# high uk expat area in costa blanca and good spanish schools



## dbond81 (Sep 11, 2016)

hi everyone!

looking for some help please.We are looking to move to spain (myself,hubby and 2 kids aged 7 & nearly 5). I was looking at playa flamenca as i like the thought of being in a heavy expat area so i can settle easier. I would like to put my kids into spanish school.Anyway i am just back after a weeks holiday and now i'm not 100% sure its the right place.It was a lot bigger than i had imagined it to be.I am ideally looking for a more picturesque place and not so big? Any ideas where i can take my search next?
My hubby will be commuting to london so would like somewhere within 1 hour of the nearest airport.I like the look of moraira but after looking into this i see the kids have to learn 2 types of spanish in school and i think thats putting too much pressure on them.Also when we eventually buy a property them seem quite expensive.
We also visited lo pagan and guardamar and i wasn't keen on either.Lo pagan,nothing much there and guardamar too built up with apartments.I know i sound really fussy and maybe i am being but i just want to get our move right.
Any help with this i'd totally appreciate as i was hoping to move end of this year.

kind regards

dawn


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

dbond81 said:


> hi everyone!
> 
> looking for some help please.We are looking to move to spain (myself,hubby and 2 kids aged 7 & nearly 5). I was looking at playa flamenca as i like the thought of being in a heavy expat area so i can settle easier. I would like to put my kids into spanish school.Anyway i am just back after a weeks holiday and now i'm not 100% sure its the right place.It was a lot bigger than i had imagined it to be.I am ideally looking for a more picturesque place and not so big? Any ideas where i can take my search next?
> My hubby will be commuting to london so would like somewhere within 1 hour of the nearest airport.I like the look of moraira but after looking into this i see the kids have to learn 2 types of spanish in school and i think thats putting too much pressure on them.Also when we eventually buy a property them seem quite expensive.
> ...


Your children are almost the same ages as mine were when we moved here to Jávea/Xábia. They were 4 & 7

13 years ago there were more Brits here than now. Latest figures show that about 20% of the registered population of just under 30,000 are from the UK with a total of about 45% being non-Spanish.

Somehow Xábia still manages to feel Spanish (away from the tourist strip). My children went through the state school system here & had no problem learning both in Spanish/castellano & valenciano (which is a different language, not a type of Spanish) though I admit I felt the same as you when we first came here & worried about them having to learn two new languages. 

My elder daughter now lives & works in Barcelona where she uses English, castellano & valenciano which is pretty much the same as the local language in that area, called catalán.

We have good state schools here, the place doesn't 'shut down' in winter - it's still a working town. We're an hour-ish from both Alicante & Valencia airports

https://www.xabia.org/


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## dbond81 (Sep 11, 2016)

Thanks for your reply.Its such a minefield looking into spanish schools.I'm desperate to move but need to get this right as you will understand.You have made me feel a lot better about the kids learning the other languages.So you don't think having these languages has set them back without learning the main spanish language?
What areas would you recommend i look into then that are in catchment to a good school? I'd prefer not to drive straight away so within walking distance? Also when i was in playa flamenca i was up against it,trying to get a long term rental.Most seem to want to cash in on the high season so there want many 11 month rentals about.My hubby is in the film industry so needs to commute weekly so i'm trying to find somewhere that fits the kids needs but also doesn't add too much travel time to my husbands journey.

kind regards
dawn


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## dbond81 (Sep 11, 2016)

hi again lol!!

I'm thinking maybe if i list a few things i'm looking for in an area,that might help.Here is my perfect set up if i could have it.Not saying all my boxes can be ticked but i'd be happy with at least a few......

An area with around 15,000 population
Walking distance to good spanish school
Ideally a decent expat community so the kids may have english speaking kids in the playground
Wouldn't like anywhere hilly as its a killer walking up them in the heat with your shopping lol
Added bonus would be somewhere close to a beach & marina

Not asking for much am i lol!! 

kind regards
Dawn


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

dbond81 said:


> Thanks for your reply.Its such a minefield looking into spanish schools.I'm desperate to move but need to get this right as you will understand.You have made me feel a lot better about the kids learning the other languages.So you don't think having these languages has set them back without learning the main spanish language?
> What areas would you recommend i look into then that are in catchment to a good school? I'd prefer not to drive straight away so within walking distance? Also when i was in playa flamenca i was up against it,trying to get a long term rental.Most seem to want to cash in on the high season so there want many 11 month rentals about.My hubby is in the film industry so needs to commute weekly so i'm trying to find somewhere that fits the kids needs but also doesn't add too much travel time to my husbands journey.
> 
> kind regards
> dawn


The main Spanish language is castellano - that's the national language. Valenciano is our local language here. They speak & studied in both.

Far from setting them back, they have an advantage over many in the job market in that they are truly bi-lingual & near as dammit tri-lingual. The older girl also speaks reasonable German. The more languages you learn at a young age, the easier it is to learn more  

All the primary schools are good & used to helping non-Spanish speaking children. If you want to be withing walking distance of a primary school, you need to be in the 'old town', the port or the Arenal. Walking from one of the urbanisations in the surrounding hills would be impossible.

I don't drive - never learned. After a few months 'in the hills' with my husband as taxi, we moved to between the port & the Arenal & I used to cycle to & from the Arenal primary school with my girls.

Once the older one was about to move up to the secondary school in the port, we moved into the port itself, almost right on the beach, & the younger girl went to school on the school bus. 

The agents in Jávea usually deal with either holiday lets or long term lets - they don't as a rule mix them. You don't want an '11 month rental'. They are a con. 

Have a read of this Renting your home long term in Spain


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## dbond81 (Sep 11, 2016)

Thank you so much for your help.Its always nice to pick the brain of someone thats been and done it.This will be me googling like mental on this area now as i have done for the previous place i was interested in.One last question!! Playa flamenca has about 30,000 population i think.Is the old told in javea smaller?

dawn


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## dbond81 (Sep 11, 2016)

sorry old town that was supposed to say! This auto correct keeps changing my words and making me look like an idiot lol


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

dbond81 said:


> sorry old town that was supposed to say! This auto correct keeps changing my words and making me look like an idiot lol


Jávea is almost like 3 distinct small towns in one - plus outlying urbs. I couldn't say how many live in each area, though I are say I could lay my hands on the info if you wanted it.

The 'old town' & the port are more 'Spanish'. There are some of us foreigners living in each, though we're a minority - & more in the Arenal area (which is really the tourist strip) & in the urbs in the surrounding hills, especially the urbs to the south of the town.


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## dbond81 (Sep 11, 2016)

I requested info on a rental in the old town today and was told by the agent that its about a 20/25 minute walk to the school.Which area should i be looking at for walking distance? i.e max 10 minute walk?


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