I am giving serious consideration to moving to the Costa Del Sol in the coming months and whilst the numerous positive aspect are immediately apparent I want to give more thought about some of the drawbacks that are not so apparent until you have lived there for a while.
I don?t mean in a sentimental way ( i.e. missing family / friends ) but in a practical way…
So what cant you get / buy?
What is it hard to arrange?
What services cant you get?
What services are poorly provided?
What industries are only carried out by the Spanish and through language barriers do you struggle to deal with?
What kind of areas have people found it hard to adjust to when moving.
Any input would be greatly appreciated as I really want to know what I?m up against when making such a big decision and try and combat the problems or plan ahead to avoid them from arising.
I think it is good to see people trying to do some sensible research
So what cant you get / buy?
Nothing if you live in areas with Expats, if not you might have to accept Spanish alternatives, no problem unless you want Marmite
What is it hard to arrange?
Nothing, if you speak some Spanish and take the right papers with you
What services cant you get?
Spain is not 3rd world.
What services are poorly provided?
We moan about Telefonica - but remember BT ?
What industries are only carried out by the Spanish and through language barriers do you struggle to deal with?
Don’t understand the question (but probably the answer is none, see above)
What kind of areas have people found it hard to adjust to when moving.
You must adjust your culture and thinking. ie Don’t expect your favourite little shop to be open at 15.30 and then whinge because they are not with questions like ‘Dont they want to make money’ Well yes they do, but not at lunch time, so come back at 5pm when its cooler and everyone else is around.
I wish you well, but be prepared to adapt a little.
We moved to a small rural town in Cadiz province 15 months ago and the quality of life has exceeded all our expectations. I can’t speak for Costa del Sol, obviously there are a lot more ex-pats there, so I’m sure it has a completely different feel.
Two things are essential: a good internet connection, and a reasonable knowledge of Spanish - i.e. more than just the vocab you need for ordering a meal. Do an evening class before you come, don’t rely on books and CDs.
So what cant you get / buy?
Decent teabags. We go to Morrisons in Gibraltar every few months to stock up. Women’s shoes over size 40 can be hard to find ...
What is it hard to arrange?
Registering an English car with Spanish plates - there are about 8 stages involved! But there are people around who will do it for you for a fee. Health, residence, driving licences etc - all easy-peasy.
What services cant you get?
There are any number of ex-pats trying to earn a living off each other so it is unlikely you will find anything you can’t get.
What services are poorly provided?
Post can be slow depending where you live, but we order lots of stuff from Amazon and eBay and nothing has ever got lost. Telefonica (phone and internet) were a problem initially but their customer service has improved considerably over the last year. Shops don’t open on Sundays and there are numerous public holidays, so it’s a good idea to keep a well-stocked freezer. Depending where you live there can be power cuts especially after thunderstorms. Household rubbish is collected every day but you have to take it to the nearest skip. Recycling is gradually catching on.
What industries are only carried out by the Spanish and through language barriers do you struggle to deal with?
Unless you are happy to pay over the odds, it is sensible to get Spanish builders for any work you have done. They are NOT lazy (not round here, anyway - there is too much unemployment for that). The Andalus accent is a bit of a shock - a bit like learning BBC English and landing up in Glasgow - so it’s good to get people to write things down until you get used to it.
What kind of areas have people found it hard to adjust to when moving.
We had no problem adjusting but it really depends on what sort of person you are. It is important to keep some sort of structure in your day, otherwise it’s too easy to sit around like you are on a permanent holiday and end up drinking too much. We have met quite a few people like that.
The climate is of course much more extreme than the UK and the winter nights can be very cold, especially if you don’t have central heating - most houses are not insulated. If you live in a village amongst Spanish people you have to remember they live life very much out-of-doors and it can be noisy until very late at night.
Mistreatment of domestic animals can be upsetting - although this occurs more through ignorance than cruelty I think.
Hi, I moved over to central spain a couple of months ago. Im living in a small village in castilla la mancha where the nearest city or large town is quite far away. Still havent got home internet access so Im sitting in a cyber cafe in a ramshackle type of town. So I know i cant get many things that I could get in uk easily.
So what cant you get / buy?
I think you can get just about every type of thing, but not a range of choices.
What is it hard to arrange?
Buying a 2nd hand car - not many garages around here that sell.
What services cant you get?
Not sure yet, but internet access requires a strong aerial Ive been told.
Also, the terrestrial and digital services collide so we have poor reception for terrestrial and digital reception seems to be non existent most of the time. Seemingly they are putting up a booster before next april Ive been told.
What services are poorly provided?
Lots of individual shops but some owners seem to think that customers owe them.
What industries are only carried out by the Spanish and through language barriers do you struggle to deal with?
Not sure yet.
What kind of areas have people found it hard to adjust to when moving.
I find it hard being so remote. I cant just pop to Borders to browse books, or go and have a pint in a comfy sofa. However I knew this before I came. I just miss it right now because I dont have my shipment of goods delivered yet. Been living basically for 2 months and just a bit tired.
It all depends on personal experience I guess…
Some things are ‘general’ in that yes, if you are near the coast/an Ex Pat community there should be a supply of English goods.
For many (read my personal experience), red tape is a pain. Even when you think you have got the right person lined up (whether you speak good enough Spanish yourself or take an interpreter if it is a serious legal matter), it doesn’t always go according to plan. The Spanish (IMO) are NOT PROACTIVE. So don’t expect someome to come up with ideas/do extra over and above what you ask them to do. I am not saying they are not willing/not helpful, they just think in a different way than us.
On the whole it is worth giving up all the ‘familiarities’ of the UK way of life as IMO (again), it is a whole lot better here. (I have been here 10yrs and have never been tempted to go back).
It can be a bit of a struggle at times, but on balance - Best decision I ever made 😉
(I don’t even miss the weekend papers anymore. And the pint of guiness in the pub - I get that as a treat when I go to visit my parents once a year 😉
I don’t miss anything at all about the UK. Everything here in Spain more than compensates for the things I thought I might miss, which puts things into perspective. If I were to return to the UK (perish the thought) it would be far easier to explain what I missed about Spain.
I agree that what we miss is more than compensated for by what we gain, in living in Spain!
The only things are I miss I generally find I COULD have bought or sorted locally somehow - but as I go back to the UK every couple of months I just keep a running list of stuff to pick up. Like M&S non-iron school shirts! I am sure eventually someone will tell me that I can buy them nearby - and yes I know M&S deliver to Spain but I only want a couple for a 5 yr old - so it’s as easy to pick them up when I go.
Bookshops yes, I do miss browsing, and also find the cost of some secondhand English bookshops here shocking - 4 or 5 Euros for a tatty paperback - again I’d rather give a charity in the UK ?2 when I’m there. For new books, Amazon packages posted singly are redirected for free!
I agree BuenosDiasPet ... you just jogged my memory. It took me years to venture into a charity shop in the UK. I think I would rather have friends seeing me go into a porn shop. lol. Once in the charity shops I was hooked. The bargains to be had. I used to even buy stuff that I didn’t need. Wall pictures; furniture, great leather jackets; But most of all books and CDs.
You are quite right. There’s nothing like them here in Spain and yes, several euros for a tatty paperback. I blame people for buying them. What is Amazon delivery like here? I used to order DVDs regularly.
I only live part-time in Spain. When I’m there I don’t miss anything British, but as a foodie and keen cook, I do miss the ethnic stuff. Here in Glasgow I’m used to authentic Pakistani, Chinese, Thai, Middle Eastern, Italian, Polish (etc.) food shops. I can’t find anything like that in Spain, except perhaps in Madrid and Barcelona. In Scotland I can find about thirty different kinds of rice within an hour’s search; in Spain, I can usually only find one, and it’s arroz bomba (which doesn’t go well with a curry). Also our local Spanish butcher sells the best pork I’ve ever tasted, but that’s more or less it; the odd rabbit or chicken, game in season, but it’s rare that he even has lamb or beef. You’d better like pork (and fish) if you’re coming to live in Spain!
Apart from food (which is any case much better quality and value than in Britain, if more limited in variety) it’s actually easier to find most things in Spain. The fereteria is a great institution that’s almost died out in the UK - an old-fashioned hardware store that sells a million useful things. Pharmacies, tobacconists, furniture shops, builder’s merchants - all these traditional businesses are run by people who know about what they’re selling in Spain, unlike most places I know in the UK, and as a result they can give you a great service. Don’t be afraid to ask for something they don’t have in stock, by the way - they’re used to ordering stuff specially. Remember that Spanish customers are very demanding, so shop keepers and other people providing goods and services are used to being shouted at and hassled - it’s not considered rude and sometimes you have to do it to get what you want. One other downside - Spanish fashion shops (big cities only) have great clothes, but they’re always low on larger sizes because Spaniards are smaller and skinnier than Northern Europeans. Might not affect you, but it does me!
As noted here by others, it’s absolutely essential to get to a decent level in Spanish as quickly as you possibly can. The alternative is over-reliance on the guiri community, getting ripped off repeatedly, and generally missing out on all the best aspects of living in Andalucia.
Well, I’ve been here now since September and starting to get into the groove so to speak - and hell, its a deep groove sometimes! To start with I was just thinking about all the things I miss in uk. I had to return there for a few weeks in october and after a couple of days I was already thinking positively about my new home in spain. I dont know what triggered it. Now back in spain and its frustrating alot of the time. My wife who is spanish gets annoyed with the spanish way of thinking as well. They just dont think outside of the box. Im now about to join spanish classes as my understanding of spanish is limited, esp. in ‘el campo’.
Oh, and I now have free wi-fi at home. Had to pay for vpn tunnel usage so I could watch BBC iPlayer, but its a small price to pay imo.
Steve: I had the same experience when I went home for my first time - I REALLY started to appreciate my new home in Spain at that point. Wifi and TV from home really help, but the biggest thing is, indeed, learning Spanish. The “Spanish way of thinking” doesn’t seem an accurate way of describing their behaviour when you’re not speaking their own language; that just doesn’t quite seem fair, especially when you’re talking about people en el campo. 😊
Fair play expatriator I respect your comment. Its just that my wife also seems to find the surroundings a bit ‘closed minded’ and she is from here originally. However, its a bit of a generelisation to say that so I will hold my breath for a while until I grasp more of the language.
I guess I miss a few of my friends and I dont have the freedom to drive or go where I want as I have to rely on other people. Never had to do this before in my comfy life back in uk so its a bit difficult to get used to and its frustrating to say the least, even with a wife who speaks to lingo and knows her way around. Anyway, internet makes things much easier and one thing I do like about where I am is the clear skies at night - reignited my interest in the stars. (I’ll get me coat - ha ha!!).
We dont have our own car as we sold (i went back to uk and sold my uk car) the one we drove down in. Borrowing my father inlaw’s car to do drop offs etc. But really need our own car - its so expensive to buy 2nd hand though. Hence why we are being slow to buy as it just makes financial sense to wait until we start earning money in the bar that we are about to take over.
It can take some adjustment,don’t make plans or a to do list, most everyday chores can take several days.
The CDS is not a fast paced region, there is a lot of frustration, so you need to be a relaxed personality.
Of all the nationalities I spoke to when working there, they all moaned about how Ignorant, arrogant and frankly stupid the locals are.
Many asked why I moved there too work.
Many did not live in the CDS, most had second homes used for holidays and many had a list of incompetence.I also had many discussions with business people, most of them running property management companies, so they had a wealth of experience of using Spanish tradesmen, councils and local administration and most of the ones I meet had nothing but hassle and tried to employ as many brits as possible rather than Spanish.
In many ways there closer to Mexico than the EU.
That’s just my take on them from personal experience, I’m sure many will disagree.
My advise would be unless you have a good job to come to or you can live comfortably without an income, then dont bother at the moment. There are so many British people going back to the UK because of the lack of work here in Spain. If you do decide to come then good luck.
