Thread: Why did you choose to move to Spain?

As the saying goes; 'Happiness isn't having what you want. It is wanting what you have.' A friend and I were strolling through La Manga holiday / golfing resort. His comments stayed with me.
"Mike, I am working class and there's not that much in my bank account. But see these guys playing golf? Many are fabulously wealthy. But what have they got that you and I haven't got?
"We enjoy the same sunshine and country. We drink in the same bars, eat in the same restaurants, play on the same golf course; enjoy the same beaches -the same lifestyle. We too can have a beautiful girlfriend if we wish. Sure they get a few trimmings but was all that effort worth it?"
Can't argue with that!

Hi,
Think long & Hard as the credit crunch has hit very hard here . I own (not for much longer) a small convenice store and see the daily problems exchange rate,real estate going down , lots of business closing (see Benidoom) and lots of all nationalties are having to return as the high cost of health, power ,water has risen very high no work whatsoever.

And to infom all i am NOT BRITISH but Australian and will be returning to Australia as i can not afford to live here the problem`s with the local authorities have taken there toll on me . the rules & regulations are a nightmare and we are nearly at the end of march and still need expensive heating as the nights & some days are bloody cold

Spain was quite low on my list of where to move. My wife and I spent years travelling around France and infact we bought a large static caravan on a site in La Palmyer near Royan on the west coast. However, this was holidays only. When the oppurtunity to move abroad came about we decided that the weather was not very good and the winters were long and wet and cold. We flew down to Malaga in the April and immediatley became aware of the higher temps. We moved to a rental in Triana, near Velez Malaga and then in Sept bought the house we currently live in. No regrets, speak fluent Spanish and enjoy our retirement without exception. If you want to winge about rising prices try France and you will have plenty to winge about. We have lived full time in Spain for many years and have no intention of returning to the UK.

I,m with you Keddyboy don,t whinge get on with life and here in Spain is a better one for me as well

We get this question from so many Spaniards. They usually get the answer "Sun, lifestyle (cheap booze), etc." but not from us.

Where we were living in UK (Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex) was not a bad area, far from it but so many of the older houses were being converted into flats and the people who were moving into the area were getting rougher, what with mindless vandalism (Council replaces tree, yobs break them down, Council replaces tree....; For sale signs uprooted and thrown onto cars or into other people's gardens, etc.), we'd generally had enough. Our mortgage with various add-ons was £700 per month. Mother-in-law was living with us in a small 2 bed flat....

My wife (18 years younger than me) was working all the hours under the sun and our marriage was beginning to suffer. We looked at a number of other countries as possible relocation destinations and settled on Spain (weather better, healthcare, etc) and found that the people were much nicer and welcoming, the children were much better behaved and generally family values were still respected. Quite often families will go out for lunch on Sunday and you will find 15-20 people around one table in a restaurant from great grandma to the latest babe in arms, all the children are well behaved and will often come over to greet you.

It is great living in a village (I was born in one) where everyone cares (OK so they are a bit nosey) there is often a knock at the door and there is one of the neighbours with some produce (lettuces, broad beans, cherries, melons, olives, etc) from their "huerta".

We could not have found a better place to live and the bonuses are better weather, scenery (we live in the mountains) and wonderful people. Best of all we are mortgage-free and we pay rates here for a year what we were paying for a month in UK and get better services!

P.S.
Sorry to hear Snow is finding it hard, but I am a pensioner and find I am much better off. Healthcare is free (including prescriptions), fuel (diesel currently 82.9 cents/litre in the vilage - Repsol) is cheaper (try France where it is 30+% more - 1.30 last time we went through), we use gas (bombona) for cooking and hot water and have an occasional gas-powered fire, a log burner heats lounge/diner, bedrooms and attic level (logs very cheap if we have to buy but most come for free! - we've got about 5 tonnes in the store)

I have posted on here before - November last year. Well here we are nearly eight months later and if anything my delight in being here has merely hardened my resolve never to return to the UK. I miss absolutely nothing. The only downside is the recession and its effects; but unless one moves to places unthinkable we're all in the same boat.

We currently live in Tenerife. We both took early release from our work in order to get a better quality and slower pace of life; we are only 53 and 44 but consider ourselves semi retired.. We chose Tenerife for the all year round diving (we're both diving Instructors) and as two of our children were moving with us, they knew and felt comfortable on the island. Also Theresa has an eye problem and the light is so much better here than the UK.
Three years on things are now different; one of the children moved back to the UK last year and the other moves back at the end of t month (for studies). We had our own flower delivery business for about 2.5 years and have recently sold it; how we came to have it is a story in itself. The diving work for us as freelance is more or less nil due to the current economic climate; it's an expensive hobby! We also now have three dogs and our house, whilst big enough does not have a garden for them.
We are now looking to move to a smaller place with a land, more than likely to the mainland near to where Theresa's mum lives on Murcia; when that will be is dependant upon selling our house.
Back to the Uk, we could never imagine that!