At last my house is sold and I’m heading over to Spain and the Costa Blanca to look for a home to buy. Because I have a dog with me, its going to be difficult with accommodation, and I wondered if there were any motels of the type you get in Germany , America and the like, that you park the car outside your room for the night. They might allow a dog…
Also can anyone tell me how long it takes to get a car registered when you buy one? I’m after a second hand station wagon or type Honda CRV -something the dog can jump in the back..On the net there doesn’t seem to be so many with automatic gear change, is that because its so hilly perhaps?? very cushy driving here in Oz, and I would prefer an automatic but if not available well manual will have to do…
Is there a regular train from Madrid to Alicante, how much does it cost? How long does it take? The dog is getting delivered directly to Alicante, but I thought it would be nice to see a bit of Spain from the train, as he is not travelling until 10 days after me. Its going to be a long trip for him from Australia, poor thing..Anyone have any experiences of whether or not they give the dogs a wash when they arrive in their crates??? He’ll obviously be a bit on the nose to take in the car!!
looking forward to any advice!! And dying to get over there! How’s the weather this time of year? Jumpers, jeans and coats - or are the days quite warm? (Its been 35 - 39 degrees here for the last week and its not even summer yet…0

Try looking on ebay for ‘lefthand drive cars’ in the motoring classifieds. There are plenty for sale there.

Thanks for that, JL - but I’m not sure at all about using ebay..bad experiences..There must be plenty of 2nd hand dealers around - dodgy and otherwise unfortunately..But I was a car saleswoman in my younger days, and they won’t be able to pull the wool over my eyes hopefully!

Ho woody’

In my experience it takes about a week to arrange the transfer of ownership and payment of taxation on cars over here. A reputable dealer should handle all of the paperwork for you.

You will however require three pieces of documentation; an NIE (Numero Identificacion Extranjero) which you apply for via the National Police office closest to your chosen home, this is to allow the payment of the transfer tax. You will need to be on a system called the padron which is a sort of electoral roll for your chosen address, because road tax is generated locally, (this document is issued by your local town hall, you will need proof of address such as a rental contract or the deeds to your property if you are buying…) and your passport obviously. You will not be permitted to drive the car off the forecourt unless you provide evidence of Insurance. This you can normally arrange through local insurance agency offices once you have an address set up and you will have time to do this whilst the dealer sorts out the transfer.

As for reputable dealers, as with anywhere in the world it’s very hit and miss.

A couple of links to multi-sales agencies…both feature private and dealer sales…

http://www.coches.net/

http://www.autoscout24.es/

As for trains…

Just had a quick look at the RENFE websitehttp://www.renfe.com/viajeros/index.html (Spains national rail network) there are 7 trains per day from Madrid (Charmartin) to Alicante, journey time is about 4 hours give or take a smidgen, fare is 45 Euros one way. For the record dogs over 5kgs cannot travel by train…and even those must be in a travel crate.

Can’t speak about motels but most hotel chains are dog friendly…

Hope you have a good trip over from Oz and that everything goes OK.

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woody….

just as a PS…

Weather in Alicante at this moment 17C expecting 19C, overcast but with some sun, expecting slow rise during the next couple of days to a peak of 21C. Night-time temps down to about 15C.

I don’t expect for one minute that your dog will get any kind of a wash and brush up on arrival…

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Thank you so much for all the info, Foxbat! really helpful! Plan now is to rent for a month whilst looking for both house and car. The problem now is how to get a bank account in Spain without actually going there first and coming back - to transfer my cash to so I can close my account here before i go..They tell me it can be done, with the famous NIE number and a copy of my passport, but cannot be activated until I can meet up in person and collect my bank card etc. Which is fair enough - although it might present a problem seeing as I do not have an address over there yet…
Any of you lovely expats have good advice on which bank to contact? Reliable, and for at least until i can learn the lingo - english or scandinavian speaking?
Regarding the train from Madrid to Alicante, I have found out that the fare for my son, who is coming out for a month to help me with the driving, and myself one way is about $200 AUD - hope that is about right. As far as fares go comparing it with the same journey here, its very cheap!! 3 hrs 40 min the trip apparently…I am so looking forward to it, and the doubts and sadness about leaving friends and beloved horses in Australia is gradually giving way to excitement over the start of a new period in my life!
I will have a look at the links you sent, FB! W
One more question - where would the best place to rent be, to be central for looking at houses between say - Orihuela and Denia?? Not always so that it would be the geographical midway point.. And where do all you Brits and Scandinavians like the most to live??
Sorry to be such a pain with all these questions that to you might seem very simple, but I know so little of the lay of the land and the rules and regulations. haven’t been to Spain since 1981! And even then it was mostly Torremolinos/Fuengirola…

Woody Hi;

Quickie regarding train fares…200$Au? Way out…that converts to about 147 Euros; train fare actually 45 Euros one way which converts to 61$ Au.

Regarding the other points you raise I’m not in a position to comment since I live in Granada, a completely different province with completely different rules. Alicante comes under Valencia jurisdiction and has some uniquely Valencian rules.

Orihuela and Denia, both have a lot of Brit expats, it seems to be something of a Brit enclave area anywhere along the Costa Blanca coast. One minor thing about Denia however which may be enough to put you off; one of their Summer festivals involves a particularly barbaric form of Bull Baiting…see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39YYSfu8a-4 for an example…

As for banks, there are mixed opinions; I am with one of the Spanish Savings Banks (La Caixa) my branch has an English speaking manager, but that would be of little use to you given the distance involved. Some banks insist on an NIE some are quite happy apparently to accept just a passport.

Hopefully someone out there can provide a more convenient answer…

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Oh - quite a difference…That was quoted from the Spanish website , too! perhaps I put in return fare by mistake - will check it again. Still doesn’ t add up even for two fares, does it? Unless they calculate in a profit for booking from abroad and online..Suppose one can simply jump on a train in Madrid or does one have to book??
Mmmm…Bull baiting - no thanks..although I don’t have to go down and watch, do I? How cruel! But bull fighting is just as bad in my opinion, which is not going to make me the most popular person over there, I just can’t stand cruelty to animals - especially for the entertainment of humans!! They have a lot of cock-fights and dog fights in the back villages of Bali too - strictly illegal, but they do it anyway and run bets on them! And even kids from about 5 years up are there, dipping the chooks into boiling water when they have been hacked to pieces, then sit and de-feather them, ready to grill and sell to the public. if one is brought up that way I suppose they wouldn’t react any other way….

woody; direct from the renfe website link;

Something quite strange here; it would appear that on and after Dec 19th the fares go up and the running time goes down!

Fare (one way) Tourist Class goes up from 45 to 59 Euros one way and running time is chopped by 45 minutes from 4hrs to 3hrs 15 minutes.

Preferente is obviously First Class! Fares quoted are one way only.

Advance booking is a pre-requisite as places are limited to the number of seats available.

So it looks like Madrid-Alicante is going to be one of Renfe’s much loved and much publicised Ultra High Speed routes with max speeds of 350kms/hr…

Fare quotes from Renfe website…

Up to Dec 19 2010;

Precio Internet  
  Turista:    44,70  
  Turista Ni?o:26,80  
  Preferente: 73,50  
  Preferente Ni?o:  44,10  

Precio Estaci?n
  Turista: 45,00  
  Turista Ni?o:27,00  
  Preferente:  74,00  
  Preferente Ni?o: 44,40

Fares after Dec 20th 2010

Precio Internet  
  Turista:    59,80  
  Turista Ni?o:35,90  
  Preferente: 92,70  
  Preferente Ni?o:  55,60  

Precio Estaci?n
  Turista:    60,20  
  Turista Ni?o:  36,15  
  Preferente: 93,40  
  Preferente Ni?o:  56,00

Anyway! Typically Spanish! Keep ‘em guessing!

Hope this helps anyway!

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HOTELS THAT ACCEPT PETS

The AS Hotel Group - Mostly motorway and city lodge style hotels accept pets
The Campanile Group - Again mostly motorway and city hotels accpet pets
(some only accept small dogs up to 5kg) they also usually have parking directly outside so you could risk leaving a dog in your car also.

Here is a link to a range of (140) hotels that take pets in the Valencia Region
http://www.seadmitenmascotas.com/hoteles-Comunidad-Valenciana-com10p1.htm

You may also like to Google the following ” hoteles en Espa?a que aceptan mascotas “

woody…
Something else you need to consider if you haven’t already checked it out…

This from the Australian Government…

“Many countries require Australians to have an International Drivers Permit (IDP) in addition to a valid Australian driving licence to legally drive a car, or ride a motorbike. An IDP is a widely recognised document that can be issued by associated members of the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). Before driving overseas, Australians should contact the appropriate foreign mission in Australia for information on drivers licence requirements.

Ensure the IDP allows you to drive or ride the vehicles you intend to use. Some insurance policies will not cover you if you have an accident using a vehicle you are not licensed to drive.”

EU driving licences are directly interchangeable without a test, BUT, it would appear that Aussie licences are not. To obtain a Spanish Licence you will need to take the Spanish Driving Test and that is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Initially an Aussie licence supported by an IDP will probably suffice. Chances are you will never have to produce an IDP unless heaven forbid you are involved in an accident and get stuck with a non-English speaking Guardia Civil Traffico officer.

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Thank you for the link to the hotels/motels that accept pets..mine might be a problem seeing as he is 35kg, but no harm in asking…
A train that goes 350km an hour…mmm..do they ever go off the rails or anything? And here’s me thinking I’d be safer than on one of those “local” small planes that fly Madrid - Alicante…(I’m getting anxious now about flying, haha! You may - or may not -  have heard Qantas is having a lot of trouble with their RR engines in the 380s these days..hardly a day passes without an incident lately…)
Ah well - I’ll get there somehow I suppose! Now my only problem is starting a bank account, getting a place to rent Iam allowed the dog, and getting onto the net again once I get there! not necessarily in that order….
Incidentally how do you ask “where can I wash the dog?”, LOL! I can’t very well take a dog that has been traveeling for 40 hours in its own ‘dirt’ into a hire car…Think they might disapprove somehow!