First scout of areas to live

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niraig
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First scout of areas to live

Postby niraig » Sat Aug 06, 2016 8:13 pm

Hi
I'm hoping that some of the good members of this forum can offer some assistance. We are coming over in November for our first serious scout of areas we may relocate to in 2018. At the moment we have a few areas that we are interested in and are hoping that you may know of rental companies/private rentals that we could use.
Almachar/El Borge, Loja and Antequerra are our favourites at the moment, although only seen online. Any help with these area and accommodation would be really appreciated.

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costakid
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby costakid » Sat Aug 06, 2016 10:28 pm

I would say spend some time inland and on the coast to get a feel.

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby ajtg1952 » Sun Aug 07, 2016 10:57 am

Apart from a good golf course, Antequerra is just a big town in a very flat area covered in Olive trees. Loja is nice but quite a trek from the airport. We nearly bought a house in Almachar and El Borge. Because we lived in the Trossachs before moving here full time 8 years ago we homed in on the Riogordo, Colmenar area. It is just so green in the Spring. We ended up near Comares overlooking the mountains. Feel very much at home, apart from 330 days of sunshine a year!

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costakid
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby costakid » Sun Aug 07, 2016 12:21 pm

Inland can be up to 45 degrees in summer and very cold in the winter. The first time we went to Antequera it was in the mid 40s. We had a coffee and drove straight back to the coast and it was 32 degrees. We are still there.

elusive
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby elusive » Sun Aug 07, 2016 3:18 pm

Agree thats something you very much have to take into consideration. And tbh maybe it was just me but when you first start looking you really dont realise the difference in temps in the summer and winter even when the distance isnt a huge amount.

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby olive » Sun Aug 07, 2016 5:38 pm

I don't know anything about Almachar but Loja is our nearest town. It is about 55 minutes from the airport at Malaga and maybe 25 from Granada airport. Both via good motorway links. The latter doesn't have much in the way of international flights but does have a daily service to City of London. Plenty of facilities in the twon. New hospital just opened though for more complex stuff you go to Granada. It has Dia, Lidl, Maskom and Mercadona supermarkets. Eating wise some competent enough restaurants but typical Spanish. In fact the town isn't touristy. Loja has free tapas with drinks and the prices are not the eye watering amounts charged on the coast. Apart from the supermarkets, petrol statiosn and the 24 hour chemist on rota everywhere shuts for siesta. The town has an active programme of events from Religious stuff, two ferias, childrens events and so on. Regular free newspaper and it is online too. http://www.elcortodigital.es/ . Like Antequera there is a regular weekly market , Loja is the Monday. Nice new spaorts facilities and outdoor swimming pools too. The Ayuntamiento has transformed the town over the last ten years.

Antequera is perhaps a more likeable town (we like going there for a change). On top of the normal supermarkets it has an Eroski as well. Both should have high speed rail services by the time you make your move. At the moment the infrastructure is going in but is bogged down with among other things a lack of finance!

maybe look for somewhere in between the two e.g. Archidona.

The comments regarding heat are accurate. We find July and August somewhat wearing but you adjust your lifestyle accordingly e.g. siesta and using shade. I would strongly recommend staying in the area in both winter and the height of summer. Ideally in the same sort of accommodation that you intend to rent or possibly buy when you finally make your move in 2018. One year (perhaps 9 ago) we saw minus 10 at our house but that is unusual. Be wary of people pushing houses at you with "thick old walls that keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter". Might do to a point . Visiting at extremes of the year will give you a feel of what and where you would like to live and how you would cope e.g. with heating.

Hope that helps.

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby maureenscot » Sun Aug 07, 2016 6:19 pm

Thank you Olive, that was very helpful. I have been thinking about these areas for a holiday

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby elusive » Mon Aug 08, 2016 8:53 am

Archidona is nice we had a day out up there not long back. Visited loja aswell but i think we stopped at the wrong end of town where the police station is. Felt slighty dodgy to say the least.the other end was alot nicer!

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costakid
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby costakid » Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:32 pm

Archidona is very hot in summer and freezing in winter. Saying that its a lovely place for a day out and a meal in the square thats not a square if you know what i mean.

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby olive » Mon Aug 08, 2016 1:29 pm

Maureen. I don't think you would be disappointed if you stay in the area for a holiday.

There is a wealth of things to do. The Dolmens at Antequera are free and worth a visit. They will soon become a world heritage site. You have the flamingo lake at Fuente de Piedra, the Alhambra at Granada. A car is useful and there are some very scenic routes . Places like Montefrio and Alhama de Granada are worth a visit. If you like real solitude you can go up the Sierra De Loja(1600metres above sea level) and leave your car and walk and not see another soul for hours. El Torcal is spectacular for its views and rock formations but a bit more touristy. Another fun thing to do is pull in places that Washington Irving did on his trip quite a few years ago. Plenty on the web for that. In fact the tourist offices used to and maybe still do, issue a free passport that you can get stamped at each location.

elusive. The dodgy end of Loja is of course where the gitanos live. Won't be long before they are desirable houses and commanding good money like those in the Albaicin!

If you go to Archidona, a visit up to the religious building perched high above the town is a must.

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby chrissiehope » Mon Aug 08, 2016 1:51 pm

It's called La Ermita de la Virgen de Gracias (Convent of the Virgin of Graces) and the Sanctuary of the same name - there are a few sites giving info (all in Spanish, but with some good photos) if you google it. It also has a Pasteleria (cake shop) :-) It's built within the walls of an old Moorish fort.
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elusive
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby elusive » Mon Aug 08, 2016 3:15 pm

gitanos
---------
Had to google that. A new word for me. Yeah i think thats the area we wandered into. Very dark south american native looking people

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby BusterG » Mon Aug 08, 2016 5:53 pm

I would second Comares area - simply stunning, only 45 min inland from Malaga - gorgeous views, plenty or restaurants, friendly people.

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby maureenscot » Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:08 pm

Thank you all for the suggestions. Will definitely try to visit all of them

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Roz
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby Roz » Tue Aug 09, 2016 8:28 pm

Please do visit and stay in the winter. Many people do not realise how different it is. A wet cold day or evening in February is very different than in the warmer months. In our village on evenings like that everybody stays inside with their shutters closed and log fires lit, very quiet!

niraig
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby niraig » Sat Jan 21, 2017 9:01 pm

Hi, well we did our tour in November and we have decided that inland living is not for us. We were perhaps a little naive regarding what some of the roads were like. Such a pity as the villages were beautiful, but twisty roads and sheer drops made me ill. We had to move after only 2 days from the casa in Cutar we had booked for 2 weeks down to Torre Del Mar and book into other accommodation. An expensive lesson but glad we know now where we don't want to live. Therefore it's the coast for us. We are now concentrating our search in Malaga and areas to the east as far as Benajarafe. We think we would also like to be car free when we relocate, and only use public transport. We are booked to stay for two weeks in Benajarafe in May without a car to see how we get on. We also intend to set up as many house viewings as possible when we are there. We particularly liked Benajarafe, Rincon La Victoria and the area that we have holidayed in for the past 6 years El Palo/Pedragalejo. I was wondering if any of the members know if there are any areas especially in Malaga and Rincon that are ones to be avoided, if any. We aim to move early 2018. Looking forward to hearing your suggestions of any areas that we may have overlooked.

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costakid
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby costakid » Sat Jan 21, 2017 10:07 pm

In my opinion La Cala Del Moral is nicer than Rincon based on parking in Rincon is a nightmare. The Bus links to Malaga are great from both. The 160, 163 and 167 all stop in malaga centro.

niraig
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby niraig » Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:05 am

Thanks Costakid, I'll have a look at properties in La Cala del Moral.

elusive
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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby elusive » Sun Jan 22, 2017 5:44 pm

We only found la cala recently. The front is lovely we park at the far end and walk around the beautiful coastal path and the old tunnels round to rincon and kikos for lunch. I really like it there

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Re: First scout of areas to live

Postby firsttango » Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:44 pm

Good shout Costakid, been to La Cala del Moral on many occasions, it really is a very pleasant area


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