Question About Orgiva And Las Alpujarras Area

[aimee]

Hi,

This is my first post, but I've been lurking for a while now.

My husband, our spoiled pooch and me are moving to Andalucia in four months.

Problem is we're still not that sure as to where in Andalucia.

Our family who are in England (we're in Viet Nam right now ) have been doing the initial "scouting" for areas based on our own requirements and after looking around Cadiz & Ronda and prime coastal area ( which they think we wouldn't like as a place to live in ), we're now focusing our search on Granada.

Granada city seems to be very beautiful but we need a big garden for dog ( & more dogs in the future ) and it might be difficult to find one right in the city plus properties are more expensive.

So now, we're thinking about the villages around Las Alpujarras. Basically, our most important needs are:

1) Garden
2) Good internet connection
3) Restaurants & bars for occasional night out.

Also, depending on property rates, we might also have a B & B near the house so such a place where this is feasible would be great.

We're thinking Orgiva ( not as beautiful as other villages, they say, but that's fine as long as it's not an industrial garbage which I'm sure is not ).

My questions are:

1) What do you think about Orgiva and any other places you can recommend?

2) What's the weather like thereabouts? Does it snow in winter? (After surviving Hanoi's summer heat, I don't think Andalucian summers will ever bother us )

3) Are there any jobs for expats around these areas? In case, the B & B won't work


Thanks a lot

[Alpujarra]

Personaly I believe that Orgiva would be the worst place to settle in the Alujarras. There is a large New Age Travellers site there....need I say more?
Also the prices in the bars shops etc in Orgiva are higher than elswhare in the Alpujarras.

I would suggest looking at Lanjaron or some of the villages higher up.

We are at an altitude of 710 meters and this year, according to the locals, we had the first snow for 56 years.

The employment prospects in the area are less than zero, unless of course you are a donkey!!

[Lesley01]

Hi Aimee

Check your private messages ... I've sent you a couple.

[MarkF]

I spent a 2 week holiday in Orgiva last year, rented a lovely villa, pool, orchard, large garden, the lot. But............the beggars really *beep* me off, god knows what the locals think.

If you want to have conflict with clog wearing, body ringed *beep*-heads, move to Orgiva.

[aimee]

Mark, Lesley & Alpujarra,

Thanks a lot for your input guys.

That was actually one of our worries. I had previously read in the Lonely Planet that Orgiva is scruffy, but we just took it with a grain of salt, because LP is not always right on the money with their opinion of a place, anyway.

It definitely does'nt sound like a good place to raise a family ( which we plan on doing in Spain ), is it?

We will of course look around the Las Alpujarras area - Lanjaron we will definitely look at. Originally, I did like the 3 popular villages higher up, but a population of 2k seems to be a bit too small..

I never thought that finding a house in a region that's suppose to be very beautiful can be very difficult. But I guess that's just part of the whole "fun" of moving.

I'll keep you updated. Meanwhile, I need to do a million more things to get our dog ready for Spain ( not easy coming from VN, mind you )

Thanks a lot!

[bunty]

Lanjaron is also very expensive to buy property and as it is situated on the side of a mountain a dificult place to buy a house with land.
There is a famous health spa there so in summer it is overflowing with mainly elderly visitors.
I think your best bet is to look at the villages on the mountains between Orgiva and the sea.Or to look at the villages in the mountains behind Salobrena.

[frank]

Personaly I believe that Orgiva would be the worst place to settle in the Alujarras.

You're just saying that because you don't want them near you, with a pack of noisy dogs! Not that I blame you. We visited a village last week, the other side of the Motril/Granada road, and you could not move for dog s--t! Even our friends that live there commented on it.

[silver]

Granada city seems to be very beautiful but we need a big garden for dog ( & more dogs in the future ) and it might be difficult to find one right in the city plus properties are more expensive.

Have you looked at Loja...its not part of Las Alpujarras .... but its close to Granada and only about 40mins to Malaga

we might also have a B & B

good situation for visitors..45 mins to ski or beach... and does not get as cold as alpujaras. Antequera might suit also...

jobs for expats

these are few and far between anywhere in andalucia.