Hello from Germany – planning our future in Spain

La Marina is a huge complex with different urbanizations within it. La Marina village is on the coast and quite separate.
La Marina urb divides opinions and I wouldn't consider moving there unless I had spent some time there in February (the older houses of single skin construction are very hard to heat) and in August when it will be manic.
Of course it has all the shops and amenities except buses.
I live in the countryside in the foothills of a mountain range with very few neighbours so I am never disturbed by noise into the early hours or dogs barking day and night.
I'm sure you will get replies saying it is a brilliant place to live, but not for me.

Thank you very much for your honest opinion and the helpful advice. The tip to experience the area both in winter and during the height of summer is really useful. We’re also keeping a closer eye on San Fulgencio at the moment, but we definitely want to take our time and get to know the different areas before making a decision. 😊

Another big consideration is whether you will have your own transport or will be relying on buses. The public transport system, unless you are along the N332,  is sadly lacking with very little coverage as you move inland.

Have you been to La Marina Urbanisation? Lots of love it/hate it posts about it. It is part of San Fulgecio with the lower part being very Spanish and not a lot there in the way of entertainments, bars etc. In fact, when we drive through we play a game on guess how many people you will see. Usually 5 is the winner. The upper part of La Marina Urbanisation is very, very British orientated as about 80% of the already 80% foreign population. It has bars, restaurants etc but seems to have a British estate agent on every other corner.

Santa Pola is more a working town with businesses and the foreign population more diverse with many Scandinavian and other Northern European communities. Lots of businesses and so on which are pretty much missing from San Fulgencio/La Marina. 

You have Elche, Torrevieja and Alicante in the same area which all have businesses, shopping malls, industries and so on which are, again, lacking in San Fulgencio/La Marina urbanisation; Those places are also all year round concerns and not so old and retired or seasonal places. 

If I were you, and I'm not because I'm a retired old Brit living on pensions and no work so just loll around enjoying my latter days, but if I were you and wanted to integrate with workers and businesses and so on I would give San Fulgencio/La Marina a bit of a wide berth and look at the larger towns in the area. Far more opportunities and facilities for people who want to make contacts for working, living and having a busy life.

I should also point out that speaking Spanish is pretty essential. Speaking to a dentist some time back and he often got requests for employment from dental nurses. They could speak English only whereas a Polish applicant could speak 6 languages. Guess which one he took on? Our local car dealer has a lady who makes appointments and explains what will happen at services. She is Spanish but speaks excellent English and switches between German and French as well. As do many in so-called menial jobs such as waiting on tables. 

It is, by the way, well worth the move. We have been here permanently for some 16 years but without working; Enjoying the laid back life, the way of life in general and so on but that's as retired. If we were working I would definitely be looking for somewhere more suited. 

Thanks for the tip! We’ll definitely have our own car – with air conditioning, of course! 😅 In Spain, that’s non-negotiable for me. So luckily, we won’t have to rely on public transport.

Thank you very much for all the detailed information. I find the differences between La Marina, San Fulgencio and the larger towns in the surrounding area particularly interesting. I was aware that many foreigners live in La Marina, but I didn’t realise how different the individual areas actually are.

It’s important to me to have shops, doctors and everyday necessities within easy reach. At the same time, I don’t need constant hustle and bustle – a good balance between a quieter life and good infrastructure would be ideal for me.

I’m fully aware of how important Spanish is for everyday life and especially for work, and I’m already learning. If I don’t find the right job opportunity before then, I still have a few years until retirement to continue improving my Spanish.

Nevertheless, I definitely want to give it a try and see what suitable job opportunities might be available. At the same time, I’m realistic and know that finding something that really suits me may not be easy.

I also believe that life in Spain is probably much more relaxed once you’re retired than when you still have to work. 😅 So I’m very happy for you – enjoy your retirement! After 16 years of living there, you certainly know the area from real experience.

Information like this is honestly worth its weight in gold to me, because there are so many things you simply don’t learn from normal research. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience!

Hi

You seem to be getting lots of ‘advice’ I just want to welcome you to the forum and wish you the very best in finding what you are looking for.

I live in Salanas near Sax about 35 km from Alicante roughly northwest from there so a little more inland and Spanish. The buses are quite reliable and the frequency is getting better though Sax has a railway station too. 
Good luck in your search for your fire re home.

Steve 

Hi Steve,
thank you very much for the warm welcome and your kind wishes! 😊
And yes, I’m definitely getting lots of advice already – but it’s actually really helpful to hear from people who live in the area.

I’ll keep Salinas and Sax in mind as well. There’s still a lot for us to discover!

Best wishes,
Nadine

Hi Nadine . Welcome to the group . This forum is so useful and has lots of experienced members. It’s been absolutely amazing for us. Anything you need advice with or just a little bit of knowledge is no problem to anyone … even though you may never ever meet the people. 
So we have just moved to Los Dolses, Alicante literally. We have our visas and all of the other’s paperwork certificates etc you name it. Our TIE appointments are this week. Them just back to the UK to move the rest of our home over here. 

Getting to the point Nadine the paperwork is relentless if you are doing it on your own like we did. And so it should be!

So for the last few areas that we had to cover we used a company called GoSpain. Please check it out. Linden and Irina. They supply a package if you wish for them to do everything for you. They are so professional, friendly, always available and will guide You through anything you want to know to get your TIE, visa, whatever you need. Check their reviews. 

So Nadine hope this info and recommendation is useful and this forum is absolutely brilliant so keep posting 

Debra