Advice for my mum please.

[MarkF]

MY mum is 69, a very healthy, active 69, she had always intend to retire to Andalucia with my father when he retired, unfortunately he developed Alzheimers in his early 60's and this was not possible. He is very near the end now and my mum is thinking of her future.

I flit between the UK and Asturias and hope to be permanently in Asturias next summer, I'd like my mum to be close by and I'm sure she's like to be near her grandkids......but I can't help feeling she will have a better "life" in Andalucia.

Like I said, she is very active and she has a lot of hobbies I am not sure being stuck In Asturias with no English speakers, apart from kids, would be a good thing. She has holidaymakers Spanish and is certainly bright enough to pick up more quickly but I think being around Brits as well as the Spanish would be better for her. More people of her age for her to socialise with, perhaps ladies, alone like her, to become friends with, social clubs etc

She doesn't "need" any of these things, she is very independent, it's just me worrying a little, money is not an issue for her.

Any thought and/or opinions would be most welcome.

[kexon]

There will be many who live much,much closer to the coast than i who can give you good advice in regards to your mum.If my memory serves me well,there will be many more societies and clubs for her to take up new hobbies and socialise. I cant comment on asturias as i know hardly anything of the area,though i have to admit to some curiosity as the landscape looks amazingly beautiful.Good luck to your mum whatever she decides.

[silver]

Speaking as a grandfather...I would say she would have a better "life" close to her grandkids..she can always join in on the forum if she needs a bit of British support and take cheap oap holiday breaks on the coast....Asturias is indeed amazingly beautiful...good luck

[blondie]

not to mention the cider up there....lovely!

[MarkF]

Thanks for the comments, Silver, your comment and being grandfather has given me food for thought.

Asturias is nice, like most parts of Spain are, it's a cliche but it is like a warmer Cornwall, it reminds me of the Dales in places too. However I particularly like Gijon rather than the countryside, it's quite a bit warmer than inland and like a mini-Malaga.

There is a lot of press about Asturias being "undiscovered" and the next "big thing", I think it's undiscovered for bloody good reasons but I won't go into that here. Suffice to say, I like it, but if I could afford a similar property in a good area of Andalucia then I'd be on the Talgo in the blink of an eye!

Blondie, have you tried that cider? yuk! They are cider mental up here but I think it's disgusting, I'll stick to Mahou.

[blondie]

What!!

Funny thing is I hate cider, but the stuff up there I could really drink, and at 1 euro a litre bottle(back in 2003 anyway) I was loving it. Spent a lot of time in Leon and Gijon, great places to go if anyone ever wants to visit that way, just don´t go in Winter as its flipping freezing.

[kookos]

Hi,
May depend on how long they have lived in Spain, how many memories are in the place she lives now, and whether she would want to leave them behind. People often feel comforted when they are somewhere full of good memories. makes them feel closer to the person they have lost.

Maybe you should talk it through with her, give her time to reflect and think what she needs for the future. I'm sure that as long as she knows she has choice that will help.

[Mowser]

She's fit and active now. You must also think of her future as she may not always be fit and active. I think it would be best for her to try out first and go for a 6 month, or 11 month rent. She could possibly do 6 months in the Asturias then 6 months on the southern coast. She should have a better idea then.

If it's the coast, although Nerja is a possibility with lots of ex-pats (how I hate this term), it doesn't have a long promenade. Although your mother is fit now, Nerja could be rather awkward for her in the future as the streets are not flat.

I would suggest Almuñecar or Torre del mar as they both have long flat proms. La Caleta adjoins Torre and has a residential home. This takes both fit and less-fit pensioners (thinking about the future).

[alaninspain]

If you eventually want to try the Andalucia coast, maybe the Western Costa Del Sol from Torremolinos, through Benalmadea to Fuengirola could be best. All 3 towns have ( generally) the best weather in Spain, long flat promenades, plenty of shops, and because they rely on UK tourists most places speak English. We even have a Waitrose/Iceland now, as well as Spainsburys and smaller British supermarkets.