# Retiring to Spain



## Beachcomb (Jun 18, 2011)

I have recently retired and would like to move to Spain. Can anyone give me some advice on the best place on the south coast of Spain. I am looking to move to a town near the sea where I will not have to drive. Thanks


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

I would recommend that you consider Mojacar Playa in Costa Almeria as a place in which you could live without much difficulty.

1. It is a holiday resort and the beaches are all near almost no matter where you live on the Playa.

2. Mojacar Playa is a working town all year round and although much quieter in the off season there are always people around. The population of Mojacar Playa is 50/50 ex-pats and Spaniards.

3. There is a decent local bus service that serves the Playa and Mojacar Pueblo (1.5 miles distant). Another local bus service services the nearby villages Garrucha, Vera, Carboneras. The bus services are not expensive. Therefore, no need for a car.

4. Costa Almeria has the warmest and driest climate of mainland europe.

5. There are several real supermarkets, not just a shed with M+S written over the door.

6. Walks along the playa are on the level ,obviously but if you venture into the near hinterland the walks can be as difficult as you wish.

7. There are medical services e.g doctors, pharmacía there.

8. Airports:- Almeria (45 mins); Murcia (90 mins); Alicante (2.25hours).

9. The resort is low rise and already has many 'retirees' from the UK and Ireland.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

You need to come over and have a look. The south coast of Spain goes on for 100s of miles. Maybe read up on all the different costas - Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol........to name but a few, then do some fact finding missions to the ones you like the sound of and see what you think????

Jo xxx


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Beachcomb said:


> I have recently retired and would like to move to Spain. Can anyone give me some advice on the best place on the south coast of Spain. I am looking to move to a town near the sea where I will not have to drive. Thanks


What other criteria do you have? When we retired here we made ourselves a checklist which helped us pin down the place right for us, and it would also help people here to advise you. For example:

Are you on a tight budget or can you afford somewhere a bit more up-market?

Do you intend to buy or rent?

Will you be here all year round?

Are you fit and active enough to cope with hills, or do you need to be somewhere flat?

Do you want to live in a community with lots of British retired people and good medical and social support?

Or do you want to live in a mainly Spanish community and "go native"?


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## Manin_bcn (Jun 18, 2011)

... oh Catalunya surely!

Costa Brava is faaaaaabulous!


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## rke.golfer (May 23, 2010)

We are also planning to move to Spain, sometime in 2012.

Would agree that having a checklist of requirements is vital. Ours has narrowed our search to very few areas, and also limited the districts we are prepared to consider within the target areas.

On site research is vital. We have been on holday (start/end of season usually) for several years now, and have rejected areas after spending time there.

The only bits of advice are that we are doing all our budgets on the basis that 1€ = £1, and planning to have a "nest egg" to cover any mistakes in our assumptions,

Our process continues.

Hope this helps.
If you find an area that you are considering, it is worth asking what other forum members think. The only problem is you don't know their reasons for moving, and have to treat the concensus with a degree of scepticism.


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

One thing we all agree on is that you must live in several areas especially in the off season to narrow the choice. Fortunately, rental charges in the off season are not great.

Also, draw up a SWOT Analysis showing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on the move and the destination of the move. Obviously, everybody's SWOT will be different, but you will know where you do not want to move quite quickly.


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Do bear in mind that as you get older your needs and abilities will change.

You may be happy now to live in a remote location at the top of a steep hill but in a few years time this may not be so convenient.

When we moved here 7 years ago I was fit and healthy. In the last 2 years my health has deteriorated and I can no longer climb our stairs or walk up the hill to our house.

We are now having to sell up and move nearer town.

One way to avoid this is to rent rather than buy then if your needs change it will be easier to move. I wish we had done that.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

DunWorkin said:


> Do bear in mind that as you get older your needs and abilities will change.
> 
> You may be happy now to live in a remote location at the top of a steep hill but in a few years time this may not be so convenient.
> 
> ...


sounds almost the same as my story - except we have always rented, so moving has been very simple

we did nearly buy 7 years ago - a house on several levels with terraces on several levels too - I'm so glad we didn't

we are finally thinking of buying - & while it could well be a house with stairs, there will have to be a bedroom & bathroom on the ground floor, for if/when stairs become impossible rather than difficult

if the kids were grown & away then I wouldn't even consider stairs at all even now - but WHERE we want to be leaves us no choice


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Yes, unfortunately we bought our house when we moved out here. Even dropping the price to well below what we paid we are having trouble selling.

We are about 7km from the nearest shop and I can no longer drive so I have to rely on hubbie taking me there. 

If/when we sell we are thinking of returning to the UK. I love living in Spain but it is getting more and more difficult to cope here. There is so little support here if you do not have family.

We are looking at a bungalow in a small town in East Anglia. I am not sure how I will cope in the winter unless we can find a way to spend a few months in Spain each year


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## rke.golfer (May 23, 2010)

We are looking at health issues, maybe in the future, as a key issue in where we live. Our second floor flat in the UK is now difficult (no lift). Therefore we have an understanding of what we need, and it won't involve Urbanisations, gated communities or rural areas.


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## Lawrence brown (May 24, 2009)

+1 on Mojacar!
We used Mojacar as a base when we were looking for a place. We bought our house about an hour from there.
We had to avoid the tourist seasons to keep the cost down and had about 8 two week holidays there but we had a wonderful time every visit.
There is a good market just along the road in Garrucha and miles of beach.
One of the things that we considered when we bought the house (in Ramil Bajo) is that the bus goes to Mojacar from our nearest bus stop.
Sadly we could not afford to buy a house in Mojacar but it is a lovely place to live.
(Not that there are not equally nice places to live.)


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## briancleverley (May 30, 2011)

its very difficult to know what to do i am 74 my wife is 70 when we moved to spain in 2005..everything was great we had a small house built which we regret because we were ripped off by some nasty brits.. but we managed although we lived on the campo...but then my wife had a fall and then another one...she is now in a wheelchair cant stand or walk we had to move and now live in a rented apartment which suits my wife she can get round from room to room okay but our little house is or was about 10klms away we couldnt look after it..but our so called friends said O we will keep our eyes on it for you...guess what it was broken into 4 times furniture stolen winows smashed tv dish ripped off the wall but we didnt see it.. anyway we got rid lost most of our money had to virtully give it away--- have tried to claim attenance allowance from the uk.. to help us to pay for help no chance... you might be english worked all your life paid your taxes etc etc but hard luck mate your on your own..i know we could go back to the uk and claim but cant afford rent in spain as well as rent in the uk for a minimum of 6months.. some one on this site said to me try the british legion perhaps they could help so being a national serviceman i did i wrote e mails to 4 different offices here in spain.. but guess what i have not recieved one single reply...be very carefull and think before you move to another part of the eu


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## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

briancleverley said:


> its very difficult to know what to do i am 74 my wife is 70 when we moved to spain in 2005..everything was great we had a small house built which we regret because we were ripped off by some nasty brits.. but we managed although we lived on the campo...but then my wife had a fall and then another one...she is now in a wheelchair cant stand or walk we had to move and now live in a rented apartment which suits my wife she can get round from room to room okay but our little house is or was about 10klms away we couldnt look after it..but our so called friends said O we will keep our eyes on it for you...guess what it was broken into 4 times furniture stolen winows smashed tv dish ripped off the wall but we didnt see it.. anyway we got rid lost most of our money had to virtully give it away--- have tried to claim attenance allowance from the uk.. to help us to pay for help no chance... you might be english worked all your life paid your taxes etc etc but hard luck mate your on your own..i know we could go back to the uk and claim but cant afford rent in spain as well as rent in the uk for a minimum of 6months.. some one on this site said to me try the british legion perhaps they could help so being a national serviceman i did i wrote e mails to 4 different offices here in spain.. but guess what i have not recieved one single reply...be very carefull and think before you move to another part of the eu



I do not know if you have been told this but some folk have been successful in claiming attendance allowance or rather the Spanish equivalent over here. Might I suggest you find someone if you do not speak good Spanish and visit your local Social Security office and see what if anything can be done for you. You could also ask the Consulate for their benefits advisor to give you a call, they may be able to help you or at least point you in the right direction. 

I do hope you get the help you and your wife need.


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## briancleverley (May 30, 2011)

JoCatalunya said:


> I do not know if you have been told this but some folk have been successful in claiming attendance allowance or rather the Spanish equivalent over here. Might I suggest you find someone if you do not speak good Spanish and visit your local Social Security office and see what if anything can be done for you. You could also ask the Consulate for their benefits advisor to give you a call, they may be able to help you or at least point you in the right direction.
> 
> I do hope you get the help you and your wife need.


thanks jo for the information when you say consulate who do you mean?? is it the british consulate?? thanks for your time brian and veronica


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## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

briancleverley said:


> thanks jo for the information when you say consulate who do you mean?? is it the british consulate?? thanks for your time brian and veronica


I do indeed, although I do not doubt other Consulates have similar services their countrymen can call upon.

Good luck.


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## Beachcomb (Jun 18, 2011)

*Thanks*



Lawrence brown said:


> +1 on Mojacar!
> We used Mojacar as a base when we were looking for a place. We bought our house about an hour from there.
> We had to avoid the tourist seasons to keep the cost down and had about 8 two week holidays there but we had a wonderful time every visit.
> There is a good market just along the road in Garrucha and miles of beach.
> ...


Thanks for the info it gives me starting point


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## Tency (Jun 9, 2010)

Beachcomb said:


> I have recently retired and would like to move to Spain. Can anyone give me some advice on the best place on the south coast of Spain. I am looking to move to a town near the sea where I will not have to drive. Thanks


Hi there,
The most important questions are convenience, good medical care, and affordability.
I am on a limited pension, so I found Frigiliana to be my lovely new home. The town has breathtaking views, good restaurants, festivals, library, cultural center and shops that deliver. It does have steep hills, but if you get a mobility scooter you can still get around quite nicely. They have bus service to Nerja where my doctor is at Clinica Sta. Cecilia, with US and UK physicians. At any rate, Nerja has two beaches, one which is handicap accessible, Burriana Beach, a coastal town, and the weather is a bit sunnier than Frigiliana. Of course it is also quite affordable, and two bedrooms can be found for 350 to 450 Euros a month. Utilities are around another 50 a month and phone and internet another 50. Nerja and Frigiliana are about 45 minutes to Malaga airport. /SNIP/
Wishing you the best. Tency


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