Making the Move to Spain - Page 2

Thanks Kim, will add it to our list of areas to research and visit. Just took the dog for a short run, it's raining, and bloody freezing!!

Thanks for the advice, long term rental is certainly an option we are considering. Plus we wont need anything too large as it will just be the two of us, the dog and whatever we pack in the van. Probably look at a small  long term rental to use as a base and tour different areas in the van for a few weeks each month.

Hola MarkR605,

As other contributors have pointed out, each town has its merits and visiting and ' sampling' is the best way to decide on which suits you best.We have lived in Pinoso for three years, after 9 years living on a urbanizacion outside of  San Miguel de Salinas , so will try and restrict my comments to living here viz a viz .

There are lots of places to walk here, being situated as it is, inland. You WILL have difficulty finding anywhere here to paddleboard though (that will involve a drive to the coast-1 hour away )! When we retired and were wondering what to do with ourselves and having visited Pinoso on several occasions through work; we decided to investigate a move there, rather than ' another town  along the coast' so to speak. YES, property prices here are, generally speaking, substantially cheaper/more land for your money, than nearer the coast.Might i recommend a estate agent here in Pinoso - Fincasdeltel. Antonio speaks excellent english and is VERY knowledgeable on the property market here.

The people here (VAST majority of which are Spanish), are EXTREMELY friendly . We lived, as i said, for many years down near the coast , but it took a matter of weeks of being here before staff in bars acknowledged and recognised us when using their bars ; a complete contrast to those in San Miguel/general coastal area -this was the first thing that we noticed.It has taken us a while, after being able to go eating / drinking on any day of the week and at any time of day down on the coast;to bear in mind that, being a typical Spanish town, bars/restaurants do not necessarily open 24/7 (manner of speaking) here . There is a multitude of bars and restaurants here, albeit not a decent Italian!

We do not regret the move inland ; but there are fewer ' entertainment facilities' readily available here than on a typical large urbanisation near the coast. Everyone is different , but i would say that, if you wanted to integrate more ; you would be better living in a place such as Pinoso than many others we have visited on the coast.But this is a personal opinion. For instance i would much rather have lived in Guardamar than La Marina-but surely that is a matter of 'horses for courses' as they say .

It is not my intention here to spark a discussion that 'my town is better than yours' ; i am just trying to give a impression of how WE feel, having experienced 'both sides' .

As per previous contributors, do ensure you have all relevantn docs to hand; dont know if you know it but HMRC have a informative site (living in spain).Get over here, you will enjoy it wherever you move to, i feel certian, we certainly do not regret making the move; and good luck in your search.

One contributor mentioned ' pollution '- WHERE ? Indeed, upon entering the time, there are signs advertising the fact that Pinoso is renowned for its clean air!

To get better and informative answers you will need to give a little more information, ie, do want a tourist area that gets manic in summer but closes down in winter, do you want to be right by all amenities, on the beach , on a large urbanisation ( some of which are huge) or a smaller village with most amenities but a short drive/cycle ride to a full range of amenities. Consider distance from airport especially if family or friends are likely to visit. Once people understand your needs you will get a greater response but be careful as there are people who over egg places and people who paint doom and gloom.

Good luck

Many thanks for the sage advice and we were unaware of the HMRC  site, so will definitely be taking a good look over the weekend. I had planned on leaving the RAF on the 30 Nov, and moving over early next year but defered it until next Oct due to the uncertainty around Brexit and COVID. The problem is we keep seeing so many properties which would suit our needs it is hard to remain focused on the current plan.

If you dont mind we will keep in touch through this forum and seek advice nearer the time, or if our dream home comes up in Pinoso the next few months.

Ideally we would like something within walking distance (around 20 minutes) to a few resteraunts and Tapas Bars and a supermarket. We are not worried about the tourism side as we want to integrate and learn Spanish. Two bedroom minimum with some outside space. Also the ability to go for a whole day of walking without having to get in the car. An hour to one of the major airports is fine, and although being near the sea is not a priority, our dog thinks he is a fish, so a lake within a 20 minute drive would be ideal.

I like La Mata. It’s a great place to be if you like walking. As well as a beautiful beach over the main road there’s a lovely natural park around the salt lakes. 

I would do lots of internet searches, contact reputable estate agents, give them a list of your priorities and budget, if this helps we are in a small village called Daya Vieja, 9km from fantastic beaches, 10-15 mins to Guadamar, mainly Spanish but a good smattering of other European nationalities, small shop, bakery, dr's, chemist and 3 bars/ reastruants, one of the best estate agents you will ever come across in nearby Benijofar is Casas Manuel as seen on sun sea and selling houses. Daya Vieja is very agricultural, lots of fantastic walks and you get a lot of property for your money being just a few km away from everything. Also only 20 min drive from Alicy airport.

Hola MarkR605,

The govt website address :

www,gov.uk/livinginspain . You can sign up to receive regular updatesn and,of course, the info is 'from the horses mouth' .

Hi Mark and Mandy,

Well, firstly well done on the decision re living / lifestyle. That is the first step. We know Pinoso very well, our bank is there and TFX (aka Currencies4You but also offering a lot of other useful services such as car replating etc). Pinoso is nice but you have other choices nearby such as Sax and Monover, where we bought. Good cost profile, lovely views, great amenities etc.

I can send you our blog if that helps? PM me an email address if so. It has helped a few people already. We moved in 1st October in what we discovered afterward to be Storm Alec, bought in February and then of course there was lock-down.

It is definitely worth staying in an area so as to orientate yourself first, perhaps even rent for a short while.

Our best wishes in your search, and life in Spain! That is certainly something you will not regret.

D&J