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Moving to Spain… advice from those who have done it?

An ex-workmate was on the verge of retiring with his wife to rural France, and this had been their dream for decades.
Then he went home one day, and his wife asked what would happen to her if, after a year or so, he popped his clogs. She might be left with few friends, no family nearby, and a house that wouldn’t enable her to buy her own place if she had to return.

They stayed here.
We’ve had this discussion…( I’m 59 & the Mrs is 55) if she goes first, would I be happy to stay in Spain & if I went first, (which is more likely), what would she do…
Reckon I’d be happy to stay in Spain, the Mrs would probably want to come back to Blighty.
Grandkids…… none on the horizon yet, our daughter is the career & dogs, not kids type. But yep, that may change down the line.
Medical stuff? The private system in Spain is excellent, so if/when we need work done I’d be happy to have it done in Spain rather than go back for the NHS.
 

Actually thinking about it Oscar came from the village above Competa, about a mile away.

We walked there for lunch one day, really nice wee place only one restaurant and hotel combined if I recall correctly.

Archez is down the hill a bit isn't it?
 
Yup, Canillas De Albaida. Archez below as you say, Corumbela, Daimalos, Arenas and finally down into Velez Malaga. It's a pleasant alternate route to the Sayalonga, Algorrobo...
 
Yup, Canillas De Albaida. Archez below as you say, Corumbela, Daimalos, Arenas and finally down into Velez Malaga. It's a pleasant alternate route to the Sayalonga, Algorrobo...

Loved going to Competa, we went three years in a row, first year was the day after August 15th the place was basically asleep for a week:D second year we went in July I think then the last year we were there during the festival, if I never hear Frank Sinatra's my way again it will be too soon:rolleyes:

Had a few days in a beautiful boutique hotel in Velez Malaga, an old bishop's palace that was run by a Dutch lady, Velez was okay but a bit of a working town decent restaurants though, then up to Granada for three days, we got the bus from Velez which is why we went to Velez.
 
I did look some time ago and apparently you need to prove a income of £2000 per month and have full health insurance , Maybe more now as well
 
First build a time machine, then go back in time and shoot Brexit. That done retiring to Spain shouldn’t present much of a logistical issue.
 
I did look some time ago and apparently you need to prove a income of £2000 per month and have full health insurance , Maybe more now as well
That’s correct. For a couple it goes down a bit, about £3500pm for the two of you I think.
I think that’s rattled a few cages of those brits trying to live an ultra cheap life in Spain, maybe staying off the radar so to speak, but that’s not our situation, so luckily for us that won’t prove to be an issue.
 
First build a time machine, then go back in time and shoot Brexit. That done retiring to Spain shouldn’t present much of a logistical issue.

Amen to that. It's certainly affected my plans to retire to the Dordogne.
 
That’s correct. For a couple it goes down a bit, about £3500pm for the two of you I think.
I think that’s rattled a few cages of those brits trying to live an ultra cheap life in Spain, maybe staying off the radar so to speak, but that’s not our situation, so luckily for us that won’t prove to be an issue.

In the run-up to to the vote it was a surprise to me that the Brits in Spain (or at least the ones interviewed by the BBC etc.) mostly seemed to be in favour of Brexit.
 
In the run-up to to the vote it was a surprise to me that the Brits in Spain (or at least the ones interviewed by the BBC etc.) mostly seemed to be in favour of Brexit.

The heat obviously damaged their brains. Plus, of course, the cheap booze and fish 'n chips.
 
The heat obviously damaged their brains. Plus, of course, the cheap booze and fish 'n chips.

As far as I could make out their problem appeared to be that Spain wasn't British enough (or maybe didn't appreciate them enough) and that Brexit was going to fix that somehow.
 
My parents in law had a second house in Caleta de Velez. Loved going there. No experience in living in Spain for a longer period, I only know that selling the house was a pain in the ***. Local government aren’t easy to work with!
 
This is a wide ranging topic but I will try to be brief. Firstly I have not taken out Spanish residency, I am merely a tourist who owns a couple of properties in Spain and as such have always adhered to the pre Brexit 183 day rule and now the 90 day + the 90 day break rule. In all fairness Brexit has not really had much of an impact on the Expat community, most of the noise comes from the 365 day in the UK mob.

The Brits who curse the day they came out here are the ones who can't afford to go back to the UK because Spanish house prices have been level since 2007 whilst they have climbed in the UK and they know that if they do return, they will have no option but to rent and that horrifies them.

I would say that 95% of Expats want to die in the UK. Spain is a brilliant place to retire to as long as you have a fully paid up bolt hole to return to when you get to old to look after yourself. I still have the house in the UK and two in Spain. The first place I bought is an apartment which is up for sale and I now live in a villa with a pool etc and it is a brilliant way of life.

Why is Spain a good place to retire ? The answer is very good weather that nearly always makes you feel better. You never catch a cold out here and the sunshine certainly boosts your health. There is a better sense of community as everyone tends to help each other out and making friends is the name of the game. You can live much better for the same money as Spain has a much lower cost of living for most things. The food is considerably better than the second grade muck you buy in UK supermarkets and the local wines are just wonderful and dirt cheap. The Spanish are very welcoming because we spend money that boosts their economy but we don't pinch their jobs.

What is bad about Spain? The mañana does your head in, if you are promised something on Tuesday, it will happen on Thursday and the Spanish just can't understand why that is so annoying. Their attitude is just live with it as it will happen sooner or later. The Spanish love noise as it is a sign of life whilst the Brits regard it as a form of pollution. Dogs barking all day long is something you get acclimatised to eventually. People talking in their gardens at two in the morning is nothing unusual when the weather is hot and eventually you end up joining them. So when in Spain, do as the Spanish do.

The best advice is to rent for 90 days and rent again for 90 days when you come back and then rent again. It takes quite a long time to work out what suits you the best. Do you want to live on the coast in a lively town or a fishing village. Do you want to live 10 miles inland where there are loads of 4 bed villas with lots of land and a pool or do you want to go further up in the hills where it is truly Spanish and picturesque.

I have chosen to live on a quiet town on the coast about 3/4s of a mile inland. I can see the sea from my front bedroom balcony and the mountains start at my back garden and go on for miles.

If you go down the residenci route, keep your existing property in the UK and either let your kids use it or rent it out because one day you will want to come back.

Everything was going brilliantly last year until my wife suffered a stroke. This meant I did not know if we would ever leave the UK again but fortunately she is making a steady recovery and we flew over for a 3 month stint a couple of weeks ago. The warm weather and the daily use of the pool to exercise is doing her the world of good and hopefully we will be able to come over here for a few years to come but the fact that we have a house ready and waiting is a great comforting factor. Retirees soon learn that uncertainty is the only certainty.

I am currently at this moment sat beside the pool, drinking a large gin and tonic which contains a fresh lemon cut from one of my lemon trees and it is brilliant. Oh and the temperature is a nice 27 degrees. Try living like that in the UK, so yes just make sure you do it.
 
Most of you are planning a temporary move, ie a very long holiday. Things are different if you plan to emigrate permanently, as I have done.
 
If all Brits moves to Spain, it gives me plenty of room to move to GB. Preferably Devon or Cornwall.

So, please, carry on!
 
I think Mick nails all the points to consider.

The Brits who curse the day they came out here are the ones who can't afford to go back to the UK because Spanish house prices have been level since 2007 whilst they have climbed in the UK and they know that if they do return, they will have no option but to rent and that horrifies them.

That certainly mirrors my experience of France too. The UK mentality to residential property values baffles most other people and the expectation that property prices just rise in the medium/long term is right off the agenda.

Re-Brexit, it should be no surprise that a lot of ex-pat immigrants are immune to the irony of enjoying pre-Brexit benefits while being happy to deny them to others. Such as the hospitality and in many cases, better medical care of another country. They still get fed a steady online UK tabloid diet of how immigration is ruining the homeland and it's going to the dogs. They would be jabbing their fingers at waitors on Clacton seafront if they were not in Spain.
 
I'm not sure I follow the logic of keeping a 'bolt-hole' in the UK for when you are 'too old to look after yourself' ? If you are too old to look after yourself surely that means you cannot stay in that bolt-hole either ? It implies either staying with relatives or a care-home doesn't it ?
Chronic illness might be a scenario where you need the bolt-hole and the NHS. Depends on the illness. And whether you can stay in Spain depends on the cost of health insurance and easy access to medical treatment.
Choosing a house location within an hour of a cardiac hospital is also probably wise for anyone in their 60s or older.
 


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