Moving to Malaga

[mallorca]

Hi,
i was wondering if anybody could offer me some advice.
I'm thinking of moving to Malaga very soon,but as ive never been there would like some information on different areas.
I'm looking for a nice family area as i have 2 children a 3 yr old and a 4 month old, so schools are important. Do you know what the best state schools are, or are they all pretty much the same?
The language is not important as we live in Mallorca at the moment, so she is fluent in Spanish.
I am also likley to be working in the airport and dont drive, so would be interested in villages that have really good transport links to the city.
I think the best plan for me, is to get an idea of some suitable places then fly over next week for a few days and have a look.
If anybody could help it would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou

[nsbrown]

Benalmadena is a great place for kids, my son goes to a spanish school just up the road in arroyo de la miel. The area is nice and it has everything close at hand.

Good luck!

[alaninspain]

I have British friends whose 3 children attend schools in the Arroyo, just uphill from Paloma Park. They have integrated so well that the older two are having to be taught to read English books at home, and the parents are trying hard to keep up with the local Spanish slang & rude words. The Arroyo should suit perfectly.

[Miro]

Arroyo is also on the train line serving the airport, which runs from Malaga to Fuengirola. The coast in both directions is well served by buses, too, but inland it gets trickier.

[mallorca]

Hiya, thanks for the replys
Ive never heard of Arroyo de la miel before, just been looking on the internet and it seems like a really good option.
Can you give me any other information about it?
right gonna go research some more on the internet
hopefully might be over there next week to have a look round.
thanks

[Ama]

I agree Arroyo de la Miel could suit you well, plenty of facilities for families and ideal for train to airport. Arroyo de la Miel belongs to Benalmádena. Benalmádena has three town areas: Benalmádena Pueblo (least convenient on public transport), Arroyo de la Miel is the town area and Benalmádena Costa is more tourist inclined.

You can check out further info on the municipal website: http://www.benalmadena.com

Arroyo de la Miel has 4 public schools centrally located:
MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ: http://www.ceipmiguelhernandez.org/index2.php?acceso=0&accesscheck=/index.php
EL TOMILLAR: http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/averroes/eltomillar/
LA LEALA: http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/averroes/ceiplaleala/
LA PALOMA

On the outskirts:
MARIANA PINEDA
In the Pueblo
JACARANDA
No schools in Benalmádena-Costa

COLEGIO MARAVILLAS is a Public 'concertado' and it is normally quite difficult to get a place: http://www.colegiomaravillas.com

All public schools have only classes in the morning (9:00-14:00), probably in Mallorca you have a full school day. However you can opt for lunches after school and then after school activities. In summer most schools have summer classes and activities to help working parents.

Sportwise Arroyo also has an excellent sports center with a wide range of activities for children and adults: http://www.pdmbenalmadena.es/pdm/. Also there is a complex in Arroyo with Ice Rink and Indoor Pool.

The choice of school is normally limited to your home address. However schools are quite full in Arroyo and sometimes you may not get the school allocated to your address.

The town Hall and library regularly organise events for the children.

As for nurseries, to get a place with a state grant both parents have to prove they are working. As Arroyo is a town full of children, nursery places specially for the youngest are quite difficult to find. I think that enrolment starts normally in March. I have good references of these nurseries:
http://www.escuelainfantilpetete.com/
http://www.escuelainfantillospeques.com/
Guardería Don Simon
Guardería Colorín Colorado