private health care anyway but would be great to know if we were covered in some way by the Spanish state system.

It's so funny you should say that about The British College. When we turned up we thought it looked like 2 shop fronts put together. They have really great results so we went inside for our visit and I'm so pleased we did. We had a tour around the school as I guess you did and we spent about an hour with Mrs Sainz the head. We were so impressed and I loved the webcams in the classrooms so you can log in to see what your child is doing in class 

Well the eybrows area minor consideration but would def be a nice to have. All the beautyh salons seem to pluck but nobody does threading. Shall have to get my friends over there on the case for me. lol

Thanks again Natalie x




jojo said:


> Have a look thru the forum and see what esle has been written for starters, it'll give you an idea of how things are. I'm sure they'll be a few of us a long with bits and pieces of info to help you. For properties, I think google your requirements and see what comes up, I dont know any agents down that way, but there will be some thats for sure.
> 
> I have to be honest I dont know how the health system works here. I'm lucky cos my husband commutes to work and therefore pays NI in the UK and they have a reciprocal agreement, so we dont have to pay!
> 
> As for schools, well we looked at The British college for my son last week - What an ugly school from the front but seems great inside lol. He was at a different international school here but we've decided to move him
> 
> As for eye brows????? I havent a clue - I have a fringe so that I dont even have to pluck mine!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> jo xxxx


----------



## danieldoyle1

Hello there, sorry to interupt the conversation. Just seeb your ad natalie and i too am planning to move to costa del sol near december maye january. However i would like to know the best place for me. I am only going to be 20 when i move so will be looking to make friends, learn spanish also. Would it be easy for me to make friends over there?. Also jojo i am looking for long term rental looking for apartment by a nice beach and not too far from shops and bars. I am willing to pay up to £2000 a month to get as good as an apartment i can. Could anyone help me please? 

Danny x


----------



## lynn

danieldoyle1 said:


> Hello there, sorry to interupt the conversation. Just seeb your ad natalie and i too am planning to move to costa del sol near december maye january. However i would like to know the best place for me. I am only going to be 20 when i move so will be looking to make friends, learn spanish also. Would it be easy for me to make friends over there?. Also jojo i am looking for long term rental looking for apartment by a nice beach and not too far from shops and bars. I am willing to pay up to £2000 a month to get as good as an apartment i can. Could anyone help me please?
> 
> Danny x


Hi Danny,
Welcome to the forum. I have to say, if you have a budget of £2000 a month then you'll have no problem finding an apartment anywhere in the Costa del Sol! Was that a typing error?? Have you got work sorted when you come here? Have you an idea where you'd like to be based? I'm sure if you post specific questions then people will answer your queries.


----------



## Guest

If the school is in Benalmadena then I wouldn't be looking at renting in Cabopino. The N340 coast road is a complete pain if you have to use it every day, in the summer it's jammed full of people that can't drive and consequently it's normally at a standstill while they dig a car out of the central reservation (or taking collapsed bridges away!) Definitely look in Benalmadena, there are loads of places to rent there. I worked in Cabopino for over a year, it is most definitely not somewhere you would want to live fulltime unless you like ghost towns and having to drive everywhere to do anything. Bear in mind that a huge percentage of the properties in the The Sur are probably agents! If your Spanish is up to it then use Pisos en alquiler en toda España - Enalquiler.com as a great source of properly priced rentals

Something else to consider if you're going to be working on your UK business from here is that I assume you'd need a decent internet connection.. if so then your location is quite important. Nice as it may be to be renting a finca out in the campo with your own olive grove and donkeys, you'll struggle to get a line sufficient to run a business down


----------



## natalieml

Hi Danny,

There are lots of ex-pats on the Costa and it is very easy to make friends  For some reason people just seem friendlier than in the UK - although that maybe that's because I'm in London?? Or perhaps because we are like minded and have something in common moving from the UK.

Danny, what will you be doing for work?? For £2000 a month you could have a penthouse apartment in Puerto Banus! It's a big budget as our max budget is £2000 per month for a 4 bed villa. I have a friend who does rentals on the Costa Del Sol - he also does holidays and used to work in Puerto Banus in the bars. He would be able to help you regarding what bars are the best ones to go to etc.... He's on Facebook or I can give you his e-mail address if your interested? 

Hope this helps?

Natalie







danieldoyle1 said:


> Hello there, sorry to interupt the conversation. Just seeb your ad natalie and i too am planning to move to costa del sol near december maye january. However i would like to know the best place for me. I am only going to be 20 when i move so will be looking to make friends, learn spanish also. Would it be easy for me to make friends over there?. Also jojo i am looking for long term rental looking for apartment by a nice beach and not too far from shops and bars. I am willing to pay up to £2000 a month to get as good as an apartment i can. Could anyone help me please?
> 
> Danny x


----------



## natalieml

Hi Andy,

To be honest when we first looked at moving out we were fairly convinced our kids would go to St Antony's in Fuengirola hence our search area included Cabopino. I think that's out now due to the distance involved to the school. 

Ideally I would prefer not to be in the heart of Benalmadena but I am also realistic and know that once you get East of Fuengirola rental prices seem to drop. Two friends have just rented a 5 bed townhouse in Benalmadena with communal pool for €800 a month and they found that in the Sur. Funnily enough they both recommended 'enalquiler' and my Spanish is just about passable enough to navigate through the site (OK my Spanish is poor compared to what I would like. lol). It's a great recmmendation - thanks.

Your spot on. My number one priority for property is INTERNET in particular I need reliable broadband - Mercury has been the main recommendation from friends with business over there, second priority for property is 4 bedrooms as I will need an office and then nice to have is pool or at least communal pool. We both drive and more than likely will bring our cars from the UK so are not reliant on publoic transport.

So any further advice would be appreciated 

Many thanks

Natalie




ShinyAndy said:


> If the school is in Benalmadena then I wouldn't be looking at renting in Cabopino. The N340 coast road is a complete pain if you have to use it every day, in the summer it's jammed full of people that can't drive and consequently it's normally at a standstill while they dig a car out of the central reservation (or taking collapsed bridges away!) Definitely look in Benalmadena, there are loads of places to rent there. I worked in Cabopino for over a year, it is most definitely not somewhere you would want to live fulltime unless you like ghost towns and having to drive everywhere to do anything. Bear in mind that a huge percentage of the properties in the The Sur are probably agents! If your Spanish is up to it then use as a great source of properly priced rentals
> 
> Something else to consider if you're going to be working on your UK business from here is that I assume you'd need a decent internet connection.. if so then your location is quite important. Nice as it may be to be renting a finca out in the campo with your own olive grove and donkeys, you'll struggle to get a line sufficient to run a business down


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Hi Andy,
> 
> To be honest when we first looked at moving out we were fairly convinced our kids would go to St Antony's in Fuengirola hence our search area included Cabopino. I think that's out now due to the distance involved to the school.
> 
> Ideally I would prefer not to be in the heart of Benalmadena but I am also realistic and know that once you get East of Fuengirola rental prices seem to drop. Two friends have just rented a 5 bed townhouse in Benalmadena with communal pool for €800 a month and they found that in the Sur. Funnily enough they both recommended 'enalquiler' and my Spanish is just about passable enough to navigate through the site (OK my Spanish is poor compared to what I would like. lol). It's a great recmmendation - thanks.
> 
> Your spot on. My number one priority for property is INTERNET in particular I need reliable broadband - Mercury has been the main recommendation from friends with business over there, second priority for property is 4 bedrooms as I will need an office and then nice to have is pool or at least communal pool. We both drive and more than likely will bring our cars from the UK so are not reliant on publoic transport.
> 
> So any further advice would be appreciated
> 
> Many thanks
> 
> Natalie


Natalie,
I would certainly agree that Benalmadena is quite built up, although La Capellania near Higueron is a lovely urbanisation and very accessible to everywhere. Buena Vista above Higueron might be worth looking at (I know someone who has children attending the British School of Benalmadena who lives there), as is Mijas. The other option you might consider is contacting some of the rentals on holiday rental sites and seeing if they would be interested in a long term rental? We found our property through Sur in English and did a private rental with the owner, and were lucky enough to secure it five months before we actually moved over. The other website we looked at was idealista.com.


----------



## natalieml

Your so right Lynn. It is both exciting and a bit scary but I guess that is because I am a bit of a control freak and I can think of at least a few hundred things that can and probably will go wrong during the move. I'm going to put together a folder with all the deatisl and lists for the move as I'm certain I will forget something!

We will def take out private medical insurance, but I'll look into the E106 as I didn't know about this at all. Thanks 

Regarding dentists any ide3a of the cost of check ups? Fortunately we have both just has a few bits and pieces done here. My wisdom tooth was removed alst month and hubby needed a crown. It wasn't cheap here either! 

I am sure over the next few months I'l have loads of questions. Thanks again.

Natalie x




lynn said:


> Hi Natalie,
> It is an exciting time planning the move over, but can at times seem overwhelming with the millions of things buzzing round your head at the same time! Still, it sounds like you have a handle on the area as you have been visiting here for some years, and you have sorted out the school, so from there the pieces of the jigsaw start to fit together. I moved over with the family last September, and the advice I would give is keep writing lists, then re-writing the list as things develop. And try and get over here on short visits to sort things on the list as you go along. There are plenty of rentals in the area, but you'll find that as your knowledge of the different areas develops and you start to narrow the search, you might find your choice narrow somewhat. However, you are lucky that you won't be looking to start the long term rental during the peak holiday season which will help. Bear in mind the drive to school and back. Whilst Cabopino might be an extremely attractive area, it is a good drive each way, and on the worst part of the N340. Plus, I wouldn't expect many of the other children at the school will live that far and you'll have a lot of ferrying to friends houses to contend with!
> As for English speaking dentists - no problem, they are falling over themselves to take a look at your molars (business is tough at the moment) but remember it will cost. Doctors? Well, are you going to get private medical insurance or use the spanish state system? If you are not contributing to it, the spanish system can still be accessed temporarily for up to 2 years if your NI contributions are up to date. You need to apply for the E106 about 6 weeks before you move over. Details from the dept of work and pensions I believe.
> Feel free to ask questions as they crop up and good luck with the move!
> Lynn
> x


----------



## Guest

Lists are all well and good (I made loads), unfortunately when you get here you realise most of the stuff you worked out/printed out/understood has now changed. You're better off just sorting out the UK side and then as Lynn says try and make some trips over here to sort what you can prior to the move. Although for me this still didn't work out as the landlord of the place I had agreed to rent decided to change his mind and wanted 6 months deposit up front. This was about a week before I was moving out and the removal firm had already picked up my stuff and was due to deliver it here!

The whole of the CDS is setup to cater for British expats so you could easily live here and never speak Spanish or do anything Spanish if you chose to. There are thousands of dentists, private medical centres, garages, hairdressers, etc, etc all speaking English and at a variety of very competitive prices. Best not to panic about things and just find things local that's recommended when you get here.


----------



## danieldoyle1

Hello everyone thanks for welcoming me and getting back to me regarding my questions. I am very fortunate to be able to work self employed and earn more than the average person. However when i do move i will be working on my laptop and computer a lot. As long as i could have good signal on a computer i wouldnt need a laptop. I have been looking at puerto banus and it looks very attractive, thanks nicola for that. I would like a penthouse or even an apartment something with a nice pool but to be close to beach as well. Yes nicola could i have his facebook please. I am moving over there because there is absolutely nothing to do in liverpool, the uk weather is rubbish plus its a totally laid back lifestyle over there. I just want to wake up to sun, sea and a nice beach. Friendly bars but still with a a decent youngish nightlife as i will only be 20. Thanks again x


----------



## Guest

It's raining at the moment (and for the rest of the week) if it helps 

There's also absolutely nothing attractive about Banus, please don't think you'd move here and live a laidback beachclub life as depicted by the various shows on TV


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Your so right Lynn. It is both exciting and a bit scary but I guess that is because I am a bit of a control freak and I can think of at least a few hundred things that can and probably will go wrong during the move. I'm going to put together a folder with all the deatisl and lists for the move as I'm certain I will forget something!
> 
> We will def take out private medical insurance, but I'll look into the E106 as I didn't know about this at all. Thanks
> 
> Regarding dentists any ide3a of the cost of check ups? Fortunately we have both just has a few bits and pieces done here. My wisdom tooth was removed alst month and hubby needed a crown. It wasn't cheap here either!
> 
> I am sure over the next few months I'l have loads of questions. Thanks again.
> 
> Natalie x


If you are taking out private medical insurance, you might like to look at Sanitas which is the Spanish branch of Bupa. It is much cheaper than a Bupa policy, but does have a good reputation. 
The dental treatment here is generally cheaper than for the equivalent private treatment in the UK. My husband has just had fillings done and they cost him 40


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Your so right Lynn. It is both exciting and a bit scary but I guess that is because I am a bit of a control freak and I can think of at least a few hundred things that can and probably will go wrong during the move. I'm going to put together a folder with all the deatisl and lists for the move as I'm certain I will forget something!
> 
> We will def take out private medical insurance, but I'll look into the E106 as I didn't know about this at all. Thanks
> 
> Regarding dentists any ide3a of the cost of check ups? Fortunately we have both just has a few bits and pieces done here. My wisdom tooth was removed alst month and hubby needed a crown. It wasn't cheap here either!
> 
> I am sure over the next few months I'l have loads of questions. Thanks again.
> 
> Natalie x


If you are taking out private medical insurance, you might like to look at Sanitas which is the Spanish branch of Bupa. It is much cheaper than a Bupa policy, but does have a good reputation. 
The dental treatment here is generally cheaper than for the equivalent private treatment in the UK. My husband has just had fillings done and they cost him 40-50 euro each. They were the nice white fillings tho! I was pleased that a dentist went into my children's school and did a free examination so that saved me the cost (this is an international school so the one you are sending your children to may well do the same? Worth asking)
One of the things I did before moving was get as many check ups done on the NHS before we came. Eye tests for everyone, dental check ups, and doctors health check up. It just means that hopefully, you shouldn't need to worry about things when you first arrive and gives you a little bit of time!

Lynn
x


----------



## jojo

ShinyAndy said:


> It's raining at the moment (and for the rest of the week) if it helps
> 
> There's also absolutely nothing attractive about Banus, please don't think you'd move here and live a laidback beachclub life as depicted by the various shows on TV


I think that puerto banus is an awful place, full of fakes, farraris and facelifts, altho thats just my opinion, some folk love it obviously. As for the laidback attitude here, well I think that only really applies during August when its too hot to work. The rest of the time it seems just as stressful as the UK. But yes, most of the time its sunny, altho since mid december we've had less sun than the UK sadly!!!! 

That said, if you have a good source of income, no reponsiblities and can find the right area for you, its wonderful here. Maybe Marbella would be a more fun place???. Why dont you come over and visit a few areas and see what you think first tho! The costa del sol is a big place and there's something for everone



jo xxx


----------



## Guest

Mind you.. if I was single, 20, could afford 300€ for half an hour with a beautiful Eastern European girl and 10€ for a Coronita whilst surrounded by stag & hen do's then it would be top of my list of places to live too


----------



## natalieml

We will also be working on our computers so my main concern will be good internet connection.

Puerto Banus is not for me as a location to live, although on the odd ocasion I have had a good girls night out there. lol You can add him on Facebook if you search his e-mail address. **Ooops aparently I'm not allowed to put e-mal addresses so send me a PM and I'll reply with his e-mail address***

How long have you been thinking of moving over? It's not all sun, sea and sangria once you settle in and waking up in the sun becomes the norm. Also did you see how much rain they had this winter? OMG we were over at Xmas/New Year and then again in March and it was torrential.

Good nightlife is something you won't be short of over there. Again Dave can help you out lots there - he has entry to all te beach parties/events that are going on.

Wishing you the best of luck - keep us updated on how your getting on.

Natalie (not Nicola  lol)




danieldoyle1 said:


> Hello everyone thanks for welcoming me and getting back to me regarding my questions. I am very fortunate to be able to work self employed and earn more than the average person. However when i do move i will be working on my laptop and computer a lot. As long as i could have good signal on a computer i wouldnt need a laptop. I have been looking at puerto banus and it looks very attractive, thanks nicola for that. I would like a penthouse or even an apartment something with a nice pool but to be close to beach as well. Yes nicola could i have his facebook please. I am moving over there because there is absolutely nothing to do in liverpool, the uk weather is rubbish plus its a totally laid back lifestyle over there. I just want to wake up to sun, sea and a nice beach. Friendly bars but still with a a decent youngish nightlife as i will only be 20. Thanks again x


----------



## natalieml

Really?? YUK

The Prossies in Banus are a nightmare - as a group of girls we get a hard time from them if we go out there and I actually feel sorry for the guys in the bars as they are harassed constantly. Oh well Andy whatever turns you on  LOL






ShinyAndy said:


> Mind you.. if I was single, 20, could afford 300€ for half an hour with a beautiful Eastern European girl and 10€ for a Coronita whilst surrounded by stag & hen do's then it would be top of my list of places to live too


----------



## Guest

Thankfully I'm not single, 20 or could/would never pay that


----------



## natalieml

Am pleased to hear it  




ShinyAndy said:


> Thankfully I'm not single, 20 or could/would never pay that


----------



## Guest

..not when they're so much cheaper at Scandalo


----------



## natalieml

ShinyAndy said:


> ..not when they're so much cheaper at Scandalo


Where?


----------



## Guest

A "club" up near the airport


----------



## natalieml

ShinyAndy said:


> A "club" up near the airport


LOL - you are such a typical bloke. Ha ha ha.


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn,

I know where Higueron is but don't really know much about La Capellania. I guess our main concern is internet connection. I'll have a loook next time I'm over  

You were very lucky with yourv rental. I'll look at Idealista.com I haven't hear of that site before - Thanks 



lynn said:


> Natalie,
> I would certainly agree that Benalmadena is quite built up, although La Capellania near Higueron is a lovely urbanisation and very accessible to everywhere. Buena Vista above Higueron might be worth looking at (I know someone who has children attending the British School of Benalmadena who lives there), as is Mijas. The other option you might consider is contacting some of the rentals on holiday rental sites and seeing if they would be interested in a long term rental? We found our property through Sur in English and did a private rental with the owner, and were lucky enough to secure it five months before we actually moved over. The other website we looked at was idealista.com.


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn,

Our friend who lives in Benal has put our details in an insurance comparison website and for like for like cover Sanitas were the second most expensive  can't remember which one was cheapest bt it roughly works out at £200 per month for the 4 of us and that was the highest level of cover including ambulance fees.

Wow dental treatment seems qute reasonably priced. I had a white filling at my NHS dentist last year and it was a small one but surprise surprise she doesn't do white filling on the NHS so it was £90!

The boys have a day at the International school in October to meet their class and have an informal assesment so I will def ask about dental check ups. 

I plan to do the same as you regarding getting all check ups before we come out. 

Any idea whe4e we should look for English speaking dentists??

Thanks again

Natalie x



lynn said:


> If you are taking out private medical insurance, you might like to look at Sanitas which is the Spanish branch of Bupa. It is much cheaper than a Bupa policy, but does have a good reputation.
> The dental treatment here is generally cheaper than for the equivalent private treatment in the UK. My husband has just had fillings done and they cost him 40-50 euro each. They were the nice white fillings tho! I was pleased that a dentist went into my children's school and did a free examination so that saved me the cost (this is an international school so the one you are sending your children to may well do the same? Worth asking)
> One of the things I did before moving was get as many check ups done on the NHS before we came. Eye tests for everyone, dental check ups, and doctors health check up. It just means that hopefully, you shouldn't need to worry about things when you first arrive and gives you a little bit of time!
> 
> Lynn
> x


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Hi Lynn,
> 
> Our friend who lives in Benal has put our details in an insurance comparison website and for like for like cover Sanitas were the second most expensive  can't remember which one was cheapest bt it roughly works out at £200 per month for the 4 of us and that was the highest level of cover including ambulance fees.
> 
> Wow dental treatment seems qute reasonably priced. I had a white filling at my NHS dentist last year and it was a small one but surprise surprise she doesn't do white filling on the NHS so it was £90!
> 
> The boys have a day at the International school in October to meet their class and have an informal assesment so I will def ask about dental check ups.
> 
> I plan to do the same as you regarding getting all check ups before we come out.
> 
> Any idea whe4e we should look for English speaking dentists??
> 
> Thanks again
> 
> Natalie x


I'd be interested to know which private medical insurance came out cheapest Natalie. At the moment, we are being covered by the E106 reciprocal state health cover, but this will only last for another year or so, after which we will be looking at private medical insurance. I do know that my father is undergoing treatment for cancer and has sanitas medical insurance. They have been absolutely fantastic so from that point of view, I could certainly recommend them.

For English speaking dentists just google 'dentists benalmadena' or similar and loads will come up. However, you might go on recommendation from someone you know (if you have friends here, or parents from school?). We used a dentist called Roberts Dental Clinic C/Espana,3-2A because an acquaintance recommended him to us. He was good, but if you want an all singing all dancing state of the art sort of place it might not be for you!


----------



## jojo

With the health thing, I dont know if it applies to you, but because my OH is commuting and is paying tax and NI in the UK, we're covered for as long as he does that by the reciprocal thing! 

Natalie, I dont know how old your children are, but I've had a bit of an issue with international schools over here recently. (Lynn, you know what I mean), but certain schools do IGCEs and others do GCSEs - there is a big difference that can be important and shouldnt be ignored! For example, my son has been following IGCSEs at his school, at 15 (year 10), he is halfway thru the course. We are in a situation now, whereby he has to leave the school he's at and the only other school in the area (in fact in the world it seems lol) that follows the same examination board is (coincidentally) The British College, Benalmadena!! In retrospect, it would have been far easier if we had gone to Sunnyview for example as they do the "ordinary" GCSEs (london board), which are more compatable with other schools both here and in the UK. We did approach Sunnyview initially cos it seems like a nice school, but due to the exam differences they were insistant that he would have to re-do year 10, which wasnt popular either psychologically or financially!!!! 

I dont know if that makes sense, but if you do find you have to leave for whatevder reason, this can cause problems

Jo xxx


----------



## shoemanpete

Hi all, especially those of you planning on coming to Spain. We have just signed up to a 11 month rental near Mijas. I have collected over 20 rental agents websites some of whom have been very helpful. 

Jo: Am I allowed to list them here for those who need them?


----------



## jojo

shoemanpete said:


> Hi all, especially those of you planning on coming to Spain. We have just signed up to a 11 month rental near Mijas. I have collected over 20 rental agents websites some of whom have been very helpful.
> 
> Jo: Am I allowed to list them here for those who need them?


I guess so as long as you make it clear that they are all good, no naming and shaming and that those who you havent listed are probably just as good!!!! 

Jo xxx


----------



## lynn

shoemanpete said:


> Hi all, especially those of you planning on coming to Spain. We have just signed up to a 11 month rental near Mijas. I have collected over 20 rental agents websites some of whom have been very helpful.
> 
> Jo: Am I allowed to list them here for those who need them?


Did you take the property on Mijas La Nueva then??? We'll have to meet up some time

Lynn
xx


----------



## shoemanpete

lynn said:


> Did you take the property on Mijas La Nueva then??? We'll have to meet up some time
> 
> Lynn
> xx


Hi Lynn, indeed we did. We hope to move in the weekend of 30th May. Would love to meet up after then. Will pm you once internet sorted for the house.
When we went yesterday to do an inventory of what's needed we met a nice couple across the way and our immediate neighbour is an Englishman. Hope we will meet some Spanish people too!


----------



## shoemanpete

*Moving to CDS and need rental agents?*

We used these and were very helpful even if some had no properties to suit us at the time. 

Property and Rentals Management and Maintenance services, self catering holiday accommodation long term rental accommodation and property for sale in Marbella and on the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain
Axarquia; La comarca de la Axarquía; the Region of Axarquia (Spain)
Spanish property for sale: Find 100,000 Spanish properties for sale
Spanish property - Spain jobs - Spanish news - think-SPAIN.com (not an agent, find properties and linked direct to agent)
Alhaurin de la Torre property and real estate Spain
Sol Finders | Holiday Accommodations Costa del Sol | Marbella | Calahonda | Spain
Spanish property for sale - Costa del Sol property Mijas Fuengirola Spain
www.edwardsestates.com
www.nerjarealty.com
Mijas Rentals and Sales
www.casahome.es
This Web site coming soon
choice casa estate agents nerja
www.frigilianamultiservice.com
Estate Agent, Nerja - Key Homes Spain - Property and Houses for sale in Nerja - Apartments for sale in Nerja
Holiday Villas Nerja Apartments


----------



## lynn

shoemanpete said:


> Hi Lynn, indeed we did. We hope to move in the weekend of 30th May. Would love to meet up after then. Will pm you once internet sorted for the house.
> When we went yesterday to do an inventory of what's needed we met a nice couple across the way and our immediate neighbour is an Englishman. Hope we will meet some Spanish people too!


Great, good luck with the move and look forward to hearing from you.

By the way, 40% of residents in Mijas are extranjeros, so there will be lots of English, Dutch, German etc etc neighbours!


----------



## NorthernLass

We have private healthcare with sanitas.es. We also added in the dental option which worked out about 6 euros per month per person.

My husband has used the dentist and it has worked out much cheaper this way and you get either free or very reduced amount to pay. He paid 185 euros for 3 visits plus treatments and a hi tech fabulous clean. I think it would of cost about 600 by just going to the dentist privately. Perhaps think of it !

I would say if you need anything doing soon..get the dental added into your policy. 

Make sure that you get eye test and check ups for the children beforehand. Glasses are so expensive here (maybe cheaper down south but here in the North...yikkes) I just spent a fortune on glasses.


Also I read that you were after someone to do your eyebrows...I know of a woman who has a salon in Isadabe just pass San pedro. Maybe a bit far but she may do mobile visits .. Can't remember her name but if you;re interested I could find out.

Good luck with the move


----------



## natalieml

Hi Jo,

My boys are 7 (yesterday) and 9 so will start in January in year 3 and year 5. The British College have Cambridge Examinations Board and their qualifications allow entry to Malaga university without sitting an entrance exam (apart from some specialist subjects where ir is compulsory eg. medicine). I don't have any issues with the boys taking IGCSE's. If you have any concerns I really would suggest taking time to meet with the head Mrs Sainz as she answered all our questions thoroughy and we were really impressed with the school. Go and have a tour a St Ant's if you want a complete contrast.

Why does your son need to leave his existing school - is there a problem??

In an ideal world Jo our move will be permanent and we would be very reluctant to come back to the UK. We've been planning this move for 8 years, so hopefully have enough money to keep us going for a bit if the business goes through a quiet patch.

When will your son start at The British College?

Nat x




jojo said:


> With the health thing, I dont know if it applies to you, but because my OH is commuting and is paying tax and NI in the UK, we're covered for as long as he does that by the reciprocal thing!
> 
> Natalie, I dont know how old your children are, but I've had a bit of an issue with international schools over here recently. (Lynn, you know what I mean), but certain schools do IGCEs and others do GCSEs - there is a big difference that can be important and shouldnt be ignored! For example, my son has been following IGCSEs at his school, at 15 (year 10), he is halfway thru the course. We are in a situation now, whereby he has to leave the school he's at and the only other school in the area (in fact in the world it seems lol) that follows the same examination board is (coincidentally) The British College, Benalmadena!! In retrospect, it would have been far easier if we had gone to Sunnyview for example as they do the "ordinary" GCSEs (london board), which are more compatable with other schools both here and in the UK. We did approach Sunnyview initially cos it seems like a nice school, but due to the exam differences they were insistant that he would have to re-do year 10, which wasnt popular either psychologically or financially!!!!
> 
> I dont know if that makes sense, but if you do find you have to leave for whatevder reason, this can cause problems
> 
> Jo xxx


----------



## natalieml

Thanks I'll look at adding the dental. Fortunately I don't really need anything done - the wisdom tooth removal recently was a complete surprise and as taken out at the dentist the day I went in with tooth ache. lol

Our plans are for eyes, dental and medical check ups before we come over.

Does your lady do threading in the salon? I've found lots of salons who pluck bt almost nobody over there offers threadihg. lol

Thanks for your help.

Natalie x



NorthernLass said:


> We have private healthcare with sanitas.es. We also added in the dental option which worked out about 6 euros per month per person.
> 
> My husband has used the dentist and it has worked out much cheaper this way and you get either free or very reduced amount to pay. He paid 185 euros for 3 visits plus treatments and a hi tech fabulous clean. I think it would of cost about 600 by just going to the dentist privately. Perhaps think of it !
> 
> I would say if you need anything doing soon..get the dental added into your policy.
> 
> Make sure that you get eye test and check ups for the children beforehand. Glasses are so expensive here (maybe cheaper down south but here in the North...yikkes) I just spent a fortune on glasses.
> 
> 
> Also I read that you were after someone to do your eyebrows...I know of a woman who has a salon in Isadabe just pass San pedro. Maybe a bit far but she may do mobile visits .. Can't remember her name but if you;re interested I could find out.
> 
> Good luck with the move


----------



## lynn

Natalie,
I think Jo was just highlighting the fact that if you have to move a child midway through the examination years (yrs 10-11, or AS-A level) then there would be more problem with the IGCSE than the GCSE. It isn't an issue otherwise. Obviously, you have chosen the school that you feel happy with, but things DO change, and there is a lot of movement between international schools for many many reasons, some out of your control. There has been a school which closed down in Calahonda last year with no warning to the families attending and I believe they didn't get their money reimbursed.


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn,

Great advice about looking in La Capellania - I've hada look, found my dream house yesterday, only to see it's been rented out already  lol

Area looks really nice and some nice property - can anyone give me any more info about the area? How far to nearest shops, restaurants, bars etc ..... Safety of the area, crime of the area, type of peole who live there - all expats or mixed nationalities??

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks Natalie





lynn said:


> Natalie,
> I would certainly agree that Benalmadena is quite built up, although La Capellania near Higueron is a lovely urbanisation and very accessible to everywhere. Buena Vista above Higueron might be worth looking at (I know someone who has children attending the British School of Benalmadena who lives there), as is Mijas. The other option you might consider is contacting some of the rentals on holiday rental sites and seeing if they would be interested in a long term rental? We found our property through Sur in English and did a private rental with the owner, and were lucky enough to secure it five months before we actually moved over. The other website we looked at was idealista.com.


----------



## jojo

natalieml said:


> Hi Jo,
> 
> My boys are 7 (yesterday) and 9 so will start in January in year 3 and year 5. The British College have Cambridge Examinations Board and their qualifications allow entry to Malaga university without sitting an entrance exam (apart from some specialist subjects where ir is compulsory eg. medicine). I don't have any issues with the boys taking IGCSE's. If you have any concerns I really would suggest taking time to meet with the head Mrs Sainz as she answered all our questions thoroughy and we were really impressed with the school. Go and have a tour a St Ant's if you want a complete contrast.
> 
> Why does your son need to leave his existing school - is there a problem??
> 
> In an ideal world Jo our move will be permanent and we would be very reluctant to come back to the UK. We've been planning this move for 8 years, so hopefully have enough money to keep us going for a bit if the business goes through a quiet patch.
> 
> When will your son start at The British College?
> 
> Nat x



I've already seen Mrs Sainz and my son has taken the entrance exam. The British College do IGCSEs as did my sons old school, but they are not compatible with GCSEs due to the different levels and the lack of the two year course work required by normal "GCSEs". But on the whole, "they" say that IGCSEs are better (more like the old fashioned O-levels). If my son starts TBC, it could be as soon as next week??? But we're still very much in the air with lots of things. The UK is our other alternative, but as I say, the exams arent compatable and the schools in the UK wont put him back a year and have told us that his results could be poor as a result - unless he works his butt off - not something my son is good at unfortunately. As for Málaga university, hmmm, dont they need to pass either A-levels or the baccalaureate and to be fluent in Spanish??? 

There have been some issues with his old school recently which I'm very unhappy about, but I cant discuss it on the forum right now. I'm sure all will be revealed in the fullness of time LOL

Jo xxx


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Hi Lynn,
> 
> Great advice about looking in La Capellania - I've hada look, found my dream house yesterday, only to see it's been rented out already  lol
> 
> Area looks really nice and some nice property - can anyone give me any more info about the area? How far to nearest shops, restaurants, bars etc ..... Safety of the area, crime of the area, type of peole who live there - all expats or mixed nationalities??
> 
> Any advice greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks Natalie


There is a carrefour and aldi close to the urbanisation, a few other shops at Higueron and a posh health club there I believe. I know a few of the kids at Sunny View live there. Usual mixture of expats and locals and as far as I'm aware its a pretty safe area?? Beautiful sea views but quite hilly!


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn,

We had visited the Calahonda International College and had considred it but they had no examination results and seemed a bit disorganised. Having said that they did not contact us at all to say they were cloosinbg down - we found out on the internet!

The possibiity of schools closing was one of the questions were voiced on our meetings with both schools we visited. The British College is pretty full and has 600 students and through parental demand has just this year started nursery classes for children 12 months old onwards. The other school we visited was St Antony's college (the oldest int school on the Costa) who have a capacity of 400 students but had 150 students leave in the last 12 months. THey are now down to 250 students. Both schools were completely different - The British College is all for intetgration, teaching the kids Spanish and has a high percentage of Spanish kids attending whereas there are half the amount of Spanish lessons per week at St Ant's and it is geared up to Brits who really want England in the sun. ALL the confectionery in the canteen is shipped over from England. lol Nothing wrong with that if that's what your looking for but we think it is nice if our boys have Spanish & English friends.

For us the teaching, school environment, head teacher at The British College were outstanding. So our choice was easy as we have the same expectations.




lynn said:


> Natalie,
> I think Jo was just highlighting the fact that if you have to move a child midway through the examination years (yrs 10-11, or AS-A level) then there would be more problem with the IGCSE than the GCSE. It isn't an issue otherwise. Obviously, you have chosen the school that you feel happy with, but things DO change, and there is a lot of movement between international schools for many many reasons, some out of your control. There has been a school which closed down in Calahonda last year with no warning to the families attending and I believe they didn't get their money reimbursed.


----------



## natalieml

Hi Jo,

I understand about compatability but like you were are under the impression the IGCSE's are better. I have no concerns at all about putting them into TBC.

Regarding Malaga university they need to sit their A levels at TBC and yes they would need to be fluent. Having said that my boys have limited Spanish only 1 lesson a week a school since they were 5 so basics like colours, numbers etc... Mrs Sainz has said that there are 8 Spanish lessons a week (40 minutes each) and if the boys are behind they will be taken out of class in a breakout room wity a teacher for additional tuition. Once they are in secondary school Yr 6 upwards then they have 2 subjects taught entirley in Spanish (hmmmm maybe Geography and history - can't remember) so I think that with any luck the boys will become fluent.

What school was your son at?? PM me if you can - I want to know what the pitfalls are. Paranoid parent! lol lol

Thanks Nat x 





jojo said:


> I've already seen Mrs Sainz and my son has taken the entrance exam. The British College do IGCSEs as did my sons old school, but they are not compatible with GCSEs due to the different levels and the lack of the two year course work required by normal "GCSEs". But on the whole, "they" say that IGCSEs are better (more like the old fashioned O-levels). If my son starts TBC, it could be as soon as next week??? But we're still very much in the air with lots of things. The UK is our other alternative, but as I say, the exams arent compatable and the schools in the UK wont put him back a year and have told us that his results could be poor as a result - unless he works his butt off - not something my son is good at unfortunately. As for Málaga university, hmmm, dont they need to pass either A-levels or the baccalaureate and to be fluent in Spanish???
> 
> There have been some issues with his old school recently which I'm very unhappy about, but I cant discuss it on the forum right now. I'm sure all will be revealed in the fullness of time LOL
> 
> Jo xxx


----------



## natalieml

The villa I saw was lovely - can't believe it was rented so quickly 

We will def come and look around the area when we are house hunting. Thanks.




lynn said:


> There is a carrefour and aldi close to the urbanisation, a few other shops at Higueron and a posh health club there I believe. I know a few of the kids at Sunny View live there. Usual mixture of expats and locals and as far as I'm aware its a pretty safe area?? Beautiful sea views but quite hilly!


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Hi Jo,
> 
> I understand about compatability but like you were are under the impression the IGCSE's are better. I have no concerns at all about putting them into TBC.
> 
> Regarding Malaga university they need to sit their A levels at TBC and yes they would need to be fluent. Having said that my boys have limited Spanish only 1 lesson a week a school since they were 5 so basics like colours, numbers etc... Mrs Sainz has said that there are 8 Spanish lessons a week (40 minutes each) and if the boys are behind they will be taken out of class in a breakout room wity a teacher for additional tuition. Once they are in secondary school Yr 6 upwards then they have 2 subjects taught entirley in Spanish (hmmmm maybe Geography and history - can't remember) so I think that with any luck the boys will become fluent.
> 
> What school was your son at?? PM me if you can - I want to know what the pitfalls are. Paranoid parent! lol lol
> 
> Thanks Nat x


I wouldn't worry about IGCSE's v GCSE's other than for compatibility issues during years 10 and 11. The 'best' one is a PASS (A*-C). End of. Trust me, my eldest has gone through it! Don't be too taken in by the sales pitch


----------



## jojo

lynn said:


> I wouldn't worry about IGCSE's v GCSE's other than for compatibility issues during years 10 and 11. The 'best' one is a PASS (A*-C). End of. Trust me, my eldest has gone through it! Don't be too taken in by the sales pitch


Lynns right and thats my only point, if you need to change course when your kids are in year 10/11 (as is happening to us!!) then it can be difficult

Jo xxx


----------



## natalieml

I couldn't agree more Lynn. It is just really unfortunate that Jo's son is in this year group. 

I'm happy wit the choice we have made - Jo's son will also go to TBC so hopefully I'll hear all about it from her before my two start in January.

There is so so much for us to think about with the move that for now unless I hear anything terrible from Jo when her son starts I'm ticking schooling off my list of things to do.

OK so removals - any tips/hints? Is a containter sent by sea cheaper or just by road from the UK the best?

Nat x



lynn said:


> I wouldn't worry about IGCSE's v GCSE's other than for compatibility issues during years 10 and 11. The 'best' one is a PASS (A*-C). End of. Trust me, my eldest has gone through it! Don't be too taken in by the sales pitch


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> I couldn't agree more Lynn. It is just really unfortunate that Jo's son is in this year group.
> 
> I'm happy wit the choice we have made - Jo's son will also go to TBC so hopefully I'll hear all about it from her before my two start in January.
> 
> There is so so much for us to think about with the move that for now unless I hear anything terrible from Jo when her son starts I'm ticking schooling off my list of things to do.
> 
> OK so removals - any tips/hints? Is a containter sent by sea cheaper or just by road from the UK the best?
> 
> Nat x


I've no idea about sea container transport. I would guess it all depends on how much stuff you have to bring. If you are looking at furnished long term rentals, then you'll probably have less to transport. It also depends how much 'help' you want with packing etc. The big companies will do the whole lot for you, but at a cost. We used a small business based over here who came by road. I can't fault them, but we had to do help load and unload as there was only one man and a lorry. It kept the cost down, but we had two days of hard labour! If you need to provide your own packing cases, I would suggest buying them on Ebay as they are considerably cheaper than getting them from the storage places. I got the wardrobe boxes as well, which are fantastic for clothes.


----------



## natalieml

Regarding what we plan it's nota huge amount of furniture. Our list is pretty much as follows:

3 x single beds, 1 superking bed, clothes, chidrens toys and 2 bikes. No other bedroom furniture. 4 x TV's, 3 x DVD storage cabinets. 1 x small under counter freezer. Garden furniture table (table + 6 chairs, 2 sun loungers) and that's about it. small kitchen appliances only eg toaster, microwave etc....

Who did you use? I'd like to get a few quotes. Also what are wardrobe boxes?? Can someone paste a link? I've never heard of them but they sound great 

Thanks




lynn said:


> I've no idea about sea container transport. I would guess it all depends on how much stuff you have to bring. If you are looking at furnished long term rentals, then you'll probably have less to transport. It also depends how much 'help' you want with packing etc. The big companies will do the whole lot for you, but at a cost. We used a small business based over here who came by road. I can't fault them, but we had to do help load and unload as there was only one man and a lorry. It kept the cost down, but we had two days of hard labour! If you need to provide your own packing cases, I would suggest buying them on Ebay as they are considerably cheaper than getting them from the storage places. I got the wardrobe boxes as well, which are fantastic for clothes.


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Regarding what we plan it's nota huge amount of furniture. Our list is pretty much as follows:
> 
> 3 x single beds, 1 superking bed, clothes, chidrens toys and 2 bikes. No other bedroom furniture. 4 x TV's, 3 x DVD storage cabinets. 1 x small under counter freezer. Garden furniture table (table + 6 chairs, 2 sun loungers) and that's about it. small kitchen appliances only eg toaster, microwave etc....
> 
> Who did you use? I'd like to get a few quotes. Also what are wardrobe boxes?? Can someone paste a link? I've never heard of them but they sound great
> 
> Thanks


Follow this link for an example of a wardrobe box:
1 REMOVAL WARDROBE CARDBOARD MOVING BOX - COMBINE P&P! on eBay (end time 28-May-10 14:42:07 BST)

The company we used to move was this:
Euromover - Removals to and from Spain


----------



## natalieml

Wow - these are great boxes  Never seen them before. How many did you buy Lynn?

Thanks for the links. Will look into - I'm guessing our stuff will fit in one lorry?


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Wow - these are great boxes  Never seen them before. How many did you buy Lynn?
> 
> Thanks for the links. Will look into - I'm guessing our stuff will fit in one lorry?


I bought 5 I think - one per person (although I think 3 ended up being my stuff, and the other two coped with my OH and the three kids lol!). Most of the kids stuff wasn't hanging so went in conventional boxes.

I would think from what you say, your belongings would fit in one load, yes, but you would need to check with the company to make sure.


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn, 

Just found the quote. The cheapest for us was adeslas - website below.

https://www.adeslas.es/eng/ProductosYTarifas/ProductosCM/Pages/ProductosCuadroMédico.aspx

You can get an online quote in English or Spanish if your is that good? For 4 of us fully covered including dental is €197 a month for 10 months.

Sanitas were double this amount for the same cover. We will have a E106 but I'm not sure if it is still worth having private cover too in case we need something done urgently.

Anyway hun - hope this helps. Nat x



lynn said:


> I'd be interested to know which private medical insurance came out cheapest Natalie. At the moment, we are being covered by the E106 reciprocal state health cover, but this will only last for another year or so, after which we will be looking at private medical insurance. I do know that my father is undergoing treatment for cancer and has sanitas medical insurance. They have been absolutely fantastic so from that point of view, I could certainly recommend them.
> 
> For English speaking dentists just google 'dentists benalmadena' or similar and loads will come up. However, you might go on recommendation from someone you know (if you have friends here, or parents from school?). We used a dentist called Roberts Dental Clinic C/Espana,3-2A because an acquaintance recommended him to us. He was good, but if you want an all singing all dancing state of the art sort of place it might not be for you!


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn, 

We have a couple of customers (we do web design & marketing) who are in removals so we have a few options for quotes. The wardrobe boxes are genius  Just love that idea and wouldn't have thought about it at all. Thanks


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Hi Lynn,
> 
> Just found the quote. The cheapest for us was adeslas - website below.
> 
> https://www.adeslas.es/eng/ProductosYTarifas/ProductosCM/Pages/ProductosCuadroMédico.aspx
> 
> You can get an online quote in English or Spanish if your is that good? For 4 of us fully covered including dental is €197 a month for 10 months.
> 
> Sanitas were double this amount for the same cover. We will have a E106 but I'm not sure if it is still worth having private cover too in case we need something done urgently.
> 
> Anyway hun - hope this helps. Nat x



Thank you for the link to adeslas. I am surprised that sanitas came out so expensive for you. I have just done an online quote for my family of five, bearing in mind that we are probably a bit older than you, and it included dental cover and it came out at 246 euros a month.... So not much different to your quote, given yours was for 4 people. I think when the time comes for us to look into this further, I will probably have to get an insurance broker to go through the different options.


----------



## natalieml

Hi Lynn,

I looked at fully comprehenisve cover including ambulance cover etc.... also I'm not sure if you are aware that many of the Spanish private health care policys require co-payments (the quoutes i looked at didn't require any additional co-payments).

My friend warned me about this as this is the insurance she has. Initially she thought it was better value as it was just the add €3.50 here and there but she has just had some varicose veins removed from her legs (she is in her 30's) and her co-payments bill is up in the high hundreds. It's certainly worth looking at as the costs can mount up.

Let me know nearer the time and I'll ask her what insurance comparison site she used. I had quotes for about 8 different policies come through.

This is a bit obscure but ..... I'm not sure if anyone can answer this but I am asthmatic and use a Ventolin and Flixotide Inhaler. Do I need a prescription to obtain these in Spain or can I buy over the counter? Anyone have an idea on costs?

Thanks again Natalie



lynn said:


> Thank you for the link to adeslas. I am surprised that sanitas came out so expensive for you. I have just done an online quote for my family of five, bearing in mind that we are probably a bit older than you, and it included dental cover and it came out at 246 euros a month.... So not much different to your quote, given yours was for 4 people. I think when the time comes for us to look into this further, I will probably have to get an insurance broker to go through the different options.


----------



## Guest

natalieml said:


> we do web design & marketing


Are you going to be doing that over here for local companies or sticking with the UK market?

Oh and yes, you can buy anything (apart from antibiotics) over the counter


----------



## natalieml

We have sales people in the UK so certainly initially we will just be concentrating on the UK market. We are fortunate that we are busy and if everything carries on as it is then we will have enough work from the UK. Fingers crossed. as it will be our only source of income in Spain. Hence the needc for excellent internet connection. Who would you recommend? Mercury? Telefonica?

That's interesting - how do you get antibiotics then? One of my inhalers is a steroid inhaler can I still buy that over the counter?





ShinyAndy said:


> Are you going to be doing that over here for local companies or sticking with the UK market?
> 
> Oh and yes, you can buy anything (apart from antibiotics) over the counter


----------



## Guest

I only mentioned about work because there are thousands of web designers down here now (seems to be the "in thing" to do) and your competition would be enormous. To give you an idea we just got a quote from someone here to design/host/setup/seo (with social media integration) a 5 page site for 250€ - quality is impressive too, much better than your average know it all

Internet is more down to who will provide you a service rather than what/who you want. I'm with Vodafone (they cover central Marbella), have a 15MB ADSL link with 3G backup, no line rental and free national landline calls which comes in at 39€ a month

Prescription for ab's of course, the prescription knocks off a percentage of the cost of the medicine. The other half uses the brown and blue inhaler things and has never had a problem getting them (unfortunately don't know what they cost)


----------



## lynn

natalieml said:


> Hi Lynn,
> 
> I looked at fully comprehenisve cover including ambulance cover etc.... also I'm not sure if you are aware that many of the Spanish private health care policys require co-payments (the quoutes i looked at didn't require any additional co-payments).
> 
> My friend warned me about this as this is the insurance she has. Initially she thought it was better value as it was just the add €3.50 here and there but she has just had some varicose veins removed from her legs (she is in her 30's) and her co-payments bill is up in the high hundreds. It's certainly worth looking at as the costs can mount up.
> 
> Let me know nearer the time and I'll ask her what insurance comparison site she used. I had quotes for about 8 different policies come through.
> 
> This is a bit obscure but ..... I'm not sure if anyone can answer this but I am asthmatic and use a Ventolin and Flixotide Inhaler. Do I need a prescription to obtain these in Spain or can I buy over the counter? Anyone have an idea on costs?
> 
> Thanks again Natalie


Thanks for the info Natalie. As I said, nearer the time I'll go through it more thoroughly and look at all the terms and conditions ...

My OH is asthmatic and we buy ventolin and becotide inhalers over the counter. We always used to stock up on them when we came on holiday here! . They are about 3 euros each approximately. Don't know about Flixotide tho. You used to be able to buy antibiotics over the counter, but they've stopped that now.


----------



## natalieml

Oh that's great - much easier than here  The Flixotide is identical to the Becotide but instead of using it twice a day you only use it once a day. My doctor switched me to it as I was forgetting to use the Becotide twice a day.





lynn said:


> Thanks for the info Natalie. As I said, nearer the time I'll go through it more thoroughly and look at all the terms and conditions ...
> 
> My OH is asthmatic and we buy ventolin and becotide inhalers over the counter. We always used to stock up on them when we came on holiday here! . They are about 3 euros each approximately. Don't know about Flixotide tho. You used to be able to buy antibiotics over the counter, but they've stopped that now.


----------



## NorthernLass

natalieml said:


> Thanks I'll look at adding the dental. Fortunately I don't really need anything done - the wisdom tooth removal recently was a complete surprise and as taken out at the dentist the day I went in with tooth ache. lol
> 
> Our plans are for eyes, dental and medical check ups before we come over.
> 
> Does your lady do threading in the salon? I've found lots of salons who pluck bt almost nobody over there offers threadihg. lol
> 
> Thanks for your help.
> 
> Natalie x


Hi Natalie

The lady I know definitely does does threading (big fan myself)! 

I googled her and here's a link :

Varsha's Hair, Nails and Beauty on AngloINFO Costa del Sol: your Costa del Sol information source, in the Costa del Sol, Spain

Good luck:clap2:


----------



## shoemanpete

Hi Andy, re your comment below on internet.......we are shortly moving to Mijas La Nueva and will need internet and would like to limit use of mobiles if possible.. Can you explain again what this is? Not sure I understand the line rental side as I didn't think VF are into landlines? Do I need to have a contract, at the moment we will be there for 11 months. Not sure yet if the house has a phone line, what are the costs to get this up and running?
What are my options otherwise to get internet whether wireless or not? 

----------------------------------------------------
Internet is more down to who will provide you a service rather than what/who you want. I'm with Vodafone (they cover central Marbella), have a 15MB ADSL link with 3G backup, no line rental and free national landline calls which comes in at 39€ a month


----------



## natalieml

Oh Fab  She's a bit far but at least there is someone on the Costa doing threading. It's beenh a nightmare trying to explain it to the spanish in salons - even if I could say it in Spanish I still think they have no idea what it is.

Good business opportunity for someone.




NorthernLass said:


> Hi Natalie
> 
> The lady I know definitely does does threading (big fan myself)!
> 
> I googled her and here's a link :
> 
> Varsha's Hair, Nails and Beauty on AngloINFO Costa del Sol: your Costa del Sol information source, in the Costa del Sol, Spain
> 
> Good luck:clap2:


----------



## Guest

Vodafone offer an ADSL connection onto an existing line (no matter who owns it). It has nothing to do with a mobile phone. I think the contract was for 12 months

Your options are firstly Telefonica, Vodafone (if they cover your area), various other telecoms companies offering internet down here (seemingly mostly wireless, unreliable and expensive)


----------



## natalieml

I'm guessinhg Andy mas Mobile internet where your mobile phone provider gives you a 'dongle' to plug in to a USB port in your computer to give you internet. 

Not suitable for us as we need wireless for mjore tyan one computer in the house and also we have an internhet phone line for our business (great value at £5.99 per month all landlines UK calls free) which we wil bring with us so we can call the UK free and friend business can still call us on an UK number BUT it has to be plugged into a your wireless router, so I will not be able to use mobile internet at all.

Hope this helps ??




shoemanpete said:


> Hi Andy, re your comment below on internet.......we are shortly moving to Mijas La Nueva and will need internet and would like to limit use of mobiles if possible.. Can you explain again what this is? Not sure I understand the line rental side as I didn't think VF are into landlines? Do I need to have a contract, at the moment we will be there for 11 months. Not sure yet if the house has a phone line, what are the costs to get this up and running?
> What are my options otherwise to get internet whether wireless or not?
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Internet is more down to who will provide you a service rather than what/who you want. I'm with Vodafone (they cover central Marbella), have a 15MB ADSL link with 3G backup, no line rental and free national landline calls which comes in at 39€ a month


----------



## Guest

You guessed wrong


----------



## shoemanpete

Thanks Andy, will enquire when next in town.




ShinyAndy said:


> Vodafone offer an ADSL connection onto an existing line (no matter who owns it). It has nothing to do with a mobile phone. I think the contract was for 12 months
> 
> Your options are firstly Telefonica, Vodafone (if they cover your area), various other telecoms companies offering internet down here (seemingly mostly wireless, unreliable and expensive)


----------



## Guest

No problem! The package I have is Vodafone ADSL Máxima Velocidad. I just walked into a Vodafone shop and sorted everything, was very easy


----------



## natalieml

Hi Andy 

Obviously I was compolet5ely wrong about your mobile internet - LOL

With the ADSL do you need to buy a new modem or can you still connect via the modem in your PC? Is ita special bit of kit required?? Is your ADSL broadband - must be ?

Also at the moment I have broadband from my cable provide which means I have had to buiy a certain type of wireless router - is this compatable with ADSL or dob I have to buy a new router?

Sorry for all the questions but Internet and having connection is our number one priority for the business.





ShinyAndy said:


> Vodafone offer an ADSL connection onto an existing line (no matter who owns it). It has nothing to do with a mobile phone. I think the contract was for 12 months
> 
> Your options are firstly Telefonica, Vodafone (if they cover your area), various other telecoms companies offering internet down here (seemingly mostly wireless, unreliable and expensive)


----------



## natalieml

I'm Blonde!! Say no more! Yet aother blonde moment - LOL



ShinyAndy said:


> You guessed wrong


----------



## Guest

See my link above, it comes with a wireless and wired router so you can connect with anything. A cable modem/router won't work on ADSL. I have a 15MB connection


----------



## natalieml

Fab ) But yet again I am confused. On website it says:

Vodafone ADSL Max speed € 39.9 / month 
Maximum speed ADSL Vodafone ONE € 34.9 / month 
Full Speed Internet Siempre Contigo € 59 / month 
Siempre Contigo UNO Internet Full Speed € 54 / month 


What is siempre Contigo? Also what is the difference between ADSL max spped and AdSL max speed one? Same question for the Siempre Contigo.

Thanks




ShinyAndy said:


> No problem! The package I have is Vodafone ADSL Máxima Velocidad. I just walked into a Vodafone shop and sorted everything, was very easy


----------



## natalieml

Fab - is it easy to install - I guess you do it yourself? Is it just somethyinhg that pluigs into yuorb phone line to split the signal?? 

Comes with a router - even better )

P.S any chance I can harass you in December with questions when I'm trying to get it all up and running? Don't know anyone thre that knows about this stuff and hubby will be in UK while I get everythying up and running. LOL 



ShinyAndy said:


> See my link above, it comes with a wireless and wired router so you can connect with anything. A cable modem/router won't work on ADSL. I have a 15MB connection


----------



## natalieml

Fab - is it easy to install - I guess you do it yourself? Is it just somethinhg that plugs into your phone line to split the signal?? 

Comes with a router - even better )

P.S any chance I can harass you in December with questions when I'm trying to get it all up and running? Don't know anyone thre that knows about this stuff and hubby will be in UK while I get everythying up and running. LOL[/QUOTE]


----------



## shoemanpete

Hi Lynn, we moved in yesterday. We can meet up whenever, perhaps at the Carob bar one evening? Could I extend this to anyone else living in the area to join us, would love to meet all new neighbours.

P&B




lynn said:


> Did you take the property on Mijas La Nueva then??? We'll have to meet up some time
> 
> Lynn
> xx


----------



## lynn

shoemanpete said:


> Hi Lynn, we moved in yesterday. We can meet up whenever, perhaps at the Carob bar one evening? Could I extend this to anyone else living in the area to join us, would love to meet all new neighbours.
> 
> P&B


I've sent you a PM. 

Lynn
x


----------



## LauraLamb

Dear Natalie,

I used Britannia Cestrian when I moved over from the Uk in April and they gave me a really good deal and their service was fantastic, I got all my double walled tea chest boxes from boxes and bubbles, but found ebay cheaper for the big rolls of bubble wrap and packing tape. I have internet and phone through telitec and have had no problems at all, I think there are a few companies doing a simmilar offers at the moment but I went with them as my Mum has been with them for years and their customer service is brillant. If the property you move into doesn't have a phone line already, it may be better to go through BT Spain as they will install a landline for you within the contract. I live up in Vera Cruz (if you are going from Tivoli towards the Pueblo), which is really beautiful, but also accessable for everything. I know a few teenagers go the the British College from here and my next door neighbour teaches there (and she is lovely). I will be interested to hear how your boys get on as I will have to think about schools for my daughter (she is only 10 and half months now, but as you know they start here at 3). I did plan to send her to a Spainish state primary (as I want her to be billingiual) and an International secondary, but after talking to my Spainsh oestopath yesterday he has got me a little worried about which state school we maybe in the catchment area for, so we will have to see. 

All the best of luck,
Laura


----------



## natalieml

Hi Laura,

Thanks for the info. We have now booked our one way folights for 17th December so we are trying to think of everything we need to do between now and then.

School seems to be sorted and the boys will have a day at The British College on 27th October when they are next over with us. They take them from 18 months now until 18 yrs!

Still no idea about where we will live - idealy looking for 4 bed villa with pool/communal pool somwhere between La Cala and Benalmadena. Want to rent smething from the 1st December so I can come over and get a few things sorted before we properly move over.

Thanks again Natalie





LauraLamb said:


> Dear Natalie,
> 
> I used Britannia Cestrian when I moved over from the Uk in April and they gave me a really good deal and their service was fantastic, I got all my double walled tea chest boxes from boxes and bubbles, but found ebay cheaper for the big rolls of bubble wrap and packing tape. I have internet and phone through telitec and have had no problems at all, I think there are a few companies doing a simmilar offers at the moment but I went with them as my Mum has been with them for years and their customer service is brillant. If the property you move into doesn't have a phone line already, it may be better to go through BT Spain as they will install a landline for you within the contract. I live up in Vera Cruz (if you are going from Tivoli towards the Pueblo), which is really beautiful, but also accessable for everything. I know a few teenagers go the the British College from here and my next door neighbour teaches there (and she is lovely). I will be interested to hear how your boys get on as I will have to think about schools for my daughter (she is only 10 and half months now, but as you know they start here at 3). I did plan to send her to a Spainish state primary (as I want her to be billingiual) and an International secondary, but after talking to my Spainsh oestopath yesterday he has got me a little worried about which state school we maybe in the catchment area for, so we will have to see.
> 
> All the best of luck,
> Laura


----------



## jojo

My son is still enjoying the British college!!! Its been about a month now and he seems to be doing well, has exams next week so we'll find out lol!!!! He has a variety of nationalities in his class, but he's making friends and there are no chavs!!!!! Apparently its quite strict (good!!), but he says the teachers are fair, good and he finds the lessons easier to understand than at his last school!

Jo xxx


----------



## lynn

jojo said:


> My son is still enjoying the British college!!! Its been about a month now and he seems to be doing well, has exams next week so we'll find out lol!!!! He has a variety of nationalities in his class, but he's making friends and there are no chavs!!!!! Apparently its quite strict (good!!), but he says the teachers are fair, good and he finds the lessons easier to understand than at his last school!
> 
> Jo xxx


Great to hear it's going well for him! He's adapted to circumstances really well hasn't he? And presumably he finishes in a couple of weeks so the school run isn't an issue?


----------



## jojo

lynn said:


> Great to hear it's going well for him! He's adapted to circumstances really well hasn't he? And presumably he finishes in a couple of weeks so the school run isn't an issue?



The school run is a problem actually. My OH has come over as it was an emergency, but he cant really stay after tomorrow as he has a lot of work on. Jack has his exams next week before they break up and then theres my daughter... So I'm still not sure what we're gonna do. OH is looking into hiring me an automatic car cos I'll only need one leg to drive it????????

Jo xxx


----------



## lynn

jojo said:


> The school run is a problem actually. My OH has come over as it was an emergency, but he cant really stay after tomorrow as he has a lot of work on. Jack has his exams next week before they break up and then theres my daughter... So I'm still not sure what we're gonna do. OH is looking into hiring me an automatic car cos I'll only need one leg to drive it????????
> 
> Jo xxx


One leg to drive it, but how on earth are you going to get the leg in plaster in with it??:confused2:


----------



## jojo

lynn said:


> One leg to drive it, but how on earth are you going to get the leg in plaster in with it??:confused2:



The mind boggles!! Look out for a car with a plaster cast hanging out of the front window! :confused2:

Jo xxx


----------



## jamtart98

*Ronnie Waugh*



natalieml said:


> Hi there,
> 
> We are moving over to the Costa Del Sol in December. Does anyone have a checklist of things we need to do/recommendations for a smooth move?
> 
> So far we have secured a school place for our children from Jan 2010, we still need to find somewhere to rent from 1st December, look at movers, decide whether we will bring cars over (think we will), sort out heath care, etc ....
> 
> Anyone have any advice?
> 
> Thanks Natalie


Hi Natalie,
Regarding your search for somewhere to rent.There are several free local newspapers which have several pages of all types of propery to rent in the area you intend to move to. The Sur in English and the Euroweekly are probably the best.
If you are renting from am agency you will more than likely be rquired to pay one months rent in advance+one months rent in advance (refundable on departure assuming all is ok)+one months rent commission. If you rent privately advance payments can vary but generally do no require a commission payment. Make sure you get a contract and understand it before signing. If it,s in Spanish get someone to translate it before signing. Sad to say but while most people here are genuine there are a few "rogues" so no matter how nice they are never trust anyone by their word alone!!!
I hope this is of help to you and Good Luck with the move.


----------



## natalieml

Thanks we regularly get the sur in English and also there is a website Andy recdommended that seems quite good. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too many 4 bed vaillas advertised 

Still I havea week to find somewhere when I am over at the end of October. Wish me luck .....




jamtart98 said:


> Hi Natalie,
> Regarding your search for somewhere to rent.There are several free local newspapers which have several pages of all types of propery to rent in the area you intend to move to. The Sur in English and the Euroweekly are probably the best.
> If you are renting from am agency you will more than likely be rquired to pay one months rent in advance+one months rent in advance (refundable on departure assuming all is ok)+one months rent commission. If you rent privately advance payments can vary but generally do no require a commission payment. Make sure you get a contract and understand it before signing. If it,s in Spanish get someone to translate it before signing. Sad to say but while most people here are genuine there are a few "rogues" so no matter how nice they are never trust anyone by their word alone!!!
> I hope this is of help to you and Good Luck with the move.


----------



## natalieml

Great news - you have no idea how happy i am to hear this 

Maybe from Jan we can meet up after the morning drop off for a coffee/tea?



jojo said:


> My son is still enjoying the British college!!! Its been about a month now and he seems to be doing well, has exams next week so we'll find out lol!!!! He has a variety of nationalities in his class, but he's making friends and there are no chavs!!!!! Apparently its quite strict (good!!), but he says the teachers are fair, good and he finds the lessons easier to understand than at his last school!
> 
> Jo xxx


----------



## jojo

natalieml said:


> Great news - you have no idea how happy i am to hear this
> 
> Maybe from Jan we can meet up after the morning drop off for a coffee/tea?


I stick him on the train now  However, if, if and if, there is an outside chance that we may put my daughter in the school too and we will move closer!!??? But it depends on a lot of "if"s

It would be great to meet up tho! In fact maybe when you're over in October we could drag Lynn out and anyone else who's about and meet??????

Jo xxxx


----------



## natalieml

Sounds a fab idea - althoug think we are too far away possibly? We will be staying in El Faro in October and I wiklo also have the kids with me - aklthyough they can stay at home with their dad. LOL




jojo said:


> I stick him on the train now  However, if, if and if, there is an outside chance that we may put my daughter in the school too and we will move closer!!??? But it depends on a lot of "if"s
> 
> It would be great to meet up tho! In fact maybe when you're over in October we could drag Lynn out and anyone else who's about and meet??????
> 
> Jo xxxx


----------



## jojo

natalieml said:


> Sounds a fab idea - althoug think we are too far away possibly? We will be staying in El Faro in October and I wiklo also have the kids with me - aklthyough they can stay at home with their dad. LOL


We could bring em all!!! kids, husbands 

Jo xxx


----------



## natalieml

Jo - that would be lovely  Then my boys would meet your son who would be at the same school as them.

Let's sort something out nearer the time 




jojo said:


> We could bring em all!!! kids, husbands
> 
> Jo xxx


----------



## kathyd

natalieml said:


> Hi Lynn,
> 
> Just found the quote. The cheapest for us was adeslas - website below.
> 
> https://www.adeslas.es/eng/ProductosYTarifas/ProductosCM/Pages/ProductosCuadroMédico.aspx
> 
> You can get an online quote in English or Spanish if your is that good? For 4 of us fully covered including dental is €197 a month for 10 months.
> 
> Sanitas were double this amount for the same cover. We will have a E106 but I'm not sure if it is still worth having private cover too in case we need something done urgently.
> 
> Anyway hun - hope this helps. Nat x


Hi, as regards medical .....my daughter is Diabetic and I also take long term medication that I get free in the Uk. With a situation like that I am presuming that we will have to take out private cover .I was wondering what the prescription charges are and also does the E form allow us to get the medication [insulin etc ] we need here at low cost .Any advice greatly recieved!


----------



## kathyd

lynn said:


> Great, good luck with the move and look forward to hearing from you.
> 
> By the way, 40% of residents in Mijas are extranjeros, so there will be lots of English, Dutch, German etc etc neighbours!


We are heading over mid August and looking for a place to rent long term from 1st september .We thought that the best thing to do was find a holiday apartment to rent for 2 weeks and then find a place for long term .
I am going to be working in Marbella but can see that it is fairly expensive .
What are goood areas there with a good ratio of long term residents. Do not fancy living among the tourist hoardes


----------



## jamtart98

*Health Care.*



kathyd said:


> We are heading over mid August and looking for a place to rent long term from 1st september .We thought that the best thing to do was find a holiday apartment to rent for 2 weeks and then find a place for long term .
> I am going to be working in Marbella but can see that it is fairly expensive .
> What are goood areas there with a good ratio of long term residents. Do not fancy living among the tourist hoardes


I,ll second the advice for Adeslas. It,s probably one of the best with many specialists in all fields. Your 106 would cover you for basic treatment. If your Nat.Ins. contributions are fully paid up you can apply before you leave the U.K. to receive treatment from the Spanish Seguridad Social (their equivalent of the N.H.S.) for your first two years in Spain. One thing about Private Health cover is that you are NOT covered for prescriptions and depending the medication they can be expensive.
I hope this helps.


----------



## jojo

jamtart98 said:


> I,ll second the advice for Adeslas. It,s probably one of the best with many specialists in all fields. Your 106 would cover you for basic treatment. If your Nat.Ins. contributions are fully paid up you can apply before you leave the U.K. to receive treatment from the Spanish Seguridad Social (their equivalent of the N.H.S.) for your first two years in Spain. One thing about Private Health cover is that you are NOT covered for prescriptions and depending the medication they can be expensive.
> I hope this helps.


The costs of medication is odd over here. Some things are really expensive - my migraine pills are shocking 30€ for 6!!! However, I needed some steroids last year and for a pack of 30, they only cost 2,35€! So I guess its swings and roundabouts!

Jo xxx


----------



## Guest

kathyd said:


> I am going to be working in Marbella but can see that it is fairly expensive . What are goood areas there with a good ratio of long term residents. Do not fancy living among the tourist hoardes


The disctrict of Marbella is quite large and to be honest most places outside Marbella town itself are full of expat urbanisations and tourists so if that's what you mean then you're going to have to look inland - and even then anywhere within a realistic driving distance on the coast in mainly full of tourists/expats too. I'd look at somewhere close to wherever it is you're going to be working as getting around, especially in the summer, can be a real pain. Without knowing what you consider fairly expensive it's difficult to suggest any areas.


----------



## kathyd

ShinyAndy said:


> The disctrict of Marbella is quite large and to be honest most places outside Marbella town itself are full of expat urbanisations and tourists so if that's what you mean then you're going to have to look inland - and even then anywhere within a realistic driving distance on the coast in mainly full of tourists/expats too. I'd look at somewhere close to wherever it is you're going to be working as getting around, especially in the summer, can be a real pain. Without knowing what you consider fairly expensive it's difficult to suggest any areas.


I think what we are looking for is an area where there are resident expats and not an area of constanting changing tenants. I am sure there are quite a few areas like that .I am working in an International school right in the centre of Marbella and so I agree with what you say that to live too far away would be difficult in terms of traffic .I am a teacher so the times that are very touristy are the times I am not working ,That is off course if the main tourist times are the school holidays. We are a family of 4 and we are looking for a three bedroomed place not higher then 900 a month ...if possible .
I know some of the teachers live in Estapona and calahonda and i guess they are all within a 30 min radius. Of course it makes sense to be as close to the school as possible so that the kids can be closer to friends and taxi time is reduced.

We are coming out mid August and renting a place for 2 weeks to have a look around but i felt that there is no better information that that from people living there who know the areas well


----------



## jamtart98

jojo said:


> The costs of medication is odd over here. Some things are really expensive - my migraine pills are shocking 30€ for 6!!! However, I needed some steroids last year and for a pack of 30, they only cost 2,35€! So I guess its swings and roundabouts!
> 
> Jo xxx


Again I,ll second that as I had similar problems buying medication 2 years ago. I have the "Restless Legs" problem and was prescribed a new Pill called Mirapixin. When I went to the Chemist I was shocked when he said it was 75 euros!!! But as you say JoJo on the other hand Pills to control High Blood Pressure only cost 3 euros. Fortunately now I,m on Seguridad Social and receive them all free!!!


----------



## Guest

Is it the new British School Marbella, if so that's right at the end of our road!

Your best bet would be to stay as close to Marbella centre as possible. It makes travelling anywhere easy, you're close to everything but not just the beach - it's not fun for the rest of your family if they're stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do other than sit by a pool endlessly while you've got the car and are working.

It's extremely Spanish in Marbella and the immediate surrounding areas, there are only tourists on the beach and along the paseo and most of those are Spanish tourists. Unless you're in a town you're going to find that most places are extremely transient, especially at the moment and especially during the Summer. There are lovely places along the coast between San Pedro and Estepona too but it really depends what you want in terms of a life. It's very different to the UK, very few places have a heart or centre unless you're in the bigger towns and so you need to drive everywhere.

Estepona is too far, you'd be travelling for at least 30-45 minutes each way if you use the toll road and then you've got that as an additional cost - there is a bus but it takes hours! Calahonda is truly dreadful unless you have a desire to live in probably one of the worst expat, football shirted areas around here (I lived there, thankfully for free for a year!) ? 

I think your best bet would be Nagueles as it's a bit quieter (could walk it if you're fit!) or at a push Neuva Andalucia which is only a 10 min drive away. For reference we pay a relatively high 750€ (everything included aside from phone/electric) a month for a 3 bed/2 bath penthouse (90m2 inside/80m2 terrace) which is slap bang in the middle of Marbella. It's a renters market at the moment, so there are deals everywhere

You know that renting for two weeks in August is going to cost you a week what it would in a month?


----------



## Guest

jamtart98 said:


> now I,m on Seguridad Social and receive them all free!!!


As Kathyd has a job one would assume she's got a contract and so SS is being paid, this covers all her family


----------



## kathyd

It is Swans international school and I cannot pronounce the address! but I do know it is Central Marbella.
Where we live now in N.Ireland is a small village about 25 mins outside Belfast .It was great when the kids were young but challenging now that they are teenagers and there is just nothing to do. We need an area where we are not isolated, relatively close to the school and other amenities that will not leave us cut off if one is away with the car ...like you say. When I said that I did not want to be in the tourist areas I was probably refering to the beach type areas. having said that ,having a picture in ones mind of what it is really like is probably a bit skewed from the reality!

With regard to renting .....

It is just amazing when you look online and see prices and then you chat to people and hear what it is really like .I was under the illusion that getting a place with three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in Marbella for under 900 was unheard off. if we could get a place at 750 or close to that ...sounds good to me .
I can see that it is a renters market and so for that reason we are not going to committ to anything before we get out there and have a good look around .
I have been looking in the SUR also. 
Yes i know what you mean about renting a place for a few weeks .We are just not sure what esle to do as we will have to have somewhere to stay when we look around .
I would be interested to hear what other people have done when they first moved out .Unfortunately for us we are moving out at Peak time. A lady came back to me today and offered her place at 325 a week in Angel de Miriflores [or something like that!] From What i have seen that is not that high compared to alot of them .
if you have any other ideas I am all ears!


----------



## Guest

One of our clients is the largest rental/property management company down here, I'm at their office tomorrow so can ask them. Bear in mind that renting through an agent/expat type person will normally cost you significantly more than if you went direct and Spanish. Another thing to consider is that your typical Spanish property in a typical Spanish location doesn't normally come up to the standards of what most Brits want from accomodation - dated bathrooms/kitchens/furniture etc. Having said that, if you can find something just off the Golden Mile then you'll be quiet and modern but still able to walk into a proper town

Swans is just up the road from us


----------



## kathyd

ShinyAndy said:


> One of our clients is the largest rental/property management company down here, I'm at their office tomorrow so can ask them. Bear in mind that renting through an agent/expat type person will normally cost you significantly more than if you went direct and Spanish. Another thing to consider is that your typical Spanish property in a typical Spanish location doesn't normally come up to the standards of what most Brits want from accomodation - dated bathrooms/kitchens/furniture etc. Having said that, if you can find something just off the Golden Mile then you'll be quiet and modern but still able to walk into a proper town
> 
> Swans is just up the road from us


Although the communication is all online I have to admit that I am starting to get a good idea of places we might like to go to .
Thank you for your help in this regard and I know what you mean by the differance in property, we found that in Italy when we did a house swop.
I will start to have a look for some places just off the golden mile which is also fairly close to the school. What would be the names of those areas?

I have also realised as you say that renting off an agent/expat is more expensive and am looking into a few website that are spanish.
I have a few people looking this side but need to get the holiday/two weeks rent sorted fairly soon for mid to end August. then have some apointments set up to come out and look at places in that area. 
I see that with agents there is also a commission of one months rent added onto the 2 months deposit and when you go to an owner direct that is not added .

Thanks for your help and it is all becoming clearer as time moves on .


----------



## jojo

I personally would always recommend using an agent when you first move over here. They have the knowledge, the language, communication skills, the "come back" if things dont work out and offer so much more than just getting you to sign a bit of paper. Also many private renters still try to rent out at the price that the agent would rent to you anyway, they're the ones who think they can get the deal by not using an agent. Most agents will sort out internet/phone connections, bill transferrals, issues with the property, help getting NIE, padron, schools, doctors........

Jo xxx


----------



## mrypg9

ShinyAndy said:


> There are lovely places along the coast between San Pedro and Estepona too ..
> 
> 
> I'd second that. You are within easy reach of both Marbella and Estepona by road and regular cheap public transport and the area is mercifully comparatively quiet, Spanish and devoid of the noisier type of British person, whether resident or holidaymaker.
> There are also areas with 'proper' streets of houses, not 'communities', which seem more like normal everyday living.
> I know an agent in that area who found us our villa so if you are interested pm me and I'll give you his number.


----------



## Guest

How do you find living there, I don't think I could live outside a town anymore (ok maybe I could do without the noise of traffic/people doing their stuff). If I didn't have to work and was retired I think I'd move out but I would really struggle now as I'm so used to everything being walking distance.

I was working it out last night, we have about four 24hr chemists, main post office, obviously all the council/police buildings you need, a restaurant for every possible food style you could imagine, sports grounds, cinema, fitness centres, every main supermarket & bank, probably 25 hairdresses, shoe shops, clothes shops (inc Zara and Mango), a conference/exhibition centre, dentists, main dealer garages, buses to anywhere, on and on the list goes and all within a 10 minute walk of where we live. Get in the car and 5 minutes away you have a big DIY store, shopping mall, car place.. well you get the drift! 

I think if I had a family and was working I'd not be looking at an urbanisation in the middle of nowhere, much as they generally tend to be bigger/prettier, that meant everyone needed a car if they wanted to do anything. I'd be looking at the bigger towns such as Marbella, Fuengirola, San Pedro, Estepona, etc. Unfortunately these places tend to get bad press due to the strips that run along the beach


----------



## kathyd

ShinyAndy said:


> How do you find living there, I don't think I could live outside a town anymore (ok maybe I could do without the noise of traffic/people doing their stuff). If I didn't have to work and was retired I think I'd move out but I would really struggle now as I'm so used to everything being walking distance.
> 
> I must admit I can see the arguments for both sides and when we have been in this position before [when we returned from S.Africa to N.Ireland] it ended up being the house that swayed us and we just really liked a house that happened to be in a small village.
> 
> There are a few factors I have to consider and it comes to decision and it is in the form of two female teenagers age 14 and 15 who are going to be making new friends and getting used to a new school. Having friends right on the doorstep is convenient and yet sometimes it is distracting especially when you are trying to get them to do some work!
> 
> Tony and I are very outdoor people ,I lived in S.Africa for 22 years and Tony is S.African. our kids were born there and we have been back in the UK for 8 years .We enjoy our tennis ,Tony coaches and plays for Ireland [I am pretty grim] so we want somewhere that gives us easy access to a good sports club, a family club where the kids could get involved as well.
> 
> [All sounds good in the picture postcard...but murphys law.....never quite works out like that!]
> 
> My daughter is also Diabetic and has had a few challenges this last year so we need to be relatively close to a clinic/hospital. we also would like to live in a place that has normal streets etc and personally I am not really into apartments but then again I am not talking from alot of experience.!
> 
> In my job here at the college my travelling time to work in the morning and evening was 1 hour each way .The kids also had to get 2 buses to school which became a bit of an issue in the winter when it was cold and dark and it is a good 30 mins to the tennis club. For that reason we will probably aim to get somewhere that will not necessitate alot of travel in the car and slightly more convenient than the position we are in now....ok in Uk summer but hideous in UK Winter.
> 
> Having moved country before I have to confess that one has an idea in ones head of what to look for and then when you arrive it all changes!
> 
> I am 55 and Tony is 50 [[[ yes I know ...a great age to have teenagers ? ]
> so while we are starting to quieten down ourselves the girls do not allow us!
> 
> I think that once we get out there in August and get a feel for the place we will know exactly where will be right .Even at that if we rent in a place that does not work out we can then move anyway.
> 
> oh well ...decisions ,decisions decisions...makes life interesting.


----------



## bluerain

That's interesting to know that the Spanish system can still be accessed temporarily for up to 2 years if your NI contributions are up to date.


----------

