Help me think about thinking about getting a house in Spain 1 location
March 17, 2019 11:23 AM Subscribe
Mr LB gets SAD. A recent holiday in the sun very much perked him up, so his wondering about getting a place to spend time at in winter seems to be something we need to look at. Don't worry about impending Brexit as this is a longer-term project so we can wait and see what happens. Must-haves and hopes below. Where do you suggest having a look at in Spain?
Not after advice on living there at the moment though will come back and ask that later. What I'm looking for right nos is areas to look at.
Musts:
mainland not Islands
accessfulbe by air from several UK airports
Accessible by rail through Europe
By the sea
A real town not just an ex pat enclave
Significant daylight / sun hours during European winter
Likes:
Not a very British enclave with only British pubs etc - we are Europeans, will learn the language, will seek to adapt culturally
Accessible city nearby (unless there is a city that is all of this)
Doesn't mater:
Jobs - both able to work remotely / self employed
Thank you!
Not after advice on living there at the moment though will come back and ask that later. What I'm looking for right nos is areas to look at.
Musts:
mainland not Islands
accessfulbe by air from several UK airports
Accessible by rail through Europe
By the sea
A real town not just an ex pat enclave
Significant daylight / sun hours during European winter
Likes:
Not a very British enclave with only British pubs etc - we are Europeans, will learn the language, will seek to adapt culturally
Accessible city nearby (unless there is a city that is all of this)
Doesn't mater:
Jobs - both able to work remotely / self employed
Thank you!
I'm due to visit friends soon who have a holiday house in Salobreña. They picked the town for a few of your reasons: it's on the coast, it has a bit of character, there's a regular bus service from Malaga, and Malaga has good year-round connecting flights to Dublin.
For your conditions, there's no train service to Salobrena itself, but Malaga has good high-speed rail connections. Salobrena is almost due south from Granada, so you're close to the Sierra Nevada national park as well as being on the coast.
posted by Azara at 1:02 PM on March 17, 2019
For your conditions, there's no train service to Salobrena itself, but Malaga has good high-speed rail connections. Salobrena is almost due south from Granada, so you're close to the Sierra Nevada national park as well as being on the coast.
posted by Azara at 1:02 PM on March 17, 2019
Valencia? It has a lot of expats, sure, but it's a large enough city that you can mostly avoid them, if you want
posted by horizons at 4:40 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by horizons at 4:40 PM on March 17, 2019
If you're looking for a bigish city, Valencia. If you're looking for a smallish city, Oliva, which is 70km south of Valencia.
Oliva has the ocean and mountains, old architecture and new. Oldskool restaurants and new. I was there for 3 months last year. There are a handful of British pubs but only a handful. The rest is authentic Valencian or modern takes on traditional food.
Depending on your pocketbook, there are surrounding cities that suit different budgets: Forna in the mountains, Gandia, Denia, and Pile near the water. Valencia is only an hour and a bit away.
There is no train in Oliva, but there is in Gandia, which is a 20min drive or 45 min walk. Playa Oliva is the area closer to the ocean (right on it).
Photos from my trip are here. Most are in Oliva (including the first one, which shows half the town in the north end (furthest from water)). Some are from surrounding towns and all but the one of the man smoking on the balcony and the one under it (which are in Valencia) are within walking / hiking distance from Oliva. I lived both in the Playa and the city proper. Feel free to message me if you have questions.
posted by dobbs at 5:52 PM on March 17, 2019
Oliva has the ocean and mountains, old architecture and new. Oldskool restaurants and new. I was there for 3 months last year. There are a handful of British pubs but only a handful. The rest is authentic Valencian or modern takes on traditional food.
Depending on your pocketbook, there are surrounding cities that suit different budgets: Forna in the mountains, Gandia, Denia, and Pile near the water. Valencia is only an hour and a bit away.
There is no train in Oliva, but there is in Gandia, which is a 20min drive or 45 min walk. Playa Oliva is the area closer to the ocean (right on it).
Photos from my trip are here. Most are in Oliva (including the first one, which shows half the town in the north end (furthest from water)). Some are from surrounding towns and all but the one of the man smoking on the balcony and the one under it (which are in Valencia) are within walking / hiking distance from Oliva. I lived both in the Playa and the city proper. Feel free to message me if you have questions.
posted by dobbs at 5:52 PM on March 17, 2019
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posted by theory at 12:17 PM on March 17, 2019 [1 favorite]