[TammyRobey]

Hi everyone,

I have just joined!
My husband and I are looking at moving from West London to Spain, but we are unsure of what areas to look at, so looking for some help please.
I am 28 and he is 33, we own our own business and work from home so we need a pretty good internet connection. Other than that our requirements are:
At or very close to a nice beach(s)
An area that isn't massively popular with tourists, a small town feel
Somewhere with good schools and Hospitals
Easy access to airports with international flights (London, Dubai, USA, Canada)
Fairly low housing prices (not like Barcelona for example)
We like to be close enough to somewhere with bars etc, but want to live out of the hustle and tourist area.
Bit of luxury but a layer back feel is what we are looking for
And of course warm temperatures all year round.

If you can offer any advice and tips, we would very much appreciate it

Thanks guys!

 

[90199]

Canary Islands for the year round climate, no winters here.

 

[Alcalaina]

I doubt you'd get a flight to Dubai etc from the Canaries. You are probably going to have to do a connecting flight via Madrid (or Barcelona?) for these long haul trips. I would start looking at the area east of Málaga city, it seems to tick most of your boxes.

 

[thrax]

I think one issue might be close to an airport and close to the beach but without tourists. Those first two requirements generally result in tourists. As Alcalaina said, east of Malaga city does have some towns and villages that tick the boxes and they are nowhere near as busy with tourists as many places west of Malaga but nevertheless you will still find tourists all along the CDS. We rarely go to the beaches frequented by tourists from June through to September but either drive inland for a bit of peace or stay at home and jump in the pool. When we aren't working, or shopping, or cooking, or looking after the 5 year old, or visiting parents, or visiting friends, or being visited by parents and/or friends, or looking after the cats, or cleaning out the chickens etc etc etc.....

 

[hwmartin]

Axarquia (east of Malaga) has my vote too. Check out the the website ww.absoluteaxarquia.com for an insite to the area. Just about to complete on our little bolthole there. 45 minutes from airport, 30 minutes from beaches, 15 minutes from lakes. Stunning scenery. Peace and quiet.....Paradise!

 

[90199]

I doubt you'd get a flight to Dubai etc from the Canaries. You are probably going to have to do a connecting flight via Madrid (or Barcelona?) for these long haul trips. I would start looking at the area east of Málaga city, it seems to tick most of your boxes.

Several airlines fly to Dubai from Las Palmas,

 

[EdofWigan]

Why not draw a circle radiating out from Alicante City, an acceptable commute for you and your partner. Take into account the excellent tram service that runs, here and there from the city.

Alicante City to the Airport by nice bus is 3 Euros, btw or 20 Euros by taxi.

Open Google maps and see what takes your fancy

 

[The Quilt]

Somewhere near Malaga Airport I'd look at.

 

[Rockpea]

Hello! How exciting - I wish you all the luck with your plans, and hope you make your dream a reality

I guess I can only really talk knowledgeably about the area we have bought in - although I've visited other parts of Spain, I don't know them nearly well enough to recommend or not!

We had a similar vision to you - only on a much smaller budget I'm sure! We wanted somewhere close to an airport, accessible to the sea/resort life when we wanted some fun, but based in a quiet area so that we didn't feel like we were permanently 'on holiday'. We don't live there permanently yet, but one day we hope to! (we're working on it!)

Anyway, we fell in love with the Murcia region, particularly the Mar Menor area. Compared to places further north it's relatively unspoilt, yet still 'touristy' enough to have lots to do and a bit of nightlife when we want it! We ended up in a village called Dolores de Pacheco which is 3km from Los Alcazares (a resort on the Mar Menor). Dolores is pretty small - only 2k residents - but it has a few bars/cafes, a supermarket, ferreteria, farmacia etc. so everything you NEED within easy walking distance. Yes it's a very short drive to the sea and larger shops in Loc Alcazares, San Javier etc. Indeed, we can walk to the beach in under an hour - obviously a fair effort, but still nice to be able to do it (and we have!).

We had assumed, on our budget, that we'd have to settle for an apartment, but we've ended up with a two bedroom townhouse, with large front and back terraces, master bedroom balcony *and* a roof terrace. And there's a shared pool, which is perfect as we knew we wouldn't want the hassle/overhead of maintaining a private pool, but did want somewhere to have a dip when we didn't want to go to the beach

Best of all, our house is about a 4 minute drive from Murcia airport (yet not on the flight path)! Unfortunately Murcia is no good if you want to go anywhere other than a few selected UK airports it seems! But luckily Bristol is one of them And the beauty is that Alicante airport is only a 50 minute drive for those flying in from other airports. I'm not sure if you can go to many international spots from Alicante, but worth checking out?

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this into the mix while you're researching areas to view! Good luck

RP

 

[EdofWigan]

Alicante for European destinations or the high speed train Alicante to Madrid (2 hours 30 minutes and 30 Euros) when you are going to the USA etc...