Torrevieja Forum and Discussion Board

We are looking to buy a property in torrevieja, we first wish to rent a property for a month or more, so my wife and I can acclimatize to the area, as we are both senior citizen's, we have the usual ailments that accompanies old age! Would this be something you could advise? Timing would be April/May, though these could be moved. Unfortunately, because of Brexit, we are unsure of the period of stay we would be allowed. Any advice would be appreciated, many thanks regards, Geoff

April and May are 2 good months as you have long evenings and the weather is warm and not too hot. Have you done the family tree to see if you have any grandparents along the way who would entitle you to an EU passport If you are a British passport holder then you are treated as a 3rd country so you can stay for 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen Area. This is a rolling 180 days. If you are not going to have a car for getting about then it is best to either stay in Torrevieja centre or on a good regular bus route.

Bee

I’m wondering if you plan to buy in Spain to live or to holiday. There’s a big difference. As Bee explained, since Brexit, anyone planning to move to live in Spain will have to satisfy the Spanish authorities that you will have enough money to live on. It’s fairly high so check that. If you plan to buy to holiday in Spain, things will be an awful lot easier.
Living in Spain permanently can be a shock as we all assume that Spain is hot all year round. Not so. At the moment we are here visiting and unless we have adequate heating on, the house is Baltic. It reminds me of life during the 50’s and 60’s.
You couldn’t begin to imagine how cold it is. The walls aren’t insulated the way they are at home. Very few houses/ apartments have central heating and rely on using the zircon to warm rooms but rarely will there be an aircon unit in the hall or landing and when you open the door, you won’t believe how cold it is! I’m not trying to put you off, I’m simply marking your card. We have a big gas fire in our living room and aircon. Heaters in both bathrooms and aircon in all bedrooms. I’d really need to turn all the units on in every room in order to remove the cold from the house which I have done but not everyone wants to pay to heat rooms they aren’t using.
Transport. Unless you buy in Torrevieja or La Mata or perhaps on the Orihuela Costa, you would benefit from having a car. In truth, a car gives you freedom to pop here and there as you would at home. I’d recommend getting a car. Bus service in Torrevieja is excellent and very cheap eg €1.35. There are beaches for bathing in Torrevieja so if you chose to buy an apartment, you’d be within walking distance to the sea.
Eating out is very reasonable indeed A glass of wine costs about €1.60 or thereabouts. A set menu is available at mist restaurants at lunchtime for about €11. ( 3 courses) could include a drink as well.
Groceries are cheaper but recently have increased in price similar to home.
If you buy a place you’ll need a good area to dry your washing. Failing that, there are some excellent launderettes.
Some people over here believe it’s more economical to rent here permanently and keep your place at home. You could rent it out or keep it for your own use during the very hot season eg July/ August.
We drove over to Zenia Boulevard the other day ( huge outdoor shopping centre). On our way, we passed a small bungalow. On the terrace, an older man was sitting relaxing in the sun. I immediately realised that many, many retirees have a wonderful and simple lifestyle living in Spain. No way would you be sitting outside at 11.30am at home without a heavy coat on!
Yes, the Spanish lifestyle is ideal compared to a busier and more costly existence at home but please be prepared for the pitfalls.
You won’t need half the clothes you think you need at home but you would benefit from having your electric blanket snd a 13.5 tog duvet for winter and a 4 tog for summer or a sheet. You’ll need aircon.
I could make list after list but I’d only bore you so book your flights and pack your bags. Why not choose 2 or 3 locations and take a couple of breaks or hire a car and stay in a few areas. This is only a suggestion but give it some thought.
All the best. I hope you find the perfect place to spend your later life in. Cheers. Rosemary.

Good comprehensive post Rosemary., and you couldn't add much more to it.
Yes life isn't perfect here, but is it anywhere and when you look at the pros and cons, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
One of the pros of course is the weather although you wouldn't think so at the moment, and yes the houses are definitely not built to keep warm, but we have oil fired central heating AND fitted carpets throughout, so we're as snug as bugs in a rug.
But we only have four to six weeks to go and then the good weather will be back for the rest of the year.
But we came here to retire early and we were going to make the go of it no mattter what, and 23 years later we have no regrets whatsoever, well maybe one, and that is the time has gone so quick ...too quick.